[Andrea]

Just FIY;

The AD9631, which was my second last chip in my Go-Vibe's ground channel, made a loud "pop", unpleasant and a bit worrying for me at least, at power off particularly - which, together with the not impressive effect on sound quality (I already had a high performance high current chip in G, the LMH6654), has brought me to switch to the AD8055 (a chip with 1/3 the power consumption, still high output current, and a low bias current of 500 nA leading to the further advantage of a very low DC offset).

 

[Filburt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea Just FIY; The AD9631, which was my second last chip in my Go-Vibe's ground channel, made a loud "pop", unpleasant and a bit worrying for me at least, at power off particularly - which, together with the not impressive effect on sound quality (I already had a high performance high current chip in G, the LMH6654), has brought me to switch to the AD8055 (a chip with 1/3 the power consumption, still high output current, and a low bias current of 500 nA leading to the further advantage of a very low DC offset).

Sounds like oscillation to me. Thanks for the update, Andrea. I seemed to recall you reporting positive results with it earlier, but it's interesting to here this new report. 8055 is 400nA Ib by the way.

 

[Andrea]

You mean that the AD9631 could have been oscillating? Hmm, I doubt it. Some op-amps just "pop" more than others. I realize I emphasized the issue - it wasn't so dramatic really.

 

[fritz1234]

Gosh I haven't posted here in about four years (good to be back-ain't the wallet talkin folks )

As far as the fellow trying to trick you that's ridiculous. You see, we are all very much into this sort of thing here and actually there is a disclamer (somewhere) that warns you of the dangers of finacial problems if you just read the posts , let alone take any advice.

So as for your question. I own the HD600's and my laptop will not even produce any sound out of them yet my HD555's work fine with the apparently anemic headphone jack.

So I guess I need and amp.

I ended up buying several as I discoved I liked them more than the money ( I think)

good luck ; )

 

[fritz1234]

I just noticed that i've been reset to 1 post. A fresh start I guess.

 

[Andrea]

And Fliburt, don't misunderstand me -- the AD9631 sounded very good. I would have kept it, but I'm paranoiac about those POPs at power on & off.

And now I know that the AD8055 sounds even better while working without problems @ 12V (it's specified for this voltage, unlike the AD9631). I think that the perceived improvement may have to do with the very clean impulse response of this chip at unity gain.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fritz1234 I just noticed that i've been reset to 1 post. A fresh start I guess.

Take advantage of it -- me, I don't like feeling like a head-fi oldie whenever I look at my post count

 

[Filburt]

Well, thanks for the tip on the AD8055, then. I seem to recall mentioning that chip a while ago to you and you didn't seem to be too hot on it, though it looked to spec out fine to me. That's good to know that it at least works well for this purpose here.

 

[mcpig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jada15 After much research and looking into forums like this one, for the best pair of headphones within my price range ($500), I decided to get a pair of sennheiser hd650s. So I bought them from compuplus for $300 and when they arrived I was fairly disappointed. After more research I found that I needed to break them in about 100 hours to get their best sound. So the 100 hour mark passed yesterday. I find them to be a step up from my old headphones especially the bass but still not what i expected

Even with your considerable efforts, it's possible you dont like these phones. If that is the basis of your inquiry/concern, more investment in them would seem to be a waste of time, effort and money.
There are other brands and models with distinct qualities that may work better for you than what you "thought" these would.

I went through some trial and error while searching for a set of phones that "fit" me. Style, reputation, reported sound quality, appearance, and value were my guides to selection. It sounds like you are doing the same thing but missed your "mark" and might need to try a couple other brands or models.

Once the desired headphones are on your head and ears, the amps and other upgrades seem to be more of mission in "upgraditis", that has its own rewards, which would be easier to define their purpose.

 

[Azure]

If these are your first "real" headphones and you're disappointed, then it is likely that the headphones may be the problem (And not the amp or anything else). Instead of building a whole system around a disappointing headphone to fix it, I'd recommend trying some other entry/medium-level headphones from other manufacturers. I also was quite disappointed with my first headphones (A500s), but I decided to try out different headphones before considering amps or anything like that (And I was glad I did that as well; I would never have found out that electrostats were for me

)

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Filburt Well, thanks for the tip on the AD8055, then. I seem to recall mentioning that chip a while ago to you and you didn't seem to be too hot on it, though it looked to spec out fine to me. That's good to know that it at least works well for this purpose here.

More recently, I tried the AD8056 again (in the Zero Audiocraft), comparing with two OPA627 on browndog, AD823, OPA2227, OPA2134, LT1363, LT1361.

I remember clearly that as a headphone driver (i.e. unity gain follower) the 2x OPA627 was the best of the bunch for my ears. It had a "materic" sound that the others couldn't emulate. I preferred the AD8056 to the two LT's, anyway. Although... all three "high speed" chips sounded less natural and less linear than their "audio" counterparts - among which the OPA2227 stood out as a cheap but interestingly similar brother to the OPA627.

 

[rshdhead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure No, a dedicated headphone amplifier is not necessary. I can only see it being necessary when driving high-impedance headphones (Even then there's still sound still comes out of the headphones, if you know what I mean...). Don't let the people here trick you into spending more money then you absolutely need to or would spend if you could actually listen to the gear before buying. A headphone amplifier will improve/change sound quality, but the degree of change is debatable (Sometimes great, sometimes now; depends on the headphone, system, ears, etc.). My point is don't get tricked by the typical "audiophile sentiment" that convinces you that you need a dedicated headphone amplifier, an external DAC, etc. Whether it is worth it or not is ultimately up to YOU. Your ears/wallet will decide if the difference in sound quality is worth it, not somebody's opinion on an internet forum. I haven't had the pleasure to hear the HD650s, but I wouldn't be surprised if it improved to a degree with a dedicated headphone amplifier. If I was in your shoes I'd definetly check out a dedicated headphone amp to "properly" drive them, but don't get the impression that you NEED one. Cables/amplifiers add coloration or add neutrality to the sound. They make the sound warmer, brighter, more neutral, add more bass, liquify the midrange, etc. They can tweak the sound in many ways, but there's no absolute "improvement" in SQ. It's more of a CHANGE, and your brain will be the deciding factor on whether that change is an improvement or not.

Very good, I agree. Let me add a little on HD650. I have tried it on ????($150), CEC-HD53R($500), MPX slam($2000), EMU1860, X-FI elite. CEC is slightly better than others because of sharpness of high. Other than that, They are all similar.

 

[Hi-Finthen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure If these are your first "real" headphones and you're disappointed, then it is likely that the headphones may be the problem (And not the amp or anything else). Instead of building a whole system around a disappointing headphone to fix it, I'd recommend trying some other entry/medium-level headphones from other manufacturers. I also was quite disappointed with my first headphones (A500s), but I decided to try out different headphones before considering amps or anything like that (And I was glad I did that as well; I would never have found out that electrostats were for me )

And you need an amp for electrstats?

Have you ever thought of amps and phones as a couple delivering the potential of a given Headphone?

I must say I agree with kool bubba ice(s) original post in all of its details!

Would andrea plug her 650 into no amp and expect them to sound good because HD-650 are simply a great headphone?

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi-Finthen And you need an amp for electrstats? Have you ever thought of amps and phones as a couple delivering the potential of a given Headphone? I must say I agree with kool bubba ice(s) original post in all of its details! Would andrea plug her 650 into no amp and expect them to sound good because HD-650 are simply a great headphone?

Electrostats are a different case.

Yes, I have. My point is that an amp isn't necessary, but helpful in improving performance.

No (Well, it is Andrea, so I'm not sure...

), but you missed my point. My point is that an amp, an external DAC, re-cabling, etc. aren't necessary. Sure, they will improve/change the sound to varying degrees, but it just irks me when people start sounding like salesman here. Don't make the guy think he has to buy more than he has to; if I were in his case I'd check out an amp as well, but I think it'd be best to inform him/her that an amp isn't necessary. I remember talking to a few people about the whole no amp vs. amp thing with headphones like the HD650s, and the consensus seemed to be that yes, an amplifier will improve/alter the sound, but it isn't necessary and driving the 'phones from a DAP won't sound like utter crap (It should still be listenable, especially if you've never even heard the HD650s properly driven before...).

However, I think the most important point here is that the OP should consider trying other headphones first. Yes, a lot of people use the HD650s with an amp, but the reason for your disatisfaction could rest in the headphones (Amps shouldn't be used to make a crappy headphone into a good one, but rather to tweak/alter the sound or just properly drive the headphones).

What kind of music do you listen to and why did you pick the HD650s? What specifically do you not like about the HD650s?

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi-Finthen Would andrea plug her 650 into no amp and expect them to sound good because HD-650 are simply a great headphone?

I'll pass over the "her" in place of "his"

But "no amp" in this sentence is quite imprecise. To me, no amp equates to no sound. Inverting the perspective, whether the HD650 sounds good without a dedicated headphone amp depends entirely on what you plug them to - provided that it's something amped enough to make sounds