[rkb2948]

To be honest, I just bought my Xonar DX; buying the musiland would totally bypass that right?

 

[violinvirtuoso]

Quote:

To be honest, I just bought my Xonar DX; buying the musiland would totally bypass that right?

Yes, using the Musiland would bypass your sound card. If the Xonar DX is a good sound card, it will drive HD650s well enough (until you get that amp). Just keep in mind, an external DAC is almost always better than an internal sound card. That is of course when price is no object. I have no idea how good of a sound card the Xonar DX is.

 

[henryhan]

I think with the sound card, you will get enough volume with the senn's, but not the musiscality or presentation of a dedicated amp (I run mine through a gilmore lite). I would suggest something besides the sennheisers personally but YMMV
 
Ever consider trying some beyers? maybe a pair of dt880s which are ~250$ new right now

 

[rkb2948]

I haven't heard much about the 880s...what are their strengths?

 

[TheWuss]

Quote:

I think with the sound card, you will get enough volume with the senn's, but not the musiscality or presentation of a dedicated amp (I run mine through a gilmore lite). I would suggest something besides the sennheisers personally but YMMV
 
Ever consider trying some beyers? maybe a pair of dt880s which are ~250$ new right now

wait.  so are you suggesting the beyers because you think they'll be easier to drive than the hd650s???
then you must be talking about the 32 ohm version.
 
which i would avoid like the plague. 

 

[violinvirtuoso]

Quote:

wait.  so are you suggesting the beyers because you think they'll be easier to drive than the hd650s???
then you must be talking about the 32 ohm version.
 
which i would avoid like the plague. 

x2
 
There are 3 versions of the DT880. The 600 Ohm, which is crazy hard to drive properly. The 250 Ohm, which is almost as hard to drive as the 600 Ohm. And the 32 Ohm, which doesn't sound nearly as good as the 250 or 600 Ohm versions. Plus, if you get the 32 Ohm version now, you will curse yourself trying to find a home amp later.

 

[rkb2948]

So why couldn't you get the 32ohm and later get an adapter to increase the resistance?

 

[rkb2948]

How do the DT990 fare to the DT880? Are the 990's just bassier? I really just want something that's comfortable, and will sound great for Electronica/Trance/Rock music. Ideally my Xonar DX will be able to drive them. I'm not totally against an amp, maybe in the future...
 

 

[blueyan]

Higher ohm will give you better sound , but the con is , you need a good amp to drive them .

 

[Mr Joboto]

^ not necessarily..

 

[rkb2948]

I've read that the 990/880 have a potentially fatiguing treble sound, which is something that I think I've already got with my grados...is this a correct statement?

 

[NapalmK]

Quote:

I've read that the 990/880 have a potentially fatiguing treble sound, which is something that I think I've already got with my grados...is this a correct statement?

From my experience with the DT990/250 and SR60i, yes. Of course everyone hears differently so others may not agree. I can't speak for the 600 ohm version but I hope it will fix the treble problem I have with the 250 ohm.

 

[nullstring]

You should also consider getting the HD600 or HD580.
 
Alot of people prefer them to the HD650, and they are cheaper.
 
The HD580 can be bought used for ~$150

 

[rkb2948]

the 580 are intriguing, how do they compare to the 595? Would they be bassy enough for electronica/trancy stuff? More over would they be okay with no amp?

 

[NapalmK]

You might also want to look at Ultrasone or Denon. IME they both do very well with trance and other electronic genres.