[ROSSINL]

Hi,
 
I'm pretty new to using headphones for listening to music, but a few weeks ago I decided to purchase a Sennheiser HD 650 so that I can also listen to music in hi-fi during the late hours.
 
I already had a Asus Xonar Essence STX soundcard with dedicated headphone amp built in (TI 6120A2), so I thought this combination would give me spectacular sound. Although I am very pleased about the mids and highs of the HD 650, I find the bass quite weak and the bass extension goes not as deep as I hoped for.
 
So my question is: will buying a dedicated external headamp improve sound quality and will the bass go lower with more punch? I listen to all sorts of music, ranging from trance/dance to hiphop and from hardstyle to jazz music, mostly in flac or 320k/bit mp3. As a reference, I own a Klipsch THX Ultra II 7.2 setup and the subwoofers of this set are phenomenal. For example, when I listen to Chris Botti Live with Orchestra and Special Guests in Blu-ray, Billy Kilson's bass drum sounds nowhere as deep and detailed on the HD 650 compared to with my Klipsch set. Especially since I'm such a basslover, this disappoints me somewhat.
This is even with +20dB gain on the 30Hz band and +15dB on the 60Hz band using the equalizer in the Xonar software... 
 
Does anyone own a HD 650 in combination with an Essence STX and found the bass to become better after buying an external headamp? I have the Meier Corda SWING in mind, anyone who also has this combination (or other Corda models)? And do you guys add bass to the HD 650 by using an equalizer? Because honestly, I don't understand how some people can call this a bass-heavy headphone without any adjustments..but again, maybe it's just me.
 
If low-frequency extension cannot be improved by adding a headamp, I guess I'll have to search for a more bass-heavy headphone. Any suggestions are welcomed..
 
Yesterday, I emailed Dr. Meier himself and he said that the problem with using a computer for playing music is the digital volume: when you lower digital volume, the audio resolution decreases to <16 bit. He said that when I buy a headamp I should maximize digital volume and adjust the volume only on the headamp. 
In order to minimize the email burden on Jan Meier, can anyone please elaborate on this and advice me how I should best adjust the volume settings on my pc? I use VLC or MPC-HC player, so should I maximize their volume levels? With VLC, you can even set preamp levels to +20dB under equalizer settings, should I do this or set it at 0? And what about general Windows 7 volume, also at maximum? 
 
Thank you for any help!

 

[grokit]

A real amplifier will improve the sound on your HD650 over a soundcard. Depending on the card, you could benefit from an external DAC as well. Many external amps come with quality DACs, and vice versa.

 

[ROSSINL]

Thanks for your reply. The Essence STX soundcard already has a good DAC: Burr Brown PCM1792A. So all I need is a good external amp than. Anyone else having first hand experience with adding an amp to a HD 650 and preferably in combination with a Xonar?

 

[khaos974]

It could be that what you are lacking with the HD650 is the visceral impact of bass, ie. what you feel with your body and not your eardrums.
If such is the case, no headphone is going to suit you, that said, the HD650 normally provides an adequate amount of bass, it should need equalizing especially a +20 dB which could lead to distortion which may be the reason your bass sound bad with the EQ,
An amp would help the headphone to control the bass better, not increase the amount of bass.

 

[grokit]

There's a new amp in town that may be just the Schiit for the HD650. Or the Burson HA-160 for a lot more $. Or the LDMKIII if you want a good intro to tubes. Many more good choices that mate well with the 650 these days, just search these out here for more info.

 

[MrTechAgent]

I have the same combination.
STX don't do justice to the 650's.
Also I don't know what kind of bass you want, the extension of the 650's with the linear black cube is extraordinary as far as the STX is concerned EQ-ing is a viable option for some time not for your entire life.
Also changing op-amps of the STX is gonna be a waste of time at least for the 650's.
Get a better Amp and everybody is happy

 

[SunshineReggae]

No there's not much point in getting anything beyond the STX. It's also technically pretty much impossible to beat it given its specs. I mean yes there can be made some improvements, but even then the question is whether you'd hear it.
 
You could go for an amp with a higher output impedance which can give a pretty impressive bass at first but it's pretty likely you'll grow tired of it at some point.

 

[grokit]

The STX is a toy for games.

 

[MrTechAgent]

That was rather uncalled for, its not a slaughterhouse Amp.

 

[grokit]

When somebody says that the STX is "technically pretty much impossible to beat" for a headphone like the HD650, that is the very definition of calling for it

 

[NA Blur]

For those of us who have tried to squeeze every once of goodness from their HD-650 here is my advice:
 
1.)  Remove the foam inside the earcups and make sure the amp you are using extends well into the bass region of the frequency response curve
      For example the Grace m903 as measured over at Innerfidelity.com by Tyll drops off a bit in the bass.  This will make matters worse.
 
2.)  EQ the headphones such that all of the frequencies from 0 Hz to 100 Hz is neutral ( at zero dB ) and the rest of the frequencies are at -5 dB.  Adding a positive digital EQ is not the best way to  EQ a headphones as it leads to obvious distortion
 
3.)  Change headphones.  This options is probably your best bet as many of us who first start their endeavors into hi-fi with the HD-650 realize that it is not for them.  It will only be later that you realize how awesome the HD-650 is especially driven by an amp like the BUDA or WA-3 / WA-6.
   a.)  Something like the Denon AH-D2000 would be a great start
   b.)  For a fun headphone that is low cost the Philips Cityscape Downtown is my current favorite.  This allows you to keep the HD-650, but have a bassier headphone for more fun listening.
 
In the end if you find the HD-650 problematic and have had them for more than 6 months I suggest selling them and moving onto a different headphone.  The HD-650 is not for everyone and although it is an awesome headphone, it just might not be for you.

 

[MrTechAgent]

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[grokit]

The D2000 is a very good alternative to the HD650, if the amplifier is, let's just say, a non-discrete design. It does very well off of op-amps.