[stv014]

Quote:

So is it your opinion that an amp should in theory effect the low frequency and high frequency output equally on a headphone?  That the fullness is just a colorization effect of the amp?

 
It can be an effect of colored amps, a perceptual effect of loudness as noted above, the lack of clipping if there really was not enough power, or often even just imaginary. There are many subjective reasons why an amplifier could sound better to someone than another one. Nevertheless, my answer specifically to "does an Asus Xonar STX have enough power for typical listening with an HD650 or DT990-600 ?" is yes, based on the relevant parameters of the amplifier and headphones.

 

[Thommohawk]

You won't go far wrong with the DT 990 600 ohm, or the Denon D2000 (which in the UK is like rocking horse **** to find!) or even Beyer DT 880 would be a good option I bet.
 
What I'd be more concerned with however would be to improve your other equipment a bit more - okay if you want to keep the Essence and use it as a DAC but I'd seriously consider upgrading and using a different amplifier like a tube amp, especially if you go for Beyer. You can also get better DACs too.
 
But yeah anyway my advice rather than blast it all on 1 headphone would be to distribute evenly and upgrade the rest of your rig starting with the amp. System matching is crucial! 

 

[Eargasmo]

I'm not sure if subjective is necessarily the right word.  Variables.  I edited my previous post, so wanted to give you a heads up on that.  And there is probably some preconceptions playing a role as nwavguy posits, which it sounds you agree with...you almost sound like you are him.
 
I know that my HD650s and DT990s sound quality greatly benefited from a good amp.  I build my own computers and work in computer networking, so I've sampled every sound card out there.  And although volumes are adequate with the xonar, the fullness is greatly enhanced by a good amp, and I'm pretty sure it''s not just a placebo effect.

 

[RushNerd]

Quote:

I know that my HD650s and DT990s sound quality greatly benefited from a good amp.  I build my own computers and work in computer networking, so I've sampled every sound card out there.  And although volumes are adequate with the xonar, the fullness is greatly enhanced by a good amp, and I'm pretty sure it''s not just a placebo effect.

my old 990 600omh sounded different on my ST amp and out of my Klipsch 2.1 headphone jack.
 
My D5k's sound WAY different between the ST/Klipsch and my Asgard. I used to think the the HP jack on my Klipsch was all I needed because it was LOUD and the bass was greatly improved. I tried that combo today A/Bing that with my asgard, and the asgard greatly tighens up the bass and it sounds a lot stronger and more natural. There is output impedance and other factors to consider when deciding what you are going to listen out of, volume is only one aspect.

 

[Eargasmo]

Quote:

my old 990 600omh sounded different on my ST amp and out of my Klipsch 2.1 headphone jack.
 
My D5k's sound WAY different between the ST/Klipsch and my Asgard. I used to think the the HP jack on my Klipsch was all I needed because it was LOUD and the bass was greatly improved. I tried that combo today A/Bing that with my asgard, and the asgard greatly tighens up the bass and it sounds a lot stronger and more natural. There is output impedance and other factors to consider when deciding what you are going to listen out of, volume is only one aspect.

thank you rushnerd, stv014 was saying otherwise.  Glad someone else can corroborate that which I am saying.

 

[stv014]

Quote:

my old 990 600omh sounded different on my ST amp and out of my Klipsch 2.1 headphone jack.
 
My D5k's sound WAY different between the ST/Klipsch and my Asgard. I used to think the the HP jack on my Klipsch was all I needed because it was LOUD and the bass was greatly improved. I tried that combo today A/Bing that with my asgard, and the asgard greatly tighens up the bass and it sounds a lot stronger and more natural. There is output impedance and other factors to consider when deciding what you are going to listen out of, volume is only one aspect.

 
My speakers sound noticeably fuller with more impactful bass and larger sound stage on the same amplifier if I simply increase the volume by a couple of dB. That is one of the reasons I do not trust most subjective impressions of amplifiers.
 
The amplifier on the Xonar STX has an output impedance of slightly more than 10 Ω. That is not high enough to be significant compared to a 300 or 600 Ω headphone. At most it may make a very minor difference with the more reactive Sennheisers that can only be heard (barely) when rapidly changing the source with a switch. If you actually want higher output impedance for some reason, it can be achieved by using a simple adapter. Also, the TPA6120A2 has very low distortion driving such high impedance loads at any audio frequency, right until it reaches the maximum output voltage of about 7 Vrms at the highest gain setting. It has a flat frequency response as well from 0 Hz (the signal path to the headphones is entirely DC coupled) to well above the audio frequency range. There should be no audible hiss with these headphones either (<= 10 dBA noise SPL, even less with the DT990). I do not see any rational reason why the card would not be adequate for driving them.

 

[Damnations Fury]

Ok, well I am happy to pick up a separate amp and will take a look into that. If that is taken into account and so I am not limited by power, what would you advise?

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

Ok, well I am happy to pick up a separate amp and will take a look into that. If that is taken into account and so I am not limited by power, what would you advise?

 
Well that's really up to you, a proper amp is really a must though otherwise we're talking 6's and two 3's.....so let's say an amp is under lock and key, you might well find it unecessary to replace the DT990 once properly amped....otherwise you could try the DT880 or any one of a number of options - but therein lays the point - with a proper amp you'll have so many options all of a sudden.
 
So get a proper amp, and then decide if you still want to upgrade and if you do you'll probably have a better idea what you want as well. Lack of a proper amp at the minute doesn't exactly help....

 

[Damnations Fury]

Quote:

 
Well that's really up to you, a proper amp is really a must though otherwise we're talking 6's and two 3's.....so let's say an amp is under lock and key, you might well find it unecessary to replace the DT990 once properly amped....otherwise you could try the DT880 or any one of a number of options - but therein lays the point - with a proper amp you'll have so many options all of a sudden.
 
So get a proper amp, and then decide if you still want to upgrade and if you do you'll probably have a better idea what you want as well. Lack of a proper amp at the minute doesn't exactly help....

Ok, but are you recomeding getting the 990's & an amp, or just getting an amp and then deciding, because an amp isn't going to help in any way with my current setup.

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

Ok, but are you recomeding getting the 990's & an amp, or just getting an amp and then deciding, because an amp isn't going to help in any way with my current setup.

I'm saying get an amp and then decide on a headphone, there's no real way of knowing 100% until you have extended time with the rig in your own home on your own setup....
 
So if you get a proper amp, I would be tempted to get the DT 990 Pro off Amazon or the DT 880 off Amazon - reason being they're relatively cheaper especially the 990 Pro BUT it'll give you a good idea of what these headphones are like with your rig and you can really extrapolate from there sort of a thing. Plus you get 30 day returns with Amazon and no quibble.
 
See the thing is you say you want 3D surround now, but in trying either of those headphones you might decide you also want elements that they bring to the table too - which is really likely to narrow down your selection process. I'm thinking the DT 880's would be a good possibility for you.
 
But I can speak from experience that the DT 990 Pro does a brilliant job of making it sound like you're really there in the scene. Great for me for rock too. And immersion gaming. Amp I used them with was Fiio E9.

 

[Damnations Fury]

I'm saying get an amp and then decide on a headphone, there's no real way of knowing 100% until you have extended time with the rig in your own home on your own setup....

So if you get a proper amp, I would be tempted to get the DT 990 Pro off Amazon or the DT 880 off Amazon - reason being they're relatively cheaper especially the 990 Pro BUT it'll give you a good idea of what these headphones are like with your rig and you can really extrapolate from there sort of a thing. Plus you get 30 day returns with Amazon and no quibble.

See the thing is you say you want 3D surround now, but in trying either of those headphones you might decide you also want elements that they bring to the table too - which is really likely to narrow down your selection process. I'm thinking the DT 880's would be a good possibility for you.

But I can speak from experience that the DT 990 Pro does a brilliant job of making it sound like you're really there in the scene. Great for me for rock too. And immersion gaming. Amp I used them with was Fiio E9.

Thank you for your help. Was looking at that amp, but will investigate further. Not sure if you get 30 days in the Uk, I believe it us only 7. But as you say, both the pro variants are cheap enough that if I sell them 2nd hand, the I wont lose too much on them.

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

Thank you for your help. Was looking at that amp, but will investigate further. Not sure if you get 30 days in the Uk, I believe it us only 7. But as you say, both the pro variants are cheap enough that if I sell them 2nd hand, the I wont lose too much on them.

No I'm sure you've got 30 days by UK law....You get 7 days under the 'cooling off' period, but under law I'm sure you get 30 days as long as it's in good condition, something like that I'll have to double check myself lol. 
 
But even so 7 days should be enough time to allow decent burn in and impressions to be fair. In all honesty you'll probably know within the first day if they're keepers or not. Certainly within 2-3 days.

 

[Eargasmo]

I whole heartedly recommend the DT990Pros. They have a relatively V signature. The highs are incredibly clear, and when powered completely, they have an amazing crisp deep bass. To get that low-end of the 990 Pros, you definitely need an external amplifier. The 990 Pros will emphasize the high freqs without an amp...mind you, it will sound amazing. But when amped properly, you will get a much fuller sound, and the bass freqs will be amazing.  Personally, I don't find the mids-recessed, but others have.  The soundstage is amazing and will sound great in the videogames you play.
 
Also, if you still have the Q701s, you may want to give them a go with an external amp.  You can experiment with something like the Fiio E9.  Use the line out of the Xonar into the E9, this way you will only use the xonar as a DAC.  I've never tried the Q701s, but I hear they are hard to drive.