[palmfish]

I think your expectations are just too high. The HD600 is a terrific headphone but the law of diminishing returns applies to all things audio. Properly driven (yes, the O2/ODAC is a great choice for the HD600) they will sound better than unamped, but it wont be dramatic. You're likely to be let down if you get your expectations too high again. Improvements above your a900x are going to be relatively subtle and incremental.
 
Keep your expectations realistic and you will certainly enjoy and appreciate your Sennheisers very much. Just dont expect any revelations.

 

[Nowhere]

Quote:

I think your expectations are just too high. The HD600 is a terrific headphone but the law of diminishing returns applies to all things audio. Properly driven (yes, the O2/ODAC is a great choice for the HD600) they will sound better than unamped, but it wont be dramatic. You're likely to be let down if you get your expectations too high again. Improvements above your a900x are going to be relatively subtle and incremental.
 
Keep your expectations realistic and you will certainly enjoy and appreciate your Sennheisers very much. Just dont expect any revelations.

 
yeah, you're correct... i did have wayyyyyy too high expectations like to the point i was going to be floating on a heavenly cloud while listening haha.
since this was my first entrance into the secretive "high quality/hifi" club i built up all this stuff in my head like i was going to be mind blown.
 
i admit it completely... usually i control myself not to have such high expectations but it just kept getting bigger and bigger as time went on and i anticipated getting a true high quality pair and what it would sound like.

 

[Brooko]

The other problem you have is that at the moment - you're comparing your new cans (which you haven't got used to yet) with your old ones which you know well.  Try wearing the HD600 for a couple of days and not switching back to your old ones. THEN go back to your old ones for half an hour - and see if you really appreciate the HD600 then.

 

[Nowhere]

Quote:

The other problem you have is that at the moment - you're comparing your new cans (which you haven't got used to yet) with your old ones which you know well.  Try wearing the HD600 for a couple of days and not switching back to your old ones. THEN go back to your old ones for half an hour - and see if you really appreciate the HD600 then.

 
true.. i wasn't comparing them exactly i was sort of asking myself was i happy with them which i basically was although i felt like there was more i could get out of my listening experience.
really there was no reason for me to upgrade though i was happy with my cassette player and a 20 dollar pair of headphones back in the early 90s. haha.
 
i think sometimes we psych ourselves out and try to keep going up and up when sometimes it's ok to be happy where you're at.
 
it's just my high expectations causing slight buyers remorse, once i put them to use and get my amp/dac on board and let go of the high price tag blinking in my mind i'm sure i'll be enjoying it alot.
 
and it's not like it was bad, i had alot of high praise in the stuff i was saying so i'm not sad or mad about buying them or anything... just slight doubt is all.

 

[Byronb]

Quote:

The other problem you have is that at the moment - you're comparing your new cans (which you haven't got used to yet) with your old ones which you know well.  Try wearing the HD600 for a couple of days and not switching back to your old ones. THEN go back to your old ones for half an hour - and see if you really appreciate the HD600 then.

 
This is great advice, you are comparing something new with something you obviously have quite a bit of time with. There is also the whole (dare I say it) burn in time for the HD600's. Either brain burn in or HP burn in, after several hours with the cans things will definitely start to change.
 
Palmfish is also correct, expectations can be a bear to measure up to!

 

[Nowhere]

listening to them through the night i'm liking them more and more as i adjust to the change of sound.
have one of my master playlists rolling on with alot of my personal favorite songs and it's doing them all justice.
 
i still stand by that they were the worst i've ever heard in rap though haha.
i'd rather listen to 5 dollar headphones for rap.
 
but for all my favorite styles of music i'm settling in to a blissful experience.
 
but can someone tell my it is one is always thinking of upgrade!!!? just got these darn things and breaking them in and in the back of my mind i'm thinking "i wonder what's an upgrade" hahaha. it's a sickness. seriously.
 
now, if someone could just tell me which amp/dac combo to go with between them, from what i seen it's basically 50% modi/magni and 50% o2/odac across all the different threads i read up on. that this person prefers the one and another person as well, and that they're basically similar in performance so how does one decide that? flip a coin?

 

[Razzereign]

Quote:

now, if someone could just tell me which amp/dac combo to go with between them, from what i seen it's basically 50% modi/magni and 50% o2/odac across all the different threads i read up on. that this person prefers the one and another person as well, and that they're basically similar in performance so how does one decide that? flip a coin?

 
I don't necessarily know that a coin flip is in order, but it could work!  The general opinion around here is they are so close it almost doesn't matter.  This leads a lot of people to go with the Modi/Magni because it's basically $100 cheaper and more aesthetically pleasing to most people on their desk.  If you're never going to need your AMP/DAC in battery-powered situation on the go, you might as well save the money.

 

[TheChosen0ne]

I have the fiio e17+e9 amp/dac combo.  Which amp/dacs are better for less than $400 combined and has a noticeable difference while at the same time I can power other headphones really well if I decide to upgrade from the HD600 in the future?  I will only use it for desktop btw

 

[FlySweep]

I've owned both the Modi/Magni & the ODAC/O2.  You can't go wrong with either... especially for the HD600.
 
The O2 is battery-operable so the OBJ stack transportable.  The O2 has two gain settings, enabling it to drive sensitive IEMs more smoothly (than the Magni which has a fixed, fairly high gain setting).  In terms of driveability, the Magni & O2 have plenty of power to feed the HD600.  That being said, the HD600 sounded a bit more robust, effortless, and rich via the Magni.  With relatively sensitive, high impedance (full sized) phones, I preferred the Magni to the O2... though both drove said phones with an impressive degree of refinement and control.  I believe the Magni outputs ~1W, so it's got plenty of juice to drive many of the popular orthos, as well (i.e. if you fancy the HE-400 or something down the line).
 
The Modi & ODAC were very close to each other in terms of performance.  I did a lot of A/Bing between the two (using both the Magni & O2) and found I preferred the ODAC to the Modi.  The ODAC possessed (slightly) better resolving ability, tonal accuracy, & more pinpoint imaging.  Again, though they were very very close.. and my comparisons weren't double blind or anything... purely subjective, too.
 
Aesthetics is a no-brainer: the M/M stack looks incredibly clean and stylish vs the more utilitarian OBJ stack.  The new (C5) case that the (JDSLabs) ODAC comes in is terrific, though.  It's much more professional and better built than any of their prior enclosures for the ODAC (and c421, etc.).
 
If you planned to use the HD600 primarily with this rig & aren't terribly obsessed with uniform aesthetics, I'd go for the an ODAC+Magni stack if I were you.  JDS might even offer the (RCA) ODAC in a silver case (which should be very close to matching the color of the silver Magni).  Grab a Magni off the FS forum and it'll help offset the (premium) cost of the ODAC (over the Modi).

 

[Delirious Lab]

I finally took the plunge into hi-fi head gear and got some second-hand HD-600's for only $275!
 
Loving them so far, my 18-year-old Onkyo receiver is driving them like a charm (or so it seems to my ears).  Listened to the Rite of Spring (Boulez conducting the Cleveland Orchestra) last night... a trippy experience to say the least.

 

[bundy845]

I am joining the club.  I placed my order yesterday.  I am excited to get them and start enjoying them!

 

[Nowhere]

Quote:

I've owned both the Modi/Magni & the ODAC/O2.  You can't go wrong with either... especially for the HD600.
 
The O2 is battery-operable so the OBJ stack transportable.  The O2 has two gain settings, enabling it to drive sensitive IEMs more smoothly (than the Magni which has a fixed, fairly high gain setting).  In terms of driveability, the Magni & O2 have plenty of power to feed the HD600.  That being said, the HD600 sounded a bit more robust, effortless, and rich via the Magni.  With relatively sensitive, high impedance (full sized) phones, I preferred the Magni to the O2... though both drove said phones with an impressive degree of refinement and control.  I believe the Magni outputs ~1W, so it's got plenty of juice to drive many of the popular orthos, as well (i.e. if you fancy the HE-400 or something down the line).
 
The Modi & ODAC were very close to each other in terms of performance.  I did a lot of A/Bing between the two (using both the Magni & O2) and found I preferred the ODAC to the Modi.  The ODAC possessed (slightly) better resolving ability, tonal accuracy, & more pinpoint imaging.  Again, though they were very very close.. and my comparisons weren't double blind or anything... purely subjective, too.
 
Aesthetics is a no-brainer: the M/M stack looks incredibly clean and stylish vs the more utilitarian OBJ stack.  The new (C5) case that the (JDSLabs) ODAC comes in is terrific, though.  It's much more professional and better built than any of their prior enclosures for the ODAC (and c421, etc.).
 
If you planned to use the HD600 primarily with this rig & aren't terribly obsessed with uniform aesthetics, I'd go for the an ODAC+Magni stack if I were you.  JDS might even offer the (RCA) ODAC in a silver case (which should be very close to matching the color of the silver Magni).  Grab a Magni off the FS forum and it'll help offset the (premium) cost of the ODAC (over the Modi).

great detailed info thanks for taking the time, appreciate it.

 

[Nowhere]

one continuation note in my writings of experiences with the hd600.
 
i realized today that when i was changing the a900x plug out for the hd600 i dropped the dell computer speaker control that i use to plug in headphones to the pc which also has a volume control separate from the computer one... and in doing so the volume control went way down and so when i was saying that i couldn't hear the hd600 on my normal volume level of 64 that's actually why, i just figured out as i was messing around with it.
 
after turning the volume control back all the way as i usually have it now i can hear the hd600 just fine at the normal volume level of 64 that i use with my other headphones.
 
taking that into account it's not nearly as bad without an amp (in being able to hear it) as my first impression in that context led me to believe.

 

[Nowhere]

Quote:

I finally took the plunge into hi-fi head gear and got some second-hand HD-600's for only $275!
 
Loving them so far, my 18-year-old Onkyo receiver is driving them like a charm (or so it seems to my ears).  Listened to the Rite of Spring (Boulez conducting the Cleveland Orchestra) last night... a trippy experience to say the least.

 
Quote:

I am joining the club.  I placed my order yesterday.  I am excited to get them and start enjoying them!

 
nice!!! welcome to the hd600 club. (now that i'm a member i wanted to get to say that haha)

 

[Delirious Lab]

More impressions from this new owner...
 
1) While comfortable, they do put a pretty strong clamp on my big head, especially on the cheekbones. After a long listen, I feel the same kind of relief removing them as if I took off a pair of ski boots. Is there any way to loosen the grip without damaging them?
 
2) Amazing bass. I listen at pretty low volumes, yet I can definitely feel the thump from these cans. I'm no bass-head, but I want to hear the fundamentals and especially the bass' flavour - whether it's a row of double-basses in an orchestra, a Fender Jazz, a bassoon, or something synthetic, I feel that the HD-600s are giving me a very faithful rendition of the particular colour of the bass. Even the intro to Schubert's Unfinished Symphony did not leave me wanting for anything more.
 
3) NEIL. ***ING. YOUNG. The guitars sing like nothing else. I want to buy all of his music now. Ouch, my wallet....