[KarateKid]

What do you guys think? I have a pair of HD650s coming my way.. Just want to know if the microamp is good enough for me to hear things on a high volume without distortion and clipping?

Sorry for such a basic question, I know that headroom sells the microstack and the hd650 in a package but I just want some personal experiences so I know what to anticipate.

 

[mcmyers]

It's only the portable version that runs on a lithium battery. The AC powered version is plenty of power for the 650, though different people may prefer a different sound signature.

 

[KarateKid]

Yeah I'm running it at home, so I'm using the AC adapter. No problem there?

Here's more technical question for people who uses external DACs with a pc soundcard. Should I always have window's wave-out maxed and adjust my volume through my amp (I have to keep the knob on low though in this case) or is it better to lower the wave-out and adjust the volume using the volume knob on the amp (it would go to around 10-12 o'clock)? Which one provides less clipping or potential problems?

 

[Drumonron]

My 2006 Microamp & MicroDac with the desktop module have no problem whatsoever driving my HD650s, awesome little stack-you get a lot for your money with the Headrooms...I set to medium gain for the HD650 and I am doing good.

I got the desktop module so it's a bit of a pig on the batteries but didn't get it for portable use-I only wanted the best sound at the computer/desktop ....mine is dated Nov 06.

 

[jh4db536]

The 650 isn't that hard to drive volume wise, it will have just enough volume through a regular soundcard; out of an ipod is a different story. It won't clip, but distortion is an issue. However, the 650 is so laid back and smooth you might not even notice the distortion. I remember i thought it was a huge upgrade from my 555's unamped when i first got mine.

i think you should wait and hear the 650's first so you get an idea of baseline. Meanwhile,do some research on the best equipment for it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarateKid /img/forum/go_quote.gif What do you guys think? I have a pair of HD650s coming my way.. Just want to know if the microamp is good enough for me to hear things on a high volume without distortion and clipping? Sorry for such a basic question, I know that headroom sells the microstack and the hd650 in a package but I just want some personal experiences so I know what to anticipate.

 

[KarateKid]

Hmmm..... I've found something interesting, I wonder if anyone has any similair experiences.

I'm still waiting on my HD650s, right now i'm using the hd555 with the microamp along with the microDAC, connected to my xfi prelude using an optical toslink cable.

I notice that on the same setting, the prelude's analog line-out sounds clean, no distortion, bass is "cleaner" so to speak, I don't notice any clipping, squeeking, popping; background details are crisp and clear. The same song played through the Microstack (with amp on medium gain and knob at the 9 oclock position, low-gain sounds too quiet), I would hear some clipping, squeeking, popping, especially with higher notes or more booming choruses of a song. The change going from one note to another is less noticeable with the amp (everything sounds flatter, slight changes in notes are harder to detect). Sometimes the "chirping/popping" is so noticeable that it makes certain parts of a piece disorienting to listen to compared to the smoother sound coming of the analog of the prelude.

Why does this happen? I thought the point of the amp and DAC is to help things sound better (clearer, cleaner, etc)? Could it possibly be because of a poor connection (the optical cable? the interconnect? the "brick" AC adapters arent up to task?), a problem with the DAC itself? Or is it because the HD555s' low impedance that the amp may be overkill for it, as it's sensitive (assuming that the line-out on the prelude card does better with low impedance headphones).

I don't want to wake up and realize I just dropped a couple of hundred bucks for lower quality sound, because right now that seems to be the case. But I don't have the 650s yet, so I cannot test out whether my theory is true or not. If anyone has any knowledge in this department I would love to hear some advice.

 

[mcmyers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarateKid /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm..... I've found something interesting, I wonder if anyone has any similair experiences. I'm still waiting on my HD650s, right now i'm using the hd555 with the microamp along with the microDAC, connected to my xfi prelude using an optical toslink cable. I notice that on the same setting, the prelude's analog line-out sounds clean, no distortion, bass is "cleaner" so to speak, I don't notice any clipping, squeeking, popping; background details are crisp and clear. The same song played through the Microstack (with amp on medium gain and knob at the 9 oclock position, low-gain sounds too quiet), I would hear some clipping, squeeking, popping, especially with higher notes or more booming choruses of a song. The change going from one note to another is less noticeable with the amp (everything sounds flatter, slight changes in notes are harder to detect). Sometimes the "chirping/popping" is so noticeable that it makes certain parts of a piece disorienting to listen to compared to the smoother sound coming of the analog of the prelude. Why does this happen? I thought the point of the amp and DAC is to help things sound better (clearer, cleaner, etc)? Could it possibly be because of a poor connection (the optical cable? the interconnect? the "brick" AC adapters arent up to task?), a problem with the DAC itself? Or is it because the HD555s' low impedance that the amp may be overkill for it, as it's sensitive (assuming that the line-out on the prelude card does better with low impedance headphones). I don't want to wake up and realize I just dropped a couple of hundred bucks for lower quality sound, because right now that seems to be the case. But I don't have the 650s yet, so I cannot test out whether my theory is true or not. If anyone has any knowledge in this department I would love to hear some advice.

It depends on what you're listening to. Sadly, one of the things I started noticing after getting some decent audio gear was how poorly most modern recordings are mastered, and how many of them are full of clipping. I hadn't ever noticed before, but now I heard it all the time. It's one of the downsides of this hobby.

 

[KarateKid]

You sure the prelude is "masking" the flaws of a recording? Because I just tried connecting the amp directly to the soundcard, it's actually really really good. Maybe it's the DAC? Or maybe its the DAC that's revealing. Lol, gonna have to test things out, I think poor IC and optical cable may be to blame.