[daniel521]

I'm planning on buying the hd-600 soon and heard that they are extremely affected by what amp and DAC is used, so I want to pick the right one. My budget is 200-250 dollars for both amp and DAC, I don't know if my budget is enough to get a good amp that will make them shine so could anyone clarify that for me? If there's a setup which goes a bit over my budget butvis worth the money, please say so. There are two setups I have in mind and I wanted to know if they will make the HD600 shine. The first setup is a fiio e9 and an HRT MusicStreamer II, the second setup I thought of is the NFB12.1 which will serve as both amp and DAC. Will one of the setups I mentioned be a good fit for the HD600, if not could you suggest something else? Many people recommend the ODAC instead of the HRT MusicStreamer II but many people say the ODAC sounds fatiguing, especially in the highs so I don't really want them, one of the main reasons I'm getting the HD600 is because of its smoothness in the highs. Also, should I upgrade to an HD650 cable? I will be using the hd600 with my desktop.

 

[mrpink44]

Take a peek at this recent thread - it covers most of what you're asking about:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/622882/nuforce-icon-hd-udac-2-or-audioengined1-for-hd-600/15#post_8617081

 

[Warrax]

You can check my thread of finding right headphones.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/611862/hp-for-orchestra-opera-voice-soundtracks-classic
 
From all headphones I've had borrowed, HD600 shines most overall, on NFB12.1. This was confirmed also by two of my friends, which liked HD600 best too. I will suggest you take newer NFB15, which will improve quality over USB a little, and it's only about 15$ pricer.
If you don't need so much basses (imho, basses are important to overall feeling of music), then SRH1440 have nicer mids and highs. I took those headphones, cause I want to give chance to dalethorn mod, and see the results. But if I will be not content, I'll take HD600.

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

You can check my thread of finding right headphones.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/611862/hp-for-orchestra-opera-voice-soundtracks-classic
 
From all headphones I've had borrowed, HD600 shines most overall, on NFB12.1. This was confirmed also by two of my friends, which liked HD600 best too. I will suggest you take newer NFB15, which will improve quality over USB a little, and it's only about 15$ pricer.
If you don't need so much basses (imho, basses are important to overall feeling of music), then SRH1440 have nicer mids and highs. I took those headphones, cause I want to give chance to dalethorn mod, and see the results. But if I will be not content, I'll take HD600.

How do you think the schiit asgart + HRT MusicStreamer II compares t the NFB15 or 12.1? While I was looking for an open can inder 400, I was a bit skeptical about the srh1440 because the highs are said to be very bright while I prefer forward mids and smooth highs. do you think the dalethorn mod will fix this problem with the treble and make the sound smoother? There's also something else I would like to ask, I have no idea how to dismantle or customize a headphone at all, so will modding possibly ruin my headphone if I don't do it properly? What if I dismantle it and can't put the pieces back together? I wouldn't want to risk ruining a 400 dollar headphone....

 

[Archerious]

How do you think the schiit asgart + HRT MusicStreamer II compares t the NFB15 or 12.1? While I was looking for an open can inder 400, I was a bit skeptical about the srh1440 because the highs are said to be very bright while I prefer forward mids and smooth highs. do you think the dalethorn mod will fix this problem with the treble and make the sound smoother? There's also something else I would like to ask, I have no idea how to dismantle or customize a headphone at all, so will modding possibly ruin my headphone if I don't do it properly? What if I dismantle it and can't put the pieces back together? I wouldn't want to risk ruining a 400 dollar headphone....

That sounds like a decent setup, when I had the asgard it was a major overkill for my grados. So I think you'll get decent results. I would recommend the Nuforce HPD instead. I really enjoyed hearing that amp at a local meetup.

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

That sounds like a decent setup, when I had the asgard it was a major overkill for my grados. So I think you'll get decent results. I would recommend the Nuforce HPD instead. I really enjoyed hearing that amp at a local meetup.

Do you think the asgard adds a bit of aggresiveness or takes out a bit of the smoothness? I'll check the Nuforce HPD too
 
EDIT: scratch that, I found the Nuforce way too expensive

 

[mrpink44]

You can get the NuForce HD online for $250 - the same price as the asgard. The HD is truly a steal and a nice combo with the HD600s.....I truly have a hard time taking them off at the end of the night, and regularly stay up way to late.
 
The HDP is $350.

 

[NimbleTurtle]

Quote:

I'm planning on buying the hd-600 soon and heard that they are extremely affected by what amp and DAC is used, so I want to pick the right one. My budget is 200-250 dollars for both amp and DAC, I don't know if my budget is enough to get a good amp that will make them shine so could anyone clarify that for me? If there's a setup which goes a bit over my budget butvis worth the money, please say so. There are two setups I have in mind and I wanted to know if they will make the HD600 shine. The first setup is a fiio e9 and an HRT MusicStreamer II, the second setup I thought of is the NFB12.1 which will serve as both amp and DAC. Will one of the setups I mentioned be a good fit for the HD600, if not could you suggest something else? Many people recommend the ODAC instead of the HRT MusicStreamer II but many people say the ODAC sounds fatiguing, especially in the highs so I don't really want them, one of the main reasons I'm getting the HD600 is because of its smoothness in the highs. Also, should I upgrade to an HD650 cable? I will be using the hd600 with my desktop.

 No DAC is going to make a headphone like the HD 600 fatiguing. That's just ridiculous. I heard the HRT MusicStreamer II is asynchronous but whether that actually has any advantages over a sychronous one, I don't know. 
 
The fiio E9 is a fine amp for the price, but just be aware that it doesn't work well with low impedance headphones, if you plan to use any in the future (like a planar magnetic). Otherwise, it should work well with your HD600. It does have a slightly colored sound so if you care to maintain that superb neutrality of the HD 600, consider something like the O2. 

 

[Brooko]

Same advice I gave you earlier - NFB-12.1.  For the quality and price, it's a great combo.  I love it with my HD600s.

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

Same advice I gave you earlier - NFB-12.1.  For the quality and price, it's a great combo.  I love it with my HD600s.

I'll only be able to buy it in the US in december. In case I don't find it for sale on these forums is there a way to buy it in the US? Audio gd is a chinese company so it would be pretty bad to order it from the US, Amazon doesn't have it

 

[Brooko]

You just order it online from Audio-gd's website.  That's what everyone else does.

 

[Elysian]

I liked the HD600 with the Gilmore Lite.  It wasn't thin like the HD600 is prone to sound when underamped, and there was decent depth in the soundstage.  You can find used Gilmore Lites in the $230 range.  It's solid state which is nice, too, and pairs well with a pretty wide range of headphones and IEMs.

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

You just order it online from Audio-gd's website.  That's what everyone else 

Is the shipping expensive?

 

[Brooko]

From their website - about $34 to US.

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

From their website - about $34 to US.

that's a really good deal