[Lunchbox2]

I have some Sennheiser 595s right now, and I like them. I'm wondering what the improvement would be (Just purchased a Little Dot MK3) if I upgraded to HD 600s. Or should I get a DAC (right now I use optical out from a SB live! to my yamaha receiver or plug it straight into my laptop)? Which would offer a better improvement in sound?

 

[tintin47]

600. Huge difference from the 595, IMO. Also, as far as I am concerned, the chain for what components matter more would be:

Phones > Quality of files (for computer) = source (CDP or the like) > amp > DAC > interconnects.

That may be disputed but I would say go for the phones first. Phones definitely outweigh DAC. Plus, the 600 scales nicely with upgrades, so you can always pick one up in the future.

 

[jonathanjong]

^ Quality of the recording should be up there, with Quality of Files.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^ Quality of the recording should be up there, with Quality of Files.

I agree with this statement.

As for the HD 595 versus the HD 600, they are somewhat different in character, though they both share many similarities. The HD 600 is definitely "blacker" between the notes, while the HD 595 is a tad grainy. Both are good choices at their current street price points, but in my particular case I paid just $20 more for the HD 600 than for the HD 595 a few years ago, which made the HD 600 by far the better value at the prices that I paid for both models.

 

[Lunchbox2]

I use mostly FLAC, although I do have a lot of mp3s that I just cant find in flac (vinyl rips etc). Thanks for the advice on the phones, I guess I can start to look for 600s!