I really DO NOT recommend this combination..... at your workplace.
I'm getting NO work done because I'm too busy listening to little details and going "What! never heard that before..."
Occasionally I glance around thinking someone is just behind me to to my side but when I rewind I just find it's the music. This combination DOES have soundstage.
At home the Hornet and the HD650 are brilliant. Don't need any EQ'ing whatsoever, the Hornet makes the 650's a little brighter than they are out of a crummy headphone jack or other underpowered output. This lifts any kind of veil you'd like to say the 650's have.
At work, I'm boosting the bass output of the iRiver about 1/2 way to max, because I find that although the Ety's have great detail, they DO lack the punch needed for rock/metal/electronica. So doing this rounds out the bass a little. I've compared and can't notice any diminishment (is that a word?) of the new detail the Hornet is bringing out, I think it just brings the volume of the bass closer to the rest. I've also modded the Ety's (yes... the evening of the day I got them), cos although I could insert them deep as I like and get a fine seal, the largest flange was too *wide* for my ear canal and was creating insane pressure, and causing me to ache after only 20 minutes. So I cut a few slits in the outermost flange so it squishes in slightly easier. Haven't noticed and decrease in sound quality/volume/bass/detail or anything else. Just got rid of the pain.
I'll add to this thread again in a coupla weeks when the amp has as coupla hundred hours on it and if I remember. It'll be a more full review and I'll compare unamped directly to amped (the differences should be even more apparent, since I heard the difference during the first song I listened to using the amp).
