[diaBoliQu3]

  Out of those 3 the HD650 had the most bass. I must say I enjoyed the HD600 + O2 combo the most, followed closely by the HD650 + O2 and then the HE-400 with Schiit Modi/Magni combo. The best amp for the HD6X0s was the Bottlehead Crack. 

Have you try HD 600 with Shiit Modi/ Magni? And do you think HD 600 pairing with Aune X1 is a good combination?

 

[mvrk10256]

I would say get a Tube amp for the 600/650 and get SS for the HE400. Magni/Modi stack is a good choice/ 

 

[diaBoliQu3]

  I would say get a Tube amp for the 600/650 and get SS for the HE400. Magni/Modi stack is a good choice/ 

 
Aune X1 is tube but not sure if goody enough. SS means? Solid state? How about portable amp? What I mean portable is amp or DAC cum amp that doesn't need AC adapter because I might bring the DAC cum amp along with my laptop.

 

[money4me247]

  I would say get a Tube amp for the 600/650 and get SS for the HE400. Magni/Modi stack is a good choice/ 

whyyy? boo i have a tube amp my he400 

 

[mvrk10256]

  whyyy? boo i have a tube amp my he400 

an OTL amp wont work very well. A hybrid would. 

 

[colaturka]

Get the hifiman he-400's because it has got the biggest appreciation thread on head-fi ever. Go read up instead of changing your opinion with every remark the people are making here, think twice before making a judgement.

 

[money4me247]

  an OTL amp wont work very well. A hybrid would. 

lol... i don't know what that means so i did some googling... so there is a difference between OTL tube amps vs regular tube amps, and OTL amps are pricier. i definitely don't have a OTL tube amp.
 
soo you wanna throw some more knowledge down on a noobie & explain everything, so your previous statement tubes for 600/650 vs ss for he400 makes sense to me? lol
 
btw: we have the same avatar!!!! 

 

[mvrk10256]

  lol... i don't know what that means so i did some googling... so there is a difference between OTL tube amps vs regular tube amps, and OTL amps are pricier. i definitely don't have a OTL tube amp.
 
soo you wanna throw some more knowledge down on a noobie & explain everything, so your previous statement tubes for 600/650 vs ss for he400 makes sense to me? lol
 
btw: we have the same avatar!!!! 

You have hybrids. They can both expensive. 
 
An OTL uses tubes for both power and amplification. A perfect example is the DV336se or the bottlehead crack. A hybrid uses a tube as a preamp to "color" the sound, but uses a solid state amplification signal. 
 
The technical details can be read here. But basically the main difference is inductive, causing a lot of noise on planar magnetics when using them with OTL amps. High impedance dynamic headphones like the HD650 are perfect since they provide a highly inductive load to the tubes. 

 

[money4me247]

  You have hybrids. They can both expensive. 
 
An OTL uses tubes for both power and amplification. A perfect example is the DV336se or the bottlehead crack. A hybrid uses a tube as a preamp to "color" the sound, but uses a solid state amplification signal. 
 
The technical details can be read here. But basically the main difference is inductive, causing a lot of noise on planar magnetics when using them with OTL amps. High impedance dynamic headphones like the HD650 are perfect since they provide a highly inductive load to the tubes. 

cool beans. thanks for the knowledge dump.
 
so hybrid tube amps vs solid state amps are chill for planar magnetics? one technology isn't inherent superior than the other for the HE400 right?

 

[mvrk10256]

  cool beans. thanks for the knowledge dump.
 
so hybrid tube amps vs solid state amps are chill for planar magnetics? one technology isn't inherent superior than the other for the HE400 right?

Its kind of a loaded question. Lets compare amps specifically.
 
Since Schiit sells all 3 we will compare those. 
 
The Asgard is a purely solid state amp. This means it strives to simply amplify the signal it gets in as cleanly as possible with minimum distortion. It has lots of power, can match both resistive and inductive loads.  
 
The Valhalla is an OTL amp. It uses tubes both for power and amplification stages. This means it "colors" the sound due to tubes inherent distortion. Some people like it, others dont. It has power but it is really designed to match up to high impedance (both resistance adn inductance) loads like high impedance dynamics. 
 
The Lyr offers the best of both worlds. It has a tube stage for amp, but a SS power stage. This means that you get the color, but you are also able to match to any sort of headphones. 

 

[sillbeer]

  Its kind of a loaded question. Lets compare amps specifically.
 
Since Schiit sells all 3 we will compare those. 
 
The Asgard is a purely solid state amp. This means it strives to simply amplify the signal it gets in as cleanly as possible with minimum distortion. It has lots of power, can match both resistive and inductive loads.  
 
The Valhalla is an OTL amp. It uses tubes both for power and amplification stages. This means it "colors" the sound due to tubes inherent distortion. Some people like it, others dont. It has power but it is really designed to match up to high impedance (both resistance adn inductance) loads like high impedance dynamics. 
 
The Lyr offers the best of both worlds. It has a tube stage for amp, but a SS power stage. This means that you get the color, but you are also able to match to any sort of headphones. 

My dads an old school rocker and he's currently living with me.  I need some headphones for him because we have two young kids that need to sleep when he's jamming out.  He likes quality loud music,….and he's partially deaf.  The HD 650's are right in my range and an amp is definitely in my price range in a month or two if needed
 
Is that the best choice for me to pick up?  I'm curious because I may pick up a set of these for myself also as I prefer a little warmer sound.  I was initially considering the HE-400's and am still up in the air.
 
Thanks,
 
- Destin

 

[roguegeek]

  My dads an old school rocker and he's currently living with me.  I need some headphones for him because we have two young kids that need to sleep when he's jamming out.  He likes quality loud music,….and he's partially deaf.  The HD 650's are right in my range and an amp is definitely in my price range in a month or two if needed
 
Is that the best choice for me to pick up?  I'm curious because I may pick up a set of these for myself also as I prefer a little warmer sound.  I was initially considering the HE-400's and am still up in the air.
 
Thanks,
 
- Destin

If it's just a toss up between these three, I'd go HD 600 just because it's on the warmer side of neutral, less offensive, less aggressive, and more durable.

 

[money4me247]

  My dads an old school rocker and he's currently living with me.  I need some headphones for him because we have two young kids that need to sleep when he's jamming out.  He likes quality loud music,….and he's partially deaf.  The HD 650's are right in my range and an amp is definitely in my price range in a month or two if needed
 
Is that the best choice for me to pick up?  I'm curious because I may pick up a set of these for myself also as I prefer a little warmer sound.  I was initially considering the HE-400's and am still up in the air.
 
Thanks,
 
- Destin

mmm... keep in mind the hd600/hd650 and the he400 are all open headphones, so sound leaks out of them. It should be fine if your kids are in a different room, but you will be able to hear what he is listening to if you are nearby (same room or adjacent room or even farther away if he plays things really loud with the door open).
 
warmer (darker) sound would be the hd650 and the he400. the he400 recently had a price drop to $300, so that's a pretty good deal if money is a concern.
 
all three headphones are great, so you can't really go wrong.

 

[sillbeer]

Thanks for the replies.  Money isn't a huge concern within reason.  All three of these fit my budget and depending on how my dad likes what I get him then I may pick a set up for myself.
 
This thread isn't that old but is there anything else I should be considering?  I was originally looking for an over the hear headphone and somehow stumbled upon this thread.
 
- Destin

 

[roguegeek]

  Thanks for the replies.  Money isn't a huge concern within reason.  All three of these fit my budget and depending on how my dad likes what I get him then I may pick a set up for myself.
 
This thread isn't that old but is there anything else I should be considering?  I was originally looking for an over the hear headphone and somehow stumbled upon this thread.
 
- Destin

Knowing the pros and cons of an open can, are you ok with this?