[grevock]

Hello all,

I am looking to setup a desktop DAC/amp to drive Sennheiser TBD (660S or break the bank 800s). Leaning towards Schiit (Jutenheim or Mjolnir), preferably American made in any event. Any suggestions?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Best budget option.
Sennheiser HD660s and Schiit Fulla 3.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

660S doesn't need much of an amp, they're designed to be driven off portable devices. The 800 is happier with a tube OTL amp or healthy solid state amp.

800/800S are not a good all-around headphone for most people. HD 600 is a much more enjoyable headphone in most cases.

What kind of music and what budget?

 

[grevock]

660S doesn't need much of an amp, they're designed to be driven off portable devices. The 800 is happier with a tube OTL amp or healthy solid state amp.

800/800S are not a good all-around headphone for most people. HD 600 is a much more enjoyable headphone in most cases.

What kind of music and what budget?

Thanks for the thoughts. Thinking I want to spend more on the cans than the dac/amp. So that said, if I go with the 800s, I'm probably looking at $3k all in.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

What kind of music do you listen to?

 

[Malevolent]

Thanks for the thoughts. Thinking I want to spend more on the cans than the dac/amp. So that said, if I go with the 800s, I'm probably looking at $3k all in.

Yes, you should. More improvements can be found in the headphone-side of things. A decent DAC and amplifier stack or a combo unit should suffice for a while. For example, a DAC-equipped Jotunheim has more-than-enough power for most headphones.

With that said, the HD800 is quite a departure from the HD660, in terms of signature. Have you heard either of the 2 before, out of curiosity?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Schiit Asgard with DAC upgrade and the HD660s headphones.

 

[grevock]

What kind of music do you listen to?

Lots of everything. I would say 40% rock, 20% country, and a mix of jazz, pop, classical, post rock, Frank etc...kinda like musical ADHD

 

[grevock]

Yes, you should. More improvements can be found in the headphone-side of things. A decent DAC and amplifier stack or a combo unit should suffice for a while. For example, a DAC-equipped Jotunheim has more-than-enough power for most headphones.

With that said, the HD800 is quite a departure from the HD660, in terms of signature. Have you heard either of the 2 before, out of curiosity?

Test driven the 660s. Not sure I can test others nowadays given Covid etc.

 

[Malevolent]

Test driven the 660s. Not sure I can test others nowadays given Covid etc.

If you like the HD660S, you may not feel the same way about the HD800. The latter is considered a bright headphone, with excellent technicalities. However. it is also comparatively leaner, and a lot heavier in the treble. For context, I enjoy the HD660S, but not the HD800; their differences are distinct enough to steer me toward one, and away from the other.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Lots of everything. I would say 40% rock, 20% country, and a mix of jazz, pop, classical, post rock, Frank etc...kinda like musical ADHD

Of that, only some of the jazz and classical are going to be more enjoyable out of the 800S vs. the 600s. The 800/800S are analytical cans. They expose everything a dynamic headphone can expose. They're far from the Sennheiser House Sound, in that they're a little cold and for the 800 (not the S) there is an unfortunate treble peak. The HD 600s are pure killer for everything you mentioned except classical where they are good to very good but not the best in the category.

The problem with the 600s and to an extent the 800/800S is that they need a lot more amp than you would think. They scale big time. And the 600s are just smooth, smooth, smooth and don't hit you over the head with anything in particular unlike a lot of popular cans do. Just after you wear them and your skull gets used to the jaws-of-death clamp, you start realizing that you're hearing music the way you never heard it before. This is just one pair of cans where engineering and magic came together. A best value in headphones from before there were gimmicks and fads. These just nail it.

I can only recommend the 800/800S for people who listen to big room music like orchestral, big band jazz, etc. They will make you hate most of the music you loved before. They're ruthless on bad recordings.

 

[grevock]

Of that, only some of the jazz and classical are going to be more enjoyable out of the 800S vs. the 600s. The 800/800S are analytical cans. They expose everything a dynamic headphone can expose. They're far from the Sennheiser House Sound, in that they're a little cold and for the 800 (not the S) there is an unfortunate treble peak. The HD 600s are pure killer for everything you mentioned except classical where they are good to very good but not the best in the category.

The problem with the 600s and to an extent the 800/800S is that they need a lot more amp than you would think. They scale big time. And the 600s are just smooth, smooth, smooth and don't hit you over the head with anything in particular unlike a lot of popular cans do. Just after you wear them and your skull gets used to the jaws-of-death clamp, you start realizing that you're hearing music the way you never heard it before. This is just one pair of cans where engineering and magic came together. A best value in headphones from before there were gimmicks and fads. These just nail it.

I can only recommend the 800/800S for people who listen to big room music like orchestral, big band jazz, etc. They will make you hate most of the music you loved before. They're ruthless on bad recordings.

Solid analysis. Sounds like the "instrumental" music might be better on the 800s. Now I was considering the 660s, should I be looking at the 600s instead? What's the difference there?

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Solid analysis. Sounds like the "instrumental" music might be better on the 800s. Now I was considering the 660s, should I be looking at the 600s instead? What's the difference there?

I don't think instrumental music is better in general on the 800/800S. They're just not an enjoyable pair of headphones for most kinds of music.

I don't know anything about the 660S more than the specs. It's designed for portable devices. The 600s are a known quantity. They need a real amp. And they are a fantastic all-round pair of cans where the 800/800S is more of a special tool for certain occasions.

 

[grevock]

I don't think instrumental music is better in general on the 800/800S. They're just not an enjoyable pair of headphones for most kinds of music.

I don't know anything about the 660S more than the specs. It's designed for portable devices. The 600s are a known quantity. They need a real amp. And they are a fantastic all-round pair of cans where the 800/800S is more of a special tool for certain occasions.

Thanks, it does have a lower impedance so could be driven by mobile devices potentially but sounds like an upgrade over the 600/650 and I really liked it during the test. So if I go that route, I don't necessarily need a LOT of power but...on the dac/amp, what do you suggest?

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Thanks, it does have a lower impedance so could be driven by mobile devices potentially but sounds like an upgrade over the 600/650 and I really liked it during the test. So if I go that route, I don't necessarily need a LOT of power but...on the dac/amp, what do you suggest?

I'm really not sure that people are generally happy with the 660S. And I don't have any low power amps anymore. Maybe a JDS amp would be a good choice. I don't have recommendations on DACs below 1000 USD. But I would avoid entry level schiit and all their DACs since they don't support DSD (at least last time I looked they decryed DSD publicly) and they don't support MQA.