[S3nsoryDeprivati0n]

Yeah, I feel a little bad; you were so excited about your headphones arriving, and it seems like we were just trying to overwhelm you But the HD6xx are sweet (used to be expensive) headphones, and you want to keep them in good shape for a while at least. An amp with too much power isn't a concern, but an amp without enough can cause some damage and at the least just won't bring out the best in the HD6xx.

There is a great "Headphone Power Calculator" at https://drive.google.com/open?authuser=0&id=1tW4zzgWtIYpLCrMmrmagNpRL7BBX_5-oqNHuacJyhgs

Punch in your Heaphones impedance and sensitivity, and the Vrms of the amp you are thinking of buying/using , and it will tell you if the amp has enough for the HD6xx.

With the low prices of DACs and AMPs these days, you might as well get something that drives the HD6xx at optimal levels.

I used an iBasso DX90 (DAC/AMP) with HD650s. DX90 has 2.8Vrms on high gain, just barely enough, and I had to push the volume up to about 70% to drive the HD650s to a suitable volume, I don't like to push much past 50%, so I ended up with a headphone amp.

 

[megabigeye]

Really? Weird. That seems incredibly high. I mean, maybe it'd work for some 600 Ohm Beyers?
Sorry. I thought you were inferring from his/her slightly awkward grammar.

Anyway. It wouldn't hurt for nofacemonster to at least try it.

I'll reiterate: this doesn't need to be complicated. You don't need to worry about output impedances or volts RMS or any other technical stuff.
Plug it into whatever you want! Does it sound okay to you? No? Too bad, move onto the next thing you can plug it into. Sound good now? Yes? Cool! Enjoy! Want to see what your headphones are capable of? Save money and buy something with a whole bunch of tubes sticking out that could heat a village in Iceland.

People like to make like listening to decent headphones has to be some complicated affair. It really, really doesn't.

 

[nofacemonster]

While i am still waiting to have the HD650 in went through lot of threads and reviews about amps that pair well with it. I came across this "Bravo Ocean" tube hybrid amplifier with 12AU7 stock tube. I was just wondering how well this will work with HD650. I read on few threads that it does well and it has tube sound. I love tubey laid back warm sound signature and i was thinking of buying this. What are you thoughts on it....? good or bad?

 

[Zulkr9]

There is a misconception between high impedance = hard to drive/inefficient that is actually untrue it has to do more with Sensitivity of headphones which are rated like xx db/mw, The hd650 is actually pretty efficient I had good results with a fiio e12 you can look into that amp if it fits your budget, it is more expensive than a cmoy though.

 

[Zulkr9]

While i am still waiting to have the HD650 in went through lot of threads and reviews about amps that pair well with it. I came across this "Bravo Ocean" tube hybrid amplifier with 12AU7 stock tube. I was just wondering how well this will work with HD650. I read on few threads that it does well and it has tube sound. I love tubey laid back warm sound signature and i was thinking of buying this. What are you thoughts on it....? good or bad?

I'd also like to point out the HD650 scales fantastically, if you spend a bit more on your amplification it might be rewarding, and I suggested an E12 because you did mention that you move around alot, that amp is portable.

 

[Me x3]

FiiO A5 is the successor of FiiO E12 and E12A combining their strengths.

 

[megabigeye]

Yeah, I've had success driving mine with the E12A. Sounded very good for the price, I thought.

 

[nofacemonster]

Lol.... I just saw this in Reddit.... This means we head-fiers are crazy....

 

[nofacemonster]

I just got my hands on the HD650 and HELL!!! that is some amazing sound i can't believe my ears and what i am hearing....! seriously fellas, people on head-fi and audiokarma were right, High end headphones do takes you to a "Musical Heaven". I thought of writing down everything which i have tried and worked.

#1. HP 14-B031TU sleekbook with IDT High definition onboard sound
Honestly, i don't have much to compare so i connected the HD650 to this and it sounds pretty amazing. I use Foobar with Wasapi and my favorite track from Electric Ladyland remastered flac. "VOODOO CHILE". It sure brings jimi hendrix to life....! The notebook it self can drive the headphones so loud i can't listen to it at that volume levels. So i keep the volume slider around 90% and foobar volume slider 50% 60% depending on the track. If it's loud enough then it is driving them right....?

#2. iPhone 5S ( My wife's )
so far the best portable choice i have. Drive them pretty loud at 90% volume and sounds awesome too.

#3. Matisse Clone 6N3 tube amp with GE JAN5670 tubes (preamp) + super cheap Class-D Lepy amplifier with a headphone jack + Laptop as my source
Unbelievable, 100% volume on foobar, 90% on windows volume slider, 100% Volume up on 6N3 Tube amp, 40% to 50% on CLASS-D Lepy amp. Sounds outstanding, volume levels are super high.

#4. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI
Sound quality is good but not powerful enough to drive HD650. Listenable at full volume.


What do you think my friends....? if it's loud enough then it is driving at least 80% well right....? i think i can live with these until i buy a dedicated headphone amp for HD650 (Hopefully with a dac). I gave up the idea of looking for portability because HD650 is super huge....! carrying it around from hotel to hotel and losing it on the way will make me want to commit suicide so i thought i will leave it alone at home. Any suggestions for a TUBE or hybrid option....? i think tubes sounds amazing on HD650.

 

[megabigeye]

So glad they're working for you with your current (lack of) setup!

I don't have any specific recommendations for tube amps, just be patient with your research, take what most people say with a grain of salt, and enjoy your new headphones in the meantime!

 

[nofacemonster]

So glad they're working for you with your current (lack of) setup!

I don't have any specific recommendations for tube amps, just be patient with your research, take what most people say with a grain of salt, and enjoy your new headphones in the meantime!

I am glad too. If the sound volume is the reason why i need an amplifier, i really don't think i need one because beyond 40% on my current setup, i can't listen to it. It's too much volume.

 

[megabigeye]

I'm not going to pretend to understand any of the science behind it, but that response from JDS Labs seems a little bizarre to me. It's like they're saying "Headphones loud enough? Then don't buy our product!" I guess that's better than peddling snake oil? Better for you, anyway.

It's probably most accurate to say an amp doesn't change how the headphone sounds, but a good amp can show what a headphone is capable of. That improvement can be pretty subtle, though, and it's especially subtle when you're first starting out and have little/nothing to compare to. It's also one of those things that's easier to notice after the fact. I don't think it's at all uncommon to not hear much difference when first switching from a low end amp (or other gear) to a nicer one, but then noticing the difference when you switch back to the low end amp.
Of course, an amp can start to show off the limitations of your source, too, which can lead to upset expectations.

Anyway, like I said: take your time and enjoy your new 'phones! They're good ones!

 

[nofacemonster]

I'm not going to pretend to understand any of the science behind it, but that response from JDS Labs seems a little bizarre to me. It's like they're saying "Headphones loud enough? Then don't buy our product!" I guess that's better than peddling snake oil? Better for you, anyway.

It's probably most accurate to say an amp doesn't change how the headphone sounds, but a good amp can show what a headphone is capable of. That improvement can be pretty subtle, though, and it's especially subtle when you're first starting out and have little/nothing to compare to. It's also one of those things that's easier to notice after the fact. I don't think it's at all uncommon to not hear much difference when first switching from a low end amp (or other gear) to a nicer one, but then noticing the difference when you switch back to the low end amp.
Of course, an amp can start to show off the limitations of your source, too, which can lead to upset expectations.

Anyway, like I said: take your time and enjoy your new 'phones! They're good ones!

Couldn't agree more on what you said about going from better to worse. It's like listening to music on my onboard sound flat and suddenly switching on Dolby V2 Enhancements, then listen to that for a while and then switch it off. Suddenly i notice the difference but when i switched it on, i never really noticed it. Thanks for the good advice.... yes i want to buy an amp but Bottlehead Crack and Magni 3's are pretty far from where i am right now. Bottlehead crack is way to expensive even as a DIY kit. I am looking in to Fiio or maybe Bravo Audio Ocean tube hybrid for the time being. But i am still not sure.