[seals]

Hey guys,
 
I've had quite a few medium-range iems, but I think it's time to finally get a nice home setup. At this point I think I'm going to get the HD-600s, especially given the $300 price tag. I have a few questions though, since I'm really new to full-size cans.
 
Disclaimer: I am not a hard-core audiophile by any means. Minor differences of a few percent won't have any effect on me, as I don't mind. Please keep this in mind when answering my questions below.
 
1) Is a $100 amp good enough to get optimal sound quality out of them? If so, which amp would be recommended?
2) If I have them plugged into an amp, does it matter what source the sound is coming from? For example, I would like to use them while on my macbook air. Would the lack of a dedicated audio card make them sound horrible, or is this nullified by the amp?
3) Is 320 kbps audio good enough for these? I'm guessing 128 kbps would sound pretty bad?
4) Is amazon an okay place to purchase these? I swear I remember reading something a long time back about there being chinese knock-offs being sold as the legit thing there, but maybe I'm imaging things...
 
Thanks so much!

 

[jbarrentine]

1) Questionable. Technically yes, but in practice no. They will sound "thin" but serviceable out of a lesser amp. Of course you won't notice it until you get a better amp. So ignorance is bliss. heh.
2) Should be fine. 
3) Yes. Yes.
4) Yes it's fine. There might have been knock-offs in an isolated incidence, but that's not standard Amazon fare. 
 
The 600 is a very nice headphone. 

 

[seals]

  1) Questionable. Technically yes, but in practice no. They will sound "thin" but serviceable out of a lesser amp. Of course you won't notice it until you get a better amp. So ignorance is bliss. heh.
2) Should be fine. 
3) Yes. Yes.
4) Yes it's fine. There might have been knock-offs in an isolated incidence, but that's not standard Amazon fare. 
 
The 600 is a very nice headphone. 

What would be the best bang-for-your-buck amp for these then? I'd like to spend as little as possible while maximizing sound quality, but guess I'd be willing to go up to ~$200 if it really has a big effect on the quality.

 

[jbarrentine]

 
What would be the best bang-for-your-buck amp for these then? I'd like to spend as little as possible while maximizing sound quality, but guess I'd be willing to go up to ~$200 if it really has a big effect on the quality.

 
I jumped that price point myself. Hopefully others will chime in with what they believe. 

 

[jbarrentine]

I'm going to throw this out there as well: Have you looked at the Philips X2? You wouldn't need amp and they are precisely in the hd600/hd650 performance territory. I personally haven't heard them but the reviews and general reception of the X2 has been really good.

 

[Shaffer]

Hey guys,

I've had quite a few medium-range iems, but I think it's time to finally get a nice home setup. At this point I think I'm going to get the HD-600s, especially given the $300 price tag. I have a few questions though, since I'm really new to full-size cans.

Disclaimer: I am not a hard-core audiophile by any means. Minor differences of a few percent won't have any effect on me, as I don't mind. Please keep this in mind when answering my questions below.

1) Is a $100 amp good enough to get optimal sound quality out of them? Optimal? No way! If so, which amp would be recommended? Max budget?
2) If I have them plugged into an amp, does it matter what source the sound is coming from?Yes, very much so. For example, I would like to use them while on my macbook air. Would the lack of a dedicated audio card make them sound horrible, or is this nullified by the amp? The amp will reproduce what's fed into it from the source.
3) Is 320 kbps audio good enough for these? No, but since you don't care that much, you'll likely be happy with 320 I'm guessing 128 kbps would sound pretty bad? Yes
4) Is amazon an okay place to purchase these? Yes I swear I remember reading something a long time back about there being chinese knock-offs being sold as the legit thing there, but maybe I'm imaging things... Could have come from an outside vendor, if it actually happened

Thanks so much! Good luck

...in bold.

 

[seals]

...in bold.

Absolute max for an amp would be $300, but I could only justify that if it gave HUGE improvements over a $200 amp (my realistic limit).

 

[Shaffer]

Absolute max for an amp would be $300, but I could only justify that if it gave HUGE improvements over a $200 amp (my realistic limit).

Look for a used Matrix M-Stage in the site classifieds. It should run ~$150.

 

[Sefelt103]

Disclaimer: I am not a hard-core audiophile by any means.

You might consider an alternative to the HD600 then as this is an audiophile headphone. Perhaps a HD598 with less intimate soundstage and no need for an amplifier.

1) Is a $100 amp good enough to get optimal sound quality out of them? If so, which amp would be recommended?

A relatively cheap amplifier is JDS Labs O2, it is however very neutral (a wire with gain), IDK how much these are. A non audiophile might consider this a little too flat especially with the HD600.

2) If I have them plugged into an amp, does it matter what source the sound is coming from? For example, I would like to use them while on my macbook air. Would the lack of a dedicated audio card make them sound horrible, or is this nullified by the amp?

If the amplifier is neutral then what you will hear from the HD600 is going to be an accurate representation of the recording. So yes the source matters considerably. IDK how good the HO is on a MacBook Air, probably will be disappointing with the HD600, similar to an iPod or iPad which is OK but the HD600 can scale up further.

3) Is 320 kbps audio good enough for these? I'm guessing 128 kbps would sound pretty bad?

A HD600 will be best with lossless files but you could listen to 320kbps without losing that much. 128kbps is for mobile, noisy locales with IEMs and earbuds. The HD600 or HD598 will dislike these and the more quality amplifiers and DACs you introduce the worse your headphones will sound.

4) Is amazon an okay place to purchase these? I swear I remember reading something a long time back about there being chinese knock-offs being sold as the legit thing there, but maybe I'm imaging things...

I imaginge amazon is a safe place to purchase.

Your choice really comes down to how much you are an audiophile or whether you are just after reasonably good quality. The HD600 can be driven by an iPod but won't give their best. They are pure headphones that like non-colouring amplifiers just get out of the way. All you are left hearing is a precise rendition of your music files. Many people prefer amplifiers and headphones that 'enhance' or distort the music in some pleasing way. The HD600 produces a very lifelike, intimate sound. Some prefer more soundstage from headphones like the AKG K701 or a more aggresive tone which is catered for by other brands.

 

[rpaul]

Unless you're planning on eventually building up to a system that's able to make the most of the HD600,and you'd rather not bother with the wallet-ache of this (overpriced) hobby, you may be better off with the Phillips X2 as others have mentioned. It's great unamped, and after trying it out I can see why many consider it specifically to be a "more fun" alternative to the HD600. Good price now on Amazon as well. Worth giving it a listen to see for yourself.

 

[thefitz]

Forgive me for hijacking this thread, but I recently happened upon a pair of HD600s and love them.
 
I was also amazed at how good they sounded through my phone's headphone jack, which made me wonder about a preamp. I'm using these headphones with my home theatre system - do I need a headphone amplifier if I have them plugged into my home theatre receiver's headphone jack? They're really, really loud as-is.

 

[inthere]

  Forgive me for hijacking this thread, but I recently happened upon a pair of HD600s and love them.
 
I was also amazed at how good they sounded through my phone's headphone jack, which made me wonder about a preamp. I'm using these headphones with my home theatre system - do I need a headphone amplifier if I have them plugged into my home theatre receiver's headphone jack? They're really, really loud as-is.

 Probably not, some receivers have really powerful headphone outs.

 

[TsukiNick]

You might want to check out the HD598.  A Schiit Magni covers all your amping needs though, I use it with my HD800s and LCD-2s and people saying you need better is ridiculous.

 

  Forgive me for hijacking this thread, but I recently happened upon a pair of HD600s and love them.
 
I was also amazed at how good they sounded through my phone's headphone jack, which made me wonder about a preamp. I'm using these headphones with my home theatre system - do I need a headphone amplifier if I have them plugged into my home theatre receiver's headphone jack? They're really, really loud as-is.

As long as the receiver doesn't have some ridiculous 120ohm impedance output you should be covered.  I've used the Yamaha RX-V473 for flagships when I wanted Yamaha's silent cinema and I used Onkyo and Sony receivers for a long time before I got the Schiit Magni.