Advise Needed! Should i get an amp first?

I think for most people, it's harder to tell the difference a new source (DAC, CD player, portable MP3 player, etc.) and amplifier adds to the system, whereas headphones are usually pretty easy to distinguish.

My recommendation is to get the headphones first and spend at least a few hundred hours getting really familiar and accustomed to the sound before getting the amp.  That way, you have a better sense of the specific contribution the amp is making to your setup.

What will you plug the HD650 into? Onboard sound might not have enough power, but a $100 amp/DAC will serve you well (probably better than the WA3 actually, not including raw power ).

What are you looking to spend?What do you look for as far as sound characteristics go?

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoGoodNameslol 
Hi,

  I'm relatively new to the forum and this is my first ever post xD. So Half years ago, i bought myself a pair of M50s, I'm very satisfied. However, now i've decided to make m50 as my portable can and I'm gonna get a headphone that sound better. After some research, I narrowed my choice to HD650. However, I don't have a big enough wallet to get an amp (WA3) and HD650 at the same time. Thus I decided to buy them separately. Now there is a problem, I can't choose whether to get the amp first or the HD650 first. So I'm posting this post to ask you guys for some opinions =). 

You can get a low cost single tube headphone amplifier, prices start at $50, on eBay, ships from China.

This is great timing,

We were spending some time with the M50 with various amps including the Burson 160, Violectric range

Trafomatic tube and Sugden Masterclass. What we found is hardly a surprise, sure it likes a little bit

of amping but the higher end amps did nothing for it.

In your case if you sourced the WA3 and had to wait awhile then you would not see much of

a difference between that sweet amp and let's say a Cowan portable player or Sansa Fuze

with solely the M50 at your disposal.

Might be a good idea to get the HD650 and see if you can run a soundcard for the time being

or see what pops up in the 'For Sale' forum in the way of a cheap DAC/Amp combo.

A sharply priced Matrix Cube would tie you over nicely.

I recommend something like the Schiit Asgard or Valhalla if you want to avoid Chinese

amps for what ever reason. If you could stretch things out for a Violectric V90 then

you won't be disappointed - that thing will outlast you! 

Yeah, I prefer spacing out my upgrades rather than doing a couple all at once, otherwise I have difficulty qualifying what worked and what didn't.  I'd start with the headphone first.

Also, that way you can figure out what you like and don't like about the HD650 in your current setup, then come back here and get help on building your chain appropriately.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoGoodNameslol 

Hum, guess i'll get HD650 first and see how my crappy onboard soundcard do lol.

Check the Sale forums for a used Schiit Valhalla. You should definetely be able to find one for under $300.00. Good matching with the HD650. I really can't say enough good things about the Valhalla. For the price, it is of exceptional quality. And it's from the good ol' USA

But yes, definetely get headphones before an amp

I have the Valhalla and like it as well with my headphones. Don't know how it compares to the WA3 but it's certain great quality amping without breaking the wallet (as much as the WA3 anyway).