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I hate to do this...

Jan 17, 2009 at 4:33 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 42
THE_SOURCE41

THE_SOURCE41

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but since I am going off to college in a couple of months I am coming to realize the system I really wanted to spend my money on... Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 speakers with either a NAD or Cambridge amp and a nice CD player will not go over to well with the "wonderful" small room I will be living in. So I have decided to spend it on a system that I will be able to enjoy in the comfort of that room. I have been looking at Sennheiser HD650's but I really have no IDEA when it comes to headphones or headphone amps. I do however like the Idea of a tube amp. I have Shure SE530's with a Tomahawk amp but I would like something with a little more to it for the dorm. I am looking at spending $1000 to $1500 usd. If it helps I listen to pretty much everything and I really love the sound of my SE530's.

Thanks in advance!
atsmile.gif


THE SOURCE41
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 4:48 AM Post #2 of 42
if you like the se530, the hd650 won't be for you. the hd650 has a laid back sound with its notorious 'veiled' signature which is quite the opposite of the shures. a good tube amp will help but overall i think you're better off getting something else like the denons.
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 4:50 AM Post #3 of 42
Like I said I really don't have an Idea when it comes to sound sigs of most headphones. Thanks for the suggestion. I will look into the denons.
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 4:52 AM Post #4 of 42
Quote:

Originally Posted by dmashta /img/forum/go_quote.gif
if you like the se530, the hd650 won't be for you. the hd650 has a laid back sound with its notorious 'veiled' signature which is quite the opposite of the shures. a good tube amp will help but overall i think you're better off getting something else like the denons.


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Jan 17, 2009 at 4:56 AM Post #5 of 42
Quote:

Originally Posted by dcpoor /img/forum/go_quote.gif
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Is that not accurate? If it makes it easier since I really like the shures I want something with a really good mids and a bass that is there but not overpowering in anyway. I wouldn't mind having some more highs though.
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 4:59 AM Post #6 of 42
I would recommend a Beyer DT880 with a tube amp from Darkvoice, you'll get nice thick mids, with a tight bass and sparkling highs. The highs are really sparkly, I would even recommend getting a DAC and/or a amp that rolls a bit off and sweeten the sound a bit.
check out the compass Dac/Amp comming out, that seems to be promising.
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 5:19 AM Post #7 of 42
Quote:

Originally Posted by THE_SOURCE41 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Is that not accurate? If it makes it easier since I really like the shures I want something with a really good mids and a bass that is there but not overpowering in anyway. I wouldn't mind having some more highs though.


I don't own the SE530s (anymore) or HD650s (though I've listened to them several times), but FWIW I would say they've got a pretty similar sound -- not the opposite by any means. The HD650s do have a slight bit more "air" to them I believe, so they might be fairly close to what you're looking for.
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 5:29 AM Post #8 of 42
Quote:

Originally Posted by THE_SOURCE41 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Like I said I really don't have an Idea when it comes to sound sigs of most headphones. Thanks for the suggestion. I will look into the denons.


sorry if i wasn't clear enough. the shures have a very forward, in your face presentation. a common complaint with the hd650s is that they sound 'foggy', a lack of clarity, almost as if you're listening through a veil, at least when not properly amped. so in my opinion, they sound quite different and not what you're looking for.
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 5:33 AM Post #9 of 42
HD600 only sounds veiled if you don't put any good equipment behind them. Put the Equinox headphone cable and the excalibur interconnects along with a solid amp and the last thing you'll say is that they are veiled.
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 5:44 AM Post #11 of 42
The HD-650 is not veiled. Amps are veiled. If you use a veiled amp with a HD-650, you will hear the veiled amp. If you listen to the HD-650 with a proper amp, there is no veil.

The HD-650 would make a nice headphone for dorm use. There are a lot of good tube amps for it, but they're not necessary. A quality solid state amp can push them, too. Not portables, though. The HD-650 needs some power behind it.
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 5:53 AM Post #12 of 42
Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The HD-650 is not veiled. Amps are veiled. If you use a veiled amp with a HD-650, you will hear the veiled amp. If you listen to the HD-650 with a proper amp, there is no veil.

The HD-650 would make a nice headphone for dorm use. There are a lot of good tube amps for it, but they're not necessary. A quality solid state amp can push them, too. Not portables, though. The HD-650 needs some power behind it.


wait, so what is this 'veil' that is always mentioned about the hd650? again, i'm talking about unamped or not properly amped i.e. just the sonic characteristics of the headphones themselves.
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 5:53 AM Post #13 of 42
Great news for the op - you can have a really good headphone system while those cheap Wharfedales, Cambridges and Nads are awful anyways (at least to somebody who got accustomed to high-class headphone system).
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 6:12 AM Post #14 of 42
Quote:

The HD-650 is not veiled. Amps are veiled. If you use a veiled amp with a HD-650, you will hear the veiled amp. If you listen to the HD-650 with a proper amp, there is no veil.


Ok so I really am leaning towards the HD-650's. What would be a proper amp for them? Either Solid-state or Tube suggestions welcome.
 
Jan 17, 2009 at 6:27 AM Post #15 of 42
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