Crossfeed in headphone amps?

[Jeff In San Diego]

For some reason, out of the corner of my eye I just noticed one of the features mentioned in the ever-present Grace m903 ad here on CA is that of "tweaked crossfeed circuit".

 

Talk to me about crossfeed circuits in headphone amps. This seems rather "unnatural" compared to other things that are common in audiophile gear. How prevalent is this? I don't remember seeing it mentioned as a feature for any other headphone amp that I looked at.

 

I've read and understood the info at wikipedia about this. I've been wondering if the excellent presence associated with the HD800's and some other very open headphone designs is an acoustical equivalent of this.

 

Since the lack of isolation with these cans goes WAY beyond sound "leaking out", maybe there is enough sound coming out of one side, bouncing off of the computer monitor and other nearby hard surfaces, and bouncing back into the other side...maybe it is enough to add a significant amount of naturally occurring crossfeed?

 

What are the group's thoughts on using crossfeed circuits in headphone amps? Good thing? Sleezy consumer/pro-sumer kind of gadgetry that doesn't really belong on high end gear?

 

[wgb113]

As with most things in audio, the implementation of it determines the result. I've only listened to a fixed version (on or off) on an older HeadRoom amp and with certain recordings it was gimmicky while others seemed to benefit. The results were also very headphone dependent. I enjoyed it more with the open Sennheiser HD600 than I did with the closed Audio Technica M50.

 

I'd be curious to try and adjustable version like SPL provides on their Phonitor.

 

Bill

 

[KingStyles]

I think a lot of people like it when they first start off in audio. As they mature in audio they tend to move away from it. At least that is what I have perceived from reading a few threads about it. I personally have never liked it. It never sounds natural to me.

 

[Guest Bína]

I listened to crossfeed on SPL Phonitor with JH13 customs and with Ultrasone Edition 8. It was something different, but doesnt impress me much. But I was listening just for something like 30 minuts, maybe if I ahve it at home for few days, play with all settings, maybe I will be able to enjoy it more.

 

[JR_Audio]

I have two different headphone amps from Meier-Audio Corda Series, and I must say, yes the sound in less impressive with cross-feed on, but also more natural and less stress. It is more similar to loudspeaker listening (by far not the same, but more similar). You will also have less details, but in long term, more convenient to listen to.

 

Juergen

 

[shamu144]

I imagine results will greatly vary depending on crossfeed implementation. I use a profesional software crossfeed (Redline Monitor) in addition to Pure Music, and must say that I will not look back. I have it always turned on, much less fatigue and more natural without obvious downsides.

 

However, crossfeed results could also be headphone and system dependant, so you might want to try it by yourself before taking the plunge.

 

[jivers]

The only headphone amps I've had with this feature were from Headroom. It didn't seem to do much, but I wasn't thrilled with those in general. My preferred amps from Woo, Ray Samuels, Benchmark, Musical Fidelity and ALO don't offer it and I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

 

[Chris M.]

Back in the 60's when stereo sound was in it's infancy , engineers went nuts panning some instruments hard left and others hard right. The Beatles would have all vocals in one channel and the bass and drums in the other. Hard panned mixes don't work well with headphone listening and a crossfeed feature solves this problem. It presents a much more natural sound stage. Remember, you can turn it off. It does little to classical music recordings and live jazz recordings. I feel it's an invaluable playback option to have, especially if you're a rock listener.