HD650 Tomahawk upgrade?
Feb 28, 2008 at 12:43 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15
tom10167

tom10167

100+ Head-Fier
Joined
Nov 14, 2006
Posts
177
Likes
10
I know I'll benefit but what I'm looking for is an appreciable difference . If you think it'll be leaps and bounds better with a more powerful amp, please also state your opinion on high quality cables.
smily_headphones1.gif


Setup is .wav - XP - Itunes - stock Prelude - Tomahawk - HD650

all basic cabling.
 
Feb 28, 2008 at 1:06 PM Post #2 of 15
The Tomahawk doesn't drive the HD600/650 as well as the Hornet. The Hornet doesn't drive them as well as a proper home amp, either. I noticed a serious lack of bass and authority from my HD600 being driven from the Tomahawk.

I'm quite sure you'd be happier with a beefier amp for those demanding phones.

I use inexpensive interconnects on all my gear. I compared an ALO Jena mini-to-mini to a 6" Cardas, and I sold the ALO. I just didn't notice any difference.
 
Feb 28, 2008 at 5:50 PM Post #3 of 15
The heck? There were like, three more replies under thread's post before I left for school, and they were all valid.
confused.gif


But yes, I agree fully with thread. Portable amps simply can't stand proper (and firm) ground when compared to a home amp.

As for cables, I once had an ALO Bling Bling and ALO Jumbo Cryo at the same time, and it took me awhile to hear the differences between the two, and even thenn it was very, very minimal. So if you were to pursue a "high quality" cable, then a 22G Cryo cable is the best.
 
Feb 29, 2008 at 4:03 AM Post #5 of 15
Check out HeadRooms line of amps. Their new non-portable micros should do a great job. Micro and Ultra Micro are $400 and $700 respectively. The only difference is that the Ultra Micro uses OPA 627s instead of OPA134s as the opamps, and the OPA627s are biased into class A using JFET CCDs. I've tried both and while the sound clarity was noticeably better with the Ultra it wasn't worth it to me for $300 extra.
 
Feb 29, 2008 at 7:23 AM Post #8 of 15
I had the 06 microamp with desktop module. It is one of the few things I've sold that I miss. It's a good little amp with the 580s, but it doesn't do very well with the 650s. Start thinking home amp.
 
Feb 29, 2008 at 7:46 AM Post #10 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by tom10167 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
lol

I post an amp I can get for $200 and you recommend a $3,000 amplifier.


confused.gif


Someone might be reading between the lines a bit too zealously...
 
Feb 29, 2008 at 7:49 AM Post #11 of 15
Sounds like portable isn't a priority for you, so don't look for it to be. I agree with what has been said above about portable vs home amps, especially for the HD650s.

If you are serious about your comment on the Raptor, it would be worth while looking into DACs. For similar money you could get better sound by going for a good DAC with an included amp that will drive the 650s well (or a seperate DAC and amp for that matter).

A good amp is really just there to amplify, though it may have a 'signature' sound that you appreciate. IMO, an amp alone may give you an improvement in sound quality, but a slightly cheaper amp that leaves spending room for a DAC will likely produce a bigger boost in quality.
 
Feb 29, 2008 at 7:52 AM Post #12 of 15
Okay. Yeah I definitely don't care about portability but things that aren't huge are really good.

Someone told me the Prelude is good because it has a great DAC built in to it.

Let's just pretend I don't want a DAC for now, I can always add one later right?
 
Feb 29, 2008 at 8:09 AM Post #13 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by tom10167 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I know I'll benefit but what I'm looking for is an appreciable difference . If you think it'll be leaps and bounds better with a more powerful amp, please also state your opinion on high quality cables.
smily_headphones1.gif


Setup is .wav - XP - Itunes - stock Prelude - Tomahawk - HD650

all basic cabling.


I've heard huge improvements with desktop amps, especially with the HD-650. Look for plenty of power and good damping. Be sure to consider used amps as well as custom built ones. You can find very good deals on those and save a lot of money.

High quality cables? Why, they work every bit as well as moderately priced and inexpensive cables.
 
Feb 29, 2008 at 8:22 PM Post #14 of 15
The 06' HeadRoom micro is ok but the AC powered 07 Micro is more what you'd want...at $400 it's very good value, and will power pretty much anything. Class A constant current diamond buffer and OPA134 op amps. Gain switch of low medium and high. I found the low to be even a little too much for my IEMs and the Grado SR-60s are too over powered by the micro. I'm sure with the gain set on high, the HD650s would be no problem...
 
Mar 1, 2008 at 5:07 AM Post #15 of 15
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top