Might I recommend the Nuforce uDAC2? It delivers quite a nice sound for a reasonable price.   Perhaps a bit more powerful amp would suit the high impedance HD-650s better but the uDAC is a good start in my humble opinion.   Cheers

I got it right after listening to both for a couple of times. Some details where less "detailed" on the 128kbps...   Not the best test track though....

It seems that I might have found something - Paul Desmond might be the answer to my alto sax quest :)

Thanks mouse6nelson,   I really enjoy some of E.S.T.s stuff and I'm investigating your other recommendations little by little   Does anybody know of a brass player with similar signature to Jack Wyllie in Portico Quartet? I just can't get enough of that guy!

Fellow Head-Fiers,   As there seems to be a huge collective music memory and interest here on the forum I turn to you for some help. Lately I've been strugeling with an increasing boredom in my normal listening habbits. Trying to find a stimulating solution I turned to some Jazz (at...

Hi,   I have not tested the WA2 so I can not give you a comparison towards the Head One.   I do however enjoy the Head One very much with my Denon 5000 cans. The Head One and HD650 combines two units with a rather "soft" sound and becomes a bit to soft for me. I prefer the HD650 with my...

I would hold on to the Asgard until you have had time to try your setup with a good DAC. As SP Wild stated above the amp and your headphones are very good. Selling or returning the Asgard without giving it the chance with a good source signal sounds wrong...   Who states that the...

Quote: I would second this and recommend that you try to get a hold of a stand-alone DAC or a really good soundcard. Even the Nuforce uDAC or uDAC2 makes a big improvement. Perhaps you can try your setup with another high quality source like a good CD or SACD player. That gives you...

If possible I would really recommend to listen before you buy. Both sound and comfort depends on your taste.

I have had my Sennheiser HD 280 Pro for... maybe 8-9 years. They have survived every day use at work, on the bus, being thrown into bags and backpacks.   So as for sturdyness they get 10/10. The cable is pretty robust and has not gotten broke (unlike most other headphones I used for this...

Bostonears, thanks for pointing that out. Very true indeed.   So the D5000 plot could appear to have more bass because of a dip around 1khz...   Hmmm... so is it more useful to look at the roll-off frequency?

I auditioned the D2000 and D5000 (D7000 was to expensive to even listen to...). The burn in status of both phones is unknown, but my impression was that the D5000 had better lows than the D2000.   Listening to various songs with the same setup I got goose bumps on some parts with the D5000...

Really enjoying my setup with: foobar2000(FLAC + WASAPI) -> Nuforce Icon HDP -> HD-650   :)

Using the Nuforce HDP as source/amp I would say that for sub-bass Denon AH-D2000 or 5000 beats the HD-650 in both deepth, quantity and possibly quality.   Buying the HD-650 for a low bass experience feels the wrong way to go...

The HD-650 is definitely a nice set of cans. But depending on your taste, and what kind of gear you will use to drive it there might be better options.   First of, I think that the suggestion by several before me in this thread is spot on: you really need some kind of DAC/amp to get the...

Hi,   I got an Icon HDP and HD650 as my first serious system a couple of months ago. I was very happy with the combination, and it played better than any of my previous headphones (HD545, HD280 and some cheaper crap).   Last week I got the Denon AH-D5000 phones after several test...

If bass-earthquakes is what you want I'm not sure that the HD-650 is what you want. They do have bass but very balanced, and not very heavy.   I also think that one important part of the equation is missing: what do you intend to amp your phones with?

Is there a good way to measure or make sure that you are listening to 80 or 85dB?   Even if I start out listening to a low volume it is easy to increase the volume as you get into the music...   The obviuos method would involve purchasing a SPL meter and stick it into the headphones, but...

Sorry for being confussing...   Kite7 is right, I mean the physical position when the unit is standing upright in the stand.

I normally have the volume between 9'o clock and 12. Sometimes at 13. This is using the HD-650 and all maxed on the computer side. Below 9 it drops of very fast and gets slightly unbalanced.