[py930828]

"I am more like a bass guy since I listen to a lot of pop music"
"I have a ODAC/AMP made by mayflower"
I am amazed anyone would consider the Objective O2 as part of their system who likes bass as virtually every other DAC/Amp on the market has its own sound signature and distorts and colourises the music. Of course the HD650 does thicken up and colourise the sound. Usually people buy the ODAC because it is transparent and pair it with neutral headphones like Beyerdynamic' DT880 or Sennheiser's HD580/600. The following thread might be of interest to you: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/from-sennheiser-hd-650-to-hifiman-he-400i-theres-no-way-back.762957/

I kind of disagree with this, check this one out
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/06/sennheiser-hd-650.html
On nwavguy's blog, he uses D2K and HD650 as a reference to design O2, so as we can tell that O2 doesn't just fit with monitor or "hi-fi" type headphone. My understanding is that O2 doesn't add any color to the sound but allow headphone to replay what it is supposed to sound like.

 

[Sefelt103]

I'm surprised again that the designer of the O2 would use such a fun sounding and colourful headphone to test his DAC/AMPs, surely that would lead to a low bass/thin/treble boosted DAC/AMP. In a similar way you won't find too many HD650s in recording studios because its design is to be pleasing to the ear and not ruthlessly detailed and analytical. I was just curious to what led you to acquire such an obscure amplifier when more mainstream, more available and cheaper products from Fiio etc might suffice.

 

[py930828]

I'm surprised again that the designer of the O2 would use such a fun sounding and colourful headphone to test his DAC/AMPs, surely that would lead to a low bass/thin/treble boosted DAC/AMP. In a similar way you won't find too many HD650s in recording studios because its design is to be pleasing to the ear and not ruthlessly detailed and analytical. I was just curious to what led you to acquire such an obscure amplifier when more mainstream, more available and cheaper products from Fiio etc might suffice.

Well, I was initially intended to buy an amp/dac to drive HD650, so I bought the amp/dac first, and then I decide to purchase TH-X00, but that's another story.
The point is that we have to agree on one point that O2 is an amp that cost you much less and give you more for the same price according to the designer's intention, if I understand you correctly, when you say "obscure", you mean not "official" right? I mean it is, and this is why it's cheaper than others, but this doesn't mean it is bad, on massdrop, I think it is one of the most popular amp, people love it, and this is why I get one myself.

 

[Sefelt103]

The O2/ODAC is a minimalisic product which I would have thought limited its popularity. But the aspect I would have thought most limited its popularity would be its neutrality and lack of any colourisation, it gets out of the way which means if you listen to some low quality 1970s recording where some unfortunate decisions were made in the studio it will sound horrendous. The majority don't want to listen to the musical recording, they want to listen to a harmonically rich, bass and treble boosted sound. I suppose the O2/ODAC has the advantage that it enables people who are looking for a certain sound signature to find it in the headphones. I just thought I was one of the few audio masochists that love the O2.

 

[squee116]

A lot of people get the O2 merely for the price, or the rave reviews. There isn't much reason to upgrade until you get near TOTL headphones or you need something with more juice.