Got finally them! Sennheiser HD 650 and the FIIO E17 amp/DAC!!!
May 9, 2012 at 7:50 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

Troif

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Hello collegues!
 
I finally decided to upgrade from a Sennheiser HD555 (and my beloved 2005's Shure e4c) to a HD 650 and I bought a FIIO E17... the difference is incredible. (mmm... I also got a super bargain of 25euros Koss Porta Pro for using exclusively in my job desk... the HD 650 are for home)
 
At the beginning I had a lot of trouble in deciding which headphone to obtain, as the grado where having good reviews out there, and also the aesthetics got me. But finally I decided to go for the forever-choice from Head-fi (#4 in review) and try to appreciate really the music and begin the audiophile way.
 
I think I obtained a good bargain at 300 euros per the HD 650, and 150 euros per the FIIO E17 with the L9 and L30... so if I consider it necessary I could upgrade in a near future with a little more of experience.
 
But... I am running too much? I did a good election? please tell me what is your opinion and recommend me some adjustments. What settings are best to use in the E17 for use with the HD 650s (bass, treble, gain in 0-6-12db?...), Cable mod needed?
 
THANKS!
 
May 9, 2012 at 9:19 PM Post #2 of 11
No question you should run the e17 at full gain/12. I'm a little surprised that the e17 has that much pop. Don't get me wrong, I own one and really like it. On full gain it runs my he400's nicely. I just thought that the hd650's were a bear to amp.
 
Let me hear some impressions of the pairing and how it sounds.
 
Oh, and congrats on the new kit!!
 
May 9, 2012 at 9:37 PM Post #4 of 11
Quote:
The HD650 needs something that can output 2.2V into 300-500ohm to reach 110dBSPL. Fiio E17 can output 3V into 300ohm according to specs listed on their website.

 
Assuming that it can reach its rated specs. Fiio misses the bar pretty badly sometimes.
 
May 10, 2012 at 2:25 AM Post #7 of 11
I saw so many reviews of the FIIO Alpen E17 so that for the price it was impossible not to get it at start point!, which is my case. I looked at NuForces... but reviews out there indicated the E17 as a revolutionary switch in the amp/DAC market that make this market available to audiophiles beginners. 
 
So I will prepare it for 12db and I will tell you my sensations... if any of you have more recommended adjustments please do not hesitate to tell me!
 
I will move my E17 to job and home and viceversa, using in my job Spotify premium account with my Koss Porta Pro at maximum quality (it is a great feature to listen music using headphones as this way no body disturbs you while working... je!) and in home I use my lossless iTunes files with the USB connected to the E17. Would it be better to use the toslink optical cable or it is not much any difference?
 
and... when I will know it is time to change or to try other headphones??? the issue I think is to compare, and comparing you get the feel of what fits into your kind of music and your taste. I am now comparing the HD555 with the HD650, and there is really a difference but they are of the same brand, so I loose some interesting comparison and personality which are indeed in every brand, so my comparison is a bit limited then I think. Any brand to look at? which one would you recommend? grados? shures? and should I get other headphone but in the side of <150$ or getting now always >350$ to not going to a lower quality than my HD 650???
 
quite a lot of questions... out there... THANKS!!!
 
May 10, 2012 at 9:32 AM Post #9 of 11
Quote:
No question you should run the e17 at full gain/12. I'm a little surprised that the e17 has that much pop. Don't get me wrong, I own one and really like it. On full gain it runs my he400's nicely. I just thought that the hd650's were a bear to amp.
 
Let me hear some impressions of the pairing and how it sounds.
 
Oh, and congrats on the new kit!!

 
Only on the voltage side.  In terms of sheer power, HE-400 requires way more, and I'm not unconvinced it doesn't also need much more voltage than the impedance suggests.  Lyr's volume knob is consistently higher with HE-400 than HD650 or K702 for me.  Not sure how the E17 amp fares, but E11 does a good job with HD650. Not stellar, but good unless you've heard them on better.  E11 has a bit of trouble squeezing some of the high end "sparkle" (very wrong word for HD650, but I'll run with it), where the impedance hits the rubber, but otherwise sounded decent, and better, to my ears, than the mids-colored Headroom, though less detailed. You've mentioned a big upgrade from E10 (same as E11 more or less) to E17, so I can only assume it fairs that much better.  It probably still hits the wall where the impedance curve really starts ramping up, but that's more toward the top end of the range.
 
Jul 28, 2013 at 7:27 PM Post #10 of 11
I'm running my brand new hd650s with the e17 on 0 gain. For my main listening at low/moderate volume, the volume is set at only at 30-40! I thought my fiio would struggle to power this can on full gain but it has more than enough power for sure. 
 
I read that its best sonically to not use gain (if you can) thats why mine is at zero. Thoughts?
 
Like I said it can get louder than needed with zero gain as the volume goes up to 60. 
 
I just stepped up from the DJ1 and this headphone blows anything ive ever heard out of the water, by the way. incredible. 
 
Anybody think I should move to another DAC/Amp that would tighten the bass perhaps? I can tell it is tightening as its burning in..
 
Jul 29, 2013 at 12:11 AM Post #11 of 11
I just got a E17 paired with AKG K550 for office use. I am suprised how musical this thing is.
 

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