[bosiemoncrieff]

A friend of mine, a professional organist, just compared all of my cans. He stated a preference for HD600 against all of them, and said of K1000, "Why does this exist?"

 

[Midgetguy]

A friend of mine, a professional organist, just compared all of my cans. He stated a preference for HD600 against all of them, and said of K1000, "Why does this exist?"

Sounds like he wasn't a fan of the bright nature of the K1000.

 

[vignmusic]

I know almost nothing about headphone amps other than that they're needed for headphones with high impedance. I'm about to buy some HD600s and want a cheap amp that'll get the job done. Any recommendations below $100?

 

[ScOgLiO]

I know almost nothing about headphone amps other than that they're needed for headphones with high impedance. I'm about to buy some HD600s and want a cheap amp that'll get the job done. Any recommendations below $100?

Well, the Schiit Magni 3 is $99...hard to go wrong with that, I like my HD600 paired with it

 

[Midgetguy]

I know almost nothing about headphone amps other than that they're needed for headphones with high impedance. I'm about to buy some HD600s and want a cheap amp that'll get the job done. Any recommendations below $100?

Magni listed above is good. If you don't mind Chinese audio (which has gotten very good in the recent years), the SMSL sApII Pro is another excellent choice IMO and has a ridiculous amount of power. I sure liked mine. Keep in mind that both the Magni and sApII Pro are solely amps and so you'll need to plug into it with a DAC. Both options are good ones, I just prefer the sApII Pro because you can use either a DAC as your source (connected to computer or whatever) or you also have the option of plugging into it with a standard 3.5mm jack. Say for example, if you're using your phone as source listening to Spotify, you can use a normal 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to plug into the amp and then plug in your HD600 to the amp. The sApII Pro has that, the Magni doesn't. Choose the one that fits your needs or potential needs best, but I can't say either of them are the wrong choice.

 

[vignmusic]

Magni listed above is good. If you don't mind Chinese audio (which has gotten very good in the recent years), the SMSL sApII Pro is another excellent choice IMO and has a ridiculous amount of power. I sure liked mine. Keep in mind that both the Magni and sApII Pro are solely amps and so you'll need to plug into it with a DAC. Both options are good ones, I just prefer the sApII Pro because you can use either a DAC as your source (connected to computer or whatever) or you also have the option of plugging into it with a standard 3.5mm jack. Say for example, if you're using your phone as source listening to Spotify, you can use a normal 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to plug into the amp and then plug in your HD600 to the amp. The sApII Pro has that, the Magni doesn't. Choose the one that fits your needs or potential needs best, but I can't say either of them are the wrong choice.

Alright. I've seen "DAC" thrown around a lot in amp forums. What is this thing and why is one important/needed hah. I'm going to be using my HD600s mainly to mix through a laptop and sometimes to do some casual listening through my phone. And thanks for the sApII suggestion I'll check it out.

 

[god-bluff]

Magni listed above is good. If you don't mind Chinese audio (which has gotten very good in the recent years), the SMSL sApII Pro is another excellent choice IMO and has a ridiculous amount of power. I sure liked mine. Keep in mind that both the Magni and sApII Pro are solely amps and so you'll need to plug into it with a DAC. Both options are good ones, I just prefer the sApII Pro because you can use either a DAC as your source (connected to computer or whatever) or you also have the option of plugging into it with a standard 3.5mm jack. Say for example, if you're using your phone as source listening to Spotify, you can use a normal 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to plug into the amp and then plug in your HD600 to the amp. The sApII Pro has that, the Magni doesn't. Choose the one that fits your needs or potential needs best, but I can't say either of them are the wrong choice.

This sort of standard reply amuses me. Once upon a time there was a little silver disc called a CD and this was played on a CD player (which actually contains a DAC.. Some were quite (and are) good & some absolutely brilliant The person who asked the question may not use thus "antiquated" format be you never know. It should not be assumed everyone uses a computer or mobile for all their listening.Some if us are even over 50

Sorry but worth bearing in mind some times if your source is decent a separate DAc may not be needed although it can be used to update an older less capable player later on.

 

[vignmusic]

This sort of standard reply amuses me. Once upon a time there was a little silver disc called a CD and this was played on a CD player (which actually contains a DAC.. Some were quite (and are) good & some absolutely brilliant The person who asked the question may not use thus "antiquated" format be you never know. It should not be assumed everyone uses a computer or mobile for all their listening.Some if us are even over 50

Sorry but worth bearing in mind some times if your source is decent a separate DAc may not be needed although it can be used to update an older less capable player later on.

Okay so just to make sure I'm understanding this at a basic level, DACs are used if the player you're using is lacking. Not really for computers or phones?

 

[DavidA]

I know almost nothing about headphone amps other than that they're needed for headphones with high impedance. I'm about to buy some HD600s and want a cheap amp that'll get the job done. Any recommendations below $100?

I'd suggest getting the headphone first and see how it sounds with your current gear first before considering amps/DAC, you might actually like the sound of the HD600 straight from your laptop. The recommendation that the HD600 needs an amp due to its high impedance is that most amps don't have much power output at higher impedances so many times you might not get the listening level that you want, more so if you listen at higher levels like 85dB or higher but you should also consider that this level is where you might be causing damage to your hearing. To get a rough estimate on how loud you listen if you have a smart phone just download a dB meter app, its not the most accurate but it will give you some indication. Better apps also have some way to do rough calibration so see if you can find one that offers some form of calibration. Something like this:

I use the closed cell foam to keep outside noise from affecting the readings

 

[god-bluff]

Okay so just to make sure I'm understanding this at a basic level, DACs are used if the player you're using is lacking. Not really for computers or phones?

Just stating the obvious

You need a decent analogue signal that might be the coaxial connections of a CD player, tuner, integrated amplifier or phono amp (vinyl), the analogue line out of a digital audio player or a seperate digital to analogue converter. If your source does not have a decent analogue output such as your average computer then you will need that separate DAC. My point it isn't always essential


(EDIT All of above is my opinion for connecting to a headphone amplifier not driving headphones directly )

 

[vignmusic]

Just stating the obvious

You need a decent analogue signal that might be the coaxial connections of a CD player, tuner, integrated amplifier or phono amp (vinyl), the analogue line out of a digital audio player or a seperate digital to analogue converter. If your source does not have a decent analogue output such as your average computer then you will need that separate DAC. My point it isn't always essential

Ohh alright thanks that clears it up.

Edit: Also I'm not trying to be sarcastic I just genuinely want to learn hah.

 

[Midgetguy]

This sort of standard reply amuses me. Once upon a time there was a little silver disc called a CD and this was played on a CD player (which actually contains a DAC.. Some were quite (and are) good & some absolutely brilliant The person who asked the question may not use thus "antiquated" format be you never know. It should not be assumed everyone uses a computer or mobile for all their listening.Some if us are even over 50

Sorry but worth bearing in mind some times if your source is decent a separate DAc may not be needed although it can be used to update an older less capable player later on.

You're technically right: if you have a disc player, you don't need the DAC. I'm well aware the audio world is not solely a young one's playground. But at the same time, it's very reasonable for this to be the reply given the context: a person getting into the audio hobby with little to no knowledge other than that they have a high-impedance headphone (HD600) and that an amp to drive would be helpful (so they've read). What's more likely, that this person new to the hobby is an older person and intends to use a disc player as a source or that this person is going to be using a computer or mobile device as their source? I like to think that at this point in time, most people new to the hobby will have a computer or mobile device as their source rather than a disc player. And as it turns out, that assumption proved to be correct as they're listening out of a laptop or phone. It's why I recommended the sApII over the Magni in the first place. Assuming they were using either a phone or computer, what's easier to plug into, a Magni's RCA or the sApII's RCA or 3.5mm. Frankly, my first mistake was assuming any amount of knowledge by the new user about stuff we routinely understand here, DACs, amps, and the such. The real answer should rather be that it's all situation dependent; I probably should've asked about usage and setup first.

Okay so just to make sure I'm understanding this at a basic level, DACs are used if the player you're using is lacking. Not really for computers or phones?

Ehh, it can get complicated, but let's start with the basics. I don't think I saw a direct response to your earlier question about DACs (or I totally missed it), but DAC stands for digital-to-analog converter. All your music data is stored digitally these days and so it must be converted to analog waveforms that are sent to the speaker cones (or whatever is producing the physical sound waves since not all sound is generated from speaker cones; see balanced armatures). Any device playing audio if you just plugged in your headphones have both a DAC and an amp: your laptop, your phone, etc. The DAC converts the digital 1/0 bits to analog waves, the amp amplifies the signal (true to its moniker), then the speaker cones (or balanced armatures) physically move the air in accordance with those analog waveforms to produce the sound that you hear. With nearly any modern piece of technology that acts as an audio source, there's a DAC already built in and often an amp to go with it. Dependent on demand of the listener, a DAC or amp unit separate from the source may or may not be desired, regardless of what the source kit is. For example, one of my audio setups use my PC as my source. It has a built-in DAC and amp, but I found those to be lacking in power and clarity/resolution. As such, I bought an external DAC/amp and I send the digital info from my computer to this new unit, which converts the digital info into an analog signal that gets amplified and sent to my speakers.
In your case, you can do as @DavidA suggested first, since you're working with a laptop and a phone. Just see how you like the HD600 in those first, without anything else. If your decision is that you want to see what it's like with an external amp, then I'd suggest to get the sApII as you'll have a much easier time making the appropriate connections compared to the Magni: a standard 3.5mm male-to-male cable is all you would need.


Anyway, that was kind of long. Feel free to come back any time if you want more opinions or advice; we're all happy to help here

 

[vignmusic]

You're technically right: if you have a disc player, you don't need the DAC. I'm well aware the audio world is not solely a young one's playground. But at the same time, it's very reasonable for this to be the reply given the context: a person getting into the audio hobby with little to no knowledge other than that they have a high-impedance headphone (HD600) and that an amp to drive would be helpful (so they've read). What's more likely, that this person new to the hobby is an older person and intends to use a disc player as a source or that this person is going to be using a computer or mobile device as their source? I like to think that at this point in time, most people new to the hobby will have a computer or mobile device as their source rather than a disc player. And as it turns out, that assumption proved to be correct as they're listening out of a laptop or phone. It's why I recommended the sApII over the Magni in the first place. Assuming they were using either a phone or computer, what's easier to plug into, a Magni's RCA or the sApII's RCA or 3.5mm. Frankly, my first mistake was assuming any amount of knowledge by the new user about stuff we routinely understand here, DACs, amps, and the such. The real answer should rather be that it's all situation dependent; I probably should've asked about usage and setup first.


Ehh, it can get complicated, but let's start with the basics. I don't think I saw a direct response to your earlier question about DACs (or I totally missed it), but DAC stands for digital-to-analog converter. All your music data is stored digitally these days and so it must be converted to analog waveforms that are sent to the speaker cones (or whatever is producing the physical sound waves since not all sound is generated from speaker cones; see balanced armatures). Any device playing audio if you just plugged in your headphones have both a DAC and an amp: your laptop, your phone, etc. The DAC converts the digital 1/0 bits to analog waves, the amp amplifies the signal (true to its moniker), then the speaker cones (or balanced armatures) physically move the air in accordance with those analog waveforms to produce the sound that you hear. With nearly any modern piece of technology that acts as an audio source, there's a DAC already built in and often an amp to go with it. Dependent on demand of the listener, a DAC or amp unit separate from the source may or may not be desired, regardless of what the source kit is. For example, one of my audio setups use my PC as my source. It has a built-in DAC and amp, but I found those to be lacking in power and clarity/resolution. As such, I bought an external DAC/amp and I send the digital info from my computer to this new unit, which converts the digital info into an analog signal that gets amplified and sent to my speakers.
In your case, you can do as @DavidA suggested first, since you're working with a laptop and a phone. Just see how you like the HD600 in those first, without anything else. If your decision is that you want to see what it's like with an external amp, then I'd suggest to get the sApII as you'll have a much easier time making the appropriate connections compared to the Magni: a standard 3.5mm male-to-male cable is all you would need.


Anyway, that was kind of long. Feel free to come back any time if you want more opinions or advice; we're all happy to help here

Dude. Thank you.

 

[hanouk]

Anyone tried to put the Sennheiser HE60 pads on the HD600 ?
They can be bought for £32 from Audiosanctuary (same price as regular velour pads for the HD6x0 line)
I'm tempted to try these

 

[Midgetguy]

Anyone tried to put the Sennheiser HE60 pads on the HD600 ?
They can be bought for £32 from Audiosanctuary (same price as regular velour pads for the HD6x0 line)
I'm tempted to try these

If your question is about whether it will fit, then apparently, the answer is yes as it turns out there was a headphone in the FS forums many years ago where the seller had a headphone made up of the HD600 frame, HD650 drivers, and the HE60 hybrid velour pads. Whether or not it's difficult to get the pads onto the drivers is something that I can't answer