[niranhopper]

E7 + E9 + HD600

 

[DanielofDenmark]

After a google search and a head-fi search I only have one question. What is this "Dynalo"? I assume it's a headphone amp, but where can I buy it, and read something about it?
 
There seem to be a lot of "HD 6x0" recommendations - are these really that good?
 
Quote:

I'll re-post UncleEric's excellent reply to a similar thread asking about the best way to spend $1,200 on a rig.  Take off the $600 speakers and it will be in your price range.  I also listen to HD600 more than any other headphone I own, including RS-1 & D7000.
 
"$1,200?

I'd pick up the Magnepan MMG for $600 and spend $50 or so for an old receiver. $200 for a used Sennheiser HD-600, $300 for one of the new Dynalos, and whatever is left for a modest DAC.

You'd get a pretty damn good intro to speakers and headphones."

 

 

[eucariote]

You can read about the dynalo amps here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/461997/lost-link-to-a-dynalo-amp
http://www.djgardner.com/headphone/gilmore/
http://www.headamp.com/home_amps/gs1/index.htm
http://www.headamp.com/home_amps/lite/index.htm
 
I love my HD600s, David Mahler puts them in perspective- by far the cheapest in production headphones in his top ten:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/524569/review-20-headphones-compared

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

 
I haven't heard too many dacs/amps,

Indeed, going by what you write too.

 

[charliex]

Quote:

 
I would not spend more than $200 on a dac/amp combo. Spending $400 on dac/amp and $200 on headphones is just silly.
 
My D1 has had zero problem driving the K702s with very extensive bass. Headphones like the Ultrasone Pro 900 are very easy to drive as well, and any cheap amp should do fairly well. Again, spending over half your budget on amping is silly. The majority of your budget should be headphones.An HD650 is going to sound 10x better than an HD555, no matter how well the HD555 is amped. 

I totally disagree - proper  amping is essential.  I would most definitely go $400 for a Dac/Amp and $200 for lets say the HD 600's.
Spending over half of your budget on amping is highly recommended.!

 

[matthewh133]

Quote:

I totally disagree - proper  amping is essential.  I would most definitely go $400 for a Dac/Amp and $200 for lets say the HD 600's.
Spending over half of your budget on amping is highly recommended.!
 

I agree with this. The HD650s sound stunning from the Audio-GD FUN, I'm sure the HD600 would too.

 

[olor1n]

Quote:

 
There seem to be a lot of "HD 6x0" recommendations - are these really that good?
 

With a tight budget, I'd go the NFB-12/11/Sparrow + HD600. This is based on the assumption the "lesser" Audio-GD combos are somewhat comparable to the Fun (minus the opamp rolling) and the HD600 is as good as it's made out to be. If you can stretch the budget to obtain gear to last in the longer term, I'd recommend the HD650 + Fun with at least the Earth and Moon hdams. Both configurations sound great and will allow you to tailor the sound to your preference.

 

[Sophonax]

One of the best, most versatile headphone / amp combos I've heard was the Beyer DT880/600 and a Schiit Valhalla.  The Valhalla may be a bit pricey for what you're looking at ($350), but the build is solid and it really makes the 600-ohm Beyers sing.  Bass on this setup is pretty deep (no problems reaching down to 30 Hz, possibly even farther) and taut.
 
The problem with this suggestion is that it unfortunately doesn't leave much if any money left for a DAC -- your best bet would probably be to try to pick up a NuForce uDAC-2 for around $100, making the total system cost come in at about $700.  That's not too far beyond your budget, so looking around in the used market would definitely make this a feasible option.

 

[desktophifi]

Quote:

My setup came to just a bit more than $600 retail.  But check out the FS forum, that's where everyone on a budget should start.
 

 
Seconded. 
You can find real bargains there. Worth taking a look at it. 
 
Regarding hp's, i would recommend the HD600/650's also. 

 

 

[misformatt]

The Nuforce Icon HD at $350 is an excellent entry amp/dac combo--especially if you're looking for a quality usb input.  With $250 left to spare, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the HD600/HD650, AKG K701/2, Denon AH-D2000, and the Beyerdynamic DT770/600/250.  I've used all of these with my HDP, and they've all been driven without a hiccup.  Since you're looking for something a bit warmer/bassier, I'd probably avoid the AKGs.  If you like warmer mids, I'd look at the HD600/650 and the DT770/600.  If you'd like better bass extension (but not impact necessarily), I'd recommend either the AH-D2000 or the DT770/250.  The Denons are the easiest to drive of the lot by far, with the DT770/600 being significantly harder to drive than the rest.  The others all fall in the middle and require roughly the same amount of gain on my HDP.  Even though the DT770/600 is a tough load to drive, I never exceed 2 o'clock on the volume pot before reaching insane levels.  That said, if I had to go with just one pair, I'd probably want the HD600, as it is an excellent all-rounder.

 

[matchuk28]

Quote:

seconded i was originally going for the sparrow tho however for an extra 100 you can replace op amps and use the amp as a preamp which saves u in the long run
 
 
Originally Posted by olor1n /img/forum/go_quote.gif




 
With a tight budget, I'd go the NFB-12/11/Sparrow + HD600. This is based on the assumption the "lesser" Audio-GD combos are somewhat comparable to the Fun (minus the opamp rolling) and the HD600 is as good as it's made out to be. If you can stretch the budget to obtain gear to last in the longer term, I'd recommend the HD650 + Fun with at least the Earth and Moon hdams. Both configurations sound great and will allow you to tailor the sound to your preference.

 

[DanielofDenmark]

 
 
Thanks for all of the inputs guys - I really appreciate it. It seems like the Audio-GD products and the Sennheiser HD 6x0's are very good choices. I will definitely take them into consideration. 
However, I have often found - especially with the IE8, that Sennheiser products aren't necessarily bad, but not that great value. You get what you pay for, but not really anything more. Although it seems like the 600 and up are very good contenders in their price ranges - am I right about this?

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

 
Thanks for all of the inputs guys - I really appreciate it. It seems like the Audio-GD products and the Sennheiser HD 6x0's are very good choices. I will definitely take them into consideration. 
However, I have often found - especially with the IE8, that Sennheiser products aren't necessarily bad, but not that great value. You get what you pay for, but not really anything more. Although it seems like the 600 and up are very good contenders in their price ranges - am I right about this?

Yeah I agree, Sennheiser has gone up a lot in price over the past few years. The HD580 when I bought it new at amazon cost me $115 a few years back. They have since discontinued the HD580 in favor of the more fancier looking HD600 which is basically the same headphone for $300+
 
I've owned the Sennheiser HD580/600 in the past and they're very nice, detailed headphones albeit slightly recessed (set back) to my liking and because of this I found them lacking for anything bass demanding... I had them hooked up to a Singlepower PPX3 Tube amp so power wasn't an issue.

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

 
 
Thanks for all of the inputs guys - I really appreciate it. It seems like the Audio-GD products and the Sennheiser HD 6x0's are very good choices. I will definitely take them into consideration. 
However, I have often found - especially with the IE8, that Sennheiser products aren't necessarily bad, but not that great value. You get what you pay for, but not really anything more. Although it seems like the 600 and up are very good contenders in their price ranges - am I right about this?

 
In full-size headphones there is immense value with the 600s or 650s (YMMV with European prices).  I think there is enough literature on head-fi for me to omit further elaboration.  Don't compare the value of the IE8 with these cans, it's a whole different arena.  In my experience, after the re-zeros, more or less everything in the IEM market has had some serious diminishing returns.
 
As for the above post, the $520 MSRP HD600s are routinely sold on Head-fi for about $230.  HD650s ($650 MSRP) for $270.  I bought my HD650s from an authorized dealer brand new for $320 including shipping, OP you may be able to get them to ship international.

 

[DanielofDenmark]

I'm very glad to hear that.
 
Would you mind me asking what dealer that was?
 
Quote:

Quote:
 
In full-size headphones there is immense value with the 600s or 650s (YMMV with European prices).  I think there is enough literature on head-fi for me to omit further elaboration.  Don't compare the value of the IE8 with these cans, it's a whole different arena.  In my experience, after the re-zeros, more or less everything in the IEM market has had some serious diminishing returns.
 
As for the above post, the $520 MSRP HD600s are routinely sold on Head-fi for about $230.  HD650s ($650 MSRP) for $270.  I bought my HD650s from an authorized dealer brand new for $320 including shipping, OP you may be able to get them to ship international.