[juswyq]

Hi. I'm thinking of getting a Senn HD650. Was initially deciding between a denon ah d2000 and senn hd650, but decided to go with the sennheisers cos i can get it for the same price as the denon's (~SGD430). Hopefully i didnt make a wrong choice.

I listen to rock mainly, and also some songs heavy on vocals

Source: PC w/ X-fi Xtreme Music and onboard soundcard.
With the source, i have a question. My x-fi doesnt have a s/pdif out, so i'm wondering if there's a difference between the s/pdif out of the x-fi and the onboard soundcard.
From what i can gather, they're both digital-outs, so the digital signal for the two cards should be the same, right? If so, then i'll just hook the DAC up to the s/pdif of the onboard soundcard.


This is my current proposed rig

X-FI/onboard soundcard -> ZERO DAC -> Darkvoice 337 -> Sennheiser HD650

I'm looking for more of a long-term solution. Having doubts over the DAC, but i heard it's good value so i'll probably go with it. As for the darkvoice, was considering between 337 and 332 but got advice that 337 sounds better than the 332, so this being a long-term solution, i'd go for the darkvoice 337. Perhaps you ppl could give me advice on what i should change/keep?

Criticism is much welcome, i'm quite new at this. Thanks for your help!

EDIT: I forgot to ask something else. Since i already have an x-fi, would a modded x-fi sound better than a zero dac? If it would, i'd save a lot of cash but if it doesn't then i'll just go with the zero DAC. The only x-fi mod i have access to is LINK, for 1/12 the price of the ZERO DAC. (I live in malaysia so my options are pretty limited).

Also, another question is, what is a "balanced" setup. I've seen tons of people saying that you can upgrade to a balanced setup but i have no idea what that is. Anyone can enlighten me on the issue?

 

[TehNomad]

I'm not familiar with amps that go with the HD650s, but a balanced setup is when you have two inputs for your headphones, a left and a right channel. Typically, there's a big improvement in sound.

 

[tourmaline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TehNomad /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not familiar with amps that go with the HD650s, but a balanced setup is when you have two inputs for your headphones, a left and a right channel. Typically, there's a big improvement in sound.

Usually because you get more power to the drivers, with balanced twice the power of single ended. But, if you have a single ended amp that has power, i doubt there would be that much of a difference.

The bada ph 12 is a really nice amp for the sennheiser hd650. Especially when modded.

Senns need beafy amps to drive them well.

 

[juswyq]

So would that make the darkvoice 337 a balanced amp? It has 2 separate amps for each channel. From your information that's what i can gather.

 

[The Monkey]

For more accurate information about balanced drive and cans, see here: Products - HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears

As for recommendations, what's your budget?

 

[tourmaline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by juswyq /img/forum/go_quote.gif So would that make the darkvoice 337 a balanced amp? It has 2 separate amps for each channel. From your information that's what i can gather.

No, that is not necessarrilly true.