[tjeffery1]

Hi folks,

First of all, I'm a sonic newbie and desperate to venture into the headphone field. After days upon days of research it seems that the 650s are very well regarded and not the most difficult HPs to drive (after reading about other phones such as the k701s - correct me if I'm wrong).

I'm looking for an amp and also a DAC (or an amp/dac all in one) as I'll be listening to music through my laptop (well aware I'll need to rip to lossless to appreciate fully).

Budget wise I'm hoping not to spend too much over £300 ($400-450). Portability is not particularly an issue so give me some full size suggestions if possible.

Names I've been looking at/comparing/seeing if it will match with the 650s are:

Pico + dac
Gilmore lite
Various iBasso products (in particular b3 and b10) + dac
Heed canamp
ef2- built in dac. solid reviews.
there was probably a few more...if they come to mind I'll edit this post.

Im not an audiophile whatsoever (never heard a decent set of phones in my life) and so am looking for the cheapest possible amp/dac (student here

) solution.

If its more sensible to get separate dac and amp...what should I be looking for in a dac unit? What about this? Behringer UC202 USB Audio Interface U-Control on eBay (end time 03-Nov-09 13:33:16 GMT) (behringer uc202 if that auction ends)

I have been very close to pulling the trigger on the d3...being new to HP audio am I likely to be nicely satisfied with this combo for a while...then possibly upgrading later?

Thanks for any input in advance

 

[FallenAngel]

HD650 are some of the hardest to drive properly. K701, not so much.

Out of those listed, I would stay away from all. The Dynalo (Gilmore Lite), while being very good, may not have enough voltage swing to drive HD650's, though having one myself, it does very well compared to most amps.

In fact, I would even say that the Gilmore Lite + Pico DAC, if possible to fit around your budget, would be some of the best you can get at the price.

 

[tjeffery1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif HD650 are some of the hardest to drive properly. K701, not so much. Out of those listed, I would stay away from all. The Dynalo (Gilmore Lite), while being very good, may not have enough voltage swing to drive HD650's, though having one myself, it does very well compared to most amps. In fact, I would even say that the Gilmore Lite + Pico DAC, if possible to fit around your budget, would be some of the best you can get at the price.

Thanks for the quick reply, certainly given me more to think about

 

[AmanGeorge]

HeadphoneAddict compared the Pico to the new Nuforce uDAC, which is much cheaper, and IIRC thought they sounded pretty close. You could try picking up the Nuforce and spending the rest on a good amp in the ~$300-400 range (maybe a used Antique Sound Labs OTL?)

 

[K_19]

If you are looking to drive solely the HD650's, then the tube amps would be worth looking into, such as Darkvoice 336i, LD MKIII, or something like Darkvoice 332 or Woo Audio 6 near top of your price range.

 

[tdogzthmn]

I also think you should re-consider the K701/2. I have listened to my K702 direct from my laptop and it still sounds very good. An amp is defiantly needed to get the most but for someone who has limited experience with high-end headphones you will still be greatly impressed. Also the K701 can often be found for less than the cost of the HD650.

 

[CrackBerry9000]

Little Dot makes a nice inexpensive amp and I noticed they have a dac now as well. Beware people claiming high fidelity from 702s plugged into a laptop.

 

[kunalraiker]

Get the iBasso D4.

 

[CountChoculaBot]

Don't go overboard on the dac, a udac is fine. For your amp I'd get a used tube amp one tier above ld mkiii, such as dv 332c figaro. IMO tubes are best for hd650's, I see vocals as their strong point and tubes complement that well.

 

[FallenAngel]

I miss when I had "Tubes are not the answer to life" in my signature, might put it back again.

 

[brendon]

Well tube amplifiers are not always the best I agree when it comes to bass impact and maybe treble clarity. But you have to agree that the biggest plus point of tube amplifiers is that if you are unhappy with the sound, you can roll the tubes to get the sound signature you want. Plus tube amps do have a more warm/lush midrange which is great for music with lots of vocals.

With a SS amplifier you are stuck with the present sound signature and if you dont like it your only option is to sell it off.

 

[FallenAngel]

Opamps

 

[jsplice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Opamps

Bit harder to roll opamps in some amps. If the amp doesn't have a sockets for the opamps, soldering will be required. AFAIK, all tube amps have sockets for the tubes (because tubes wear out and will inevitably need replaced).

 

[CrackBerry9000]

The HP100 Santa gave me for Christmas is fantastic with the 650.