Why headphone amps are good (And why this review may be wrong)

Ok, well I've been listening to my father's Sony SEN-R6400 Stereo System. I also can't find any information on this actual system, so I can't tell you much on it. It's a bit old as my dad puts it.


There are 4 systems to this set. There's an FM-AM radio tuner, tape deck, AV Control Amplifier, and the 6-CD changer. My dad also has a digital vinyl board connected to the system. I won't be testing how that sounds for now.


Anyways, a couple or so months ago, I found out I could plug my iPod into the AV control amplifier through an RCA cable jack. I dug one up, and I decided to test it out.




iPod is a 4th generation iPod photo, 20 gigabytes (Yeah, oldish. 2005) using Apple Lossless files. My only headphones I have are the AKG k240 Studio 55Ω  (Sadly. It's not the best, but it works for now in this testing.) The amplifier is the AV Control Amplifier. And a lot of what I put could also be a result of my headphones, but there are distinct differences between an iPod and an amp that changes it.

The song setlist is as follows

1. Sam Cooke-Chain Gang

2. OreSkaBand-Knife & Fork

3. Jimi Hendrix-Castles Made Of Sand

4. 川添珠姫 (広橋涼), 千葉紀梨乃 (豊口めぐみ), 桑原鞘子 (小島幸子), 宮崎都 (桑島法子), 東聡莉 (佐藤利奈)-BAMBOO BEAT (Yes it's a lot of artists.)

5. Boys Like Girls-Love Drunk

Just the iPod:

1. The left and right channels are defined very well at the beginning. When Sam Cooke comes in, the chorus is placed in the right channel, but Sam is placed somewhere near the left and the middle channels. There is few separation between the two channels throughout the choral parts.Still quite refreshing to listen to either way.

2. Ahh Ska. The walking bass is heard, but you can somehow feel that it seems isolated from the rest of the actual band. It's there, but it doesn't feel like it belongs there. The brass seems to be quite mixed together, and there seems to be no distinction between the instruments.

3. The beginning guitar can be distinctly heard in the right channel. You can hear the two guitars in the separate left and right channels, layered behind Jimi. His voice transitions are heard through the iPod. The bass seems a bit overpowering throughout the song.

4. The opening instruments (bells?) are heard clearly, and can be heard through the opening. The background instruments can be heard supporting the vocalists in the beginning also. The blend is quite good. However, during the chorus, the instrumental doesn't seem very supportive or exciting at the least. It seems a bit muddy.
The instrumental solo seems too balanced, so the soloing instruments don't stick out.

5. There is not much left-right distinction between the synthesizers (I think those were synthesizers) at the beginning. The rhythm guitar is too weak in the beginning before the chorus. The chorus is just blended with not much distinction. Listening carefully, you can hear two voices in the second phrase before the second chorus.

Through the AV Control Amplifier (Which I can control through the remote. Yay for being lazy!)

1. This song is what made me want to write this review. The chorus is actually located in the left channel. It was quite a shock to me. Sam Cooke is now leaning toward the right channel, but it almost seems as if he was watching the chain gang and speaking about them. The chorus is very distinctly heard. It's very nice, and you can tell they complement Sam very well. This song was very much improved through the amp.

2. HEY THEY HAVE A TRUMPET! Very distinct now. The trumpets can also be heard doing a forte-piano crescendo at the beginning. The walking bass is still distinct, but it now blends in with the entire band, while the vocals are very crisp and fun. The trumpet (Yeah only one) in the entire piece can be heard very well, seeming to lead the instruments. The tenor sax is heard backing up the trumpets most of the time, but it's heard.

3. I can hear the second guitar at the very beginning doing a small part. The lead guitar is much more prominent, and has little riffs throughout the song, but still layers under Jimi, which is good. The bass is more balanced in my opinion.

4. The bells are much stronger, and still remain prominence in the beginning. Rhythm section is actually heard, and is quite fun to listen to. There's also little different instrumental solis going on during the chorus that sounded mushed together on just the iPod. During the instrumental soli, it's heard quite visibly that the violins are taking the initiative, and sound very warm, but powerful.
 
5. The synthesizers are now separated between the left and right channels. The vocals (I can't remember his name) are much more upfront and aren't singing in the background anymore. Even during the chorus, you can hear the voice very clearly, not being overpowered by the instruments. A little caveat about this song in general, not related to the amp or iPod itself is that I don't enjoy the key change near the end. But, I digress. It's still a good song to listen to. 

Conclusion

After listening to that amp, it becomes very clear to me what types of songs are on my iPod. You can easily tell which songs are ripped from CD's and which aren't (Because some people like putting their songs on my iPod). A lot of stuff that I didn't hear before I heard now, and that's big. Of course, if you're going to be traveling a lot, you don't really need all this big and fancy equipment because of your limits. You'd probably just need good portable headphones (Like portapros or grados). Of course, if you ever have the time and equipment, try listening to your iPod through an amp. You may be surprised.

Disclaimer

Yeah my equipment isn't the greatest thing ever. I'm just starting on my journey of no return. I'll probably come back one day and reevaluate this entire blog post. But one thing is for sure, amps can expose things you may never heard of, good or bad.