What is the best amp you've ever heard with the Sennheiser HD 600?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zafonic 

Just wondering (even for those who don't have them or no longer have them) what is the best amp they've ever heard with the HD 600?  (even at past hifi get togethers)

 

I'd tend to believe that a tube amp might pair better with the Senns but I'm curious to hear if you've really been impressed by a certain amp (and/or DAC too)

 

Cheers

Schiit Asgard and Headroom Micro Amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdockweiler 

Schiit Asgard and Headroom Micro Amp.

I've never heard the Headroom amp but I agree the Asgard is very nice (and a great bargain). I think the 600 is pretty neutral and will sound good with any decent amp.

Other amps that I have actually used with the 600 (and I think sound very similar to the Asgard) are the Burson HA-160 and Peachtree Decco/Nova. I own a Nova and love it with the HD 600. A great combination.

Old Headroom Max, RSA Stealth and Cary SLI-80

VTL IT-85 integrated amp and Meitner MA-1 DAC.....without a doubt. Actually it's the best amp/DAC combo I've ever heard with any headphone. 

 I must admit though that the HD600 doesn't get much head time these days on account of the Audeze. 

Senns love tubes! The Bottlehead Crack is a very popular choice for the Senns. 

I used my D100 dac and my PPAv2 amp when I had the HD600 and they sounded wonderful.

  I don't know what your budget. I have been a long time supporter of the 600, and I use a vintage, fully restored Marantz 2285B for the Senns. It is terrific! The Apex Arete or Peak w/ Volcano is exceptional. If you are having budget constraints (and who isn't today!) the Woo WA6 works well.

  Running balanced from the old an trusty (now defunct) Apache (RSA) was inspiring! That pairing only deepened my high regard for that phone. You need tubes or solid-state with stiff supply for the 600 to glimpse it's best (IMO).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zafonic 

I'll be trying the LCD2 soon but if I don't go for it then the HD 600 will be my main headphone, as I do love its engaging sound.  Budget would be around $1500 but note I live in London so US amps like Woo would be difficult to get without paying 20%-30% in Customs' fees.

 

The vintage route is interesting but again, it's much harder because of my location and the fewer numbers being sold.  Ideally a tube amp I think would go best with my HD 600.  At the moment I'm using the Musical Fidelity X Can V2 tube amp, modded by Rock Grotto, with the Little PInkie PSU.  It sounds really good to be honest, and it's difficult to judge just how good it is against more expensive amps because of the upgrades.  I'm thinking of upgrading though.....damn this hobby!  

 

 

I actually prefer the sound of the HD 600 over the LCD-2.2. You can spend a lot more money and not get any better sound (and maybe worse) than you've got right now. But it is fun to try...

EDIT: Also, I looked into vintage gear as well and ultimately decided that it wasn't for me. Yes, there is some good gear out there, but not everything vintage is good - they made a lot of crap in the 60's and 70's too. And who knows what amount of repairs are going to be needed to get that 30 year-old leviathan back up to snuff? And really, the only real reason to get a receiver is if you plan on powering speakers with it too - otherwise, it just makes more sense to use a dedicated amp designed for headphones.

However, if you decide you want a receiver, I highly recommend you consider one of the new ones from Marantz, NAD or Cambridge Audio. They'll cost about the same as a good vintage unit, give you at least as good if not better performance, and have none of the ergonomic or maintenance headaches.

Of course, neither a new or vintage receiver is likely to sound any better than the X-Can you're already using.

Quote:

Originally Posted by palmfish 

I actually prefer the sound of the HD 600 over the LCD-2.2. You can spend a lot more money and not get any better sound (and maybe worse) than you've got right now. But it is fun to try...

 

EDIT: Also, I looked into vintage gear as well and ultimately decided that it wasn't for me. Yes, there is some good gear out there, but not everything vintage is good - they made a lot of crap in the 60's and 70's too. And who knows what amount of repairs are going to be needed to get that 30 year-old leviathan back up to snuff? And really, the only real reason to get a receiver is if you plan on powering speakers with it too - otherwise, it just makes more sense to use a dedicated amp designed for headphones.

 

However, if you decide you want a receiver, I highly recommend you consider one of the new ones from Marantz, NAD or Cambridge Audio. They'll cost about the same as a good vintage unit, give you at least as good if not better performance, and have none of the ergonomic or maintenance headaches.

 

Of course, neither a new or vintage receiver is likely to sound any better than the X-Can you're already using.

A vintage unit isn't using a separate headphone amp circuit (op-amp or other)....it's juice for phones flows from it's OUTPUT! Much better the X-Can't-do-much-of-nothing. Problems persist with vintage gear. It will need part re-placement...caps in particular! You can buy a vintage Lemon (read: petrified) Receiver, so buyer beware. It works well indeed for the 600 or others. 

An Apache.

Quote:

Originally Posted by achristilaw 

A vintage unit isn't using a separate headphone amp circuit (op-amp or other)....it's juice for phones flows from it's OUTPUT! Much better the X-Can't-do-much-of-nothing. Problems persist with vintage gear. It will need part re-placement...caps in particular! You can buy a vintage Lemon (read: petrified) Receiver, so buyer beware. It works well indeed for the 600 or others. 

Yes, but a separate headphone amp circuit is not necessarily worse than tapping into a vintage amp output (through a resistor). Back in the days when these vintage receivers were new, there weren't a lot of high quality headphones around. And the ones that were available were mostly high impedance. The high-end Sennheisers and Beyers are probably a fine match, but YMMV with modern planars and low impedance dynamic headphones.

Personally, I think headphone amplification is highly overrated. For the most part, as long as it provides enough juice, any decent amp will do.