Hello Head-Fi.
First impressions et.c. (yes, you may skip this part.)
I recently got my hands on a pair of Senn HD600s, insanely cheap. Too cheap to pass up, even in christmas time as a poor student, especially fitting as my HD555s recently drew their last breath. The cans arrived today and I'm still looking at an amp/dac combination to use with the 600's. So far, unamped through integrated sound card (yes, I know.) I find the cans pretty unengaging, whereas my HD555s, to me, sounded really engaging, rich with energy and a prominent midrange which I absolutely adored, especially when listening to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. The 600's quite obviously need more power; they sound recessed. I also had a quick listen to the Beatles' Revolver. On this record, during the quieter and more vocally focused parts, I found the 600's amazing, whereas the louder guitar parts were a tad fatiguing. But I'm
Overall I'm quite pleased with my purchase; I very much like the sennie sound signature. Especially for the price paid.
Now, on to the point; I'm looking for an integrated amp to match my HD600's. I'm aware that this has been posted before. I have searched, looked quite a bit, but I've been unable to form too much of an opinion. Just a couple of names that I've checked out. I actually already have an amplifier for my turntable setup (Rega Brio-R; no headphone out) so I don't think I'll be using this. Besides, I don't have my computer close to this equipment, it'd call for some redecoration.
I'd like the unit to in the future act as DAC and get a nice amp. I'm a tad reluctant to the Xonar, because I might be investing in a laptop as audio source in the future. I also like the idea of connecting other sources than just my computer, such as portable media players or such. Is that possible with NFB-12? I'll also probably be getting a pair of HD650's in the future, if that impacts the choice.
I listen to mainly prog rock, but also a lot of rock, jazz and shoegaze, to name a few genres.
So far I've got:
* Audio-Gd NFB-12
* Fiio E7/E9
* Asus Xonar Essence ST
Any other recommendations? I apologize for sloppy English (not a native speaker) and, obviously, for opening one of these threads.
