perseffect
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2015
- Posts
- 17
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- 15
Folks. Looking for some pragmatic advice on how best to pair my HD650s at home on a limited budget (£120 ideal, £200 possible, £300-£400 not likely in anything other than long term).
Originally I tried these at the same time as HD600 and HD598s and clearly chose the HD650s as the had a certain punch and excitement that the others didn’t quite have.
When I did this test, I was using a Fiio X5ii and A5 amp. I no longer have this setup.
I now have an Oppo HA2-SE plugged into my MacBook playing ALAC files. No separate Amp. Although it powers the HD650s, it feels (to my recollection) that the energy and excitement is gone from before.
I chose to use the Oppo over the X5ii and A5 as most of my listening is at work where I use the Oppo with my iPhone and RDA MA750s. I fear that although this works really (and I mean really) well for portable listening, I’ve disadvantaged my occasional HD650 listening at home.
After research, my options seem to be (in order of preference and with budget constraints):
- Buy an A5 and pair it with the Oppo DAC to see if the extra ooompphh helps (150mW v 30mW at 300ohms)
- Buy a Little Dot mkii (Might be able to afford the Mkiii at a stretch) and pair with Oppo DAC
- Buy a Schiit Magni/Modi combo (just keep Oppo for portable use)
- Buy a Schiit Valhalla Amp and pair with Oppo DAC (starting to get into the possibly too expensive realm)
- Sell the HD650s and simply listen at home using my MA750s (not preferred but an option)
- Buy a Bottlehead Crack with Speedball and pair with Oppo. I know this is a guaranteed winner as an Amp but the cost is probably just too prohibitive at this time (although I could save up).
I have various musical tastes from Rock to Classical (mostly soundtracks). I’m no audiophile, I just want to enjoy my music.
Any help and guidance would be appreciated. Thanks all.
Originally I tried these at the same time as HD600 and HD598s and clearly chose the HD650s as the had a certain punch and excitement that the others didn’t quite have.
When I did this test, I was using a Fiio X5ii and A5 amp. I no longer have this setup.
I now have an Oppo HA2-SE plugged into my MacBook playing ALAC files. No separate Amp. Although it powers the HD650s, it feels (to my recollection) that the energy and excitement is gone from before.
I chose to use the Oppo over the X5ii and A5 as most of my listening is at work where I use the Oppo with my iPhone and RDA MA750s. I fear that although this works really (and I mean really) well for portable listening, I’ve disadvantaged my occasional HD650 listening at home.
After research, my options seem to be (in order of preference and with budget constraints):
- Buy an A5 and pair it with the Oppo DAC to see if the extra ooompphh helps (150mW v 30mW at 300ohms)
- Buy a Little Dot mkii (Might be able to afford the Mkiii at a stretch) and pair with Oppo DAC
- Buy a Schiit Magni/Modi combo (just keep Oppo for portable use)
- Buy a Schiit Valhalla Amp and pair with Oppo DAC (starting to get into the possibly too expensive realm)
- Sell the HD650s and simply listen at home using my MA750s (not preferred but an option)
- Buy a Bottlehead Crack with Speedball and pair with Oppo. I know this is a guaranteed winner as an Amp but the cost is probably just too prohibitive at this time (although I could save up).
I have various musical tastes from Rock to Classical (mostly soundtracks). I’m no audiophile, I just want to enjoy my music.
Any help and guidance would be appreciated. Thanks all.