[Rotaryphone]

Nothing wrong with combo you know. I don't know why you think that but you will need good cable to connect amp to dac too, which cost money. I'm happy with a benchmark DAC1. It's not cheap but I still think it's good value.

 

[HeatFan12]

Well Calzone, you have to make the decision if you want tubes or SS.  If you want tubes your best bet are separates (EF2 is an option as DAC/amp).  If you want SS, the FUN is a no brainer with a $500 budget as an all-in-one (with a couple of HDAMs to tailor the sound).  Headamp, pre-out, line in, usb, optical, coax in...etc...
 
In reference to head-fiers telling you to search, it's not a big deal.  The HD650s are by far the most searched headphones on here.  Every week there are about 75 new threads asking about pairing it with something.  Don't take it personal...

 

[myinitialsaredac]

I agree with heatfan, I think that you can get better bang for your buck in a combo because cables cost money. 
 
That said check out the HDP in your price range as well as the Audio-gd FUN. Maybe the new Audio-gd NFB-11 or 12s may be a nice choice also.
 
If the company isolates the analog and digital side inside a case and does some emi management there really isnt a downside to a combo.
 
I think you are focused too much on the technicality and not enough on the music. It's hard to say whether or not you will even like the 650's without hearing them. I would say look around for generic gear and use that as a base to start from. 
 
If someone handed you a B-22 and hd800s you may say they sound great or terrible. Sound is preferential.
 
 
Cheers and Good luck,
Dave
 

 

[soundaddicted]

The HA160d by burson is a good combo for the 600/650's, you can take a look at it. 

 

[myinitialsaredac]

Quote:

The HA160d by burson is a good combo for the 600/650's, you can take a look at it. 

I would say look at this and the DACMini by Centrance if you are looking above the 750$ mark.
 
Dave

 

[PascalT]

Quote:

thank you. one more question. Is there a dac that will suit that setup better in the same price range?
 
My other sources tell me the mk III and a $100ish dac will not be anywhere close to the sound that would be ideal with hd 650's

I don't know about your sources but for me the MKIII + 650 is a great combo that I have really enjoyed for over a year now. The cable upgrade definitely helped and the Havana too. But in no way is the MKIII "crappy", far from it. There's obviously better but for a sub-$300 amp it's great.

 

[baka1969]

The Headroom Micro Amp and the uDac is a nice cost effective way to get great sound from the HD650. 

 

[harpua]

I'm very happy with the Nuforce HDP with the 650's.  It is a combo unit and I think it's a great value.  Aside from needing fewer cables and taking up less space, another advantage of a good combo unit is that everything is engineered to work together optimally (assuming it's a high quality unit in the first place.  In the case of the HDP, it's like getting a great DAC for $449 plus a VG headphone amp (& pre-amp circuit) thrown in for free.