[Janala]

I have the Sennheiser HD660S paired with Fiio Q3 but would like to upgrade. What dac/amp do you say is best for these headphones?
Some say that I will not hear any significant difference with a more expensive and better dac/amp but is this really true?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Budget?

 

[Janala]

Budget?

$500-1000

 

[decees]

I'm betting on Mojo2

 

[chezzer]

$500-1000

Stick with the amp and get better headphones

 

[Janala]

Stick with the amp and get better headphones

So a better dac/amp won’t give me better sound quality?

 

[BS5711]

I have an ifI Diablo that does exceptionally well with my HD600 and I imagine would be just as well with the HD660S, frankly it does well with everything I own.

That said, you will get a lot better bang for buck in terms of sound quality by putting the money into the headphones.

To my ear the differences in DACs and amps are nowhere near what you would imagine based on the way some people talk, the laws of diminishing returns bite hard very early on.

Perhaps you could upgrade the DAC/Amp to something good, a little more powerful, but more modest and put the saved money into your future headphone budget.

The Fiio K7 gets excellent reviews and comments from real world users.

 

[chezzer]

So a better dac/amp won’t give me better sound quality?

I think the only amp that would change the sound to the degree that you sound like you are looking for is a tube amp, these high impedance Sennheisers love tubes

 

[cybirr]

I think the only amp that would change the sound to the degree that you sound like you are looking for is a tube amp, these high impedance Sennheisers love tubes

How do you define high impedance? Sennheiser HD 650 are rated for 300 Ohms. Seems high indeed. However, the HD 660S, what the OP actually has, are rated for 150 Ohms.

 

[chezzer]

How do you define high impedance? Sennheiser HD 650 are rated for 300 Ohms. Seems high indeed. However, the HD 660S, what the OP actually has, are rated for 150 Ohms.

Which is still considered high impedance

 

[HeatFan12]

I have the Sennheiser HD660S paired with Fiio Q3 but would like to upgrade. What dac/amp do you say is best for these headphones?
Some say that I will not hear any significant difference with a more expensive and better dac/amp but is this really true?

Hello Janala,

If you like the HD660S, keep them. They are nice phones. They are not hard to drive, but do benefit with amplification. I would recommend the Vali 2. Way under your budget and spanks all my phones, including the HD650s.

Cheers!