[Midgetguy]

   
Good for you then. My HD600 arrives tomorrow and I can't wait to meet an old friend.

Amazing to think that this brilliant headphone has been on the market almost as long as I've been alive. Old friend indeed.

 

[TheRealMVT]

 I have tried a number of the HD580/600 mods in years past such as
--quarter hole in the inner foam earpad discs
--total removal of inner foam earpad discs
--Blu-Tac damping of various amounts/degrees/locations
--various sized felt inserts between grills and back of drivers
--felt layer on top of inner foam earpad discs

In each case whatever positives they were supposed to bring, there were negative trade offs such that I invariably returned my cans to stock.

BTW the spyder trimming/removal mod is one I didn't try because, like you, I eschew any mod that can't be reversed.

Thanks for the reply. I agree with your sentiment, I figured there is no hurt in trying. It's always good to hear what others have tried and how they liked it.

Where a Sennheiser is a result of engineering and thus more difficult to mod, a Grado is more of a subjectively designed can with a lot easier to mod and actually unlock more potential sound from the drivers.

 

[ColtMrFire]

I decided to return the second jitterbug, as it's made the 600s a bit too revealing and strips away some of the warmth they're known for.  A bit too much of a good thing.  One is enough!

 

[Kodachrome2000]

Hey guys.  Finally jumping back into 'phones.
 
So far I've had a few pairs - monster turbine coppers, hd598, fischer audio fa-011, and a couple others i can't really remember - klipsch, sony, etc.
 
I decided to pounce on the gift card bundle from amazon last night (hopefully their one day shipping holds true - it's supposed to arrive tomorrow but nothing's been updated yet) and i know that for the first time in my headphone listening experience i'm gonna need an amp. i'm brand new to all this despite having read gobs of information here on the site.
 
i'm not too concerned about budget - call it 1000$ tops. i've read over 100 pages of this thread and was hoping to get some recommendations based on my preferences.  so far the suggestions all seem concerned about getting absolute bang for buck on an amp/dac, and that is not what i'm concerned about.
 
i REALLY enjoyed my hd598.  i understand the soundstage on those dwarfs the 600, and that worries me a bit.  i loved feeling immersed in the music - i need my amp to give me as wide a soundstage available.
 
other than that, as long as the sound can remain as neutral as possible, which is what these cans are famous for, and the amp gives me the headroom to get some bass slam i'll be happy.  i plan on using EQ because every once in a while i let my basshead out - i just want enough power from the amp to give the headphone good control and impact into the depths.
 
i'll be getting a dac secondarily, with about the same budget for that component, preferably under 1000$.  it's my understanding that a DAC doesn't really color the sound an amp can.  correct?  so it may not really be worth spending a lot on this item.
 
i just want to start with a really classic, solid headphone for decent money - i'm not going to take parts of my budget for amp/dac and use it to get a different headphone.  if i get the itch to upgrade, i'd like to be able to swap to most headphones without too much hassle about synergy - so a decent allrounder amp and dac are a must.  maybe i'm wishing for something that doesn't exist; i don't know!  it seems there's a lot of talk about sound coloration.
 
i might even be tempted to do something CRRRRAZY, like buy something so i can upgrade to a balanced setup later for kicks.
 
thanks for any insight you might have!

 

[madwolfa]

It's here and I'm loving it!

 

[Midgetguy]

  Hey guys.  Finally jumping back into 'phones.
  i REALLY enjoyed my hd598.  i understand the soundstage on those dwarfs the 600, and that worries me a bit.  i loved feeling immersed in the music - i need my amp to give me as wide a soundstage available.
 
other than that, as long as the sound can remain as neutral as possible, which is what these cans are famous for, and the amp gives me the headroom to get some bass slam i'll be happy.  i plan on using EQ because every once in a while i let my basshead out - i just want enough power from the amp to give the headphone good control and impact into the depths.
 
thanks for any insight you might have!

This is slightly concerning as my understanding is not that the sound of the HD600 is neutral, but rather that it is very natural. Those are two different things. Of the headphones I've listened to in this price range, something like the AKG K7 series is better in terms of looking for neutrality. The AKGs also have a larger sound stage. But I prefer the HD600s because the sound stage is still a decent size (average maybe? Depends on your scale of reference) and the tone sounds more natural. Also important is a headphone's ability to image well and place instruments accurately, which the HD600 does incredibly well at.

 

[Noman74656]

Hey guys.  Finally jumping back into 'phones.

So far I've had a few pairs - monster turbine coppers, hd598, fischer audio fa-011, and a couple others i can't really remember - klipsch, sony, etc.

I decided to pounce on the gift card bundle from amazon last night (hopefully their one day shipping holds true - it's supposed to arrive tomorrow but nothing's been updated yet) and i know that for the first time in my headphone listening experience i'm gonna need an amp. i'm brand new to all this despite having read gobs of information here on the site.

i'm not too concerned about budget - call it 1000$ tops. i've read over 100 pages of this thread and was hoping to get some recommendations based on my preferences.  so far the suggestions all seem concerned about getting absolute bang for buck on an amp/dac, and that is not what i'm concerned about.

i REALLY enjoyed my hd598.  i understand the soundstage on those dwarfs the 600, and that worries me a bit.  i loved feeling immersed in the music - i need my amp to give me as wide a soundstage available.

other than that, as long as the sound can remain as neutral as possible, which is what these cans are famous for, and the amp gives me the headroom to get some bass slam i'll be happy.  i plan on using EQ because every once in a while i let my basshead out - i just want enough power from the amp to give the headphone good control and impact into the depths.

i'll be getting a dac secondarily, with about the same budget for that component, preferably under 1000$.  it's my understanding that a DAC doesn't really color the sound an amp can.  correct?  so it may not really be worth spending a lot on this item.

i just want to start with a really classic, solid headphone for decent money - i'm not going to take parts of my budget for amp/dac and use it to get a different headphone.  if i get the itch to upgrade, i'd like to be able to swap to most headphones without too much hassle about synergy - so a decent allrounder amp and dac are a must.  maybe i'm wishing for something that doesn't exist; i don't know!  it seems there's a lot of talk about sound coloration.

i might even be tempted to do something CRRRRAZY, like buy something so i can upgrade to a balanced setup later for kicks.

thanks for any insight you might have!

I can not recommend good amplification for the HD600's enough. I was actually pretty let down with these until I connected them to my Peachtree Nova. Then, I finally started to understand why most people like them so much! I also use them with my Oppo HA-2 / iPhone combo with great results. Congratuations on your purchase!

 

[Kodachrome2000]

  This is slightly concerning as my understanding is not that the sound of the HD600 is neutral, but rather that it is very natural. Those are two different things. Of the headphones I've listened to in this price range, something like the AKG K7 series is better in terms of looking for neutrality. The AKGs also have a larger sound stage. But I prefer the HD600s because the sound stage is still a decent size (average maybe? Depends on your scale of reference) and the tone sounds more natural. Also important is a headphone's ability to image well and place instruments accurately, which the HD600 does incredibly well at.

 
 
Thanks for the info!  Being that I haven't tried a whole ton of headphones I figured the 600 would be a safe jumping off point into real gear, and you're correct - i haven't really memorized the list of terms on the site so i should probably be a little more careful with what i say, haha.  i do prefer a natural sounding headphone, but i had read that these are a good mix of natural/neutral, correct?  i thought that's why they are so popular and considered as such a good all-rounder.  i just don't want the amp/dac to tip it too far so that it would be considered lush like my 598, and i also don't want it to be perfectly neutral and flat. i'm probably worrying about nothing, especially considering i haven't even heard the 600 yet!  it may be wiser to listen tomorrow and then nitpick.  i'm just on the edge of my seat waiting for tomorrow.  

 
as long as there is good placement and  i can point out instruments i'm sure i'll be happy.  my concern about making the soundstage as large as possible - obviously i can't buy one headphone and make it sound like another, but i do also play videogames and i love wearing headphones while doing so to feel fully immersed in a world. the hd598 was great at this.
 
i can't imagine being unhappy regardless.    really what i'm looking for is an amp to open the soundstage as much as possible, keep things on the neutral side of natural - i don't want to be quite so enveloped in vocals as the 598 - and give me some good bass that i can crank on, even though i know it won't be a bass monster by any means.
 
perhaps my requirements are just too vague since i don't have a clear sense of direction without listening. i overthink things quite frequently.  probably best to just wait and give it a listen - thanks for responding though!

 

[Bern2]

I'm sort of in the same position...just getting back into headphones as it seems my speaker setup will be retired for the foreseeable future.  You are right about needing an amp....you might also need to EQ.  Here's a current thread you may find helpful.  Made a huge difference in my case.  I'm using a Fiio E12 as an amp for the time being.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/797907/hd600-my-custom-bass-extension-curves
 
Happy listening!
 
Bern
 
 
Originally Posted by Kodachrome2000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 
 
Thanks for the info!  Being that I haven't tried a whole ton of headphones I figured the 600 would be a safe jumping off point into real gear, and you're correct - i haven't really memorized the list of terms on the site so i should probably be a little more careful with what i say, haha.  i do prefer a natural sounding headphone, but i had read that these are a good mix of natural/neutral, correct?  i thought that's why they are so popular and considered as such a good all-rounder.  i just don't want the amp/dac to tip it too far so that it would be considered lush like my 598, and i also don't want it to be perfectly neutral and flat. i'm probably worrying about nothing, especially considering i haven't even heard the 600 yet!  it may be wiser to listen tomorrow and then nitpick.  i'm just on the edge of my seat waiting for tomorrow.  

 
as long as there is good placement and  i can point out instruments i'm sure i'll be happy.  my concern about making the soundstage as large as possible - obviously i can't buy one headphone and make it sound like another, but i do also play videogames and i love wearing headphones while doing so to feel fully immersed in a world. the hd598 was great at this.
 
i can't imagine being unhappy regardless.    really what i'm looking for is an amp to open the soundstage as much as possible, keep things on the neutral side of natural - i don't want to be quite so enveloped in mids as the 598 - and give me some good bass that i can crank on, even though i know it won't be a bass monster by any means.
 
perhaps my requirements are just too vague since i don't have a clear sense of direction without listening. i overthink things quite frequently.  probably best to just wait and give it a listen - thanks for responding though!

 

[Midgetguy]

   
 
Thanks for the info!  Being that I haven't tried a whole ton of headphones I figured the 600 would be a safe jumping off point into real gear, and you're correct - i haven't really memorized the list of terms on the site so i should probably be a little more careful with what i say, haha.  i do prefer a natural sounding headphone, but i had read that these are a good mix of natural/neutral, correct?  i thought that's why they are so popular and considered as such a good all-rounder.  i just don't want the amp/dac to tip it too far so that it would be considered lush like my 598, and i also don't want it to be perfectly neutral and flat. i'm probably worrying about nothing, especially considering i haven't even heard the 600 yet!  it may be wiser to listen tomorrow and then nitpick.  i'm just on the edge of my seat waiting for tomorrow.  

 
as long as there is good placement and  i can point out instruments i'm sure i'll be happy.  my concern about making the soundstage as large as possible - obviously i can't buy one headphone and make it sound like another, but i do also play videogames and i love wearing headphones while doing so to feel fully immersed in a world. the hd598 was great at this.
 
i can't imagine being unhappy regardless.    really what i'm looking for is an amp to open the soundstage as much as possible, keep things on the neutral side of natural - i don't want to be quite so enveloped in mids as the 598 - and give me some good bass that i can crank on, even though i know it won't be a bass monster by any means.
 
perhaps my requirements are just too vague since i don't have a clear sense of direction without listening. i overthink things quite frequently.  probably best to just wait and give it a listen - thanks for responding though!

No worries! Yes, the HD600 is a great mix of natural and neutral in my opinion. I haven't heard the HD598, but if it's anything like the HD558, then the HD600 offers more bass, both in terms of quality and quantity, than the HD558.
 
Keep in mind that bang for buck is one way of looking at things, so don't necessarily discount the abilities of a DAC or amp based on it's pricing. Especially since  I currently run my headphones through a Topping D20 DAC and an SMSL sApII Pro amp; it's not a remotely pricey setup, budget-fi in every sense of the word, but I'm very happy with its capabilities. What could potentially happen to you is that you'll cycle through several amps before you settle on something (since I think you might be happy as soon as you choose a good DAC, I haven't changed my DAC since I've gotten it, but I've been through a few amps).
 
My personal opinion is that you should be happy enough with it's ability as a headphone for gaming since I often use it in the same capacity. I've been playing GTA V recently which worked well, but I've also used it to play Halo 5 and as it's a shooter, the HD600s ability to position accurately is helpful and sound stage was good enough for my purposes.

 

[DavidA]

@Kodachrome2000, I would wait until you have your HD-600 first before thinking about an amp or DAC change.  If you like to let out your "bass-head" every once in a while I think the HD-650 would be a better fit but since you want more neutral/natural then the HD-600 is a better choice. 
 
I had the HD-598 for a while before giving them away and like @Midgetguy I was using a Topping VX1 DAC/amp and it was great for the price but the HD-600 needed a slightly better amp to make it sound like an "upgrade" from the HD-598, and as another poster suggested tubes is where it shines. 
 
If wanting to keep the natural/neutral sound some say the Valhalla2 is good, for me its a BH Crack or Ember and depending on the tubes used it will "color" the sound somewhat, not something I would consider drastic but it is noticeable.  For flexibility the Ember is hard to beat while the BH Crack is limited to higher impedance headphones like the HD-600/650/800 but it really shines with them.
 
For playing games I really like the HD-700, much better sound stage, positional accuracy, and dynamics, its also much easier to drive properly than the HD-600.

 

[_gl]

Originally Posted by Kodachrome2000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
as long as there is good placement and  i can point out instruments i'm sure i'll be happy.  my concern about making the soundstage as large as possible - obviously i can't buy one headphone and make it sound like another, but i do also play videogames and i love wearing headphones while doing so to feel fully immersed in a world.

 
I recently tried the 600's with my Surface Pro 2 tablet and was amazed how good it sounded.  Obviously every tablet is different (some have awful audio), but the SP2 has a suprisingly good DAC/circuit (even does 192k, but not 88.1k annoyingly) and matches with the 600 really well imo.  This was with music but games should be just as good.

 

[DeadHead57]

I use my HD600's with the Valhalla 2 and couldn't be happier. Just remember that these phone require voltage more than current and that is where the OTL tube amps like the Valhalla 2 and the BH crack really shine. They do not fare so well with low impedance headphones like Audeze or hifi man headphones. If you want an amp that would be more versatile for more types of headphones you might want to look at the lyre 2.

 

[yangian]

I use my HD600's with the Valhalla 2 and couldn't be happier. Just remember that these phone require voltage more than current and that is where the OTL tube amps like the Valhalla 2 and the BH crack really shine. They do not fare so well with low impedance headphones like Audeze or hifi man headphones. If you want an amp that would be more versatile for more types of headphones you might want to look at the lyre 2.

Yeah, I also love the V2 with 600. Actually I really like the sound signature of V2, very neutral. I just feel it lack dynamic a little bit.
Really wonder if the 6n6p tubes could be substituded by 6080 through adapter.I believe that would add more synamic to it.

 

[DeadHead57]

I have not yet gotten into the tube rolling aspect of the V2 but am very intrigued with the idea. The V2 sounds so good with the stock tubes I cannot imagine how much better it could sound with a good pair of vintage tubes. Only problem with that is it could run you close to the price of the V2 itself just in replacement tubes.