HD650 with woo3 or woo6+pdps+princess sofia or instead get dx1000?

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midoo1990 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I changed my mind again .no but seriously because of the customs and duties my country charges for heavy packages.I have a headfier who will sell me his dx1000.and I will make the hd650+micro amp my bedside rig because it is very open and relaxed sounding combo and will make the dx1000 my desktop rig.now which is the best amp for dx1000?I read alot of reviews that they sound their best with tubes.the budget for the amp is no more than $400-500.

In that price range... the DarkVoice 332, 3322 and the Millett MiniMax are superb. Though, the DarkVoice mates best with moderate to high impedance phones - I don't know what the impedance of the DX1000s is. But, if its 50-70 ohms, or greater, the DV amps are great.

Check with Skylab...

 

[Stoney]

Can someone hook me up with information about "new" vs "older" HD650s? How does one tell the difference? How do they sound different?

Mine were late 2007 and have foam removed.

I hope to hear both at the San Francisco meet, along with WA6SE with etc....

 

[midoo1990]

I read that the old version is darker than the new one and more bass heavy.does your hd650 driver look white from the outside?if yes then they are like mine the new one .

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midoo1990 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I read that the old version is darker than the new one and more bass heavy.does your hd650 driver look white from the outside?if yes then they are like mine the new one .

You are correct, sir...

The fabric which covers the baffles around the driver is covered with a white metalic looking fabric, rather than the black silk looking fabric of the "old" version (both have white felt covering the driver butt). If I recall correctly, the HD650s made after about 12/07 were the "new" version.

The new version has a much faster, brighter, clearer, more dynamic sound (i.e. no veil). With the right, matching source and amp, they sound almost like Grados (i.e. very good). I've had both, and there is a distinct difference - I prefer the "new" version by a lot.

While I really like my RS-1s, my MD-5000s, and my AD2000s, which all sound very similar to my "new" HD580's/650's - I usually tend to listen to my "new" HD580/650's. They have such a balanced sound, with most of the speed, clarity and detail of those others. It's just so hard to make a final choice between all of these, because they sound so similar (that is in my set up).

And... the DarkVoice amps, and the WA6 amps (and their variants), as well as the Millett MiniMax drive the Senns superbly. I especially like them with my WA6 SE Maxed. But... my Millett MiniMax and the DV332 I had, were so close... that they are "the values." Anyone would be very pleased with any of these.

 

[midoo1990]

I am still reading these forums for the best 700-800$ amp for them....

 

[CountChoculaBot]

You could probably look into the Decware CSP2.

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midoo1990 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am still reading these forums for the best 700-800$ amp for them....

Your expectations may be a bit unrealistic (i.e. the "best" amp for them...).

Several (if not many) amps are great with the Senns - the differences are rather subtle, and depend on the preferences and opinions of many users. So... it may be a bit idealistic, if not unrealistic, to expect someone to "announce" one amp, or source, or combo, is the "best" with the Senns.

But... you may be certain that the DarkVoice, Woo Audio, and Millett Minimax amps are all great with the Senns - so much so, that you would have to listen long and hard to discern the subtle differences between them. And... you can likely include several others into that mix, both SS and tube / tube hybrid amps.

So... you may want to "just pick one," try it and see what you think. You can't go wrong with any of them. Though, in that price range and below... I'd likely go with the WA3+ (unless you can find a WA6 + PDPS in that price range), or the DV 3322, or 332, or 337 (great with Senns, but not as good with other phones) or the Millett MiniMax (great with most phones).

PS: And I should add... don't permit yourself to get sucked into investing a lot more money in phones that cost more than the HD650's, or in amps that cost a lot more than the Millett MiniMax, or sources that cost a lot more than the Marantz SA-8001/3... unless "you've got money to burn." The subtle improvements in sound quality, simply do not justify the added cost. While I love my WA6 SE Maxed... it just isn't that much better than my Millett MiniMax.

 

[Palpatine]

So... you may want to "just pick one," try it and see what you think. You can't go wrong with any of them. Though, in that price range and below... I'd likely go with the WA3+ (unless you can find a WA6 + PDPS in that price range), or the DV 3322, or 332, or 337 (great with Senns, but not as good with other phones) or the Millett MiniMax (great with most phones).[/QUOTE]

Well said. I have heard these phones with a few models of WA and they sounded fab.

 

[St3ve]

Just got my Woo6 with pdps (comes as standard now) and sophia, and my HD650s sound sublime out of it. I can't really comment comparatively, but I would imagine that if the others output similarly good sound then you would be happy with any of them.

 

[midoo1990]

Thank you guys very much for the answers,I know I am a pain in the ....with all these questions,but the problem is I have been collecting this amount of money for nearly a year(I am a university student) and I live in the other side of the world from US and if I bought something and didn't like it and have to sell it,fedex takes $150 for every two kilos and something like the woo6 is 7 kilos(14pounds),and I don't trust my local post office to just drop the woo6 at it for shipment.I also don't have meets like you do in the US,so I rely entirely on what I read here,so you can see why I like to ask these questions and I make tons of search before buying anything.I will have to look at the amps Gradofan suggested(thx for your time!) and if there is anything like the woo for lesser price and same SQ I will jump on it.

 

[K3cT]

DX1000 is one of those cans that I greatly advise to try first before committing. It is very colored which could be a hit or miss.

 

[midoo1990]

i already dismissed them although i drool at its looks,i'll remove them from my sig.

 

[K3cT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midoo1990 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i already dismissed them although i drool at its looks,i'll remove them from my sig.

I think you will do well with the WA6. I've heard the WA6 (non-SE) with Sophia Princess and it sounded sublime, it did wonders with the HD650, K501 and K701. I think I still prefer solid-state for my low-impedance HF2 though.

 

[EnOYiN]

Just FYI, I've had my WA6 (standard version without sophia princess tube) for over a year now and I haven't felt the need to upgrade anything so far. I've been using it with a HD650 mostly.

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midoo1990 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you guys very much for the answers,I know I am a pain in the ....with all these questions,but the problem is I have been collecting this amount of money for nearly a year(I am a university student) and I live in the other side of the world from US and if I bought something and didn't like it and have to sell it,fedex takes $150 for every two kilos and something like the woo6 is 7 kilos(14pounds),and I don't trust my local post office to just drop the woo6 at it for shipment.I also don't have meets like you do in the US,so I rely entirely on what I read here,so you can see why I like to ask these questions and I make tons of search before buying anything.I will have to look at the amps Gradofan suggested(thx for your time!) and if there is anything like the woo for lesser price and same SQ I will jump on it.

If... you live in SE Asia / South Pacific / or near... I'd be tempted to try one of the Darkvoice (or similar) amps, since they're built there and the shipping cost will be less - probably the DV3322, since its in current production, or the current 332, which is marketed under another name (Figaro, I think), which I don't recall now... but, there's current thread on it. Especially, if you plan to focus on the Senns. If you plan to also try low impedance phones, you may want to stick with the WA6 or Millett MiniMax amps, or similar.

Though... you may want to stick with the DV3322, rather than the Figaro 332 - seems several are reporting hum issues in the Figaro 332. That was not a problem with my DV332, which is no longer in production - so... if you can find a used DV332, you'd probably be OK.