[ZorgDK]

Keep in mind the ST is slightly better than the STX, and it's a good match with the 650. It won't put special magic sauce into the 650 like an amp with tubes will though. But that can be added later of course.

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

Keep in mind the ST is slightly better than the STX, and it's a good match with the 650. It won't put special magic sauce into the 650 like an amp with tubes will though. But that can be added later of course.

That jitter thingy rumor is bs . No way your ear would be able to tell the difference.
I  rather use  a pci-e port.

 

[MrTechAgent]

The STX is just a abuse to the 650's it cannot handle it.
I own both and I am pretty sure that the STX are anything but a volume boost if you will.
No amplification.
My opinion.

 

[stevenliu0717]

I have been using this combo for half a year and I am pretty happy with it!

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

The STX is just a abuse to the 650's it cannot handle it.
I own both and I am pretty sure that the STX are anything but a volume boost if you will.
No amplification.
My opinion.

There's no difference if you play with the different output settings of xonar stx, doesn't mean there's no amp. Low output impedance & power , it's what you expect from an amp ( beside clean sound) , and the xonar stx offer it.
 
Quote:

The STX is just a abuse to the 650's it cannot handle it.

So what difference do you get from an amp that can  "handle it", explain.

 

[MrTechAgent]

When I say handle it I mean not able to get the best out of the 650's.
The STX has pretty much no soundstage and bass unless you eq it ( yeah yeah I wanna listen to music the way it was intended to be ) if you follow that saying with this combo then looks like you just wasted 700$ on equipment which can produce audio your earpods can (Not being literal).
The famous statement "Rolled off on top" stands true with this combination also with other cheap amps which this headphone does not play good with.
I have tested it with the Wa2,Conductor and Linear Black cube and that made be say the above comment because the sound is very forgiving with the STX,
Then you might say - This guy is stupid taking about amps which are like 1000-1500 $ more than the STX then I would also like to say that darkvoice makes an amp called the 336se which I assure you is 10x more musical (Lush mids and bright highs) than the STX.
I am not being harsh but the 650's are not at good all with the STX.
You being a well regarded person on Head-fi I thought might have agreed.
Again its my opinion and I am entitled to it.

 

[foreign]

I'm also buying the hd650 and have an stx, if it doesn't pair well I might buy an external amp however just wondering if anyone has replaced the OP amps on the stx. Was thinking about trying out LE49990 x2. I have seen forums but they don't really go into detail. If its worthwhile pursuing, currently I have a headset pc360 and it is great for gaming. It has nice balance big soundstage. Sense of space and airiness mids are upfront and centre. The reason I'm buying the hd650 is because the pc360 bass is very neutral it lacks punch. For gaming and vocals it does a decent job but any music with a bit of bass it does the song injustice. Ive heard the hd650 is very picky in terms of amplification so I guess replacing the OP amps is a very inexpensive way to go I don't expect miracles and I'm probably going to need an external amp but any advice would be appreciated.

 

[MrTechAgent]

The 650 ain't that picky.
The STX is not bad , the opinion of sound is proportional to the money you can spend on a Amp.
As far as the Op-Amps are concerned I really cannot recommend doing that stuff at least if you are using the 650's.
The STX combo does require EQ'ing (I wanna listen to music the way it is intended to be ) that is cliché if you really wanna enjoy music with the 650.
Its gonna be fun for a while but just remember that what you are hearing from the 650's is not the real caliber of the headphone (So take music with a grain of salt)
So after a while do not get mad at either of the two

 

[foreign]

Thank you that answered everything I wanted to know about the hd650 and stx .

 

[ev13wt]

You can plug your front panel header into the sound card for 3.5mm jack output. I have the st and it sounds nice. I use it with my headphones including the Beyer T5p. I also use it with my stereo.

Its totally good enough and drives my mmx 300 600ohm to deafening volume without distortion.

 

[MrTechAgent]

Quote:

Thank you that answered everything I wanted to know about the hd650 and stx .

Hey I am sorry , I withdraw my statement about the EQ.
I really don't  want someone to have a wrong opinion about the product.
Hope that helps

 

[foreign]

It's

Hey I am sorry , I withdraw my statement about the EQ.
I really don't  want someone to have a wrong opinion about the product.
Hope that helps

It's all good if I'm not 100% happy with the stx and hd650. I will just either get an external amp or tubes. I'm into trying out different equipment anyway I just really got into headphones recently (6months or so). Once I bought my first set of decent cans I have been experiencing detail, balance and soundstages that I never would have thought possible

 

[SunshineReggae]

Quote:

Keep in mind the ST is slightly better than the STX, and it's a good match with the 650. It won't put special magic sauce into the 650 like an amp with tubes will though. But that can be added later of course.

Only if you believe in that sort of thing. With 'that sort of thing' meaning an increased output impedance and some alterations to the amp's frequency response. Because that's all your 'special magical sauce' amounts to.
 
The STX is excellent and it has no problems driving a HD650. There's simply not a lot an amp can do to make a headphone sound any better than the stx already does. The idea that an amp can do better because there are 500 dollar amps out there is based on intuition and false marketing.

 

[foreign]

Just curious what tube amps would you recommend for say $500ish. I've always wanted to hear the sound they produce and am happy to experiment. Got the hd650 coming any day now would like to see how it will sound paired with a tube amp.

 

[ev13wt]

Just curious what tube amps would you recommend for say $500ish. I've always wanted to hear the sound they produce and am happy to experiment. Got the hd650 coming any day now would like to see how it will sound paired with a tube amp.

A good tube amp should sound like a good ss amp if they are not driven to distortion. Once distortion becomes a factor then, simply put, the ss sound harsh and tubes sound... musical. Up to a point of course where everything becomes crap.

There are many websites / articles on tube vs. ss on the net to google.


That said, tube amps are pretty darn sexy and everyone should have one. In your price range, check out the Woo Audio 3 and 6. I like their design and would choose the black design option over the silver.