[ubs28]

 
Thanks PinkyPowers,
   We had one guy touting the HD650 over preceived faults with the HD600.  This in a HD600 thread and despite not only my not hearing what he claims but literally thousands of engineers and staff using the HD600 in recording and master studios because of its quality SQ.  Even Tyll at InnerFidelity prefers the HD600 to the HD650 for his Wall of Fame.  Can you spell Troll?
   And another guy pronouncing tubes to be last generations technology obviously not worthy of consideration.
   Guess Billheiser missed this stuff

 

Really?
 
If Person A has a problem with a headphone and person B (which is me in this case) recommends an other headphone which doesn't have this issue, he's a troll according to you?  

 
 
Someone here is disrupting a helpful suggestion to someone else his problem and it isn't me. 

 

[UtopiaB]

 
If you read back, it's about hi-hat and cymbal problems with the HD 600, something that the HD 650 doesn't have and is thus an easy solution (and thus no need for a colourfier). 

 
But there isn't any hi-hat and cymbal problems with the HD600 in the first place, sounds to me like you got a faulty one, and I fail to understand your comment. And if you think I don't know what sibilance or harsh treble or excessive brightness is, you're wrong. You sound to me like someone who has been using tube amps for quite a while and thus have become accustomed to flattish, warmish harmonics, and thus have mistaken as being normal.
I have songs that i've known intimately for 17 years, many such songs I know intricately. Listening to them on an HD600 proves to be utterly accurate and without any problems whatsoever in the highs.
 
 
Try a Beyer DT880 first, then come back and tell me that you still think the HD600 has issues in the highs, not likely.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

 

 
If you read back, it's about hi-hat and cymbal problems with the HD 600, something that the HD 650 doesn't have and is thus an easy solution (and thus no need for a colourfier). 

 
But there isn't any hi-hat and cymbal problems with the HD600 in the first place, sounds to me like you got a faulty one, and I fail to understand your comment. And if you think I don't know what sibilance or harsh treble or excessive brightness is, you're wrong.
I have songs that i've known intimately for 17 years, many such songs I know intricately. Listening to them on an HD600 proves to be utterly accurate and without any problems whatsoever in the highs.

Spot on! (although he's not the one with the perceived SQ HD600 issue.)   And note that at least as far as usb28's signature goes.... no HD600.  Don't know if he ever had a pair or not.  This is a HD600 impression thread after all.  When a HD650 owner tells someone to flip their HD600 for HD650s over very strange SQ comments without any kind of trouble shooting or diagnoses.... yeah I'm inclined to think fanboy or troll.  It is what it is. 

 

[madwolfa]

HD600 is unforgiving to poorly recorded music. HD650 may just mask the crappiness somewhat, but it also sucks realism and fidelity out of well recorded music. Too much of a compromise to me. There are better headphones for low-fi music out there.

 

[MWSVette]

I always laugh when I read a post that says there must be something wrong with a given headphone/DAC/Amp due to that piece of equipment having a sound signature they do not like.
 
Because you do not like the sound of a given piece of audio equipment does not mean there is something wrong with it.  It just means you do not like that sound signature.
 
I do not like the taste of broccoli.  That does not mean there is something wrong with the broccoli.  Just means I do not like it.
 
Audio is all about preference...

 

[DavidA]

   
But there isn't any hi-hat and cymbal problems with the HD600 in the first place, sounds to me like you got a faulty one, and I fail to understand your comment. And if you think I don't know what sibilance or harsh treble or excessive brightness is, you're wrong. You sound to me like someone who has been using tube amps for quite a while and thus have become accustomed to flattish, warmish harmonics, and thus have mistaken as being normal.
I have songs that i've known intimately for 17 years, many such songs I know intricately. Listening to them on an HD600 proves to be utterly accurate and without any problems whatsoever in the highs.
 
 
Try a Beyer DT880 first, then come back and tell me that you still think the HD600 has issues in the highs, not likely.

Need to remember that everyone hears differently and have different experiences with different headphones.
 
The HD-600 does have some slight issues with the highs to me but its dependent on the amp and music.
 
Please don't generalize tubes as being "flattish, warmish harmonics" since not all tube amps are like that.
 
Also, being "accurate" does not mean that I or someone else would like the sound, every one has their own taste
 
Quote:

HD600 is unforgiving to poorly recorded music. HD650 may just mask the crappiness somewhat, but it also sucks realism and fidelity out of well recorded music. Too much of a compromise to me. There are better headphones for low-fi music out there.

Agree that the HD-600 don't do well with poor/sub par recordings, much like the HD-800 and T1.

 

[Midgetguy]

  I always laugh when I read a post that says there must be something wrong with a given headphone/DAC/Amp due to that piece of equipment having a sound signature they do not like.
 
Because you do not like the sound of a given piece of audio equipment does not mean there is something wrong with it.  It just means you do not like that sound signature.
 
I do not like the taste of broccoli.  That does not mean there is something wrong with the broccoli.  Just means I do not like it.
 
Audio is all about preference...

NO! CLEARLY THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE AUDIO DEVICE IF I DON'T LIKE IT!

 
Seriously speaking though, you're absolutely right. It's all preference. Take something like the comparison between the HD650 and HD600. I listened to both and kept the HD600. There's nothing wrong with the HD650, I just liked the HD600's sound signature more. A different sound shouldn't be defined as something wrong. Something like the amp's headphone out L/R being wired backwards (which I've had happen) would be considered wrong.

 

[audiojun]

But there isn't any hi-hat and cymbal problems with the HD600 in the first place, sounds to me like you got a faulty one, and I fail to understand your comment. And if you think I don't know what sibilance or harsh treble or excessive brightness is, you're wrong. You sound to me like someone who has been using tube amps for quite a while and thus have become accustomed to flattish, warmish harmonics, and thus have mistaken as being normal.
I have songs that i've known intimately for 17 years, many such songs I know intricately. Listening to them on an HD600 proves to be utterly accurate and without any problems whatsoever in the highs.

The most dynamic amplifier I ever heard was my torpedo III it is not flat at all. My other pure tube amp that I used to own, the bottlehead crack is not flat at all especially with speed ball. Actually the flat sounding amps tend to be solid state since they usually are voltage limited. High impedance headphones such as HD600 needs a lot of voltage swing which tubes are good at.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

   

The most dynamic amplifier I ever heard was my torpedo III...

Did you build it or was it one of the few that were available pre-built?   I'm attracted to this amp but my DIY days are long over. 

 
 
UPDATE:  Just found where you ordered the kit in the T3 DIY thread.  And you went whole hog with the Cinemag output transformers, Mundorf EVO caps, and the CSS boards.    How hard was it to assemble?

 

[krismusic]

I'm pretty sure I prefer a SS amp. Would anyone like to tell me which of these is more likely to be successful with the 600's?

http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/lehmann-audio-black-cube-headphone-amplifier-black.html

http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/classic.htm

 

[Bob A (SD)]

I'm pretty sure I prefer a SS amp. Would anyone like to tell me which of these is more likely to be successful with the 600's?
 

Wish I could help.  That said I seem to keep running across favorable comments for the Garage 1217 Polaris as a better match to the HD600 than the equally priced Schiit Asgard 2.  Both of these SS amps run $250 USD which is much cheaper than the two you queried about.

 

[audiojun]

Did you build it or was it one of the few that were available pre-built?   I'm attracted to this amp but my DIY days are long over.   

UPDATE:  Just found where you ordered the kit in the T3 DIY thread.  And you went whole hog with the Cinemag output transformers, Mundorf EVO caps, and the CSS boards.    How hard was it to assemble?

It was easier to assemble compared to the bottlehead crack. There are some components that are small and could be hard if you don't have steady hands. I got every possible upgrade for it. Cinemags are probably the most important upgrade but I haven't heard the stock configuration since I just ordered everything upgraded I haven't put in the ccs board yet though.

T3 is amazing, wide and deep sound stage, excellent dynamics, clean and dark background I hear no noise at all, the sound quality is endgame. I haven't heard anything significantly better it is certainly comparable to the top of the line amps I heard at Canjam.

 

[kman1211]

The most dynamic amplifier I ever heard was my torpedo III it is not flat at all. My other pure tube amp that I used to own, the bottlehead crack is not flat at all especially with speed ball. Actually the flat sounding amps tend to be solid state since they usually are voltage limited. High impedance headphones such as HD600 needs a lot of voltage swing which tubes are good at.

Agreed, I found SS to be generally flatter sounding than tubes even with lower impedance headphones.

 

[krismusic]

T

Wish I could help.  That said I seem to keep running across favorable comments for the Garage 1217 Polaris as a better match to the HD600 than the equally priced Schiit Asgard 2.  Both of these SS amps run $250 USD which is much cheaper than the two you queried about.

Thanks for the suggestion. A bit fuggly! I would probably go secondhand in the amps I suggested which brings the price down. I'm looking for an endgame setup so don't mind spending for good reason. My problem is that I cannot understand specs.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

T

Wish I could help.  That said I seem to keep running across favorable comments for the Garage 1217 Polaris as a better match to the HD600 than the equally priced Schiit Asgard 2.  Both of these SS amps run $250 USD which is much cheaper than the two you queried about.

Thanks for the suggestion. A bit fuggly!

I would probably go secondhand in the amps I suggested which brings the price down. I'm looking for an endgame setup so don't mind spending for good reason. My problem is that I cannot understand specs.

 
Better strategy might be to search here and elsewhere for headphone amps that pair well with the HD600.  If they pair well then they'll have sufficient power, low distortion, etc. and most importantly musicality or synergy between amp and cans.  In other words the specs will basically take care of themselves with amps that have found wide favor with many owners.
 
And from my perspective, sound quality ought to trump appearance every time.  Nice to have both, but....