[Jzbass25]

Hey guys, awhile back I spent the money to get a pair of Hd600s and a JDS labs O2, re-ripped my music to 320kbps and now I'm looking for an upgrade.
 
Should I go for a new amp, I hear tube amps like the schiit amps work amazing for the HD600s, but I'm wondering if I should get a DAC or an Amp upgrade (or both =P). My DAC is just an M-Audio Fast Track interface. I would sort of like a DAC that could accept optical so I could play my PS3 over headphones but that's besides the point, I just want to listen to my music in great quality.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

If you still have the ODAC then just get a new amp, but are you sure you're into/that curious about tubes? You can just get the O2 to match the ODAC.

 

[Jzbass25]

Crap I meant I have an O2 not an ODAC

 

[HamilcarBarca]

Quote:

Crap I meant I have an O2 not an ODAC

 
If you have an O2, a tube amplifier is an upgrade only if you want a colored (tube audio) output.

 

[mojorific]

Switching to a tube amp is a bigger jump in sound quality than switching DAC's.  I recommend the Schiit Valhalla, or build your own bottlehead crack (the more fun option).  It's very satisfying to build and then listen to your own tube amp.  (http://www.bottlehead.com)
 
If you want both, then perhaps an Essence One, with the option of upgrading to a tube amp later for a warmer sound.

 

[Jzbass25]

I have the ability to build my own amp but would you say one is better than the other?
 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Crap I meant I have an O2 not an ODAC

 
Quote:

I have the ability to build my own amp but would you say one is better than the other?

 
Some circuits are better than others, yes; but at some point if the cans aren't transparent enough and yet are efficient enough diminishing returns will kick in at a much harsher curve. Between the O2 and a random, typical tube amp though personally I wouldn't bother with the latter anymore since you have the O2. But if you can build a Crack then that's worth looking into.
 
However at this point in time a DAC might serve you better since that's what you don't have (I'm assuming you're using your PC's soundcard), so maybe you should try the ODAC first.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Hey guys, awhile back I spent the money to get a pair of Hd600s and a JDS labs O2, re-ripped my music to 320kbps and now I'm looking for an upgrade.
 
Should I go for a new amp, I hear tube amps like the schiit amps work amazing for the HD600s, but I'm wondering if I should get a DAC or an Amp upgrade (or both =P). My DAC is just an M-Audio Fast Track interface. I would sort of like a DAC that could accept optical so I could play my PS3 over headphones but that's besides the point, I just want to listen to my music in great quality.

I'm assuming you using the Sony PS3 for gaming and movies and would like the best possible surround sound for them (using headphones).
I would say invest in a used A/V receiver and it would need HDMI connections, hopefully a Yamaha receiver because they usually come with Silent Cinema.
Silent Cinema is Yamaha's own headphone surround sound tech.
You would run HDMI from the PS3 to the receiver and then HDMI from the receiver to your TV.
HDMI would give you 7.1 (8-channels) of PCM (uncompressed) 24-bit/192Khz digital audio.
(optical is limited to 5.1 of compressed 24-bit/48Khz digital audio.
You could then plug the Senn HD600 straight into the receiver for gaming or movies.
So you would not need to use the O2 for gaming or movies.
 
What source(s) do you play your music from?

 

[Jzbass25]

My DAC is the M-audio protrack like I said, my music is from my pc -> usb m-audio device -> O2-> Hd600. I do technically need a better DAC but like I said I'm on the fence between a new amp or a new DAC because I hear many people loving tube amps with their hd600s and I've also heard many things like what mojorific said where an amp upgrade would be a bigger improvement at this time over a DAC.
 
The features like surround or ps3 connectivity really don't make or break the deal, I really am just looking to see if I can get any improvement in music playback, I have been wondering if a more tone colored amp would add to the musicality of the playback whereas if I am recording a track I can use the O2 for that neutral tone.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

My DAC is the M-audio protrack like I said, my music is from my pc -> usb m-audio device -> O2-> Hd600. I do technically need a better DAC but like I said I'm on the fence between a new amp or a new DAC because I hear many people loving tube amps with their hd600s and I've also heard many things like what mojorific said where an amp upgrade would be a bigger improvement at this time over a DAC.
 
The features like surround or ps3 connectivity really don't make or break the deal, I really am just looking to see if I can get any improvement in music playback, I have been wondering if a more tone colored amp would add to the musicality of the playback whereas if I am recording a track I can use the O2 for that neutral tone.

Creative X-Fi Titanium HD sound card, $125 at Amazon, PCM1794 DAC chip, card comes with S/PDIF Toslink optical input and you can connect the O2 amp. to the Titanium HD's RCA outputs,
Is the PC near the PS3?
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Titanium-Internal-SB1270/dp/B0041OUA38

 

[Jzbass25]

Hmm at that price I may be able to do an amp and a DAC. Also yeah the ps3 is literally right next to my PC