head amp for hd650 beside sr-71A blackbird or p-15

That is a hard one as they both do a good job. The 71a sounds slightly leaner, in a good way, of the two and with the HD650's it might be a better coupling but listening is such an individual thing I can only express what it sounds like to me. 

From what I have read I believe the Headphonia Arrow can drive the HD650s reasonably well.

And you can save $$$ as its just $269 shipped to your home.

iBasso PB1. Very, very high output power and has a balanced input/output as well if you want to go that route.

12.6(?) volts output SE and ~25v out balanced.

The Protector with a balanced HD650 has a very good synergy. It brings that phone to life. 

I have a Corda Cantate.2 and that does a great job with the HD650; I'm a big fan of the Meier crossfeed and the amp itself has a clean sound with a nice bit of warmth. Since you can't turn it on and off I don't know how the "active balanced ground" affects the sound, but the idea sounds good. The built in DAC is a nice touch too.

When Jan Meier designed that amp the HD650 were his main phones so it figures it would go well with them.

Some say the HD650 does best with a tube amp, but funds don't permit me to test that hypothesis just get.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jalo 
 I don't know why someone would recommend the P51, it is a very nice amp but it just doesn't have enough power to drive the 650. 

I agree. When I owned both I came to that same conclusion.

What is the source you are using?  What type of environment will you be in?   

With your budget, perhaps a better solution might be 2 different devices?  Maybe something light and prortable to pair with the SE530s if you are using an mp3 player, and something with a bit more power to drive a pair of HD650s if you are listening through a computer in an office or someplace with acces to electrical outlets.

How portable do you need it to be?  Does it just need to fit in a bag so you can travel with it, or does it have to run on batteries for extended periods of time?

iBasso PB1 Toucan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jalo 

I have both the SR71a and P51. I don't know why someone would recommend the P51, it is a very nice amp but it just doesn't have enough power to drive the 650. Your option is between SR71a and the Protector for the RSA lineup. If you don't mind to go the balance route, the Protector is a much better option for your price point. There are other offerings from ALO (Rx Prescription), Lisa-III, iQube, or Ibasso D4 can fill the need also.

so r u saying the protector is a  lot more powerful than the p51? and is alo rx also more powerful than p51, protector, pico?
 

thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane 

I agree. When I owned both I came to that same conclusion.

damn just when im about to pull:(  

and do u also find the protector to have more ppower than the p51 and is the alo rx more powerful than  protector/p51/pico?

thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockinCannoisseur 

so r u saying the protector is a  lot more powerful than the p51? and is alo rx also more powerful than p51, protector, pico?
 

thanks

damn just when im about to pull:(  

and do u also find the protector to have more ppower than the p51 and is the alo rx more powerful than  protector/p51/pico?

 

thanks

I have no experience with RX or Protector. The Pico has more power than P51. P51 has better synergy with HD650 IMO but lacked enough power to drive them to levels that I wanted.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockinCannoisseur 

and do u also find the protector to have more ppower than the p51 and is the alo rx more powerful than  protector/p51/pico?

 

thanks

If you are referring to the Rx and driving the HD650s, I wouldn't advise it. I had the Rx and powered my K702s with it. When I first got them thought they were getting great power and I loved it. However going to the iBasso PB1 (which has a lot more power) I realized that they weren't getting all the power they deserved.