[jada15]

I mean it is a considerable inprovement over my old ones but it is not what I was expecting from something of this price. Overall I am not disappointed or else id just try to sell em and get others. The ones at the Bose store sounded slightly better so I figured I was missing something and sure enough I came across the amp thing. The Bose ones I was not happy with either or I would have gotten them. I am looking into amps now and am still debating if I should get a portable or regular amp. The regular amps I am looking at are the Musical Fidelity xcan v3 and the heed canamp. I have no idea if something portable can drive something with as high an impedence as the hd650 well but if some1 has experience with this id love to hear about it.

 

[Azure]

Andrea seems to be a big fan of driving the HD650s with portable amps, so you should ask him (Though I'm not sure what kind of experience he has with home amps).

A lot of people have said that some key portable amps (PINT, Hornet, AE-1, etc.) can really drive high impedance cans like the HD650s, so I wouldn't be surprised if you encounter a portable amp that can sufficiently drive the HD650s.

If I was in your shoes I'd get a mini^3fied PINT (with detailed, forward sounding op-amps) for your portable amp, and then spend the rest on a home amp (Gilmore Lite, PPA, M3, etc.). This way you'll get a nice, beefy home amp that can sufficiently drive the HD650s, while also getting a portable amp known to pack quite a punch for the money. You can make comparisons on your own and sell one or the other based on your conclusions (or keep both!). With whatever money you have left you can upgrade your source or re-cable the HD650s.

 

[mcpig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jada15 I mean it is a considerable inprovement over my old ones but it is not what I was expecting from something of this price. Overall I am not disappointed or else id just try to sell em and get others. The ones at the Bose store sounded better so I figured I was missing something and sure enough I came across the amp thing. The Bose ones I was not happy with either or I would have gotten them. I am looking into amps now and am still debating if I should get a portable or regular amp. The regular amps I am looking at are the Musical Fidelity xcan v3 and the heed canamp. I have no idea if something portable can drive something with as high an impedence as the hd650 well but if some1 has experience with this id love to hear about it.

You will get lots of unidirectional responses with out stating a clear purpose for said amp, or other upgrade. If you liked the Bose better, why bother with the 650s? If you find them unsatisfactory with no details to that disatisfaction, what direction of improvement are you hopeing to acheive with said advise?

I can tell you that I like to use "my" headphones because I like this about them. And I improved on that quality by adding said devise. And I further improved on said system by doing this to improve the over all finished lay out.

 

[Hi-Finthen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jada15 I mean it is a considerable inprovement over my old ones but it is not what I was expecting from something of this price. Overall I am not disappointed or else id just try to sell em and get others. The ones at the Bose store sounded better so I figured I was missing something and sure enough I came across the amp thing. The Bose ones I was not happy with either or I would have gotten them. I am looking into amps now and am still debating if I should get a portable or regular amp. The regular amps I am looking at are the Musical Fidelity xcan v3 and the heed canamp. I have no idea if something portable can drive something with as high an impedence as the hd650 well but if some1 has experience with this id love to hear about it.

The 650s are a beautiful sounding can and Andrea could steer you towards an appropriate amp if you give 'HIM" your source and music preferance as Azure points out is important with such recomendations as well as price range. The Go-Vibe5 @ 90+ wall pac (again, Andrea KNOWs your portable choices) on up to something like the xcans for tubes should sound georgeous, with the cost but tunability of tubes, or - The HeadFive 2 $250 (a Great amp but not for me with HD-650s) on up in terms of price to the NEW Heed CanAmp @ 350 shipped which reviews are just now rolling in and I'm on the wait list for....

Good luck-

P.S. Andrea, sorry I somehow mistake your name (perhaps the avatar) wrongly, but wholely unintentionaly . please do accept my sincere apologies, as it won't happen again

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcpig You will get lots of unidirectional responses with out stating a clear purpose for said amp, or other upgrade. If you liked the Bose better, why bother with the 650s? If you find them unsatisfactory with no details to that disatisfaction, what direction of improvement are you hopeing to acheive with said advise?

I believe the OP was saying that he liked the HD650s displayed at the BOSE store better than his own pair of HD650s. He concluded that the difference was amplification, hence why he's looking into an amp right now.

 

[jada15]

Ok you are right. What I am unhappy with is that i feel like I am sitting too far away from the music. I want to be closer and also I want additional clarity. What I liked about the Bose was the wider sound stage it had but it lacked the bass which I find the hd650 definatly have. I mean the tri port headphones they had on display. My preference in music is all over the place but mostly things with alot of bass. I am still learning the terminology you guys use so thanks for your patience. Price range is $400-$500. Rather then spend on some cheapy amp ill want to upgrade right away, ill just get something with alot of praise right away. Lossless music (Flac + Ape) and cds (wav) are my source coming from my pc's audigy 2 or my zen vision m.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi-Finthen P.S. Andrea, sorry I somehow mistake your name (perhaps the avatar) wrongly, but wholely unintentionaly . please do accept my sincere apologies, as it won't happen again

No problem! I know that my avatar can be deceiving; that's the necessary evil for paying my tribute to my favorite female singer-songwriter, Lucinda Williams. Besides, I love that album, the artwork of its booklet, and even its title, Essence.

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jada15 Ok you are right. What I am unhappy with is that i feel like I am sitting too far away from the music. I want to be closer and also I want additional clarity. What I liked about the Bose was the wider sound stage it had but it lacked the bass which I find the hd650 definatly have. I mean the tri port headphones they had on display. My preference in music is all over the place but mostly things with alot of bass. I am still learning the terminology you guys use so thanks for your patience.

A dark, warm, far away sound is characteristic of the HD650s from what I've read. It seems to kind of be the Sennheiser signature sound (for their higher end dynamic cans).

So, you want a more forward, clearer sound with a wide soundstage and a strong bottom end? Based on what I've read, this sounds like the Sony MDR-CD3000s, though they might be hard to find as they are out of print (Still couldn't hurt to put up a "WTB" post in the marketplace). Maybe look into some Beyers (DT770/880/990)?

 

[laxx]

i was about to say, you signed up 2 years ago and made 1 post, then came back to make a 2nd?

it is subjective. what i did was build myself a cmoy. if i heard no difference, i wouldn't bother getting a bigger, better amp. well, i built it and it made a huge difference out of my friend's mp3 player to his sony ex71's. it was such a big improvement, i bought a corda aria since it satisfies my need for an amp/dac since my computer is my source. eventually, i'll upgrade into a standalone dac and a standalone amp, but for now, i'm happy. and my wallets thanking me a whole lot.

if i were you, i'd get a sub $100 portable amp to see how much you enjoy it. you can't really go wrong with any of the ones people recommend here and it won't break the bank too. then you can see if this hobby is worth it for you. if you notice the improvement and am willnig to spend more, get a desktop solution. then you have a nice amp for home and a trusty little portable one for you to take on the go.

 

[Hi-Finthen]

Do a search- Its a can thats a bit more forward and is ment to be driven ampless; Although, it too improves with a GoVibe5 also...

 

[mcpig]

You might have tried the PA2v2 with its darker tones with the triports and found your heaven.
As it is you need to figure with the money you want to spend what will brighten your 650s.

Try a Xin amp if you have the patience, it deals with upgraditis at your cash value. And you can tune it to your liking if you decide to trade the 650s for the triports after all.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

With your budget I'd just go ahead and get a used Headroom Micro Stack (amp+DAC). If you don't like it, you can sell the stack without taking too much (or even at all) depreciation.

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy With your budget I'd just go ahead and get a used Headroom Micro Stack (amp+DAC). If you don't like it, you can sell the stack without taking too much (or even at all) depreciation.

The Micro Stack is supposed to be a warm combo. I'd think that warmth is the last thing he'd want provided his situation.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure The Micro Stack is supposed to be a warm combo. I'd think that warmth is the last thing he'd want provided his situation.

I think the used Microstack idea is going to be better value than the Xin amps... and either way it will sound much much better than the Triport for sure.

 

[ATAT]

Why not ask for a DIY Cmoy type amp? with a forward sounding opamp like the 2107..

It'll probably end up being cheaper than a commercial amp with a similar sound sig.

Anyway, no reason why a nice 18V portaple can't drive high imp 'phones, easier than low impedance at least. Of course its no Singlepower, but thats not the point.