[Rehcsif]

I'm trying to figure out where to go after the Sennheiser HD-6XX's. I find that my only issue with them is that the bass is underwhelming on them. I should clarify that I've had a chance to try the Meze 99 classics and I found them leaning towards too bass heavy for me. The headphones will see use music-wise primarily for jazz, rock, and electronic along with a smattering of other genres. Amplification also won't be an issue. My max budget is around $500 U.S. but I'd still love to hear recommendations across price ranges if you have any.

 

[dstarr3]

I recommend tube amping and rolling. The 6-series is highly influenced by amping and with a good tube amp and tube combinations, you can get nearly any kind of sound you want out of them. Something like a Little Dot or a DarkVoice + good tubes should fit in your budget easy. A lot of people will tell you the Bottlehead Crack is one of the best tube amps to pair with a 6-series, but the amp alone will be most of your budget.

 

[someguyontheinternet]

If you want good, but not heavy bass the DCA Aeon RT could work

 

[Rehcsif]

I recommend tube amping and rolling. The 6-series is highly influenced by amping and with a good tube amp and tube combinations, you can get nearly any kind of sound you want out of them. Something like a Little Dot or a DarkVoice + good tubes should fit in your budget easy. A lot of people will tell you the Bottlehead Crack is one of the best tube amps to pair with a 6-series, but the amp alone will be most of your budget.

Thanks for the recommendation. I plan on getting into tube amping later when I have more time/space to devote to it and I'd love to hear where a good place to get information from is. My preference for info trawling leans towards videos/podcasts but when I have the time I'll always happily delve through forums.

 

[megabigeye]

If the only thing you don’t like about the HD 650 is its lack of bass, why not just EQ them or get an amp with bass boost? I think some iFi amps have some sort of bass boost, or a Schiit Loki or Lokius. If you’re into soldering, JDS Labs still sells the Subjective3 kits for something like $60. Or there’s always software EQ.

This seems like it’d be the easiest way to get what you’re looking for.

 

[Rehcsif]

If the only thing you don’t like about the HD 650 is its lack of bass, why not just EQ them or get an amp with bass boost? I think some iFi amps have some sort of bass boost, or a Schiit Loki or Lokius. If you’re into soldering, JDS Labs still sells the Subjective3 kits for something like $60. Or there’s always software EQ.

This seems like it’d be the easiest way to get what you’re looking for.

I've actually been using the loki mini plus for a while now. The issue is that I want to be able to try out balanced amps and dacs in the future and the loki mini plus does not support those. Source-side software EQ is also out of the question as only one of my digital sources supports that. Physical EQ has been the solution so far but as I slowly upgrade my gear it will unfortunately be less and less of an option.

 

[Rehcsif]

If you want good, but not heavy bass the DCA Aeon RT could work

Thanks, I'll look into those.

 

[dstarr3]

I've actually been using the loki mini plus for a while now. The issue is that I want to be able to try out balanced amps and dacs in the future and the loki mini plus does not support those. Source-side software EQ is also out of the question as only one of my digital sources supports that. Physical EQ has been the solution so far but as I slowly upgrade my gear it will unfortunately be less and less of an option.

The new Lokius does support balanced audio, just FYI. So if you go balanced, you're not locking yourself out of affordable hardware EQ.

 

[SilverEars]

I'm trying to figure out where to go after the Sennheiser HD-6XX's. I find that my only issue with them is that the bass is underwhelming on them. I should clarify that I've had a chance to try the Meze 99 classics and I found them leaning towards too bass heavy for me. The headphones will see use music-wise primarily for jazz, rock, and electronic along with a smattering of other genres. Amplification also won't be an issue. My max budget is around $500 U.S. but I'd still love to hear recommendations across price ranges if you have any.

R70X? Meze's bass is just boosted quantity (not quality), and overall tonality is bad.

Or you can just get a BH Crack for enhanced bass. lol Also, you can go planar, and look for a used HE500

 

[vmiguel]

My vote is also on trying a tube amp. I have a modest Little Dot Mk II and HD6XX is a blast with it, with the right tubes.
The HD6XX (and other in the family) really respond to diferent amps.

 

[Rehcsif]

The new Lokius does support balanced audio, just FYI. So if you go balanced, you're not locking yourself out of affordable hardware EQ.

Unfortunately the current lokius has issues when placed near gear with internal transformers. This is due to inductors being used in two of the gain controls which are inherently sensitive to magnetic feilds. This is also why it uses an external wall-wart transformer rather an internal transformer. If they came out with a purely capacitor version of it then this wouldn't be an issue and it would be an auto buy for me. Unfortunately desk space is at a premium for me and combined with the inductor quirks and price leads me to search out a headphone side solution for now.

 

[Monsterzero]

I also like the old HE500, but its harder to drive than the 6xx.
For a clear upgrade to the 6xx you're most likely looking at the ZMF Atticus, which is double your budget. If you find the Atticus bass light that means either you're deaf or a serious basshead.

Personally I'd do what others have suggested and invest into a nice OTL amp, such as the BH Crack, or the La Figaro 339. Add in some nice Sylvania tubes or Mullards for added bass. You can also use the Bendix 6080 in the 339 ( not sure about the Bottlehead ). Bendix 6080s will rattle your teeth and have an extra wide stage as an added bonus, but a good pair of those will cost more than your 6xx did.

 

[gazzington]

Focal elex is kind of an upgrade to the hd6xx in my opinion

 

[WorksUnit]

Double down and buy a tube amp for them.

 

[Rehcsif]

Thanks for the recommendations, I have an idea for where I want to head next now. Also, after a few hours of research and tweaking, I've managed to tweak the the eq with the loki mini plus in such a way that I'm very happy with my HD 6xx's for now.