[eligray]

My Audio Background: First off, I currently own $110 Audio Technica ATH-700PRO headphones, and have been very satisfied with them (I got them 12 months ago and they are the only headphones I've owned other than ipod ones). I have most of my as compressed lossless and plug my headphones into my laptop's integrated sound card or my ipod touch.
 
Tastes: My favorite genres of music are Trance, Ambient Psy, Dubstep, though I do occasionally switch it up and listen to other genres. So I guess you could say I like dark electronic music (my current favorite tune is a bit slower than most of my music, but here it is for reference. Skip roughly halfway in to get a good sample of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvhYvcv46MA)
 
 
Possible Upgrade: I'm thinking about dropping roughly $325 on some Sennheiser HD650s, and also buying the necessary hardware to feed the headphones high quality audio. I don't need anything portable, I will probably use my current headphones straight from the ipod when I'm out and about. Does a DAC/Amplifier sound like my best bet? Is a budget of $200 or so too low? I might be willing to spend up to $400 on this part of the setup, but obviously cheaper is better for an unemployed college student such as myself.
 
Could you please as part of your answer tell me how much experience you have in this area and WHY you recommend such-and-such (a random list of recommendations unfortunately won't help me as much as detailed responses). Thanks a bunch!

 

[jsears31]

Hey There, I own the HD650 and I think they're going to be a good match for you. I sampled the link you sent, and if you like dark techno/trance music with somewhat prominent bass, then the 650's are pretty much perfect.
 
As for the amp, I have the Little Dot MKii, which also tends to emphasize bass and a darker sound. You might find it getting a tad bit muddy if using low-rate audio (and I only say that because the youtube link you sent me sounded muddy, for obvious reasons) but if you're listening to CD quality, I'm guessing you'd be good to go. The HD650's can really handle the bass, and mine aren't even fully burned in. So far I'm really happy with the combo, though the amp has made my other 'phones sound awesome as well.
 
I think I paid $145 or so for the Little dot. Just do a search on ebay and buy it from a guy named David. It's an amazing value, really, and many revues say it holds up against amps in the $1k range. The Little Dots are also a fave around head-fi since they offer such a great value and awesome customer service.
 
I guess I should also note that the Little dot mkii is the only amp I've owned. I've owned a lot of audiophile headphones though, and the HD650's are some of the darkest 'phones I've owned. You might also be interested in the Denon D2000's (good bass, but poor soundstage imo due to being closed cans) or the Beyerdynamic dt770's or dt990's (both known for their bass).

 

[Frihed89]

I've never actually owned a pair of 650s, but I have heard them with various amps I have owned.  I never bought this product because it sounded too colored for my ears.  My suggestion, based on my experience, would be to buy a used SinglePower MPX-3 model at fire sale prices, get it checked out by Bolder Cables, who has a lot of experience doing this and use that.  This has has consistently been rated as an outstanding amp for this headphone.  I also found that Maple Tree amp I had (one of the early ones) also did a strong job with these phones.  Overall, they are easy to drive with such high impedance and OTL amps works very well.
 
SinglePower iss very much out of favor due to the amount of harm caused by the owner to so many people.  There were fewer problems with the MPX-3 than with many of the other products, I think, such as the Extreme and the very-much higher priced models.  Amps built in the period around an before 2006-7 seem to have been better constructed than later models, but that is just my impression from reading the horror stories.  I suspect the PPX-3, a lower priced model, will also work well with the 650s, but I am on pretty weak ground here from the standpoint of experience.

 

[CountChoculaBot]

I used to have the HD650 (and now I do again as of 5 minutes ago =]).  I used em with a LD MKIII, a EF1, and Bijou.  By FAR, the LD MKIII was heavily outclassed by either of those amps.  LD MKIII made the HD650's utter unremarkable for me and made it feel like a waste of money.  Jump up just a wee bit to the EF1 (discont., now it's just the EF5) and suddenly the setup was pretty freakin spectacular.  The voices are ridiculously lush with that combo, I loved it!  The Bijou IMO trumps the EF1, but they're both very enjoyable.  All except the LD MKIII =]

 

[atothex]

I used to own HD650s as well. I've tried them on many amps and don't like anything under ~$600. I highly recommend budgeting for a quality source and easier to drive phones: something like Gamma1, Mini3, and SR225s. Or maybe just a Pico DAC/amp and MS1s. Honestly though, I think IEMs are the best value for any low-med budget.

 

[CountChoculaBot]

I disagree, $400 is *almost* enough in my view for both a dac and an amp.
 
Personally, I'd get a VALAB NOS DAC for your source.  $200 new, maybe $150 used.  Make sure you get latest version if used, though.  It's been thru lotsa revisions.
 
As for your amp, I'd get a used Head-Direct EF1 if you see one pop up.  I bought one used for $200 in December, should be even cheaper now.  Or even the EF5, which could be around $250-$300.
 
The VALAB/EF1/HD650 setup, which I got for $600 total (all used except VALAB), is my favorite setup of all time, and is the benchmark for sound that I've been pursuing ever since (and I've gone through UE18, Beyer T1, Audeze LCD2).  I just recently realized I should probably just go back to that exact setup...
 
 
However, are you sure HD650 is what ya want?  HD650 has a very particular sound signature that leans more toward smooth musicality than being accurate.  Also, the HD650 is NOT bassy (at least the silver driver version).  I dunno wth people are thinking when they said that. 

 

[desktophifi]

I have seen everywhere the HA-160 have a good synergy with the 650's....you need to save up a little more for it, but it's worth. 

 

[Caphead78]

I would say Nuforce HDP. 450 for a very well respected amp-dac combo that goes well w/ the 650s

 

[realmassy]

Quote:

I disagree, $400 is *almost* enough in my view for both a dac and an amp.
 
Personally, I'd get a VALAB NOS DAC for your source.  $200 new, maybe $150 used.  Make sure you get latest version if used, though.  It's been thru lotsa revisions.
 
As for your amp, I'd get a used Head-Direct EF1 if you see one pop up.  I bought one used for $200 in December, should be even cheaper now.  Or even the EF5, which could be around $250-$300.
 
The VALAB/EF1/HD650 setup, which I got for $600 total (all used except VALAB), is my favorite setup of all time, and is the benchmark for sound that I've been pursuing ever since (and I've gone through UE18, Beyer T1, Audeze LCD2).  I just recently realized I should probably just go back to that exact setup...
 
 
However, are you sure HD650 is what ya want?  HD650 has a very particular sound signature that leans more toward smooth musicality than being accurate.  Also, the HD650 is NOT bassy (at least the silver driver version).  I dunno wth people are thinking when they said that. 

x2 on the Valab.
I too find it is a good match with the HD650, and it's reasonably priced. I'm using the HD650 with a Earmax and today I received a Woo3.
The Woo sounds more energetic, less tubey, more airy, at least with the stock tubes.

 

[jsears31]

"Also, the HD650 is NOT bassy (at least the silver driver version).  I dunno wth people are thinking when they said that. "
 
Not bassy? Wow people REALLY do hear things differently. They are not overly bassy, true, but the bass is one of their main appeals. It's tight and very present, only becoming a bit bloated with compressed audio or when it's overly equalized. Basically every opinion from other owners (other than the one above) would tell you the same.

 

[realmassy]

 
Quote:

"Also, the HD650 is NOT bassy (at least the silver driver version).  I dunno wth people are thinking when they said that. "
 
Not bassy? Wow people REALLY do hear things differently. They are not overly bassy, true, but the bass is one of their main appeals. It's tight and very present, only becoming a bit bloated with compressed audio or when it's overly equalized. Basically every opinion from other owners (other than the one above) would tell you the same.

I actually agree with CountChoculaBot. I have a silver driver version, and even driven by the Woo3 doesn't sound bassy at all.
The bass is there, great, very present, not as tight as the K702s for example, but well blended with the mids. The impact of the bass on the HD650 is very similar to the one you'll get from a good pair of speakers.