[hassy500]

Hi everyone:

Hope you can help a newbie out. Auditioned some Grado 325's with RA-1 amp and found them too "bright". Fell in love with some Senn 600's, but now I need amp ideas. Price up to $600, much jazz (horn and precussion) and classic rock working at mid-plus volume with an emphasis on soundstage and accuracy. Or should I spend less on the cans and more on amps/connects?


Thanks,


hassy500

 

[HighwayStar]

Welcome to Head-Fi ! Sorry about the wallet...

You might want to consider the RA-1 for your Senns, there are quite a few proponents here of that combo. In fact Grado has released a new high gain RA-1 specifically for high ohm cans. Our own Todd the Vinyl Junkie carries it here...

There are many amps compatible with the Senns, both tube & solid state. What's your preference ? If you use the search tool, you'll find plenty of information & opinions...

 

[hassy500]

done a little more research:

The Emmeline XP-7 seems to be a universal bang-for-buck fav and a great performer. Would it power Senn 580/600 well? The non-power supplied version on Todd's site is under $500

 

[Hajime]

Hassy,

It depends on how much you want to spend. A DIY (do it yourself) amp like the META or new PIMETA will most likely cost you less than the XP-7. I listened to the XP-7 and Andrew Pielet's META side by side and they sounded very similiar, with the XP-7 winning by just a little. This was with the HD600's/cardas cables. Both the META and XP-7 powered the HD600's well in my opinion.

What is your price range? Are you partial to tubes or solid state? You may get better recommendations if you tell us a little more.

 

[Rameish]

You really should try the regular Grado RA-1 -Senn 600 combo. An alternative (with crossfeed) would be the Corda HA-1 at US$305 or HA-1 (MkII) from Meier Audio. I do not know about the XP-7 as I've not heard it myself. On the Meta 42 front please remember to take note of the type of op-amp used as META 42 design can sound very different with different op-amps (the AD-8620/BB OPA627, OPA 637 etc). The number of staked buffers also does add a bight more weightpresense to the presentation. As always YMMV. The Corda HA-2 is also a very good choice but is a little over your budget in terms of price. I personally find the HD-600 changes it's character more than any other hp I've tried depending on the amp used. But choosen carefully this hp has legato in spades. The music just flows. Surprisingly, I did not like the far more expensive RKV with the Senn HD-600. (The RKV made the Beyer DT-931 sing though however I already have a Corda for the DT-931).

Senn HD-600 - requires careful partnering with an amplifier (more so than any other hp).

 

[fewtch]

IMO, amp requirements for good sound with HD600s:

(1) Low (zero) output impedance at the jack... otherwise you get loose/uncontrolled bass, a midbass hump, a veiled sound + recessed midrange. Very important, and a surprising number of audiophile amps seem to have too much impedance at the jack. Sometimes I think maybe aftermarket replacement cables try to make up for this issue by increased impedance to offset the output impedance of some amps.

(2) Plenty of power and drive (voltage swing) -- not that hard to find, but not easy either. You want the power, but you don't want to add hiss/hum.

All other considerations (soundstaging, etc) would be similar to that of most other headphones, in my opinion. That #1 above is important above all else. If you can actually measure impedance at the headphone jack, try doing it.

 

[hassy500]

Thanx everybody!

Let me try to simplify the process further. This will be a (hopefully

) one-time purchase for years of home use. As for tube vs solid state equip: until 1 week ago, I didn't know why an amp was necessary, let alone what type I prefer. Just happy to have my eyes opened

. I'm looking for a "turnkey" solution to get me in the door, maybe a good combo that others have liked. Since everything will be ordered by mail, I'll rely on your expertise.

Thanx again all!

 

[hassy500]

A quick PS to my last posting:

I realize there is seldom a "right or best" answer for criteria as broad as this, but I couldn't tell you about what op-amp I like, nor about impedence in the circuit. Unfortunately, my music preferences, budget, and some legwork on this site and in person are all I have to go on. That's why I appreciate your help so much. Don't have much money, just want to spend what I have intelligently.

 

[Filipe]

Musical fidelity amps seem to be good with HD580/600, so maybe a X-Can V3 ?

 

[GlowWorm]

I would go for the MG-Head DT/OTL 32, because both the SR-325 and the HD600 will sound great with this amp.

 

[Nefarion]

Another vote for the MG-Head DT/OTL 32...

Or consider singlepower amps by mikhail ... more bang for buck that route... Amp doesnt look as nice and pretty though.

 

[Geek]

Any headroom amp with the cardas cable upgrade will sound excellent with the HD600.

Cheers,
Geek

 

[Swampwalker]

Hey Geek- Funny thing, lots of folks from Bozeman seem to like those Headrooms ;~).

 

[Swampwalker]

Anyone heard the Consonance Cyber-20 with the HD-600s?

 

[Canman]

I love the Audio Valve RKV with the Senn's. It's a great combo.