O2 AMP + ODAC

[Solrighal]

Excellent post my friend

 

[BrettMatthews]

Just sent the payment for my new Desktop O2/ODAC, should pair well with my HE-400's that are on the way!

 

[Solrighal]

Just sent the payment for my new Desktop O2/ODAC, should pair well with my HE-400's that are on the way!

Enjoy

 

[Solrighal]

I've been listening to my brand new HD650's for six hours now. My previous best were my Q701's. The Q's don't really compete to my ears, and by quite some margin. Unity gain on the O2 provides ample power to drive these but I really am hearing things I've never heard before. The Senn's have real body to their sound, weight.

I'm thinking it won't get much better than this

 

[Xenophon]

Enjoy them, never heard them myself but from the reviews I gather they sound relaxed and warm with slightly elevated mid bass. Maybe a bit like my HE-500 although those are probably faster. Wait a few months and then try something lighter, more transparent and with bigger soundstage for contrast, if you want to stick with Senn, the HD-800 for instance. Or in my preferred brand, the HE-6 though that will def. Demand much more power than what your present setup can deliver. I know the 'can't get much better' tune (evil grin). If you like the HD 650 sound then I'm pretty sure you'll dig tube amps too.

 

[AsianBatman]

I've been listening to my brand new HD650's for six hours now. My previous best were my Q701's. The Q's don't really compete to my ears, and by quite some margin. Unity gain on the O2 provides ample power to drive these but I really am hearing things I've never heard before. The Senn's have real body to their sound, weight.

I'm thinking it won't get much better than this

 
Money well spent :]

 

[Solrighal]

Thanks guys. Famous Blue Raincoat by Jennifer Warnes sounds better on these than anything I've heard before. I know valves are supposed to work well for the HD650's and I'll definitely be picking one up (maybe Lyr from what I read) but I'm getting new cables first.

I think I'm gonna hit Forza Audio Works because their cables look well made and they're European so no import tax for me. They also only seem to offer copper cables but I think copper meant to be warmer than silver so should be better matched to the warmth I'm hearing. I'd hate to add silver cables and end up losing the very qualities that make me love this sound. Did I mention the sound? Liquid mids.

Something like this should suffice...

http://forzaaudioworks.com/en/product.php?id_product=68

The only thing I don't like about these aftermarket cables is that they look heavy. Can anyone comment on this?

 

[r010159]

I've been listening to my brand new HD650's for six hours now. My previous best were my Q701's. The Q's don't really compete to my ears, and by quite some margin. Unity gain on the O2 provides ample power to drive these but I really am hearing things I've never heard before. The Senn's have real body to their sound, weight.

I'm thinking it won't get much better than this

Tell me more on what you like of the HD650s? I wonder how they compare to my DT880s? I am happy to hear that you are enjoying your new setup. I am right now listening to the Brandenburg Concertos.

 

[Solrighal]

I can only really compare the Senn's to the Q701's as they're the only other audiophile headphones I have experience of.

The Senn's have just as much detail - possibly even more - but it comes out of a darker background. I think the HD650's are better throughout the frequency range with a much better delivery at the extremes. Bass is much fuller and feels more connected to the rest of the music. The treble sounds lesser at first but that seems to be more because treble from the Q's is so far over the top. The treble is sweet and never sharp unless the recording is already.

The mids & vocals are superb! Liquid smooth, like oil.

The 650's don't have such an expansive soundstage as the Q's but the flip-side is a much more cohesive presentation of small groups/locations. I've heard it said that the Sennheiser's have a "three blob headstage" but I don't hear it that way.

Music seems much more organic to me, both acoustic & electronic. My O2 has gains of 1x/3x and Unity is fine for everything I've played. You'd have to be deaf to require more volume.

As far as comfort is concerned the HD650's win hands down. I find them to be extremely comfortable, the best I've worn. A complaint I often read is that they have too much clamping force. I don't find this to be the case, ymmv.

I actually want a new cable but I'm going to need to be careful as, for the first time, I'm looking to not change the sound at all. Actually, if I could find an extension cable which wouldn't degrade the sound that would do me. Perhaps later, once these are fully burned-in, I'll be more able to choose a direction of travel.

This will sound a bit mad and it's not scientific but the HD650's feel as though they could swallow a lot more power.

I know these are supposed to like a nice valve amplifier and to this end I hope to buy something from Schiit. People seem to rave about the Crack but DIY is not one of my strong points and it's a bit expensive.

One important aspect of the Sennheiser's is sound isolation/leakage, loads of it. I know it & now my wife knows it so the whole shooting match is getting packed up and moved to the guest room. This means I need to find a monitor or attempt running headless via Splash top on my iPad. We'll see.

Either way, I know these are the headphones for me.

 

[Xenophon]

If you get the Forza cable, do share your opinion as they look well constructed to me, thinking of getting one for my hifiman cans. And no crap with duty and vat if I get them shipped to Europe. Sitting at the airport now, listening to Bach (not the Brandenburg concertos but the musical offering), sadly not on my normal cans but with my parrot zik nc bluetooth headphones. Couple of long flights ahead....

 

[Solrighal]

If you get the Forza cable, do share your opinion as they look well constructed to me, thinking of getting one for my hifiman cans. And no crap with duty and vat if I get them shipped to Europe. Sitting at the airport now, listening to Bach (not the Brandenburg concertos but the musical offering), sadly not on my normal cans but with my parrot zik nc bluetooth headphones. Couple of long flights ahead....

I'll do that if I go for them. I'm concerned that the Forza might be a bulky obtrusive cable because one of the great aspects of th 650's is their comfort. I don't want to compromise that.

Anyone want to buy a well looked after one month old pair of AKG Q701's?

 

[MaciekN]

Zorrofox, just so you know - the long 300 ohm voice coil of your HD650's is made of pure aluminium. I would guess that even 3 meters of aftermarket cable would yield little difference electrically.

 

[Solrighal]

Zorrofox, just so you know - the long 300 ohm voice coil of your HD650's is made of pure aluminium. I would guess that even 3 meters of aftermarket cable would yield little difference electrically.

Thank you very much, I'm looking for something pretty right now. Why is aluminium the deciding factor, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[Solrighal]

The postie just delivered my new knob from Mayflower Electronics in New York.

Happy days

Sorry Walter

 

[r010159]

I would suggest an EQ for your J River player. There are some pro level ones out there. J River now supports 64-bit plugins. I think you will get more our of this than any change of cables. I am happy that you are getting so much from your setup including your headphones. Music can make life a little more tolerable!