[Flex2d]

Hello I am looking for a pair of musical sounding headphones. Not sure where to start but been eyeing up hd660s, DT1990pros, focal Elears and hd800s it there any others worth considering place let me know.. I love listening to vocal/ instrumental and pop but also folk . I fact I listen to most types of music apart from hard techno/ heavy metal

many advice greatly welcomed.

many thanks

 

[gimmeheadroom]

HD 800/800S are not musical. They're analytical to the point you'll hate most of what used to sound like good recordings.

HD 600 is pretty fantastic as an all-around set of cans. You'll need a good amp to make them sing though. Tube OTL is best, followed by a solid state amp that swings a lot of voltage.

A more romantic sound can be had from the Audeze LCD-2C. They're easily driven by a modest solid state amp, they sound great out of a good dacamp.

 

[Flex2d]

Thats for the reply, sorry forgot to mention I have the hd6xx paired with a little dot mk2.

cheers

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I haven't heard either one but maybe an upgrade would be a better amp. The 6XX should scale very well as you throw more amp at them.

I could not find an authoritative source of specs but it looks like the Little Dot you have is rated at 300mw into 300 ohms and 10V max. That is not enough.

You should look for something that has at least 15V and more is better.

For a solid state amp you could look into Violetric, Meier, GSX mini etc. For tubes a used Valhalla 2 has way more power and does a good job although maybe you'll want to spend some money on tubes.

 

[Flex2d]

Guess I'm just looking for something slightly more musical and lively if that makes sense.
I also use a Yamaha as-701prior to going to the LDMK2. yeah I do like the 6XX. just wonder if I'm missing something

 

[ZOSMANOVIC]

You might want to try an entry level planar. Sundaras get alot of attention here.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Guess I'm just looking for something slightly more musical and lively if that makes sense.
I also use a Yamaha as-701prior to going to the LDMK2. yeah I do like the 6XX. just wonder if I'm missing something

The 600/6XX will sound lifeless and thin without enough amp (meaning mostly voltage) and so will 250 ohm Beyers. It's hard to find anything better than the 600 series for being musical unless you shell out many times the price. Since you said you want something more lively, I wonder if your 6XX is just not driven well and therefore does not show you what it is capable of. This is classic underdriven 300 ohm Sennheiser symptom.

If you want more lively as in more emphasized bass or treble, it will very likely come at the expense of midrange and vocals which sounds like it would be death for the kind of music you like.

 

[Flex2d]

ok so what headphone would be a step for hd6XX in your view?
So would you say that the LDMK2 lacks in power for the hd6XX? if so what would you say the alternative be LD MK6/8?

thanks

 

[Flex2d]

You might want to try an entry level planar. Sundaras get alot of attention here.

ok I didn't consider these, I tried the Foster t60rp's which were nice just the vocals were slightly thin compared to the hd6XX's. but yeah haven't considered the Sundara's though

 

[gimmeheadroom]

ok so what headphone would be a step for hd6XX in your view?
So would you say that the LDMK2 lacks in power for the hd6XX? if so what would you say the alternative be LD MK6/8?

thanks

Like I said there is no clear upgrade unless you want to spend 3-4X the price. A sidegrade is the LCD-2C I mentioned in my first reply. It's a great all-around headphone but warmer than the 6XX. It has slamming bass but the clarity of midrange is less than you get with properly amped 600s.

Amps mentioned above, we probably posted at the same time.

If you are in America you could look at something like a WA2 or one of the dozens of custom amp makers listed in the fullsize amp subsection.

 

[megabigeye]

I haven't heard either one but maybe an upgrade would be a better amp. The 6XX should scale very well as you throw more amp at them.

I could not find an authoritative source of specs but it looks like the Little Dot you have is rated at 300mw into 300 ohms and 10V max. That is not enough.

You should look for something that has at least 15V and more is better.

I'm sorry, but this is simply wrong.
More voltage (or power) will NOT make things sound better, it ONLY makes things louder. There might be reasons that one amplifier sounds better than another, but those reasons are not due to power or voltage. Quality of power is much more important than quantity of power.
The HD 6XX/650 will go beyond 120dB with 8V. 120dB is loud enough damage your hearing within seconds. Listening at a lower volume means less voltage is used and anything beyond that is essentially wasted. 15V would destroy your ears and then it would probably destroy your headphones.
300mW will also push the HD 6XX/650 beyond 120dB.
Are there better amplifiers than the Little Dot? Perhaps. Probably. I've never heard the Little Dot, so I can't say. But I do know that you don't need more power than it can provide.

I don't generally point this stuff out because I don't want to get drawn into big, drawn-out discussions or, worse, an argument. Also, I don't want to pose as an authority where I'm not. Undoubtedly there are also people that are more knowledgeable about it than I am— hopefully some of them will drop in to help clarify.

Anyway, to @Flex2d: I have the HD 650 and the DT 1990 and I find the DT 1990 to be noticeably better in almost all regards, except perhaps soundstage, which sounds about the same to me. It also doesn't have the beautiful mids-forward presentation of the HD 650, but the mids are still very pleasant and present. A final caveat for the DT 1990 is that the treble is a bit hot, which you may not like if you're treble averse. I think most in the 1990 thread would agree that the treble is bright but generally not piercing or bothersome. It's a really great headphone.

Oh yeah. Almost forgot to mention: my experience is that tubes help widen the DT 1990's soundstage, bring the mids somewhat forward, and temper the treble slightly. Win-win-win. Perfect.

 

[Flex2d]

Like I said there is no clear upgrade unless you want to spend 3-4X the price. A sidegrade is the LCD-2C I mentioned in my first reply. It's a great all-around headphone but warmer than the 6XX. It has slamming bass but the clarity of midrange is less than you get with properly amped 600s.

Amps mentioned above, we probably posted at the same time.

If you are in America you could look at something like a WA2 or one of the dozens of custom amp makers listed in the fullsize amp subsection.

aah ok yes didn't see the post apologies, ok didn't realise the little D MK2 was lacking. I have been doing quite a low of tube rolling within reason

lol my time zone was set wrong, I'm based in the UK.

I have been checking out the little dot mk6 and the 8 but they are quite pricey, and would probably need to sell my little dot mk2 to help fund my adventure

thanks for the advice though, really didn't realise the hd 6XX need 15v
cheers

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I'm sorry, but this is simply wrong.
More voltage (or power) will NOT make things sound better, it ONLY makes things louder. There might be reasons that one amplifier sounds better than another, but those reasons are not due to power or voltage. Quality of power is much more important than quantity of power.
The HD 6XX/650 will go beyond 120dB with 8V. 120dB is loud enough damage your hearing within seconds. Listening at a lower volume means less voltage is used and anything beyond that is essentially wasted. 15V would destroy your ears and then it would probably destroy your headphones.
300mW will also push the HD 6XX/650 beyond 120dB.
Are there better amplifiers than the Little Dot? Perhaps. Probably. I've never heard the Little Dot, so I can't say. But I do know that you don't need more power than it can provide.

I don't generally point this stuff out because I don't want to get drawn into big, drawn-out discussions or, worse, an argument. Also, I don't want to pose as an authority where I'm not. Undoubtedly there are also people that are more knowledgeable about it than I am— hopefully some of them will drop in to help clarify.

Anyway, to @Flex2d: I have the HD 650 and the DT 1990 and I find the DT 1990 to be noticeably better in almost all regards, except perhaps soundstage, which sounds about the same to me. It also doesn't have the beautiful mids-forward presentation of the HD 650, but the mids are still very pleasant and present. A final caveat for the DT 1990 is that the treble is a bit hot, which you may not like if you're treble averse. I think most in the 1990 thread would agree that the treble is bright but generally not piercing or bothersome. It's a really great headphone.

The 300 ohm Sennheisers can get earsplittingly loud without sounding good. I have heard this effect many times and if you look around you'll find I'm not the only one who noticed it. They seem to need an amp that can swing at least 15V to get into the sweet spot. Same thing for 250 ohm Beyers, the effect is very noticeable.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

aah ok yes didn't see the post apologies, ok didn't realise the little D MK2 was lacking. I have been doing quite a low of tube rolling within reason

lol my time zone was set wrong, I'm based in the UK.

I have been checking out the little dot mk6 and the 8 but they are quite pricey, and would probably need to sell my little dot mk2 to help fund my adventure

thanks for the advice though, really didn't realise the hd 6XX need 15v
cheers

In the UK then check out Jan Meier's Corda Jazz-ff which is sold in Germany. It's a solid state amp, rated at 15V, and does a really fine job with my 600s.

 

[Flex2d]

In the UK then check out Jan Meier's Corda Jazz-ff which is sold in Germany. It's a solid state amp, rated at 15V, and does a really fine job with my 600s.

thanks will take a look

cheers