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Planning on getting HD650's, need an amp?

post #1 of 14
1/18/08 at 1:10pm
Thread Starter 
Well I'm fairly new to all this, I've been using some e4c earbuds for some time now and just the standard ipod setup with itunes music, CD's burned at 320kbps. Do I need an amp for the HD650's? I've never used one and have never spent over a couple hundred dollars on headphones/earphones so I have never really needed one. What should I do to better my music experience?
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post #2 of 14
1/18/08 at 1:18pm
absolutely you need one to make them sound what they should be!
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post #3 of 14
1/18/08 at 1:21pm
You'll need an amp for HD650 FOR SURE!

Tell us your budget, musical tastes. And also, are you using it at home only?
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post #4 of 14
1/18/08 at 1:23pm
You probably will need to upgrade your source as well, not only amp.
Ipod might not perfectly fit as a stand alone source, to feed your amp & HD650.

I suggest you to get an entry setup to hi-fi world,
get portable DAC/AMP like iBasso D1 or Headamp Pico.
I'm sure they will be a huge upgrade over your standard ipod setup.
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post #5 of 14
1/18/08 at 1:30pm
I have the similar, but lower end model, the 580's, and yes, most definitely you need at least a small amp to drive them well. Even a CMoy would do much better than straight from an Ipod

Will
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post #6 of 14
1/18/08 at 1:35pm
HD650 out of my audigy ls is a total joke.
Using cantate with it's dac now. (usb)
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post #7 of 14
1/18/08 at 1:58pm
There are at least three active threads threads in Headphones and in Amps forums addressing these exact questions. Let your fingers do the walking.
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post #8 of 14
1/18/08 at 2:03pm
Without a doubt you need an amp.
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post #9 of 14
1/18/08 at 2:12pm
just use your hd650 unamp'ed for a week or two. then get a cheap portable amp, you'll say WTF WOW! after that, you'll be reading more stuff here and start spending lots of money on dac's and amp's. it's inevitable.
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post #10 of 14
1/18/08 at 2:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cankin View Post
You'll need an amp for HD650 FOR SURE!

Tell us your budget, musical tastes. And also, are you using it at home only?
Mostly at home, like 90% of the time. I'm into classic rock mostly, some hiphop/rap but vast majority classic rock.

From what I've heard (let me know if I've been misinformed) that using an ipod is fine unless I have a real killer setup. I would think that HD650's are certainly of audiophile quality but to the extent that I owe it to myself to upgrade from an iPod to something else?

I can certainly afford the HD650's as well as a good amp but unless upgrading from an iPod is really necessary I don't expect to be doing so.

Suggestions, please!
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post #11 of 14
1/18/08 at 2:52pm
2x

there was a time i didnt believe in amps...it wasnt that long ago. i dont even want to know how much i spent. luckily i think i got the sound i was aiming for without too much trial and error.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tjumper78 View Post
just use your hd650 unamp'ed for a week or two. then get a cheap portable amp, you'll say WTF WOW! after that, you'll be reading more stuff here and start spending lots of money on dac's and amp's. it's inevitable.
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post #12 of 14
1/18/08 at 3:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiganti View Post
Mostly at home, like 90% of the time. I'm into classic rock mostly, some hiphop/rap but vast majority classic rock.

From what I've heard (let me know if I've been misinformed) that using an ipod is fine unless I have a real killer setup. I would think that HD650's are certainly of audiophile quality but to the extent that I owe it to myself to upgrade from an iPod to something else?

I can certainly afford the HD650's as well as a good amp but unless upgrading from an iPod is really necessary I don't expect to be doing so.

Suggestions, please!
no need to go crazy from the beginning. the ipod sound is clearly better when coming out of the line-out instead of the headphone-out jack. i think you should get a cheap line-out dock, a mini-to-mini cable, and an entry portable amp.
after that, i cannot guarantee how much youre gonna spend on better gears.
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post #13 of 14
1/18/08 at 4:47pm
tjumper is right, all you need is a Line Out doc to mini for your ipod and if its possible I would look into adding Rockbox firmware to your ipod so you can use the Flac codec, or, at least rip all your music to apple lossless. Then add a portable amp. I would recommend you find one with a rechargeable lithium ion battery that can be recharged. I have the Pico and I love it, but you could look at Ray Sanuels, Rockhopper, and Little Dot as well. They all have some nice portables.
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post #14 of 14
1/18/08 at 7:19pm
if you're using it at home 90% of the time, get a home amp.
You don't have to get everything at once, but upgrade step by step and your HD650 will be happy to show you the improvement

about $300 ~ $400 there are many to be considered; used EC/SS, used CanAmp, Gilmore Lite. DIY amps: PPAv2, M^3, CKKIII, MHMAX....etc
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