My setup is

Cayin N6. Dap
Oppo HA2. Portable amp
Oppo PM3. Or Sennheiser HD 600 headphones

I play the Oppos PM3s on low gain, the HD 600s on high gain


I recently started getting 24/192 files and I am blown away by the additional resolution

My main focus is an extensive 2 channel tube based analog vinyl rig at home so this is more for on the go, coffee shops, park, etc. obviously it won't compete but I would like to enhance the portable experience.

This portable setup sounds lucious with good resolution and tonality (two huge factors).
Especially on a warm passage - voice, acoustic guitar, string quartet, jazz combo
The PM3 is slightly more upfront and revealing, the HD600 has a real musical warmth to it but is harder to drive.

Only one caveat

What I am noticing is that when the musical passage gets louder that there is congestion and some of the body / presence is lost and it sounds more broken up.

Is this a limitation of the headphones and I need a mega buck efficient headphone?
A limitation in the Cayin or Oppo dac / amplification?

Or am I not being realistic here?

Thanks for your comments

audiotomb said:

What I am noticing is that when the musical passage gets louder that there is congestion and some of the body / presence is lost and it sounds more broken up.

Click to expand...

From this comment I would say it is most likely the music which is congested. Take a look at the waveform in Audacity or some other software. Are the louder sections up against the 0dBFS limit, implying the use of dynamic compression or limiting? Don't assume that your music is high quality, just because it is 24/192, or because it is marketed for audiophiles.
 
Does increasing the volume on the quieter parts make them also sound congested? Do the louder congested sounding parts still sound congested if you lower the volume?

Thanks for your insights
I know where you are going, the files are not compressed
Well defined dynamic range and no clipping

This sounds more like a playback system nuance to me

Plenty of music that would be highly obvious if it were clipping on my main system

[COLOR=FF00AA][/COLOR] i just realized I probably only have 50 hours on my phones

Perhaps they are breaking in and not relaxed yet at high volume

Anyone ave comments on the PM3 break in sound

It's the amplifiers. Large headphones need a lot of power. Especially your HD600. Higher volume means higher distortion. That's basically how rock guitarists used to achieve their guitar sound back in the day.

Thanks Asspirin
 
The amplifiers in the dap or external?
 
I use the low sensitivity switch on the Oppos (or it's way too loud)  and the high sensitivity gain on the HD600.
 
Don't particularly "crank them" - just resolving volume.
The Oppo HA2 isn't enough juice?
 
Any suggestions for a clean, warm sounding portable amp with sufficient headroom?