I just got a pair of HD650's for Christmas and love them when I am listening through our system, however much less impressed when listening through an iPod or my laptop. I am looking for a good portable amp on them, for under 150 (I would hope anyway) Thanks!

So I just picked up a Sennheiser HD-650, and coming from a pair of cheap $10 Sony headphones, I'm, of course, picking up greater clarity and detail in the treble areas of songs and recordings, particularly from percussion instruments.   But in some songs/recordings, there is, what it seems...

I am looking for a relativley affordable DAC (probably USB) for using my laptop as the source. I will be purchasing the M-Stage amp from Matrix and therefore won't need a DAC/amp combo. Portability isn't a huge issue either but I'm not opposed to something portable if it fits the bill and price...

I know very little about audio equipment so help me out. I currently listen to Koss Pro DJ 100s with a Fiio E5 amp, and a Mac or an Ipod Touch as my source. It sound's fine, but I wouldn't mind a nicer setup. I have about a $300 budget. Would it be a better investment to improve my headphones...

The sound chip on my mobo got taken out by a short, so I'm looking at getting the Xonar DX (music mostly, some light gaming). I want to get two stereo line outs to feed both my receiver+speakers and an M-Stage headphone amp. I don't care about surround, just a straightforward 2.0 setup.   Is...

Hi guys, this is my first post here although I have been a reader for many years.  Anyways, I'm looking for an usb DAC and amp combo that will be a good match with DT990 250ohm pros. I'm currently using a Fiios E10, but it barely has enough power to drive these cans.  It could be a single unit...

I am using an ODAC which is hooked up to my computer directly through USB. The ODAC is connected to a Matrix M-Stage with RCA which connects to my headphones. I am using Foobar with WASAPI Event as well. I get random popping sounds when listening to music and i don't know what to do. It seems to...

Sorry if this is a beater of a question but I'm lost here.  I've searched on previous forums and see a lot of choice out there.   I have an iMac digital out to a Sony STR-DE475 receiver/amp.  My audio tweaking on it is very limited on it and I'm thinking about putting an Onkyo EQ-140...

Hey guys. My post in the recommendation thread seems not to get the attention I want to give it another try here. Currently I enjoy my new modded T50rp for portable use, but I'm going to buy a HD600/HD650 or DT880 600ohm pretty soon. Also own a Shure SE530 and Sony MDR 1000ex. At the moment I do...

Hey folks, I'm still new to this audiophile atmosphere, so I don't know much about headphone specs, but I need a recommendation for what sort of optimal accessories I can get for roughly >$300. Any suggestions? I've looked at the "Crack" OTL headphone amp and a couple others, but I am not sure...

All,   After hours of research I have found the following 10 DAC/AMP combos to be in the mid - high end of the spectrum. Unfortunately, there are only a few reviews on each, and very few reviews which compare them to each other. Therefore, I am attempting to start a thread where people can...

I am interested in recommendations to use with a latop, or my iPad and CCK, which I understands bypasses the iPad's internal DAC.  I am interested in a DAC only without an internal amp, so I can swap different amps in the future.  Today, I use the iBasso P4 Warbler or a FiiO E17, or add an...

Hi There!   I am the recently proud owner of a pair of HD650's.    I have an Asus Xonar STX Sound Card and I am enjoying the combination.    I am questioning whether I can do better with an External Dac/Amp. I don't require portability, I am looking for a reasonable improvement in...

Hello, Got a couple of questions i had a Westone 3 for couple of years. When i connected the Westone 3 to my phone the sound was better then all the earphones i ever had. But when i used 6.35mm Plug to 3.5mm Jack Adaptor en connected it to my receiver the sound was beyond amazing. So much...

i decided to grab a cheapo dac, i thought there would be a clear winner but there is a lot more on offer than id imagined, so in the running is:   Schiit Modi:   Gets great reviews and is async, and not that it should matter with audio gear but its by far the best looking, the downside to...

Hey guys,   I have around $1000 to get a new audio setup. I live in an apartment and need something for my room. I am brand new to the topic and am told I need a turntable, preamp, sub, and speakers. I also understand you need a cartridge but the table I am looking at comes with a Ortofon 2M...

Does anyone think the fiio e9 would go great with these to lovely DACS? please help me gentlemen as i am need of purchasing these as christmas presents :)

So this January I bought myself a pair of ATH-M50's and have been thoroughly impressed with them. However, I am looking to upgrade my kit, and am wondering whether I should buy an amp or a DAC?   Or if its feasible, both. I've been looking at the O2 for an amp, or the Fiio E17 an an amp/DAC...

ive heard alot of great reviews on asus essence one,cheap and offers great audio quality, has lots of inputs for different sources (PC,DVD,PS3,XBOX etc.) i can link the asus essence one with my Z5500 Logitech Speakers too. Waiting for the Muses Edition   ive heard o2/odac sounded very boring...

Hello I currently have a JDS Labs C421 (OPPA227) and an ODAC. I think it's time for an upgrade from a portable amp to a more powerful desktop amp and perhaps a new DAC as well. I enjoy this setup, but can only imagine how much better my setup would sound with a powerful desktop amp. My current...

Hey guys, im looking for a new desktop amp. Not looking for anything gigantic or immensely expensive. Im currently using my Denon D5000s, and am looking for something to replace my E7/E10 combo. Sound wise im looking for something fun and engaging, good amounts of bass, but still clean and...

Hi, I'm considering to buy an ODAC+O2 combo. I'll use it to play the song from computer, and also I'll use it to amp my SONY D50 to sing my headphone.   My question is : Can I use its amp function ONLY (not its DA) ? That is: SONY D50 player  --- ODAC+O2 combo ---- headphone. Can I ...

Hello all, I am looking in to getting a completely "transparent" setup (yes, in addition to a "musical setup) and seem to have settled on the ODAC and O2 for my source and amp respectively. My budget is roughly $400 USD for a very...well...transparent headphone. Does such a headphone truly...

Hi guys, Been browsing head-fi for quite sometime but wanted to get more involved in this community! To kick things off, I just have one quick question - what do you guys think about the Fiio E7 with the HD 650's. Is the Fiio E7 enough to drive them? PS, Happy Diwali!

I'll be using them indoors, I love a neutral signature, but what I'm really looking for is which of the two has better overall texture, speed and detail, and saving a couple hundred would be great, I already own a modded t50rp, but I want to move on, is the he500 really worth the 2 hundred...