[TheOtus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by baka1969 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm going to somewhat agree with moogman. My usb DAC DacMagic has made a significant improvement in my rig. I have tried several DACs with different amps and the DacMagic is an excellent DAC for it's moderate price. It is certainly better than not having a DAC at all. All the pieces of the puzzle make a difference. Lossless music with a decent DAC, a nice amp, and great headphone will sound much better than if any of the links in the chain are weak or missing. Peace,

Sure, it might make an audible difference but to me it still sounds a lot like the notorious day and night difference we get to read about a lot in hi-fi-world. However, this summer I´ll hear, or won´t hear what a better DAC does to my ears. Currently listening through X-Can V8P connected straight to my PC.

 

[baka1969]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOtus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sure, it might make an audible difference but to me it still sounds a lot like the notorious day and night difference we get to read about a lot in hi-fi-world. However, this summer I´ll hear, or won´t hear what a better DAC does to my ears. Currently listening through X-Can V8P connected straight to my PC.

I've always wanted to listen to the X-Can V8. When I was looking for an upgrade to the Headroom Micro Amp I seriously looked at it. I've read mostly great things about the X-Can. Do you use the internal DAC? I've heard the DAC is fair but not much more than that. What's your experience?

Peace,

 

[moogman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOtus /img/forum/go_quote.gif And what may those other difference makers be? I find it extremely hard to believe that a moderately priced DAC would make a HUGE difference. The difference provided by amp is clear, but DAC, I´m not buying that.

Other difference makers? Voyager amp made a big difference to the volume I could get from my iPod using HD595s, but not a huge SQ difference. Same thing attaching the Voyager to the HP out of my laptop.

IE8s out my iPod LOD/Voyager sound pretty good but a lot better through the DacMagic/Voyager. I may be wrong but perhaps a stronger line-out level is the reason this sounds better.

I'm not trying to be a DacMagic fanboy here, you'd probably get the same "huge" difference with a good CD player (which will also have a good DAC!).

 

[TheOtus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by baka1969 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've always wanted to listen to the X-Can V8. When I was looking for an upgrade to the Headroom Micro Amp I seriously looked at it. I've read mostly great things about the X-Can. Do you use the internal DAC? I've heard the DAC is fair but not much more than that. What's your experience? Peace,

Well, sounds like the amp works very well with my headphones. I can´t compare the internal DAC to anything really...

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Other difference makers? Voyager amp made a big difference to the volume I could get from my iPod using HD595s, but not a huge SQ difference. Same thing attaching the Voyager to the HP out of my laptop. IE8s out my iPod LOD/Voyager sound pretty good but a lot better through the DacMagic/Voyager. I may be wrong but perhaps a stronger line-out level is the reason this sounds better. I'm not trying to be a DacMagic fanboy here, you'd probably get the same "huge" difference with a good CD player (which will also have a good DAC!).

I´m considering the exact same DAC myself, so it´s of course a good thing to hear that you think it makes a huge difference. To me, this current amp improved the details and balanced the sound a lot, compared to my stereo receiver. So I´m sort of suspicious about the amount of improvement the external DAC will offer. But as said, I´ll hear...

 

[moogman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOtus /img/forum/go_quote.gif To me, this current amp improved the details and balanced the sound a lot, compared to my stereo receiver. So I´m sort of suspicious about the amount of improvement the external DAC will offer. But as said, I´ll hear...

If you're using your V8P via USB (and therefore using the internal DAC) then I doubt you'll hear the same leap in SQ I did, as I was coming from a low-powered source.

 

[rederanged]

I suggest you get the HD650 and the best USB DAC/amp you can afford. I would expect a DAC/amp in the $300 range to be more than satisfactory. Maybe a Fubar III or something.

With all due respect to the friendly, knowledgeable, and well intentioned people around here, it is easy for an inexperienced person to come here and get an exaggerated idea of the differences between different DACs and amps. If you are really dedicated to head-fi as a hobby, have good ears, and like to focus on microscopic aspects of sound reproduction, you can certainly make out differences. But for those of us who just like good sound and don't want to sweat the details, a system of very good cans (the really important part) paired with decent D/A conversion and amplification appropriate to the headphones will be very satisfying.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rederanged /img/forum/go_quote.gif I suggest you get the HD650 and the best USB DAC/amp you can afford. I would expect a DAC/amp in the $300 range to be more than satisfactory. Maybe a Fubar III or something. With all due respect to the friendly, knowledgeable, and well intentioned people around here, it is easy for an inexperienced person to come here and get an exaggerated idea of the differences between different DACs and amps. If you are really dedicated to head-fi as a hobby, have good ears, and like to focus on microscopic aspects of sound reproduction, you can certainly make out differences. But for those of us who just like good sound and don't want to sweat the details, a system of very good cans (the really important part) paired with decent D/A conversion and amplification appropriate to the headphones will be very satisfying.

Fair enough... and this is why I'd recommend the Fubar IV and the PSU as a nice setup for the HD650's.

 

[gbacic]

For rock/indie I'd definitely go for an Audio GD FUN (USB Dac and SS amp) with some higher end Grado's, maybe RS1's if you can find some used ones in your price range.
This set up will last you a long time, my Compass (predecessor to the FUN) is a great amp and an even better DAC.

 

[Shahrose]

Get the HD650 and then do some research (search feature) on amp/DACs. There's so much info on Head-fi that it's a waste of time giving you recommendations in this thread.

 

[Carborundum]

Might I be so bold as to suggest my own setup? ASUS Xonar Essence ST + HD650. I have owned these headphones for mere hours (the soundcard slightly longer than that), and so might not be best suited to recommend them, but I can explain what made me choose them.
I am very new on the audiophile scene, and have not had a lot of experience with different types of gear, but my own research turned up that not only can the Essence successfully amp the HD650, it is also a pretty common pairing here on Head-Fi.
The Essence boasts a very high quality DAC (Burr Brown), is highly modable (opamp mods are even covered by warranty), and the amp is supposedly better than most low-to-mid range desktop amps.
I also personally prefer to keep my desktop free from stuff, which is one of the primary reasons I went for a card rather than a desktop box.
My final advice is not to be afraid to buy stuff used. I managed to save better than $100 on my gear that way. High end headphones don't really age quickly; as long as the previous owner took good care of them the only drawback of buying used is that you won't get to burn them in yourself

 

[Chef]

I own the HD650 and I like them a lot. But sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat wondering what might have been... If I should have gotten AKG701 or some other less widely known brand.

Buyers remorse I guess. If I were you I'd do my best to find somewhere you can actually try the headphones you're interested in... That way you will be satisfied that you looked at all your options and picked your favourite. As it is for me, I like my HD650, but I often wonder what other headphones sound like, since I've never gotten a chance to try others. In that way, my satisfaction is not what it could be even if I really did get the best headphones for me.

PS: I also went from the HD555.

PPS: Don't choose your headphones based on whether or not you need an amp. That really is just a bunch of non-sense. If the volume isn't satisfying, literally any mediocre stereophonic amplifier will do the job. Amps aren't hard to make, and headphones aren't hard to drive. It's a myth.

 

[Ridleyguy]

I started off building my system with HD650s and a HeadRoom Total BitHead portable USB/amp/DAC and was quite happy with the results. As others will say though, HD650s need a desktop amp for best performance. My recommendation would be to start off with the headphones you want first with a modest DAC/amp and build around them.

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef /img/forum/go_quote.gif PPS: Don't choose your headphones based on whether or not you need an amp. That really is just a bunch of non-sense. If the volume isn't satisfying, literally any mediocre stereophonic amplifier will do the job. Amps aren't hard to make, and headphones aren't hard to drive. It's a myth.

What absolute rubbish!

"With all due respect, sir..." you don't know what your talking about!

Please don't mislead other novices with such tripe!

 

[tim3320070]

HD650 for $310 and the Audio-gd Fun at about $360 and you will love it.
And my greatest component for great sound is my Ref-1 DAC (well really, the greatest is the original recording quality of the music being good).

 

[AppleheadMay]

The $1000 PSAudio GCHA (Amp + usb Dac) is selling for $499 now.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f85/ps...-499-a-481888/
Add to that a HD650 and you'll en up at $810.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/buy...amazon-303093/

I have both the GCHA and the HD650 and am very happy with it.
For classical I use the HD800, but when I listen to rock I enjoy the HD650 more (and the D7000, but these are pricier and closed, a different sound alltogether).
I have never used the built in Dac, so I can't comment on that but from reading around it should be of good quality.
If you upgrade to a better Dac later on, you'll still have a really good amp.
The GCHA has some nice reviews here on Head-Fi and check out the review on 6 Moons too.
6moons audio reviews: PS Audio GCHA