[Vinny77]

well I got mty HD600 from Amazon today. they seemed to be very new. I was told that they would not be good without an amp. I think they are great so far. The audio techina a500 are not better or worse, just different.


Here are some pics. sorry of they are bad

 

[Vinny77]

You do not need an amp. They run 100% fine out of my iPod.

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny77 You do not need an amp. They run 100% fine out of my iPod.

You should hear them amped before you come to any conclusions. If you're saying that they're not any better than the A500, then you're probably not driving them to their maximum potential. These cans have a staggering performance ceiling when coupled to good gear. You may get them loud enough without an amplifier, but you will not get the quality that they can put out (even if you will have better quality than the avereage pair of headphones).

 

[Vinny77]

Yeah I guess you are right. It is really not as clear or sharp ast the ath-500. It is most likely becasue of the power requierments.

I have to raise the volume up very high to get it good sounding.

 

[[AK]Zip]

Why not just build a mint or have someone build you one?

-Alex-

 

[Vinny77]

Yeh I may have that done or do that. Il give it a few days.

 

[PITTM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny77 You do not need an amp. They run 100% fine out of my iPod.

boooo. i disagree a lot. sounding 100% fine is subjective. the sound changes tremendously on these phones amped vs. unamped. if i were to spend 200 bucks on a pair of headphones (and i have) i would spend at least half that on an amplifier. these headphones amped vs unamped are like night and day. once you hear them with a good amp you will buy a good amp, because you obviously are picky about sound if youre buying these phones, and why stop halfway?

rj

 

[DobsOnly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny77 Yeah I guess you are right. It is really not as clear or sharp ast the ath-500. It is most likely becasue of the power requierments. I have to raise the volume up very high to get it good sounding.

I got my HD600's a few weeks back. I don't have any great amplification to throw at them but I can tell you my experiance so far.

Karma line out-> Cmoy gain ~11-> HD600 very nice improvement in the level of detail and slightly extended on both the low and high end. For example in this configuration the 600's are easily as detailed as my Ety ER6's, and there really isn't any comparison on the low end the 600's blow them away. I find the Senns to really shine with thier bass reproduction.

Karma line out-> Pimeta gain ~6 AD8610/8620-> HD600 improved soundstage, Tightening of the Bass and quieter background. The Cmoy tends to have a little hiss, very recessed but you can here it.

Yahmaha CD Player -> Yamaha Amp -> Pimeta really nice change. slightly more detail, vocals seem to improve (a little more forward) in this setup compared to using the portable source, Slightly more separation between instruments.

I'm looking forward to either building or buying another amp. From what I've read in these forums these are phones that can grow with your system and not be the limiting factor in the chain.

I don't know all the correct terminology but I do find these cans to be very balanced and soft (lacking in any harshness in the mids or highs) which IMHO is a benefit especially during long listening sessions. But, I wonder if this is what some perceive as a lack of detail or sharpness?

Good Luck

 

[Vinny77]

They sound great from Ipod,

metal music doesnt sound as strong. Punk, emo, clasical and older rock all sound fine

Gaming is horrible, there is no bass and I guess this is because there is no amp.


What amp do you guys recommend, so i can get good performance.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny77 What amp do you guys recommend, so i can get good performance.

Vinny, that's totally up to what you want to spend

Be very sure to give this a long thought. HD600s will get better and better the more money you throw at them via amp, source and not to forget recording. They are the harbinger of upgraditis.

 

[Azure]

I was a little concerned when I read that they sounded neither better than nor worse than the A500s. I currently have the A500s and I plan to get the HD600s as my final can coupled with a JMT PIMETA (Should be enough to drive it with a Karma, right?). Are you going re-cable with a Cardas (I'm not sure if I should consider saving extra money for the cable as I hear the sound quality difference is minute)?

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure Are you going re-cable with a Cardas (I'm not sure if I should consider saving extra money for the cable as I hear the sound quality difference is minute)?

Any cable upgrade is pointless without proper amplification first. I still have not done it. I upgraded the amp, then the source, then the amp's powersupply, then the powerstrip... and I still feel no need for upgrading the HD600s' cable. It is listed after a complete AC-cable swap.

 

[TommyTunes]

I too jumped at the Amazon price, when I first got them I tried them directly out of my Sony MZ-RH1 mini disc player and my je2000 PCDP they were able to be driven ok. However when I added a Headroom Mini it made a quantium leap in sound quality. To appreciate the sound you need an external amp.

 

[Supsup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oliver Any cable upgrade is pointless without proper amplification first. I still have not done it. I upgraded the amp, then the source, then the amp's powersupply, then the powerstrip... and I still feel no need for upgrading the HD600s' cable. It is listed after a complete AC-cable swap.

... does upgrading the power supply really make a difference in sound quality??

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Supsup ... does upgrading the power supply really make a difference in sound quality??

Well, depends upon how good the one you have already. In my case (Headroom Cosmic) it made for quite a noticable improvement. More and tighter bass, more overall control. It is as though the amplifier has more room to breathe. Decent powersupply is not among the esoteric tweaks.