[mercid]

Hi, I am currently using the Sennheiser HD 580's with the sennheiser dsp. I would like to upgrade to the 600's and a much better amp for these phones. I am willing to look at other phones as well but in general i am very happy with sennheiser. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best amp/phones combo, and what are some good amp's to buy for the HD-600, I am completely lost.

 

[mikeg]

I've owned the HD600 with a $1K headphone amp. I'm now getting way better results using an AKG K1000 headphone with an ASL AQ-1005DT amp.

 

[Hirsch]

If you're planning to upgrade to the HD-600, I'd look for your amp first. Try it with the 580. Once you find the right amp, then upgrade the headphone. The 580 and 600 are close enough that an amp that works well with one will work with the other.

Before addressing which amp to recommend, a budget that you're working with would be useful to know. A Headroom Blockhead works really well with the HD-600, but most people are looking for something a little less costly...

 

[mercid]

Thanks for the replies. To answer some questions:

I am not really sure on a budget yet. I have heard some really good things about grado's and ultimately may go that route with their amp and phone. I would like to keep the amp at a price within striking distance of the phone itself, i should add that thy will be used on my pc almost exclusively. Using a sb Live!, Audigy….

 

[Hirsch]

I don't really use my computer for playback, but rather recording. However, when I do want headphone playback, I use the optical digital output of my Hoonteck Digital XG card (resamples output to 48 KHz

) to Monarchy 24/96 DIP to ART DI/O (D to A conversion) to X-Can v2 to Sony MDR-CD3000. Budget for something like this: sound card ($80), DIP ($150), ART DI/O ($120 double this with parts for mods, triple it at least if someone else is doing the modding), X-Can + X-PSU power supply ($400-$450), Mullard tubes ($50/pr), CD-3000 ($350 or so).

OTOH, there's no reason why you can't use the line out of your sound card straight to the headphone amp, if you're willing to take a small hit in sound quality.

 

[Hirsch]

The dreaded double post has been deleted.

 

[mercid]

I am willing to take a small hit in sound quality, as long as it truly is a small hit. As far as the amp goes, what would you recommend? Am I correct in my assumption that the amp is more important then the phone. (to a degree, i realize different phones provide different type's of sound) As i find out more and more info about the HD 600's, they sound like they are very close to my current phone, and for this reason I am very tempted to try out something different all together.

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

in general i am very happy with sennheiser.

Quote:

I'd look for your amp first. Try it with the 580

I agree with Hirsch. Look into a good amp. If you like the Senn sound, but want some more "punch", look into an after-market replacement cable (Clou, Cardas, Equinox) to improve/change the sound.