Headphone amps in integrateds are usually a bit of an afterthought, and McIntosh doesn’t specify the headphone power output of your amp in the specs, which would lead me to believe it’s nothing special — could be wrong though. The HE1000s do require some power to get the most out of them, and frankly I think a $3000 pair of headphones deserves and will greatly reward you for a better headphone amp. Just my $0.02 FWIW.
Newbie question - dedicated headphone amp or is my McIntosh MA352 sufficient
Hi forum members,
I recently purchased the Hifiman HE1000 V2 headphones. I currently own the McIntosh Ma352. Is the headphone amp on this unit sufficient bring out the characteristic sound of this headphone or am I better served buying a dedicated headphone amp? I appreciate your input.
I recently purchased the Hifiman HE1000 V2 headphones. I currently own the McIntosh Ma352. Is the headphone amp on this unit sufficient bring out the characteristic sound of this headphone or am I better served buying a dedicated headphone amp? I appreciate your input.
Showing 3 responses by soix
@overthemoon Ah yes, it never ends. But at least when the results are tangible you can feel like it’s worth going down that rabbit hole, no? I started with a Dragonfly Red and was very happy, then upgraded to a Singzer SA-1 amp and Musician Pegasus DAC. Then I added a Denafrips DDC so I could feed my DAC with i2S, and then I upgraded to an LTA MZ2 headphone amp. That’s not even including my headphone upgrades. How’s that for a wabbit hole? |
@overthemoon Wine clubs and audio definitely a good pairing. |