Amp for 650's $1000 and under.

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I thought the base was $1000? Anyways, I had the ppx3 slam with the hd650's and it was a nice combo. However, I think a brighter amp would do the hd650's more justice because it is already a darker phone. The GS-1 would probably be a good choice.

The base Extreme is $999 last I knew .... and the Extreme is a more neutral sounding amp. You can tube the PPX3 SLAM to mate just fine with the 650. The 600 is awesome with either of the SP amps mentioned.

 

[Audio-Omega]

I recommend Ray Samuels Audio HR-2.

It gives my HD650 more bass and treble, and the bass is more solid, has more slam. The amp is quiet, so when a track goes silent, I hear nothing at all, no background "noise". It has clarity and detail.

 

[crappyjones123]

hai penchum :waves:

to the OP, im with penchum on this one. the ld mk v is a magical amp. since using it for a little while ive tried out the rest of the little dot series except for the little dot (portable amp). the ld mk iv se was an exceptional amp and i found it really hard to figure out which i preferred. but in the end in some passages, it just made the 650s sound a little off. it just felt off. but then again it may just have been me.

the little dot mk v was by far the best amp of those particular ones. i havent tried the others out but i would definitely vote for the mk v. great amp even if you decide to go balanced later.

now i shall assume the role of the devils advocate. if you have that kinda money already, save up and go for a balanced amp and 650s. i had a 650 and an mk v and for reasons beyond my control, i had to sell them but now im trying to save up and get a balanced setup built around the 650s.

even stock they were the best sounding headphones i had ever heard. going to can jam to see if i can get my head under some balanced 650s to make my decision easier.

either way, mk v! mk v! mk v! oh, and david is awesome.

 

[Gautama]

Single-ended Beta 22

edit: Also heard the 650s out of the singlepower PPX3 slam, very nice.

 

[GordonFreeman]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I have been eye ballin the Little Dot amps, if I did that I could afford some Beyer Manufaktur cans with the left over money. Im sure you guys will tell me im crazy but I just dont get the same trustworthy feeling from Little-Dot that I get from the other brands. I know the labor is much cheaper blah blah but if they are so good then why are they so cheap? Gautama, who would you recommend to build a Beta 22?

 

[crappyjones123]

eBay My World - davidzhezhe

guy is one of the best to deal with. rest assured, little dot is awesome and trustworthy. as far as things being cheap are concerned, would you still be questioning them if they offered their amps for free?

didnt think so. for under $1000, a b22 MIGHT be a better choice. tis up to you though. 350 for a mk v leaves you with 650 for 3 other pairs of 650s! IMAGINE THE GLORY. its just a matter of how you decide to cut your cake bud.

 

[GordonFreeman]

I hear ya! I just havent had much input when it comes to comparisons. A set of boated out 990s would be nice!!!

 

[MaloS]

The BEST you can do for under $1000 out of what I tried so far (inclusive of SE B22 in my opinion) is Dared VP20 ($650 new) + HD650 cable terminated with 4 speaker wires (you can just get a stock hd650 cable and butcher it). This will run HD650 in balanced mode, but uses a single-ended source. Soundstage, clarity, detail-retrieval are mesmerizing, as said with balanced, much more so with this rig, you won't be sure if that is the same headphone, as you retain what was good before but gain lots of everything else.

But most people here wouldn't believe me or dare to try it because VP20 is a speaker amp (yes headphones are perfectly safe with this setup).

 

[GordonFreeman]

Any balanced recommendations?

 

[Penchum]

This summer, Little-Dot is coming out with the MKVI balanced headphone amplifier. Here is a link to the drawings posted by minivan a while back: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/bal...ml#post3933701 At $699, it is likely to "stir up" the headphone market, even more than the MK series has done so far.

 

[fierce_freak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaloS /img/forum/go_quote.gif But most people here wouldn't believe me or dare to try it because VP20 is a speaker amp (yes headphones are perfectly safe with this setup).

That's actually something I've been wanting to try. I know you might need to go on audio-memory, but can you recall the difference between the single-ended b22 and the dared vp20 (with the 650)?

 

[crappyjones123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penchum /img/forum/go_quote.gif This summer, Little-Dot is coming out with the MKVI balanced headphone amplifier. Here is a link to the drawings posted by minivan a while back: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/bal...ml#post3933701 At $699, it is likely to "stir up" the headphone market, even more than the MK series has done so far.

thanks for that penchum. i was starting to plan out getting some kinda balanced amp towards the end of the summer. you just made my choice a LOT easier. oh and im sure by then we shall all have a nice detailed review of the amazing amp that this is going to be.

WAIT for this amp OP. going by the other little dot products ive tried, this should be nothing short of amazing!

 

[Gautama]

MisterX for builds.

 

[GordonFreeman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gautama /img/forum/go_quote.gif MisterX for builds.

Thank you sir.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fierce_freak /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's actually something I've been wanting to try. I know you might need to go on audio-memory, but can you recall the difference between the single-ended b22 and the dared vp20 (with the 650)?

VP20 is tubed, so there is the 'tube' side of sound to it. Generally while SE b22 is good, it does not offer the same clarity and speed that VP20 offers, and VP20 puts alot of emphasis on the midrange (not that bass or treble fall short, but the midrange on 650 out of that amp is probably the best I heard on any dynamic headphone save R10, if we exclude running HD650 out of Singlepower XLR amps). Balanced B22 is more neutral, but VP20 offers larger soundstage and a more 'musical' presentation.