headphone amp/audio interface

[trsreagan3]

What interface/amp would you guys recommend? I use beyerdynamic dt 770 phones, and plug them directly into my mac headphone jack right now. Monitors are not an option due to noise restrictions, but I do have some krk rp5s that I use to reference and for final tweaking during mix downs(untreated room). I also have a high end car sound system that I use for a reference. My mixes continuously come out with a great sounding low end, but with a high end and midrange that is underwhelming and weak. I believe that my monitoring situation has a lot to do with this because if what I am hearing through my phones is not accurate, then it becomes difficult to achieve proper quality. Because I am limited to headphones, I need to make them sound as accurate as possible. I have read that an amp is vital when using headphones as your primary reference. I just want the tracks that I produce, and that sound great, in my headphones to translate over to loudspeakers with minimal adjustments required. If there are any other recommendations for methods or products that you guys feel could help me solve this issue, I am open to those also. I would like to keep the cost below $1000. I have read a little bit about interfaces that simulate monitors via crossfeeding, but would love some suggestions on where to start as far as purchasing an interface that will help me achieve my goal.

I've been producing for 3-4 years now.

current setup

beyerdynamic dt770
live 8 (will upgrade soon)
macbook pro, 2010, 4gb ram, 2.66 ghz
microkorg xl

[trsreagan3]

I am taking a look at the spl auditor/phonitor headphone amps. My questions are:

1)will these amps make a significant difference in translation from headphones to speakers?

2) Would i need to upgrade my headphones if I were to purchase one of these?

End goal is still to have mixes that are produced on headphones, but translate well to speakers.

[Electric_Head]

I have the dt990pro.
Currently using the cmoy bb from jds labs.
No complaints with that little amp.

[smalltock]

I had a Saffire 6, which was nice, but the cross-platform support wasn't great (no linux). Traded with a friend for Akai EIE, which has more features with lower sound quality and is class-compliant. I recommend either of these, depending on your conditions.

[AxeD]

Don't you need an interface anyway? With just a HP amp the processing is still done by the mac itself.

I don't feel like an amp is really vital, unless you have the 250 ohm 770's.

[snappy]

I don't feel like an amp is really vital, unless you have the 250 ohm 770's.

if you dont have a DAC get one first

[AxeD]

I don't feel like an amp is really vital, unless you have the 250 ohm 770's.

if you dont have a DAC get one first

Well he has a dac in his mac, phone etc.. but yeah something with higher quality converters.

[SunkLo]

Amp probably plays a bigger role than converters, in the same way a pre will play a bigger role than an ADC when going the opposite direction. Ideally you'd grab a nice interface with quality conversion and a good headphone amp, but I can't offer any suggestions I'm afraid. I've got the Audio Technica ATH M50s shipping soon and I'm not sure whether I'll get an amp to go with them.


PS: If you email ScitScat and offer them $100 for the Audio Technicas, they'll take it. sales at scitscat.com. Shipping for me to Canada will be like 23 bucks but you might be able to grease a deal on shipping too if you live in America.

[AxeD]

I wouldn't bother too much with amplifying the signal from the converter in order to drive such low impedance headphones.
Maybe I'm approaching it wrong but that would be investing in coloring your monitors.

In recording, you need the gain because the signal from just the mic is barely anything.

[SunkLo]

Oh I assumed the OP had a model of Beyers that needed the extra juice. I notice now he didn't mention the impedance. Either way a lot of cans sound better when given more power, even if they may not need it to be audible. I also noticed he said he's got $1000 to play with so that opens things up a bit.

I'd probably get a nice interface with decent converters. Or maybe another pair of headphones to A/B with. Senn 600s maybe? I've heard the 580s are sort of in the same league for cheaper. I was gonna snatch these but I'd rather get more portable closed backs so... Here they are on ebay right now. Less than a day left. If you sniped them at the last minute you could probably walk away with a good deal. (I just did that with an MPK61 )

Any can like that will need a headphone amp. There's some nice ones for fairly cheap though. I imagine you could get all of the above and still stay under budget.

I just got done looking at the Black Lion Audio site. They've got some nice gear of their own in addition to the mods they offer. If I were you I'd do a search on gearslutz for the best interfaces under $1000, with a focus on DACs. I'm sure there's a mint piece of kit with great converters and enough power to drive higher impedance cans.

[Electric_Head]

The dt990 is not sufficiently powerd with my existing interface/midi keyboard.
Hence the need for an amp.
Some audio interfaces have ample power and do not need an accompanying amp.