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Amp/DAC for HD 600

post #1 of 11
8/8/10 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 

I have a new Asus ultralight and I want to buy some nice headphones to use with it.

 

A lot of people argue the that Grados are the best for listening to the type of music I have

 

but, I work at best buy, and we don't have Grados.

 

The reason I wanted to get into the audiophile world is because I love music and I can get most pairs of Sennheiser and AKG headphones about half off, so that's enough motivation for me.

 

I like the looks and specs of the HD 600s and now all I need to figure out is what to power them with.

 

I believe I need a usb DAC/amp combo that will level out the fact that I'm using a laptop to power these headphones. I've been suggested to go with nuforce dDAC-2.

 

I have not bought anything yet, but the one thing I can't do is use a desktop computer. However, The DAC/amp doesn't have to be portable by any means, just inexpensive (lower than $300 if possible)

 

I'm really new to most of this stuff, well, basically all of it, and any advice, corrections, or recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD-600
post #2 of 11
8/10/10 at 9:54pm
Thread Starter 

uh oh.

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post #3 of 11
8/10/10 at 11:18pm

The laptop soundcard will sound like crap, so you definitely want to get at least a DAC. Secondly, I have the uDAC1 and they certainly cannot drive the HD650 very well. I'd recommend a dedicated headphone amp to drive them. Take a look at the Schiit Asgard. It's only $250 and the reviews have been good.

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post #4 of 11
8/11/10 at 8:43am

x 2 on the Asgard. I am seriously considering this one as well, after scouring this site. The reviews have indeed been positive!

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post #5 of 11
8/11/10 at 7:06pm
Thread Starter 

where do I buy one? I can't find it anywhere except the website, and I really don't like the idea of "backordered"

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post #6 of 11
8/11/10 at 7:57pm

That's the only place that sells them, and yeah, you'll just have to wait until they can restock, unfortunately.

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post #7 of 11
8/11/10 at 10:17pm

the asgard is an amp only though, right?

 

So you'd still need a dac

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post #8 of 11
8/12/10 at 3:38pm

Yeah, its just an amp.  You could add a uDAC in between, but that would be over budget.  My Maverick D1 DAC/amp combo powers my HD650s quite well.  It's only about $200.

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post #9 of 11
8/12/10 at 3:52pm

You can get a Matrix Mini-i for a bit over $330 that others have reported can drive their HD650's quite well. I don't have any personal experiences though. I just happen to stumble upon those reports in my search for a good DAC and Amp for my HD650's.

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post #10 of 11
8/13/10 at 4:40am

Audinst HUD-MX1?

 

Costs $179 new.

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post #11 of 11
8/13/10 at 10:47pm

Headroom Micro Stack used for ~400

 

You won't regret it.

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD-600
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