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Headphone Amp - Sennheiser HD 650

post #1 of 11
12/18/11 at 10:43pm
Thread Starter 

Hey all, I'm new to most things audio. I am currently setting up a budget bedroom studio and have recently purchased a pair of Sennheiser HD 650s because they looked to have good sound quality for the price. After a little research I found that I'd need to get a good quality amp to get the most out of them, so I've been looking around and found that the Matrix M-Stage is probably a good option that doesn't cost too much. So now I have a couple questions. (I'm using the headphones for both music production and listening, this is my first quality pair of headphones)

 

  1. Is the Matrix M-Stage still a good option, or are there other amps on the market for around the same price that perform better (and no, I don't want to build my own).
  2. Is it ok if I use this setup? Laptop >[USB]> M-Audio fast track II (the small base model) >[Rear RCA ports to Rear RCA input]> Matrix M-Stage HPA >[front headphone out] > Sennheiser HD 650s. If not, what should I do instead?
  3. Can I use the rear RCA output of the M-Stage to connect to Audio Monitors?
  4. Do I need to invest in high quality RCA cables or can I just use standard ones?
  5. Do I need to invest in non-stock cables for the HD 650s (eg. http://www.musicdirect.com/p-3724-cardas-hd650-upgrade-cable.aspx) or is it really not worth the extra $180?
  6. I listen to mp3s through iTunes, most of which I have downloaded at 320kbps or at a VBR... do I need to get my music in a better format/use a different music program to get more out of my listening experience or are high quality mp3s good enough/enough to not make much difference.

 

I put all these questions into this one thread instead of making multiple threads for each question, I hope that's ok. Also, I don't have that much more money to invest in headphones/headphone equipment, if I really need to I will upgrade the cables ect, but I'd rather not, so if there are alternate options I'd love to hear them.

 

All help is much appreciated :)

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post #2 of 11
12/18/11 at 10:52pm

I hear a much more complete and full sound with a flac as opposed to mp3 but if you're doing something else rather than listening intently, it's not quite as much of a big deal.  Honestly though, 128 vs 320 kbps mp3s are harder to determine than 320 vs flac in my experience.  Lossless does make a big difference even if some of it may be subjective.  And I would recommend Foobar over iTunes.  Apple products are nice to use and all, but I hate their software and it's little to no "customizability".  Foobar has a lot of addons and gives you a hell of a lot more control.

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post #3 of 11
12/18/11 at 11:01pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for your input, I'll have to give Foobar a try then. Also will choose to download flac where possible in the future, it's sometimes hard to find flac downloads.

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post #4 of 11
12/19/11 at 8:50am
Thread Starter 

Oh, also, would an audio interface be an option? I'm asking because that would be so much more convenient... any audio interfaces under 600$ that would amp the headphones well?

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post #5 of 11
12/19/11 at 9:13am

Cables are the last thing to upgrade, and then again the difference they make is debatable. Right now I use:

 

Laptop -> Yulong D100 -> HD650 and I'm really enjoying this right now.

 

The general conclusion is that the Matrix M-stage is a warm sounding AMP, and with the HD650's rather dark sounding signature, I choose a brighter or transparent AMP / DAC to pair it.

 

I haven't heard others except the FiiO E9/E7 and DACport so I can't really hand out suggestions, but what I will say is, you should look into the Schiit Asgard, Audio GD NFB-12 / Audio GD NFB-5 and Lovely Cube (Lehmann Black cube clone).

 

Foobar is also a must have as SolomonPierce has pointed out, the plugins are just too awesome. I recommend the Dolby Headphone plugin, look here:

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/555263/foobar2000-dolby-headphone-config-comment-discuss

 

RPGWiZaRD has also loaded DSP presets for certain genre's that I like allot.

 

(Also check out classifieds, many great bargains are to be found there)

 


Edited by Rayzee - 12/19/11 at 9:14am
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post #6 of 11
12/19/11 at 10:04pm

Not sure about interfaces but as far as flacs, with Foobar you can rip CDs to flac.

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post #7 of 11
12/19/11 at 10:17pm

Cables do affect the HD650 sound.

I have tried the SAA (SE & XLR), Rudistor (XLR), RAL (SE) as well as the stock (SE).

They all sound different.

Costwise they sould be the last to upgrade.

 

 

 

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post #8 of 11
12/19/11 at 11:33pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for your response Rayzee. I looked at some of the gear you suggested, but the Yulong D100 impressed me the most, especially since I can get one new for ~430AUD and I won't have to worry about an audio interface. The specs are also pretty impressive for the price. I'm still comparing different DACs at the moment, but I'm definitely swinging towards the D100.


Edited by deadbeat - 12/21/11 at 8:46am
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post #9 of 11
12/19/11 at 11:35pm
Thread Starter 

I've also been reading up on different cables, I don't think I'm going to get them, doesn't seem worth it for the steep price.

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post #10 of 11
12/20/11 at 4:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadbeat View Post

I've also been reading up on different cables, I don't think I'm going to get them, doesn't seem worth it for the steep price.



i was gonna suggest the same. start downloading flac, get foobar for bitperfect output, and get a good amp. biggrin.gif you will notice more of a difference. also getting a good dac would help greatly for computer audio.

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post #11 of 11
12/21/11 at 8:44am
Thread Starter 

Dubstep Girl, I'm probably going to get a DAC/AMP combo, most likely the Yulong D100... good value for money, it's aesthetically pleasing and I've been looking around and people have said good things about them. Also I'd rather one extra box than two :D


Edited by deadbeat - 12/21/11 at 8:47am
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