[DavidA]

@B-Dawk20, the D1+ looks like an interesting DAC/AMP, very reasonable price too.  Doesn't get much attention hear but looks like a good alternative to m/m stack, Aune T1, etc price range.

 

[B-Dawk20]

@B-Dawk20
, the D1+ looks like an interesting DAC/AMP, very reasonable price too.  Doesn't get much attention hear but looks like a good alternative to m/m stack, Aune T1, etc price range.

Yep! It's a good price point for all they put in there. It's a versatile piece of equipment and isn't very big either so it fits well on a desk. I've had other people try my D1 in the past with the 650 and they usually like the combo. But like I said, there are certainly better combos and when I upgraded to the Lyr 2 if was a pretty good improvement! Especially with the new tubes...but the Lyr 2 is certainly not $200 and those tubes weren't either haha

 

[penmarker]

  If your budget is $200 then the Aune T1 MkII works quite well, got one for a friend who has the HD-650 and K7XX, she really enjoys this combination.  The other amp that seems to be getting a lot of attention is the Vali2 so you could pair it with a Modi2, will be close to $300 for both including shipping. 

Yeah I can vouch for Aune T1 MKII too. It works nice and if you upgrade the tube it'll be noticeably better. When you got extra cash later, if you wanna upgrade, just get another amp, or another DAC. Its up to you.

 

[audiojun]

$300 HD650 refurbished.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_143HD650R/Sennheiser-HD-650-Factory-Refurbished.html

 

[mysticstryk]

  Thank you for the time you invested to research the price on Amazon! Hahaha
 
I actually don't have an amp or dac. I was thinking of using the gift card to buy the amp/dac.
 
I read a few threads on what amp/dac combo works well with the HD650s. I saw many headfi users say the magni/modi combo doesn't work all that well with the HD650. If that's true, what should I use gift card on?

 
I don't know who told you that, but the Magni works great with the hd650.  Used that pairing myself for awhile.  If your budget allows, I would suggest the Vali 2 over it though as it pairs very well with the hd650.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

 
I agree. 225i is a gem. More details and crystalline highs. Those metallic grills must do something.
 
Started Grados with 60i and 80i. Fun is the word. Then I stumbled on PS500. It's the darkest of all Grados, imo. Love it. Still trying to figure out whether the 500 was an accidental creation by Grado. It is an outlier among their previous (and subsequent?) HPs, in terms of sound profile. Haven't heard the 500e yet, 'cause I am content with having only the orig 500 as my reference Grado can.
 
cheers, WE is here.

 
I have the HF2s, and basically those are the prototype for the PS500s.  Something about mahogany inside an aluminum shell makes them dark and sparkly at the same time.  Both do compliment the HD650 nicely...

 

[ktm]

I've had a number of headphones through here. At the moment, a set of PS500's (with G-cush) are getting the most use.
The hd-650's sound good, but the bass just never quite sounded right. I sold them, but may retry the Senn sound
with a pair of hd-600's. The hd-650's with a bottlehead amp-now there was a combo that got things right.
As always, the headphones are just one part of the system.

 

[HeavenNotes]

Hello. I have found that my 650 has a lack of transparency vs my MS2. I have tried with different amps.

I have read here that I would need a better amp. I have Asgard II. Side by side with the MS2, 650 sounds veiled for my ears.

Any suggestion?

 

[DavidA]

Hello. I have found that my 650 has a lack of transparency vs my MS2. I have tried with different amps.

I have read here that I would need a better amp. I have Asgard II. Side by side with the MS2, 650 sounds veiled for my ears.

Any suggestion?

Transparency = clear, not colored
So you are saying that your 650's are colored compared to the MS2?  I would think the 650's are considered colored, am I taking your meaning of transparency incorrectly?
 
Almost any headphone besides another Alessandro/Grado will sound "veiled" if comparing them, again, do I have your meaning incorrect?

 

[HeavenNotes]

Transparency = clear, not colored
So you are saying that your 650's are colored compared to the MS2?  I would think the 650's are considered colored, am I taking your meaning of transparency incorrectly?

Almost any headphone besides another Alessandro/Grado will sound "veiled" if comparing them, again, do I have your meaning incorrect?

Thank you. I'm using transparency as:

 

[kman1211]

Hello. I have found that my 650 has a lack of transparency vs my MS2. I have tried with different amps.

I have read here that I would need a better amp. I have Asgard II. Side by side with the MS2, 650 sounds veiled for my ears.

Any suggestion?

Not really familiar with Grado's(really need to try them sometime), so I can't say how the HD 650 and MS2 compare to each other in terms of clarity and transparency. Part of it could be the amp or the DAC, but the HD 650 could simply be less clear than the MS2. I have found the HD 650 does seem to sound clearer on tube amps in my experience. Some people do confuse brightness with clarity and transparency, but as ears are trained more it becomes easier to discern clarity and transparency from brightness/darkness, frequency response, etc. Different people have different experiences on clarity, etc. Thus the subjective nature of this hobby.
 
It really comes down to personal preference and how a particular headphone sounds on your system. Does the HD 650 sound veiled to you compared to any headphones other than the MS2? Does the HD 650 still sound veiled with more extensive listening or only when comparing them side by side?

 

[HeavenNotes]

Not really familiar with Grado's(really need to try them sometime), so I can't say how the HD 650 and MS2 compare to each other in terms of clarity and transparency. Part of it could be the amp or the DAC, but the HD 650 could simply be less clear than the MS2. I have found the HD 650 does seem to sound clearer on tube amps in my experience. Some people do confuse brightness with clarity and transparency, but as ears are trained more it becomes easier to discern clarity and transparency from brightness/darkness, frequency response, etc. Different people have different experiences on clarity, etc. Thus the subjective nature of this hobby.

It really comes down to personal preference and how a particular headphone sounds on your system. Does the HD 650 sound veiled to you compared to any headphones other than the MS2? Does the HD 650 still sound veiled with more extensive listening or only when comparing them side by side?

Thank you for your response. I have had the same sound experience with Grado 125e and Westone 3. In the case of AD900x the difference is not too noticeable.

See..., your second question is very interesting because when I have done extensive listening with the 650 I have enjoyed the detail and mellow tone in voices and classic music, but some times it sounds congestionated.

You know... Probably I'm confused and simple as they are different tone and I'm enjoying more my MS2. The thing is I have read here and other sites too many good things about the potentiality of the 650 and I want to be sure I'm using them in the right way to let the 650 shine. Does it make sense?

 

[DavidA]

Thank you for your response. I have had the same sound experience with Grado 125e and Westone 3. In the case of AD900x the difference is not too noticeable.

See..., your second question is very interesting because when I have done extensive listening with the 650 I have enjoyed the detail and mellow tone in voices and classic music, but some times it sounds congestionated.

You know... Probably I'm confused and simple as they are different tone and I'm enjoying more my MS2. The thing is I have read here and other sites too many good things about the potentiality of the 650 and I want to be sure I'm using them in the right way to let the 650 shine. Does it make sense?

You are making sense, it was hard for me when I first started to listen to headphones, the first time I heard a Grado it was like a light bulb when off in my head.  The HD-650 and HD-600 are two of the most well know headphones ever made, they haven't been around this long if they weren't great.
 
The HD-650 does not have the air/open sound like a Grado/Alessandro so I can understand that it might sound congested.  What are you using for your amp with the HD-650?  They are not the easiest to drive properly and as @kman1211 it your personal preferences to the sound signature that you like.  I like the different sound signatures of different headphones, they each present the music in their own way, I think its fun to listen to the same track from various headphones without saying which is the correct or best sound.
 
For me the HD-650 is great with my BH Crack amp, it sounds better with better gear but I can't justify the price to move up.  The MS2 like most Grado/Alessandro headphones are fairly easy to drive so if you are using the same amp for both then it is possible that you are not getting the most from the HD-650.  Since you and I might have / should have different ideas on what the HD-650 should sound like I would never say you need a BH Crack to make them sound great/correct because we are different, our hearing is different, expectations different.  My suggestion would be to try as many different headphones as you can to see what you like.

 

[kman1211]

Thank you for your response. I have had the same sound experience with Grado 125e and Westone 3. In the case of AD900x the difference is not too noticeable.

See..., your second question is very interesting because when I have done extensive listening with the 650 I have enjoyed the detail and mellow tone in voices and classic music, but some times it sounds congestionated.

You know... Probably I'm confused and simple as they are different tone and I'm enjoying more my MS2. The thing is I have read here and other sites too many good things about the potentiality of the 650 and I want to be sure I'm using them in the right way to let the 650 shine. Does it make sense?

Isn't the Westone 3 on the darker side? I'm not very familiar with IEMs. A better system can help, but your problems with them may not go away even then. It depends, I personally hold a somewhat different opinion of the HD 650 than many, I like it's tone and presentation but I personally find it a little lackluster in terms of fidelity. Honestly it may be better to look into another headphone, the cost of getting an amp to help bring out its potential can be high and honestly may not even fix the issue you personally have with them.

 

[B-Dawk20]

Okay, I think I'm done buying headphones for awhile LOL