[FiioforMeOh]

I was going to purchase myself a pair of 650's, used but in good condition off of Amazon. I was wondering what amplifier would be needed to fully power these headphones. My current amp is a Fiio e11, paired with my HTC ONE S that has an installed equalizer (greatly improves sound quality) what affordable amplifiers, or cables would I need to really use these headphones?

 

[tomb]

I was going to purchase myself a pair of 650's, used but in good condition off of Amazon. I was wondering what amplifier would be needed to fully power these headphones. My current amp is a Fiio e11, paired with my HTC ONE S that has an installed equalizer (greatly improves sound quality) what affordable amplifiers, or cables would I need to really use these headphones?

You can start a lot of arguments when you mention cables.  I think cables's effects are most exaggerated myself, in fact.  However, there is one pairing that essentially started the headphone re-cabling industry: the Sennheiser HD580/600/650 with the classic Cardas cable.  In my experience, no other headphone reacts as well to cable changes as the Sennheiser 580/600/650 with a Cardas cable.
 
As for amps, look for something that can swing a lot of voltage with high-impedance loads.  To be honest, that's not an advantage with most solid-state amplifiers.  It's why tubes seem to be paired with the Sennheisers more often than not.

 

[FiioforMeOh]

You can start a lot of arguments when you mention cables.  I think cables's effects are most exaggerated myself, in fact.  However, there is one pairing that essentially started the headphone re-cabling industry: the Sennheiser HD580/600/650 with the classic Cardas cable.  In my experience, no other headphone reacts as well to cable changes as the Sennheiser 580/600/650 with a Cardas cable.

As for amps, look for something that can swing a lot of voltage with high-impedance loads.  To be honest, that's not an advantage with most solid-state amplifiers.  It's why tubes seem to be paired with the Sennheisers more often than not.

Thank you, so a better amplifier is not needed? I was looking at the e17, or would the cardas cable be the better option?

 

[FiioforMeOh]

Ooo, $200 for a cable is asking for a bit much since I need the headphones and possible e17 amplifier. I was looking for a cable that connects the audio source to the headphone, or are the stock cables that come with the Fiio good enough?

 

[nkrueger]

I used a uDac-2 and Schiit Asgard 2 with my HD-650 for a while, it was relatively cheap and sounded great.  Recently I've upgraded to the Bifrost Uber and the trio makes for damn clean sound. The difference between the uDac-2 and Bifrost wasn't immediately obvious, only when I started listening to seriously quality source I noticed better separation of instruments and overall cleaner sound.  Your FiiO with an Asgard 2 would probably sound pretty great if you are trying to save $$.  The Asgard 2 has plenty of juice for the HD-650 IMO unless you are trying to make your ears bleed

 

[Zojokkeli]

I am also considering HD 650 as an upgrade in the future for my HD 598. I'm wondering would a Magni+Modi combo be "enough" for the 650 or should I go for something like Asgard 2/Valhalla and Bitfrost? Or maybe combine Modi with either one of the amps and save some cash?
I have the Nuforce uDAC-2 at the moment, so I would have the option to use it as a dac while saving up for an upgrade.

 

[nkrueger]

Well, in this case the amp should be your priority, I tried the HD-650 with the uDAC-2 as the amp it was terrible and tinny.  However, the uDAC-2 as DAC and Asgard 2 is pretty decent IMO.  I upgraded from that to the Bifrost later down the road and the difference wasn't nearly as big as going from uDAC-2 to uDAC-2 with Asgard-2.  Good luck!

 

[Zojokkeli]

Thanks for the advice! I've heard great things about the upcoming Schiit Vali amp, so I'll propably go for that one if the price is right. The HD 650's will still be a purchase somewhere in the future, but I suppose my 598's would also benefit from a proper amp.
I got in the audio-game last summer and I've already spent close to 500€ in the equipment. And I'm already looking for something more! I think I've caught the bug.