Headphone output audio quality regarding

[aruns]

Dear folks...
I have never connected and heard a high end headphone to the audio output in front of my Arcafmj A19 integrated amplifier.
My question is "will I get an audiophile grade audio output from a high quality headphone connected to the front jack of my fmj A19?"
If so, which headphone will you recommend?
Thank you all in advance..

 

[fLUX]

The headphone output of most IA's are decent enough to drive most of the audiophile headphones. What is your budget , preferred signature and also are you fine with open backs (which would leak sound ) ?

 

[aruns]

The headphone output of most IA's are decent enough to drive most of the audiophile headphones. What is your budget , preferred signature and also are you fine with open backs (which would leak sound ) ?

Actually I am not having any idea of headphone areas.
How much should I spend to get a good quality output. ?

 

[fLUX]

15-20k would be a fairly decent budget. If you are open to used headphones then quiet a few options are present

 

[chander]

15-20k would be a fairly decent budget. If you are open to used headphones then quiet a few options are present

Second @fLUX here. Around 30K you should get a fairly competent HP.
Audio Technica ATH R70X is a great sub 25K open Back HP.
You can also check out offerings from Sennheiser - under 50K - their HD 600/650 are great HPs
Audeze makes good ones too
Going over the 50K budget - you can check our Focal/Audeze/Meze

You should first be aware of what you are looking for from an HP.

Also your question on HP output from your amp, that should be fine in most cases!

 

[fLUX]

The HD650 can be had for 22.5k odd during amazon sale, however they are very fussy on the amp pairing and can sound sterile with the wrong amp. As suggested the R70x are known to be easier to drive and with a similar signature as HD650 , so might be a better option vs the HD650.

The Focal headphones are easier to drive and are not very fussy , very good deals keep coming on Focal in headphonezone during festive offers. Personally i had the Elex and Utopia , Elex I found to be not that great vs the competition and Utopia v1 was purely magical when paired with a tube amp.

 

[aruns]

Second @fLUX here. Around 30K you should get a fairly competent HP.
Audio Technica ATH R70X is a great sub 25K open Back HP.
You can also check out offerings from Sennheiser - under 50K - their HD 600/650 are great HPs
Audeze makes good ones too
Going over the 50K budget - you can check our Focal/Audeze/Meze

You should first be aware of what you are looking for from an HP.

Also your question on HP output from your amp, that should be fine in most cases!

Wow. Thank you....

 

[prop0nik]

If you’re okay with used offering. I have a verum one planar. Pm for details

 

[aruns]

If you’re okay with used offering. I have a verum one planar. Pm for details

I'm not looking to buy immediately on seeing the price. Also I prefer new one. Thank you very much for the offer

 

[aruns]

Second @fLUX here. Around 30K you should get a fairly competent HP.
Audio Technica ATH R70X is a great sub 25K open Back HP.
You can also check out offerings from Sennheiser - under 50K - their HD 600/650 are great HPs
Audeze makes good ones too
Going over the 50K budget - you can check our Focal/Audeze/Meze

You should first be aware of what you are looking for from an HP.

Also your question on HP output from your amp, that should be fine in most cases!

Hi Chander
Just one clarification. I find in Audio Technica website that the R70X is coming in "Studio headphone" category and not in "Audiophile headphone" category. What is the difference between these categories?
Thank you in advance...

 

[prop0nik]

Hi Chander
Just one clarification. I find in Audio Technica website that the R70X is coming in "Studio headphone" category and not in "Audiophile headphone" category. What is the difference between these categories?
Thank you in advance...

Studio quality refers to flat or neutral tuning. They are transparent and very revealing. But a good hifi dac and amp will make it very suitable for music listening.

 

[chander]

Hi Chander
Just one clarification. I find in Audio Technica website that the R70X is coming in "Studio headphone" category and not in "Audiophile headphone" category. What is the difference between these categories?
Thank you in advance...

I am no expert, but as a layman I will try and elaborate -
1 - Most Studio HPs target a flat frequency response, compared to slightly customised response of most consumer & audiophile gear. So no bass boost & no/lesser tapering of high frequencies in studio stuff.
2 - Now because of the above characteristics, the songs may sound leaner in bass & harsher in treble to SOME not ALL.

NOW - You will have to see where you stand! Try and get a used pair of ATH M40X - they are mostly selling for peanuts on HP zone marketplace. The 70X is in my opinion a lot better than 40X - so if you do like the sound definitely go for it.

***Disclaimer - I am one of those few who prefer the sound of Pro Gear over Audiophile gear and most of my gear now, IEMs, Stereo etc is mostly pro gear. So my opinions could be biased.

 

[manek]

Audio technica is a good bet. Ath-M50X is a great starting point.

Pls check check for specs of the amp section in the manual. They would mention the impedance of headphones to be used. If the max is under 300 Ohms avoid buying the Sennheiser hd600/650. The HD660’s could be a better bet in this case.

 

[aruns]

Dear all.
I decided to buy RX70 because of it's good reviews and most importantly it's ultra low weight which is only 210 grams. But unfortunately it's currently out of stock, as informed by audio technica authorised dealers in trivandrum Kochi and Bangalore. Somehow I don't prefer online buying for such items.. Any alternative suggestions for open back light weight headphone in the same class.
Thank you all..
Regards Arun

 

[manek]

Dear all.
I decided to buy RX70 because of it's good reviews and most importantly it's ultra low weight which is only 210 grams. But unfortunately it's currently out of stock, as informed by audio technica authorised dealers in trivandrum Kochi and Bangalore. Somehow I don't prefer online buying for such items.. Any alternative suggestions for open back light weight headphone in the same class.
Thank you all..
Regards Arun

If thats the case what is available from the people you plan to buy ? Your choice will be narrowed as per that availability.

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

Dear folks...
I have never connected and heard a high end headphone to the audio output in front of my Arcafmj A19 integrated amplifier.
My question is "will I get an audiophile grade audio output from a high quality headphone connected to the front jack of my fmj A19?"
If so, which headphone will you recommend?
Thank you all in advance..

Hi Arun

I dont want to sound pessimistic, but sometimes the head phone output on an amp is a box ticking exercise and might not warrant an investment in the price bracket you are considering. Many a times, the preamp output is directly routed to the headphone section with no dedicated amplifier section, which makes it difficult to drive a lot of head phones. I had a parasound halo integrated long back with a texas amplification chip for the headphones and it was just about decent with some denon cans I was using then. My present preamp has a better dedicated headphone out than the parasound, but i dont know if it is good enough to warrant spending on a headphone. I probably have to compare with a dedicated headphone amp to make out.

I understand it is not easy to find fellow headphone users in Trivandrum to try out some cans before you buy. But maybe you can mail arcam or search more on the subject before you spend the money. Just my 2 cents...but dont want to ruin your enthusiasm to try. All the best.

 

[aruns]

If thats the case what is available from the people you plan to buy ? Your choice will be narrowed as per that availability.

Sennheiser HD 600
AKG K702. All senns and AKG headphones they can arrange

Hi Arun

I dont want to sound pessimistic, but sometimes the head phone output on an amp is a box ticking exercise and might not warrant an investment in the price bracket you are considering. Many a times, the preamp output is directly routed to the headphone section with no dedicated amplifier section, which makes it difficult to drive a lot of head phones. I had a parasound halo integrated long back with a texas amplification chip for the headphones and it was just about decent with some denon cans I was using then. My present preamp has a better dedicated headphone out than the parasound, but i dont know if it is good enough to warrant spending on a headphone. I probably have to compare with a dedicated headphone amp to make out.

I understand it is not easy to find fellow headphone users in Trivandrum to try out some cans before you buy. But maybe you can mail arcam or search more on the subject before you spend the money. Just my 2 cents...but dont want to ruin your enthusiasm to try. All the best.

Thank you for the advice

Hi All greetings from Pune I have decided to purchase my first stereo setup I can spend around INR 80000-100000.

I am looking at going for Rotel A10 or A 11 or Cambridge Audio AXA 50 and Polk R100 or KEF 150, I have not listened to any one of them and I am not sure how will they sound. So anyone here who owns any of these combos or has listened to them. These combo already overshoot my budget so I want to make sure that I listen to them first. Are there any options in Pune or Mumbai. Where I can visit and listen to them.
Or any other options recommended by fellow members, for me this will be one-time purchase and won't be looking for upgrade for next 10 years may be.

 

[chillumphile]

Hi Arun

I dont want to sound pessimistic, but sometimes the head phone output on an amp is a box ticking exercise and might not warrant an investment in the price bracket you are considering. Many a times, the preamp output is directly routed to the headphone section with no dedicated amplifier section, which makes it difficult to drive a lot of head phones. I had a parasound halo integrated long back with a texas amplification chip for the headphones and it was just about decent with some denon cans I was using then. My present preamp has a better dedicated headphone out than the parasound, but i dont know if it is good enough to warrant spending on a headphone. I probably have to compare with a dedicated headphone amp to make out.

I understand it is not easy to find fellow headphone users in Trivandrum to try out some cans before you buy. But maybe you can mail arcam or search more on the subject before you spend the money. Just my 2 cents...but dont want to ruin your enthusiasm to try. All the best.

This is very true.

Just recently I got myself a HD650 as I wanted to make use of the headphone output of my Marantz PM8006 and I am less than inspired.

The sounds falls way short of HD650 fame.

I later learnt that PM8006 doesnt have a separate headphone circuitry and it just steps down the speaker output.


However, going by this review your amp is a fairly competent one in this regard.

ARCAM FMJ A19 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

ARCAM FMJ A19 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

headphone.guru

 

[aruns]

This is very true.

Just recently I got myself a HD650 as I wanted to make use of the headphone output of my Marantz PM8006 and I am less than inspired.

The sounds falls way short of HD650 fame.

I later learnt that PM8006 doesnt have a separate headphone circuitry and it just steps down the speaker output.


However, going by this review your amp is a fairly competent one in this regard.

ARCAM FMJ A19 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

ARCAM FMJ A19 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

headphone.guru

thanks

 

[fLUX]

This is very true.

Just recently I got myself a HD650 as I wanted to make use of the headphone output of my Marantz PM8006 and I am less than inspired.

The sounds falls way short of HD650 fame.

I later learnt that PM8006 doesnt have a separate headphone circuitry and it just steps down the speaker output.


However, going by this review your amp is a fairly competent one in this regard.

ARCAM FMJ A19 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

ARCAM FMJ A19 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

headphone.guru

The Pm6006 also was a big let down in terms of the headphone amp, one of the better headphone outs which IMO competed with or outperformed many hp amps were the Cary Audio SLP03 pre and Icon Audio Stereo amp ( 25 mkii in my case).