[Musicloversme91]

Hi, At the moment, I have been an owner of the Sennheiser 598 headphones. I have never bought an amp for the headphones. I’ve just been using them to listen to music. I am really thinking of getting the 650 or even the 660 as an upgrade to use for the next 5 years or so. But the problem is, I don’t want to waste my money. I know a concern like this has already been posted on this forums before. But I am looking to really seriously stay dedicated to a serious sound/music set up. What are your thoughts on me upgrading to the 598 to 650 or 660 with an amp? And also, if I do upgrade, I need an amp that is reasonable price, but I can also travel with it in a tech bag of some sort for trips, airplanes, etc. I am even considering getting the sennheiser 700s if possible. Please help me out! Thank you.

 

[William Zhu]

I personally think HD700 is really good, some people dislike it and say HD650 is superior, but I would say 700 is suitable for a larger variety of songs.

 

[Musicloversme91]

I personally think HD700 is really good, some people dislike it and say HD650 is superior, but I would say 700 is suitable for a larger variety of songs.

What are some good sound sources (as in music media and devices) used to drive the 700? Also, what amp can I find that is a reasonable price range. If I am using let’s say an IPad to use with the 700’s to watch YouTube music videos, will I be disappointed with the sound quality?

 

[serman005]

A good DAP is the IBasso DX80 and a solid reasonably priced amp is a Schiit Magni 3.

 

[SuperNeutral]

No idea between all of those personally but most that would seem disappointed by the 660s.

 

[William Zhu]

What are some good sound sources (as in music media and devices) used to drive the 700? Also, what amp can I find that is a reasonable price range. If I am using let’s say an IPad to use with the 700’s to watch YouTube music videos, will I be disappointed with the sound quality?

I used the centrance DACmini and it works pretty good with usb connection, HD700 should be easier to drive.

 

[Rickey®]

I've owned my HD650's for 10+years and still love em. You can't go wrong especially for the price. I think the 660's are too expensive for what you get.

 

[buke9]

What are some good sound sources (as in music media and devices) used to drive the 700? Also, what amp can I find that is a reasonable price range. If I am using let’s say an IPad to use with the 700’s to watch YouTube music videos, will I be disappointed with the sound quality?

As far as listening straight out of the iPad the 700’s win hands down for me over the 650’s 6xx in my case. I think the 700’s are better headphones but they do have deficits.There is no perfect headphone . The 650’s are not perfect either.

 

[Musicloversme91]

As far as listening straight out of the iPad the 700’s win hands down for me over the 650’s 6xx in my case. I think the 700’s are better headphones but they do have deficits.There is no perfect headphone . The 650’s are not perfect either.

Ok. Ty. One last question. Would it behoove me to invest into a pair of hd 700's now (and would they be future proof) if we will be seeing smart phone devices and others alike without a headphone jack, and going to the bluetooth headphone only route? I wanted to ask this now because I don't want to waste my money on the sennheisers now to only figure out they will become obsolete due to bluetooth technology in the next few years.

 

[Me x3]

Ok. Ty. One last question. Would it behoove me to invest into a pair of hd 700's now (and would they be future proof) if we will be seeing smart phone devices and others alike without a headphone jack, and going to the bluetooth headphone only route? I wanted to ask this now because I don't want to waste my money on the sennheisers now to only figure out they will become obsolete due to bluetooth technology in the next few years.

1- As long as cables don't bother you, you're perfectly fine.
2- Headphones like HD700 work best out of a dedicated high quality DAP or desktop DAC/Amp setup anyway.
3- You can still use the HD700 with (hypothetical) bluetooth-only devices adding something like a FiiO BTR1 in the chain.

Be sure of liking HD700's sound signature before buying.
It's technically advanced in various regards, but it's not the most forgiving headphone.
Feed them with less than very good recordings and they won't shine.

 

[buke9]

Bluetooth has to get a lot better first I don’t think it is close just yet.