[THE_SOURCE41]

You haven't cause me confusion don't worry. I am just listening to everything people are saying and I want to make sure I am getting the best for the money I am going to put in.

 

[continentalg5]

Regardless of what you buy, get some GOOD locks

 

[java]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevM2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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.

Agreed, the "veil" is the equipment used with the Senn's, manifesting their weakness'es, and lack of ability ...

See my signature ...

 

[Cankin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QQQ /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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).

I'd never call NAD M3 and M5 awful.

 

[-=Germania=-]

I would say to grab a nice DAC and then decide whether you want electrostatic or dynamic.

Electrostatic:

Stax SR-Lamda (Normal Bias, more neutral and natural sounding to me than the pro version) + Amp from the used market.


Dynamic:

Closed: JVC-DX1000, ATH-W5000, D7000
Open: ATH-AD2000
Amp: Millett or SOHA II for tubes since they are hybrids and can be found pretty cheap comparitively


I am lucky enough to own a set of CD1000 which have been highly modded. I would recommend the CD3000 if they weren't all locked up by their users and very setup dependent.

As someone who lived in a dormitory for 3 years, I would get closed headphones. Open ones can irritate roommates even if they live next door, especially if you listen late at night. My Stax are pretty loud and my AKG's were too.

Invest in the DAC and the Headphones. The tubes will give some flexibility in changing sound and the Hybrids handle low impedence much better to boot.


Cheers!

 

[dmashta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevM2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by java /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agreed, the "veil" is the equipment used with the Senn's, manifesting their weakness'es, and lack of ability ... See my signature ...

i agree that the hd650 sounds fantastic when paired with good equipment and they remain one of my favorite cans. but as i noted, i was only talking about them alone, in the context of being unamped (or not properly amped). and without a good amp, they do sound veiled to my ears. when picking out headphones, it's only logical to first learn what the characteristics of the headphones are...alone...regardless of what amp i might get eventually. i'm not thinking about how it'll sound AFTER i get a good amp, and a good source, and swap in some $300+ cables. there are just too many variables.

again this isn't a knock on the hd650. they are great...as long as you're willing to invest extra into a good amp, and source...and maybe cables.

 

[compuryan]

With your budget, here is what I'd buy:

--A used Benchmark DAC1, theres one in the b/s/t Source forums here right now for $600. You can usually get them for around $600-750 used
--A new/used HD650 $250-350
--A new Woo Audio 3 $470

That setup is awesome and hard to beat IMO. The brighter nature of the DAC1 would be complimented by the warmer sound of the WA3. Woo Audio is really great and the Benchmark DAC1 is tough to beat for the price when it comes to DACs, especially if you can snag it used.

 

[Skin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE_SOURCE41 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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! THE SOURCE41

First decide if you want closed or open back cans. If the dorm is on the loud side due to parties or poor insulation you probably wouldnt want an open back (and a number of closed cans for that matter) especially if you're use to IEMs. Likewise if you have roommates since you could very well bother them, even more so if you're a night listener. In a small room everyone will know what you're listening to on an open backed headphone. Also decide if its something you'd want to travel with.

On the other hand if it is a quiet environment and you're alone then you'll have far more options. And i wouldnt discount a good electrostat setup however with electrostats you're stuck with open backed models (which also look like waffle irons so if aesthetics matter....) so again its pretty important to establish what type of listening environment you'll have and how you want to use them.

Given the SE530 sound signature you'd probably be most at home with something from the Denon reference line (D5000) but theres plenty of good options. The ESW10JPN (about $500 imported) is also quite impressive and something you could bring to the library and listen to unamped while still feeling very happy with the sound. The same could probably be said about the D5000 if you arent too analytical.

Personally, if i wasnt sure of my environment, i'd probably lean towards the D5000s. Its a headphone thats very hard to go wrong with. They're very comfy for long listening periods, closed, have good isolation, and sound great [or did to me in my short time with them and i know many agree]. Its also a headphone you could take out in public [study hall]. As a plus 5000 will leave you with a substantial amount of money left over to spend on the Dac and Amp. If you conserve on those two peices of equipment you could also get another headphone to compliment the D5000, or you could get the 5000 modded/recabled.

Steer clear of the D7000. They were literally 600 bucks on J&R a couple weeks back and are NOT worth the premium over the D5000 at the $999 MSRP especially for someone on a budget. I'd place a bet they'll be easily had at half that price in a year so its like throwing your cash away.

 

[vvanrij]

Ok right, so the amps are veiled now? And there are 2 magical headphones (the 600 and 650) who are the only ones who can REVEAL the VEIL! Wow, what a great headphone that is hahaha.

 

[scytheavatar]

Hvae you considered the D2000? They are not exactly better than the HD600/HD650, but they are cheaper and much more easy to drive. You might want to stick to them and experience the love of a full size can for a while, then get a HD600/HD650 when you have money for a good amp.

 

[ph0rk]

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.

I own both the HD650 and the SE530 and this is completely wrong.

 

[compuryan]

I agree with ph0rk. People who find the HD650 veiled aren't listening to it through a proper setup. Swing by Indianapolis and you can listen to mine and you'll see that my HD650 has no veil whatsoever.

 

[darkninja67]

HD 650 driven by a Gilmore Lite (or GS1). I would think that would be a very nice combination.

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by compuryan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree with ph0rk. People who find the HD650 veiled aren't listening to it through a proper setup. Swing by Indianapolis and you can listen to mine and you'll see that my HD650 has no veil whatsoever.

It's more like the SE530 is just as veiled as the HD650, when compared to the Triplefi 10 or Westone 3. There's nothing wrong with being veiled, there's a ton of people who praise the smoothness and forgiveness of the HD650, that's the HD650 sound and the HD650 fanboys really need to stop the denial.

 

[THE_SOURCE41]

Thanks for all the replies!

I will look through all the options you have given me so far.