After months of saving i finally managed to buy a Senheisser HD650 off the eBay. It is a slightly used one but i am so happy that i managed to buy it. It is not really the Senheisser HD650, it is called Massdrop HD6XX version to be precise and i read that it is the same thing. I am so excited and waiting patiently to get it shipped. While i was waiting few thoughts came to my mind since this is somewhere 300 Ohms and i don't think it will work with my laptop or phones earphone jack. Since my job involve travelling i thought of doing a bit of research and finding a cheap affordable headphone amp to power this so when i am away i can listen to it.
Any recommendations...?
At the moment i can't afford super expensive ones so start with the budget ones you know. I checked out few things on my own by searching the eBay and came across CMOY.
can CMOY drive the HD650?
Hi there,
I have the CMoyBB from JDS Labs (same one that's reviewed in that Headfonia article) and it drives my HD 650 just fine. Maybe not the most resolving, etc., but I think it'd be absolutely perfect for a beginner amp.
To be honest (and I know this is going to fly in the face of everything that's been said in this thread), but you might, maybe, if you're lucky be able to use the HD 650 with your laptop of desktop PC with no amp. I used mine with my old Mac Mini before I got an amp an I was amazed at how good it sounded. I could hardly believe that it could get better... It does get better, though. Again, it's not going to be the most ideal setup, but it'll work till you can get together enough money to buy a better amp.
Also, I don't know why we're assuming that the headphone output on your receiver has a 470 Ohm output impedance. What headphone would that be able to drive? My guess is that it's able to drive headphones up to 470 Ohms. Anyway, for the time being that's neither here nor there. When you get your headphones in the mail, plug them into your receiver and see if you like the sound. Easy as that! Of course, start with a low volume and turn it off if it seems like something is going wrong. Same applies to trying it with any amp or your PC or phone.
I would agree with the others that if you're going to use the headphones with your phone that you should get a DAC/amp. Most phones aren't going to be able to drive a 300 Ohm load (well, there are some that will, but not many. LG and HTC flagships are the only ones that come to mind, but I haven't ever put much thought into it), and using just an amp is likely to make the whole thing sound worse rather than better. I can recommend the AudioQuest Dragonfly Red ($200), but can't speak to any others.
...Speaking of using them with your phone: you do realize that the HD 6XX are in no way portable, right? They're bulky and don't fold up, but most importantly they're open back and will let in all sound. Everybody will also be able to hear everything you're listening to as well. That being said, they're absolutely stellar for home listening (and there used to be a guy I'd see near my job that wore his HD 650s out and about, so it
can be done, but...).
Happy listening!
PS-- as I was typing this I got a
notification that somebody had replied to the HD 650/6XX thread... turns out that it was somebody talking about how good the 6XX sounds directly out of their laptop. What a coincidence!