HELP!! Senn HD650 bought - Source Help!!!

No mp3-player is able to drive these 300 Ohm headphones. You need a powerful portable amp with your mp3-player if you want to use the Senns HD 650 with them. Sad but true...

The Cowon D2 will drive them ok. I just tried it out while writing this. Of course, not at their full potential. But not that much different than your "receiver's amp." One day you should try them out with a dedicated head amp.

Non sense.an amplifier will improve them greatly but my iPod touch 2g will drive them to very loud volumes which I think is what the OP wants.

To the OP,the touch will sound satsifactory with hd650 BUT an amplifier will make them in another league.

If you want to listen to music, get something that is dedicated to music. I don't own I PSP, but I'm sure a dedicated device will sound better than something where music was a second thought.

i have a psp,and honestly i dont use it for music at all,it is that bad.Also it doesnt have the power to even drive my ie8 to ear splitting volumes let alone hd650.the touch or any other mp3 is considerably more powerful than the psp,no question about it.

Maybe, but it's not a matter of volume. As you know they won't sound anywhere near the way they should. They will sound thin and lifeless. That would be a waste of such a great phone. And to be totally honest, these Senns aren't made for portable use.

I agree an disagree.

I agree that volume is a thing and sound is another thing,I also agree that hd650 is definetly not for portable use.I disagree that they will sound thin and lifeless,hd650 NEVER sound thin amped or not,it has a thick sound unlike any other headphone.I used my hd650 for about 3 weeks through my touch until my wa6 arrive and I enjoyed everytime I listen to it.it may be slow,veiled,small soundstage,not so good instrument seperation when not amped but never-the-less it is not lifeless.
OTOH d5000 is to my ears are harder to drive and sound terrible out of any portable source although they are 25ohms and hd650 is 300.

I agree that investing in amp would be better.

Yes, its not all about the resistance of the phone, there's also sensitivity to consider as well. In any event the original poster will probably be better off investing in a good affordable DAP and amp. Sansa Fuze / Clip+ as a DAP and E5 amp (or better) would be a start

Get a player and get an amp if you want these things portable. I'd suggest a s:flo2 if that suites you. If not and you want something that does a lot of things, the Zune HD, Cowon S9, Sansa Clip, and Touch will all be good choices as well; but you're going to need an amp.

I cannot get rid of the feeling that you ask the wrong question.

HD 650 and mp3 player is a wrong match, IMHO.

 

I'd either buy great in-ears for the money (Triple-fi, ie8), or get a dedicated full size amp for the HD 650. My personal opinion is, walking around with cans of such a size, with a portable player AND a portable amp in the pockets cannot be fun at all.

Since you write, the HD 650 sound fine with your receiver, consider ie8 or ie7 for your mp3 player.

Edited by mironathetin - 5/7/10 at 1:05pm

Also for the record the Fiio E5 is a less than a toy amp if used with the 650's. Don't even bother.

May I ask why you purchased the 650's then came here asking about a portable player to power them?

It really doesn't make much sense. I don't mean to be rude but did you know what you were buying when you bought the 650's?

Are you planning to use these for portable use? I have the HD650 and they are great at home when it is perfectly quiet around, with no talking or television or such. But they are open phones, so they let sound out, and let the sound of the environment in. If you were to try this in public, you and everyone around you would probably be annoyed, in my opinion. No mp3 player will drive them to their full potential, but perhaps a Cowon S9, or iPod Touch will at least get them the volume you need, but don't expect either to match your receiver. Even receivers should be plugged into a dedicated desktop amp to power your cans. 

 

In any case, you should definitely get a dedicated DAP like the Cowon, or the Sansa Clip+, which is getting great reviews, but you will need an amp for the latter. With the Cowon S9, you won't need an amp but it will help in resolving the details of the music. Don't get me wrong, the HD650 are fantastic, but if not used with proper equipment, they are better than average, but not amazing. 

 

But, if you can afford IEMs, like the Senn. IE8, or any of a hundred other great IEMs, buy a pair along with a Sansa Clip+. The Clip+ is reportedly a great music player for ~$50 for 8GB, with an expandable microSD slot, and it will drive most IEMs very well. Like almost every other headphone though, even IEMs benefit from amping, but you don't have to worry about that now, they will still sound better than HD650 out of a PSP.

Edited by usf09 - 5/8/10 at 1:16am