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ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022
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This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022

 

On the go headphone amps

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Mark
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London
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Mark Posted: Wed, Jan 1 2014 6:21 PM

Now I seem to be serious about my music at home and for some reason less so about listening on the go, OK I have an array of expensive headphones but listen from a low quality source (no disrespect iPhone/iPod)

After some research I came across two possible solutions the FiiO Mont Blanc or the Astell & Kern AK10 and then wondered why B&O do not look at this market place?

Would you buy an amp for your portable music player ?

 

we tend to forget there is more to design than designing.

Stan
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Stan replied on Wed, Jan 1 2014 8:54 PM

No.  For me, another box kind of kills the portable / on the go experience.  I can't see this market ever growing beyond a very small niche.  As mentioned in many other threads, convenience is killing quality. 

Stan 

Millemissen
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Flensborg, Denmark
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A B&O headphone amp for 'in house listening' it is actually not a bad idea.

There are lots of headamps out there - some of them even dedicated amps for a specific headphone.

I often wondered how B&O can make a headphone (and praise it) without thinking of how it is driven.

 

We are used to dedicated amps in the B&O loudspeakers.

If you read the Geoff Martin blog, you will know that putting an amp and some speakers together does not make a B&O loudspeaker (a BeoLab).

Working with digital filters and DSP are involved when turning an acttive speaker into a modern BeoLab.

 

You could think of a dedicated headphone amp with a PowerLink connection - and even with some jumper settings for the different B&O headphones!

Personally I think that would be a great and (for those of us who for different reasons listens via headphones at home) a usefull product.

But - being realistic - I think the market would be very limited - so very limited that it would never reach production.

Still it would be nice to know if anyone has any experience with different headamps for the B&O headphones.


For a portable player - at least for the iDevices - the amp would need a Lightning connection.

It should be able to draw the digital signal from the device to be better than the gros of the headamps connecting to the headphone output connection (the Fiio being one of those)..

And again, would there be a market for this kind of dedicated B&O amp - I doubt it.

 

P.S. The brandnew AK10 is definetely worth having a look at: - seems to be the first one with Lightning support:

http://www.headphone.com/headphone-amps/amplifiers/astellkern-ak10-headphone-ampdac.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miCoC6vrV_s&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Greetings Millemissen

 

 

There is a tv - and there is a BV

Evan
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Evan replied on Thu, Jan 2 2014 1:39 AM

When I am listening to music on the go, it happens only a couple of different ways - iPod/BeoSound 6 + B&O A8s/Form 2s. Both devices have plenty of oomph for those cans.

However, as for home listening I get much more serious. I have built a rather powerful dual-monoblocked amplifier based on the popular Chu Moy architecture to drive my KRK KNS 6400s and audio-technica ATH-900.

Like the others have said - I lean toward convenience on the move but quality at home.

Beo4 'til I die!

wonderfulelectric
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If B&O is already busy struggling with its core product line,  headphone amps are long way down the list of the things to do. 

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