[nobel]

Hi

I brought a decent pair of headphones to use with the BP26 but it seems that they cannot be driven as the sound is ponderous. When i use a cheap pair then there seems to be more life. Do I need to purchase a headphone amp to get satisfactory results

[mbakes]

I have no experience with the headphone out of this preamp, however, typically the headphone out of a component like this is not optimized for headphone use (there are some integrated amps and preamps that make excellent headphone amps).  The manual states that for optimal use you should use headphones that are more than 50 ohms.  Which headphones are you using that do not sound right?  While I prefer speakers, I am into headphone audio as well.  I've found that to get the best out of a good pair of headphones a dedicated headphone amp is best.

[mpaulsen]

mbakes makes a good point about the impedance of your headphones. The headphone output on the BP26 may not put out enough current for your particular headphones.

I've used the headphone output on my B100 with my Sennheiser HD600(300 Ohm) and it sounded fine although not as good as my dedicated headphone amp.
I haven't tried my Grados(32ohm) with the Bryston. I'll give it a try when I return home and tell you how it sounds.

-Mitchell

[nobel]

I have used 3. Two are Seinhessers and the other is Denon around the $100 dollar mark. They sound bad.

[mbakes]

It may depend on the particular model.  Chances are any Senn is going to be over the 50 ohm mark except there inner ear monitors.  The Denons are probably more like 25 ohms so they would be below what is recommended.  Depending on where you live, there are headphone meets throughout the year all over the country where you would have an opportunity to try out different headphones with your preamp as well as trying out various headphone amps at various price points.  You can get excellent amplification for say between $500 and $1000.  In my experience, it's well worth it if you either need to use headphones a lot or just desire to do so.  Some companies to look at are Woo Audio, Eddie Current (maker of Moth amps), Headamp and Headroom.  Not meant to be an all inclusive list.

[nobel]

Hi

 Thanks for your response on this topic. I went back to the shop and saw the Sens that I took back. They were all 32 ohms believe it or not. I was under the impression that I could not go wrong on this and reap the benefits way and above the ipod.. But I still cant understand how a cheap pair of Sony phones which sound good on the ipod also sounds better on the BP26. Surely the ohms must be no where near the 50 ohms mark