Portable Amp for my HD600's and an iPod

RSA Hornet

Used RSA Hornet...pretty powerful for full sized high impedance cans and on low gain, great for IEMs!

I think the engine noise on the flight will drive you crazy due to the open design of the Senns

If you insist on the HD600's, you can try...

Minibox E+ - Head-Direct.com | YUIN , @ $229

Vivid Tech V1 - vividaudiotech.com - Headphone Amplifiers , @ $99

Forget the engine noise - the screaming toddler in the next bank of seats and the chatterbox behind you are the people you need to silence - buy the bassiest pair of IEMs you can find. Long haul isnt about musical enjoyment, its about getting off with your sanity intact - good luck.

Do NOT use your open Senns on a plane, not only will you have to blast your ears to hear anything, the poor soul next to you will hear everything you're hearing.

I use Etymotic Er6-i in those situations, get some IEMS with good isolation.

I agree with Al Hounos on the IEM's for the flights...but if you don't really care about the other people, then go ahead.

on the amp, I had a caffeine amp that I recently sold, but I thought that drove my 580's (same driver as the 600) very well.

First things, first. We're still alive and I am looking for a big win against the Falcons tomorrow. If Shotty calls the same game plan as last week to keep Sanchez in check and let the defense dominate, I think we are playoff bound. I am praying that it is not a case of SOJ.

Back to audio... a big co-sign on forgetting the Senns while in transit. IEM's are preferable to me not only because of the isolation, but also for their more manageable size while on the plane. I did use ATH M-50's when a pair of Ety's died and, while I was very glad I had them, full size phones are not a lot of fun (especially since I was in a cramped, coach seat on that particular 14 hour flight).

I still travel with more gear than I need, but I've finally settled on the following travel system(s):

Westone UM3X for most airline travel -- comfortable with full extension and decent (but not spectacular) isolation. I also bring ER4S's for those times when I need total isolation (with or without music pumping through them). My source is an iPod classic and I use an SR71-A. I frequently fly trans-Pacific and this mini-rig definitely makes the flight seem shorter.

I also bring the JAVS DAC-1 and RS2's for on the ground listening, so you might consider still bringing your Senn's for the same purpose. I like having open phones so I can hear the door, phone, etc. The Grado's store nicely in a purpose-built semi-hard case. Hooking them up to the JAVS with the extension cable and using an Apple remote for Front Row on my Macbook makes for a pretty sweet hotel/apartment setup. Grab a few coldies and you are almost good to go.

i recently asked larry(a.k.a HeadphoneAddict)about the bestprotable amp for the senn.hd600 and he told me the best one is Meier audio 3Move,he told me it can drive the hd600 to ear splitting volume and that it is the only amp that can drive them properly like desktop amp!just my 0.2$

Driving a headphone well doesn't mean making them loud. Just my 2 cents.

ya i know that,but larry told me that no area will be sacrificed and that if he had to live with it forever he will be more than satisfied.i will try to quote him,wait a minute.

here you go

Larry and I have very different opinions on the matter, and though I think there are a few excellent portable amps around, and can be decent "stepping stone" amps for the 600s, I've been around long enough to have heard the 600s with many quality portables, and they can certainly make them loud, but don't do the job as well as even some budget desktop amps can. As I've said, numerous times before, if portable amps were the answer for all headphones, no desktop amps would be made, and that's not happening.

you have a point here and its a valid one i think.do you think that something like the HD micro amp can drive them properly or is it have to be desktop?

would the ibasso d4 drive them properly?

Compromises are made when squishing stuff into a small box. You can get enjoyable sound from a decent small amp and the 600s (moreso than with the 650s), so I'm not trying to discourage anyone from going that route, but people buy the 600s or 650s for their reputation, which is as a reference, audiophile headphone. You're not going to get that using a portable source and a portable amp. You'll get something that sounds better than many headphones, but I'm of the opinion that if you're buying a reference quality headphone, you should budget for what it requires to sound like a reference quality headphone, even if you need to wait and plan to get it. There are many wonderful headphones that work well with portable amps (I'm currently enjoying my Grado HF2s and a LaRocco PRI). If you want portability, why not get a headphone that sounds great with portable amps and players? The HD580/600/650 really need more power to bring out their dynamics, imo. Rather than go on and on, this is an old thread, but pretty much states my full thoughts on the matter, and rather than disrupting this one further, here:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/dis...-trend-264859/

To the op, HD600s on a plane don't work well at all (yes, I've done that once with 580). In order to listen to music at a close to enjoyable level and block out some of the sounds, your neighbors would be subjected to hearing everything you're listening to, and that's just plain rude.

If I were you, I'd sell the Shures and use that money along with the money you planned to spend on an amp, and seriously upgrade those iems. You can do much better than those.