DAC+Amp ... Audio GD?

Those would work really well.  

Dunno if you're looking for transparency or tubey sound, but the Fiio E7+E9 (transparent amp) has been geting rave reviews (including pairing it up with the HD650), and has a LOT of power.

$200 together as a combo over at miccastore.

http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-desktop-headphone-amplifier-black-p-42.html

I just bought the Audio-GD FUN and I have about 60 hours on it.  Simply amazing as I'm jamming some Armin Van Burren though it on my HD 595's and I'm in heaven right now.  Tons of power I can go deaf with these low resistance cans.  Volume is barely up at 20% and it's at a point where many would consider it too loud (you can hear the cans clear as day off my head on the counter).

DAC is pretty impressive too!

I got mine though Pacific Valve here in the USA.

Nope.

Just kidding.

Many Audio GD owners like the parring with the 650s.  Their own warm signatures compliment each other well.  Plus the two products by Audio GD are great value pieces of kit.  Their internal DACs would do well as standalone DACs if you ever got a second, upgraded amp. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by N0sferatu 

I just bought the Audio-GD FUN and I have about 60 hours on it.  Simply amazing as I'm jamming some Armin Van Burren though it on my HD 595's and I'm in heaven right now.  Tons of power I can go deaf with these low resistance cans.  Volume is barely up at 20% and it's at a point where many would consider it too loud (you can hear the cans clear as day off my head on the counter).

 

DAC is pretty impressive too!

 

I got mine though Pacific Valve here in the USA.

It'll only get better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kboe 

 

 

Just kidding.

 

Many Audio GD owners like the parring with the 650s.  Their own warm signatures compliment each other well.  Plus the two products by Audio GD are great value pieces of kit.  Their internal DACs would do well as standalone DACs if you ever got a second, upgraded amp. 

I don't think that's right. To me the HD650 has a balanced presentation due to the definition and clarity of my Audio-GD Fun (earth), rather than the addition of warmth to an already warm and textured headphone. I suspect the Sennheiser "veil" is balanced by the neutrality, precision and smoothness of the earth hdam when coupled with the WM8741 DAC module. I'm also using the DIR9001 optical input which has a bright quality. I only notice this veil on certain tracks and to me it's subtle and unobtrusive, although I now understand that on less resolving gear this veil may be more pronounced.

I also have the moon hdam which is described as warm with tube like qualities. When I installed it to compare, I found an incredibly lush sound. Guitars in particular sizzled with energy and I was amazed initially, but the congestion and loss of detail soon became obvious.

I used to only have two screws in the back of the Fun's panel to save me unscrewing everything when I wanted to change hdams. After I swapped earth back into it's slot all the screws were put back in place. Earth's going nowhere.

NFB-12 by Audio-gd is a damned good deal with the $200 promo price.

It's definitely a large step up over anything else you can get for ~$200, including the E7/E9 combo. The dac/amp sections can't really be beat for the price and can power 600-ohm cans just fine.

If you want to add an OTL tube amp later, you can use it as a dedicated DAC as well. It's one of those units that you could simply buy and stick with it.

Yep, the NFB-12 is a no brainer at that price.  I have no need for portability so it was the ideal solution for me.  I'm waiting for mine to arrive, however to the OP Kingwa lists his prior gears such as the sparrow/fun adjusted around certain headphones, and the hd650s are listed in there.  Noone can say for sure if its going to match well since it hasnt been shipped yet, but if someone with the fun or sparrow has experience with the HD 650 im sure it will be very relative,  as some of the above posters have mentioned.

Olor1N

What... your ears hear differently than mine!

The Audio GD I heard at the Atlanta meet actually reminded me of the HeadRoom gear.  Warm and detailed.  But some hear that as neutral or natural.

All I was pointing out was that I preferred the detailed and more "neutral" presentation of the earth hdam as opposed to the much "warmer" signature of moon. Maybe earth is "warm" compared to other gear but I don't refer to it as such because to me that's what moon is. What configuration of the Audio-GD gear did you hear?

I actually don't remember what model, but it sounded great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elanzer 

NFB-12 by Audio-gd is a damned good deal with the $200 promo price.

 

It's definitely a large step up over anything else you can get for ~$200, including the E7/E9 combo. The dac/amp sections can't really be beat for the price and can power 600-ohm cans just fine.

 

If you want to add an OTL tube amp later, you can use it as a dedicated DAC as well. It's one of those units that you could simply buy and stick with it.

Curious. Have you directly compared the E7/E9 with the Audio GD dac/amp? I ask because I'd like someone who has actually HEARD the E7/E9 combo compare it to other dac/amps.

The few who have have all pretty much stated that the E7/E9 competes and or just beats pricier SS amps.

I'd like some true comparisons.

I've only heard the E7 myself. Nobody has heard the NFB-12 yet since it just went on sale on the 15th and nobody has been shipped one yet.

The basis of my opinion is that the NFB-12 has better specifications, and how well my Sparrow with the WM8741 chip performs (this was often compared to much pricier DAC/amp units as the superior, as well). E7 uses wolfson's WM8740, while the NFB-12 uses two of wolfson's higher end WM8741 chips - one for each channel. For the amp section, the power output @ 600-Ohm is 150mw, while the E9 is 80mw.

The price of the NFB-12 isn't going to stay at $200, so it isn't really in the same league of the E7/E9 as after the promo is over it'll likely be $250-300.