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Which DAC/Amp combo is best match with HD 600, HD650?

post #1 of 9
7/12/10 at 4:17am
Thread Starter 

I am new to this forum and appreciate the enormous expertise offered throughout.

I use the Senn HD 600s daily for monitoring mostly acoustic, Jazz and a ton of classical sessions and concerts.  Cardas cable included, most of my live concerts are via the Grace m902, which is stunningly accurate.  I'm looking for portable  home unit for listening at home and while travelling.

I'm looking in the $400+ dollar range:

the Audio gd Fun (upgraded)

the Centrance Dac Port Pro(Extremely convenient)

Any help would be appreciated.

Ceja-Blu

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones
post #2 of 9
7/12/10 at 10:01am

Welcome to head-fi (sorry about your wallet) 

 

I have heard good reviews on the Audio Gd, maybe a headfi'er who owns it can chime in. 


Edited by earerror - 7/12/10 at 10:03am
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post #3 of 9
7/14/10 at 2:42pm

I recently went shopping for a pair of headphones to use with my Macbook Pro containing lossless formats of mostly jazz and classical music.

 

I didn't want to lug in my Isabellina HPA so the store owner let me borrow a Centrance DAC.

 

I was blown away by the musicality of the combination between the Centrance and HD650 and ended up purchasing both. Just in case you were wondering, there were 2 particular albums that sounded absolutely wonderful: Gustav Holsts' "Planets" performed by the Montreal Orchestra, conducted by Charles Dutoit; the other album was Bach Partitas and Sonatas performed by Rachel Rodger.

 

Great clarity in timbre, which I haven't heard many headphone/amp deliver.

 

Highly recommended!

 

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post #4 of 9
7/15/10 at 4:09am
Thread Starter 

Thanks Bozuhead,

I was shaking my ears when I first connected my Centrance DacPort... 

I played the Bach sonatas & Partitas by Millstein and then pumped the English Suites

Played by Pogorelich.  The color changes in the keyboard were so detailed and contrasting that I

had a hard time going back to the audio gd Fun for a moment there.

I already have Centrance's Mic Port and it it works amazingly clearly- 24/96, quality of recording with  DPA 40011 is pristine.

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post #5 of 9
7/16/10 at 8:46am

HeadphoneAddict's review of the Nuforce HDP, which combines DAC, Pre Amp and Headphone Amp, suggests it goes well with the HD 600 and is in your price range. It looks like quite a portable solution too (though isn't battery powered).

 

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/469767/review-in-progress-nuforce-hdp-24-96-usb-optical-24-192-coax-dac-preamp-and-headphone-amp

 

I'm researching Amps and headphones myself at the moment. Thinking of getting the HD 650, and the Nuforce HDP is on my list to investigate (just started working my way through the 53 pages of HA's review thread). I've ordered Nuforce's uDac to pair with my Sennheiser HD 25-1 II to tide me over until I've decided on the HD 650 setup and saved up enough money!

 

Best,

 

John.

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post #6 of 9
8/4/10 at 6:09am
Thread Starter 

John,

The Nuforce HDP does indeed open up its soundstage and depth after about 125 hours.

At first listen, it was unapologetically clean and stark, without much warmth in the middle.Listening to Bela Fleck's African miniatures in "Throw down your heart"  the HDP shines with a remarkable clarity and disarming vocal artistry which crawls intimately down your ears and tickles your brain with a complex recitative of bewitching vocal phrases.  No doubt, the high quality source signal and color here is complimented by the strengths of the amp section and the reliably clean Dac signal.  The pleading and whailing singing of "DJorolen" breathes heated and palpable  emotion without any sound-stage or floor noise. 

The more you open the gain, the more detail and dynamic contrast emerge.

I'm now listening with 200 hours on the HD600s with Cardas and the sound depth has increased noticeably.

My Audio gd FUN should arrive here on Friday and I will start some obsessive burn-in hours on both to compare soundstage, depth, detail, musical range and color.   Someone please give me a valium or I'll never go to sleep. 

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post #7 of 9
8/4/10 at 9:35pm

Is there as portable single unit player and amp in one that will drive the HD800 properly? I own them as well as the JH 13 and my Amp3 stopped working and Craig of whiplash Audio, is not answering my many tries to leave a message, for several weeks.

 

I need to scrap the AMp3 as a lost cause since it did not come with any written warantee of any kind not even a manual. It is dead.

 

I need to find an mp3/og/flac/all the other lossless and lossie compressions, a unit, that will occasionally let me take the HD 800 with it if there is such a portable that will work with the HD 800.

 

I use the Meier Audio Symphony 2 with the HD 800 and it is superb just a pleasure to listen to La Boheme as I type this...


Edited by KonaRichard - 8/4/10 at 9:36pm
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post #8 of 9
8/5/10 at 3:49pm
I agree with the recommendations above for the HDP.
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post #9 of 9
8/9/10 at 10:07am

Awesome.  I just got the HDP, and I have the Senn HD650's to use, plus the Shure SE530 earphones.  Can't wait to get this puppy wide open :)
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceja-Blu View Post

John,

The Nuforce HDP does indeed open up its soundstage and depth after about 125 hours.

At first listen, it was unapologetically clean and stark, without much warmth in the middle.Listening to Bela Fleck's African miniatures in "Throw down your heart"  the HDP shines with a remarkable clarity and disarming vocal artistry which crawls intimately down your ears and tickles your brain with a complex recitative of bewitching vocal phrases.  No doubt, the high quality source signal and color here is complimented by the strengths of the amp section and the reliably clean Dac signal.  The pleading and whailing singing of "DJorolen" breathes heated and palpable  emotion without any sound-stage or floor noise. 

The more you open the gain, the more detail and dynamic contrast emerge.

I'm now listening with 200 hours on the HD600s with Cardas and the sound depth has increased noticeably.

My Audio gd FUN should arrive here on Friday and I will start some obsessive burn-in hours on both to compare soundstage, depth, detail, musical range and color.   Someone please give me a valium or I'll never go to sleep. 

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones
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