[TsukiNick]

I wish they would use better materials for the HD650s, going full plastic for a $500 pair of headphones just looks kinda cheap.

 

[castleofargh]

  I wish they would use better materials for the HD650s, going full plastic for a $500 pair of headphones just looks kinda cheap.

anything even lighter, I'm with you. else plz leave plastic ^_^.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

Just get a CRACK if you can DIY.......................

 

[TsukiNick]

 
anything even lighter, I'm with you. else plz leave plastic ^_^.

Meh they almost feel too light, a bit more weight would give it a nice expensive feel.  I wish you could get the HD650s in a more Beyerdynamic style.  Those headphones feel much more solidly built.  Even my AKG Q701s feel like a more expensive pair of headphones.

 

[Solrighal]

Headphones can never be too light for me. I have the Q701 and it's the single most uncomfortable headphone I've ever had the displeasure to wear.

 

[HemiSam]

   
Yes that's somewhat true but only half the picture as many will have started their journey with very different equipment and will have encountered many different products so the sum knowledge available is exponentially greater than what it may at first seem and while many of us have ended up at the same place we are often not in agreement the many differing opinions and breadth of knowledge is what is of real interest we don't all have to have the same opinions to get along.   

 
 
I'm referring to human nature.  Brutally predictable the human condition is.
 
I don't have a problem with romanticism but there's not nearly enough objective feedback posted vs gooey support.  Makes for less valuable information, and for more need to test things directly if at all possible before purchasing...tough to do for most with independent audio stores largely gone. In the fourth largest city in the US, not so easy sadly...
 
HS

 

[410107]

Hi everyone, my HD650s have arrived (yayyyyyyyy) but rather than plug them in to my current soundcard (Asus DG) and disappoint myself, I wanted to buy a new soundcard OR dac/amp combo. I've narrowed it down to the Essence STX II or the Magni/Modi combo. My main worry is that the STX II might not be 'enough' for the HD650s. The reason I'm considering the soundcard alongside a dac/amp combo is that I do a few LAN sessions at a friend's house, meaning the dac/amp would be extra baggage I could potentially do without. However, I do listen to a lot of music. so would the STX II be comparable to the Magni/Modi?
 
I suppose the ideal situation would be to buy them all, but y'know, money don't grow on trees!

 

[TsukiNick]

Headphones can never be too light for me. I have the Q701 and it's the single most uncomfortable headphone I've ever had the displeasure to wear.

The only thing I find wrong with the Q701 is the bumps at the top which I easily fixed with electrical tape and a bit of foam.
 
 

  Hi everyone, my HD650s have arrived (yayyyyyyyy) but rather than plug them in to my current soundcard (Asus DG) and disappoint myself, I wanted to buy a new soundcard OR dac/amp combo. I've narrowed it down to the Essence STX II or the Magni/Modi combo. My main worry is that the STX II might not be 'enough' for the HD650s. The reason I'm considering the soundcard alongside a dac/amp combo is that I do a few LAN sessions at a friend's house, meaning the dac/amp would be extra baggage I could potentially do without. However, I do listen to a lot of music. so would the STX II be comparable to the Magni/Modi?
 
I suppose the ideal situation would be to buy them all, but y'know, money don't grow on trees!

 
I suggest just using your soundcard and connect it to a LittleDot MKIII or Schiit Asgard 2. Depending if you want tubes or Solid State.  Don't need to go all out on a DAC TBH.  I simply like using them to make sure I get a line level output.  But you can set your Xonar DG to 2channel speakers and get a line signal and feed it to a better amp.

 

[donlin]

I've always been baffled by why people who think a frequency response graph tells the whole story and that everything sounds the same bother to participate in these discussions. There's nothing to discuss because everything is the same.

 

[madwolfa]

I've always been baffled by why people who think a frequency response graph tells the whole story and that everything sounds the same bother to participate in these discussions. There's nothing to discuss because everything is the same.

 
Not everything. Headphones are different.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

  Hi everyone, my HD650s have arrived (yayyyyyyyy) but rather than plug them in to my current soundcard (Asus DG) and disappoint myself, I wanted to buy a new soundcard OR dac/amp combo. I've narrowed it down to the Essence STX II or the Magni/Modi combo. My main worry is that the STX II might not be 'enough' for the HD650s. The reason I'm considering the soundcard alongside a dac/amp combo is that I do a few LAN sessions at a friend's house, meaning the dac/amp would be extra baggage I could potentially do without. However, I do listen to a lot of music. so would the STX II be comparable to the Magni/Modi?
 
I suppose the ideal situation would be to buy them all, but y'know, money don't grow on trees!

I own a Xonar DG. I also own an Asgard 2 + Modi.
 
There is really not much a difference between the two.

 

[Solrighal]

  The only thing I find wrong with the Q701 is the bumps at the top which I easily fixed with electrical tape and a bit of foam.

 
That was my issue too. I bought one of those baby seat harness cover things. Then I discovered that the weird spike in the treble meant the discomfort was doing me a favour since anything more than 10 minutes head-time made me feel like I'd been to the dentist. Then I bought the HD 650 and all is right with the world.

 

[Krutsch]

I've always been baffled by why people who think a frequency response graph tells the whole story and that everything sounds the same bother to participate in these discussions. There's nothing to discuss because everything is the same.

+1 ... sure, I'm willing to admit a new piece of gear may appear to sound better, due to confirmation bias.
 
When I've plugged my 'phones into other people's rigs (like at meets), it's interesting to me that some rigs can sound really different (positively, negatively or neutral). Is it the amp? Is it the DAC? Is it their cables ( 

 )?
 
If all amps sound the same, then my FiiO E11K should be indistinguishable from my Woo WA3. Likewise, if all DACs sound the same, my DragonFly should be indistinguishable from my Rega DAC.

 

[madwolfa]

If all amps sound the same, then my FiiO E11K should be indistinguishable from my Woo WA3. Likewise, if all DACs sound the same, my DragonFly should be indistinguishable from my Rega DAC.

Try doing some blind testing.... you'd be surprised.

 

[Krutsch]

Try doing some blind testing.... you'd be surprised.

I was actually sitting here trying to guess how many seconds I would have to wait for that response.