[bcg27]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum as well as to the world of nice headphones and associated equipment. I have been into speakers for a while but for some reason I am only just discovering the world of headphones. Anyway I just made an impulse purchase of a pair of Senn HD600 headphones because they were a great price and some quick reading around made them seem like a sound signature that I would enjoy. I am somewhat lost as to what else I need to enjoy them.
 
Some quick background on my situation: I plan to mostly be listening to source on a PC. This is a separate PC from what is running my main speaker setup. I am currently using the motherboard's onboard optical output to drive some logitech z-2300 speakers. I think it is pretty clear that I need both a DAC as well as an amp, but I am wondering what the best way to go about it is.
 
I don't have a ton of extra money to spend right now, I can probably only afford 2-300 USD at the moment. The motherboard also has analog outputs, so I was leaning towards investing in an amplifier first and using the onboard DAC until I can afford something better. Does this make sense, or should I instead go for something like the Zero which can function as both a DAC and amp and then later upgrade to a dedicated amp and use the Zero just for DAC duty?
 
Also, I am not afraid of a DIY project as I am an electrical engineer and pretty proficient at soldering, but I really don't have much free time so unless DIY offers a really huge improvement while staying in my price range I would prefer to buy a commercial option
 
Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.

 

[dayamax]

check out the audio gd sparrow or FUN. They should fir your requirements well.

 

[holland]

For DIY a DAC + AMP may be doable in that price range.  For an amp I would recommend the Dynalo or CK2III, but I really forget how much my low budget builds cost.  The y1 DAC probably won't hurt.  You can price out the project at amb.org and then digikey and mouser for most of the bits and probably farnell for the y1.

 

[ktsai1283]

If you're flexible with your sources, I think an amplifier will give you more rewards in terms of sound.  The inside of a PC is very "noisy", so it's not the ideal source to plug your headphones into anyway.  A DAC might help clean up the sound a little bit (someone correct me if I'm wrong--kinda new to this DAC stuff), but if you only purchase that, you'll miss out on the control that a proper amp can provide.  A commonly recommended amp around here that is within your budget is the Matrix M-Stage.  You'll be able to find lots of threads about it by searching around.
 
There are definitely more knowledgeable members around here, so I'll wait for them to respond.  In the meantime, congratulations on your HD 600 purchase--a great all-rounder!

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'd strongly recommend one of the DIY options. You'll get an amp much better than the commercial offerings with your budget. How about one of the Bottlehead offerings? The Crack and SEX are pretty well-regarded, and you won't have to spend a lot of time on casework.

 

[bcg27]

Quote:

For DIY a DAC + AMP may be doable in that price range.  For an amp I would recommend the Dynalo or CK2III, but I really forget how much my low budget builds cost.  The y1 DAC probably won't hurt.  You can price out the project at amb.org and then digikey and mouser for most of the bits and probably farnell for the y1.

It's hard to get a quick estimate of how much the projects at amb.org will cost - is there anyone who has completed some of these projects that can give me an estimate of what they will cost? I have to say, a lot of the projects at amb.org look really interesting but they seem a little high end for me right now, both in price and effort.
 

 
Quote:

I'd strongly recommend one of the DIY options. You'll get an amp much better than the commercial offerings with your budget. How about one of the Bottlehead offerings? The Crack and SEX are pretty well-regarded, and you won't have to spend a lot of time on casework.

 

[size=medium]

Bottlehead's Crack looks like a very interesting option - right in my price range and looks really simple to put together. Plus it has an awesome name. 

 Something on that level I can definitely commit to finishing in a reasonable amount of time. Are there some other options that are comparable in terms of price and time commitment?
 
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[Syliano]

Maybe the fiio e7+9 combination?

 

[bcg27]

Hmm, I don't know if I would want to spend the money on both of those but the E7 by itself looks like a pretty inexpensive option that could hold me over until I can save a bit more and have time to complete a more high end DIY build. And it is battery powered which means I could take it on the road which is a nice plus.

 

[earthpeople]

I built a CKKIII a few months ago. It's easy and cheap to put together. Depending on how you go with the case, I think it's safe to say you'll come in between $150-$200. I use it with my HD580s (which are essentially the same as the HD600s) and I enjoy it a lot.

 

[WyldRage]

Quote:

Bottlehead's Crack looks like a very interesting option - right in my price range and looks really simple to put together. Plus it has an awesome name. 

 Something on that level I can definitely commit to finishing in a reasonable amount of time. Are there some other options that are comparable in terms of price and time commitment?
 
​

At around 200$ there's also the MiniMax, but, for a high impedance headphone like the 600, I prefer the Crack.
 
If you want to run it from your computer, you can add the GrubDac for $50 from Beezar.

 

[xtasi]

From what I've read, the E7 is very limited by its amp.  Once you combine it with the E9, it becomes amazing for a $200 DAC+AMP.  The E9 shedloads of power as it can even power a K70X which is very inefficient.  E7+E9 should srve you well, as they were also recommended to me if I were to have gotten the HD600s.

 

[bcg27]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you guys know that I was browsing bottlehead's site yesterday and I saw that they were having a 10% off sale for cyber monday, so I jumped on that and ordered a Crack. Hopefully it will come soon and will end up being the first of many projects. Thanks for the help and suggestions everyone!