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Sennheiser HD 600 Impressions Thread
Oct 13, 2011 at 4:57 AM Post #706 of 23,482
I'll make sure they know what I am talking about then. I did asked for the HD600 grills...
 
Oct 13, 2011 at 5:03 AM Post #707 of 23,482
Oct 13, 2011 at 10:26 PM Post #708 of 23,482
My HD600 was used on my Audio-GD ROC. Since the ROC is balanced I had to reterminate the cable. So I ran both the HD650 and HD600 from it that way. It was clear that the HD650 sounded muddy and veiled in comparison.
 
Quote:
sennheiserhd485 said:
What amp was used for your HD 600 impressions?
Click to expand...

 
 
Oct 14, 2011 at 12:11 PM Post #709 of 23,482
Quote:
My M3 just arrived, plugged HD600s into it. OMG!! HD600s became a beast, wide soundstage, very nice instrument separation, bass became so deep and tight. Now I believe that these seriously need a good amp to sing.
Click to expand...
 
Totally agree here. Had the same impression. M3 is a gorgeous amp indeed. On average mid-fi amps like mine, HD600-s impress much less compared to DT880's . On higher-end amps the gap between those headphone becomes minor or even gives HD600's advantage over DT880's... Without huge amping my HD600's sound brighter (non reference) and muddy... 
 
Oct 16, 2011 at 11:53 PM Post #711 of 23,482
I am loking for an amp to drive my HD600s (musical tastes: classical, opera and jazz). Source will be an Opera Consonance CD 2.3 Ref. Mk. III (an upsampling player roughly equivalent to the CD 2.2 Mk. III available in Europe, minus the volume control on the single-ended outputs). The CD player has tube single ended and solid-state balanced outputs.
 
Ultimately, I would also like to be able to use the amp to drive HD800s (when funds allow!).
 
Currently, I am using a Little Dot Mk. III (CV4010 driver valves), and am enjoying the transparent, liquid midrange and excellent soundstaging. However, I find the treble slightly rolled off and "veiled", and the bass to be a little slow and ponderous (the extension is there, but the speed and control aren't). Generally, a little more detail and resolution wouldn't go amiss - my ideal is the "Stax sound" (I also occasionally use a Lambda Basic, for chamber and choral music but never for Wagner!), only with proper dynamics, much faster bass and greater treble extension.
 
I am investigating a number of alternatives to upgrade from the LD Mk. III (which will continue in my desktop system, hooked up to a PC and a LD DAC_1). I am only considering local Chinese-made amplifiers, as import duty is very high here:
 
- Matrix M-Stage: very cheap here in China, and apparently based on an excellent Lehmann amp. However, I've heard that the performance falls significantly short of the Lehmann's, and it would be a sideways move rather than a step up from the LD.
 
- Darkvoice 337SE: about GBP 550 here, with a good reputation for soundstaging and transparency. However, it seems to need quite a bit of exotic glassware (and DV have a reputation for installing fairly ropey stock Chinese tubes). Will it cost another GBP 500 in NOS tubes to get the best out of it? Also, will the bass be tight and fast enough with the HD600s, or should I really be looking at solid state amps?
 
- Audio-gd C-2.2: newly-launched, about GBP 240 here: seems to do what I want (good midrange and soundstage, extended treble, proper dynamics and impact), and offers the opportunity to fine-tune the sound using op-amp modules. Would this be a significant step up from the LD? Will it be capable of doing HD800s justice when the time comes? Finally, is it possible to connect the balanced outputs of the CD player to the ACSS sockets, or will I just have to use the RCAs?
 
- I have also been offered the Opera Consonance Cyber 20 (1x 12AU7 + 2x EL84, with output transformers), for a price of GBP 280. Would this be a good alternative? I have heard that it sounds "faster" and more dynamic than the OTL amps, and works well with Sennheisers. I would, of course, fit good British NOS tubes
normal_smile .gif
 (Brimar and Mullard).
 
At the moment, I am inclined to go for the Audio-gd or the Opera Consonance. Any views or experiences?

 
 
Oct 18, 2011 at 11:47 PM Post #712 of 23,482
Well, I had another "ahhh" experience with my HD 600's I had to share.

After streaming music for the past couple of weeks, I realized that I hadn't listened to any vinyl for a while. So I decided I was due some quality time with my turntable.

So I'm in my comfy chair listening to my CBS recording of Sibelius' 2nd Symphony (Berstein/New York Philharmonic) and I can't stop smiling. The strings are so lush and vibrant, and the plucks are deep and resonant. The woodwinds are so rich. I am truly shocked.

I bought headphones as a way to enjoy hi-fi in the evening without disturbing my family,never expecting to enjoy them as much as I do. But I find myself listening to them even when no one else is home. I still prefer speakers for the realistic soundstage, acoustics, and visceral impact, but these headphones just let me get so intimate with and absorbed by my music that the experience is just as pleasant to me.

This is my first experience listening to vinyl with my headphones. Many more to come...:)
 
Oct 19, 2011 at 1:50 AM Post #714 of 23,482


Quote:
cjg888 said:
I am loking for an amp to drive my HD600s (musical tastes: classical, opera and jazz). Source will be an Opera Consonance CD 2.3 Ref. Mk. III (an upsampling player roughly equivalent to the CD 2.2 Mk. III available in Europe, minus the volume control on the single-ended outputs). The CD player has tube single ended and solid-state balanced outputs.
 
Ultimately, I would also like to be able to use the amp to drive HD800s (when funds allow!).
 
Currently, I am using a Little Dot Mk. III (CV4010 driver valves), and am enjoying the transparent, liquid midrange and excellent soundstaging. However, I find the treble slightly rolled off and "veiled", and the bass to be a little slow and ponderous (the extension is there, but the speed and control aren't). Generally, a little more detail and resolution wouldn't go amiss - my ideal is the "Stax sound" (I also occasionally use a Lambda Basic, for chamber and choral music but never for Wagner!), only with proper dynamics, much faster bass and greater treble extension.
 
I am investigating a number of alternatives to upgrade from the LD Mk. III (which will continue in my desktop system, hooked up to a PC and a LD DAC_1). I am only considering local Chinese-made amplifiers, as import duty is very high here:
 
- Matrix M-Stage: very cheap here in China, and apparently based on an excellent Lehmann amp. However, I've heard that the performance falls significantly short of the Lehmann's, and it would be a sideways move rather than a step up from the LD.
 
- Darkvoice 337SE: about GBP 550 here, with a good reputation for soundstaging and transparency. However, it seems to need quite a bit of exotic glassware (and DV have a reputation for installing fairly ropey stock Chinese tubes). Will it cost another GBP 500 in NOS tubes to get the best out of it? Also, will the bass be tight and fast enough with the HD600s, or should I really be looking at solid state amps?
 
- Audio-gd C-2.2: newly-launched, about GBP 240 here: seems to do what I want (good midrange and soundstage, extended treble, proper dynamics and impact), and offers the opportunity to fine-tune the sound using op-amp modules. Would this be a significant step up from the LD? Will it be capable of doing HD800s justice when the time comes? Finally, is it possible to connect the balanced outputs of the CD player to the ACSS sockets, or will I just have to use the RCAs?
 
- I have also been offered the Opera Consonance Cyber 20 (1x 12AU7 + 2x EL84, with output transformers), for a price of GBP 280. Would this be a good alternative? I have heard that it sounds "faster" and more dynamic than the OTL amps, and works well with Sennheisers. I would, of course, fit good British NOS tubes
normal_smile .gif
 (Brimar and Mullard).
 
At the moment, I am inclined to go for the Audio-gd or the Opera Consonance. Any views or experiences?

 
Click to expand...


I have the Cyber 20 and it is indeed a good match with HD600's.  It responds extremely well to tube upgrades -- the OEM Chinese tubes are absolute rubbish.  I like the fact that it utilizes legitimate power tubes.  However, GBP 280 seems a little high based on used prices here in the USA.  And, the new price in HK and PRC were considerably lower than in other parts of the world.  A very under rated amp IMO.
 
 
Oct 19, 2011 at 2:11 AM Post #715 of 23,482
The senns may like the OTL amps like the Bottlehead crack more though because of the 300 ohm impedance. I know someone that sold their woo6 because the crack was just a better amp for his hd600s
 
Oct 19, 2011 at 7:11 AM Post #716 of 23,482
Well, I've pulled the trigger on the Cyber 20. Unfortunately, the days when it could be had for RMB2000 are long gone - the going street price on Taobao is indeed RMB2800 - an official "high street" Opera Consonance dealer wanted to charge RMB3000!
 
As for the tubes, I've ordered a Mullard ECC82 (CV4003) driver tube and a matched pair of Philips "foreign" EL84s. The latter are early Soviet-manufactured tubes, and are aparently massively underrated (we'll see.....).
 
The current stock tube complement appears to be a bit better than it used to be, but still no great shakes:
 
- 1x Electro-Harmonix ECC82
 
- 2x no-name Russian EL84
 
Not disastrous, but not good either!
 
I'm looking forward to "rediscovering" a few of my jazz XRCDs - should be a good match!
 
 
Oct 19, 2011 at 7:54 AM Post #717 of 23,482
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
Congratulations, and enjoy.  Don't forget to upgrade the 12AU7 -- it makes a big difference.  The NOS Tungsol's are very good, as are the Mazda/CIFTE's.
 
Oct 19, 2011 at 8:16 AM Post #718 of 23,482
Partly thanks to this site I will be ordering these soon, along with the STX. Hoping for quite an upgrade from my X-Fi Xtreme Gamer + Koss PortaPro I currently use for headphones. Will be interesting.
 
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