[SomeGuyDude]

I was genuinely surprised with the HD650s off the Verza and an iPhone. I don't think they need anything else, and I never pushed them above 50-60% volume. 

 

[joebobbilly]

  I was genuinely surprised with the HD650s off the Verza and an iPhone. I don't think they need anything else, and I never pushed them above 50-60% volume. 

Haha until you listen to them on a Crack or balanced (with a nice DAC)... I'd argue you're only hearing at most about 80-90% of what they can do

. Personally I had them on the E09K/E17 combo before... I was pleased overall, but a Lyr, Crack or Mjolnir (or even an upgraded DAC) can certainly bring more out of these headphones.
 
When I got my Mojo+Gungnir, I did some A/Bing with my E09K/E17... feeding Mojo with E17, or E09K with Gungnir, comparing only DAC, only amp, etc....... To my ears, the upgrade in DAC had the most significant impact in terms of detail, resolution, tone & timbre, and overall sound signature. The amp simply made the HD650 respond with more ease of effort... the Mojo gave it more "umph"... a bit more neutral, and blacker background with a more realistic decay (made it "faster" sounding?). So at least when it comes down to SS amps... I'd argue the audible difference is more clear when you upgrade DACs... I'm excluding tube amps (such as the beloved Crack) because the natural "colourations" from the tubes will of course provide a different flavour to the sound that can vary for each person's personal preference.
 
Bottom line: HD650 scales well... does it NEED it? no... but we sure love it

 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

LOL y'all are killing me. There's a couple on eBay that might go for under $300 and now I'm heavily tempted to pull the trigger just because why not.
 
After auditioning a bunch of cans, I have to admit they're my 2nd favorite behind the M100s. 

 

[JamieMcC]

Coloured, lush,  rolled off highs, poor bass all seem a common perception with tube amps.
 
Safe to say my Crack sounds nothing like that, its more engaging, fast, dynamic & natural! 
 
Upgrade to  some film caps and a stepped attenuator plus a couple of $3 Russian surplus Teflon bypass capacitors and you can add refined, detailed and highly resolving to the list. all for less than $100 extra.
 
By the way the Crack has just gone straight in on the new wall of fame for amps at Innerfidelity. 

 

[whirlwind]

 
I'm listening to my HD650 using my X3 as USB DAC, FLAC, Joe Bonamassa low gain, volume only 26. Full pelt it should give around 115dB - but I don't want to damage my hearing

 
Yeah.....Joe B.
 
This dudes guitar playing is totally mesmerizing 

 

[Jeff Y]

  Sufficient Volume doesn't equate to a good amp for HD650... just as sufficient volume for earbuds doesn't equate to good sound

.
 
However... the HD650 are really not as unforgiving to drive as some of us here say. In truth, most amps can make them at least pleasing to listen to. Yet, as we all generally agree here, the HD650 scales up very well with good amps.
 
As with the others here, if you have $500 to spend I'd say get some Schiit

(DAC and amp)

its not just about the volume though unfortunately. I would be using a E12 instead of my Slees which are the best for 650s for my opinion.

 

[Jeff Y]

Graham Slees are the best cause they take tube amp sound and solid state sound and mix them into a unbeatable combination imo

 

[bleudeciel16]

  Coloured, lush,  rolled off highs, poor bass all seem a common perception with tube amps.
 
Safe to say my Crack sounds nothing like that, its more engaging, fast, dynamic & natural! 
 
Upgrade to  some film caps and a stepped attenuator plus a couple of $3 Russian surplus Teflon bypass capacitors and you can add refined, detailed and highly resolving to the list. all for less than $100 extra.
 
By the way the Crack has just gone straight in on the new wall of fame for amps at Innerfidelity. 

 
do they make log curve stepped attenuators, or do you have to buy an empty one and do the math yourself when picking precision resistors?

 

[JacobLee89]

Now there are Ladder type stepped attenuators, and Serial type stepped attenuators. Some say that Ladder trumps Serial, whereas well implemented Serial types can rival Ladders.
 
With the addition of Log Curve Stepped Attenuators, I am now just as confused as to what I can choose for the Crack. Audio stuff seems to be filled with 50% folklore and 50% science, with almost 50% of it being a blurred line

 

[bleudeciel16]

   
Audio stuff seems to be filled with 50% folklore and 50% science, with almost 50% of it being a blurred line

 
quoted for the truth!  now lets go group order some silver cables anointed in dragon's blood! (JK!)

 

[JamieMcC]

Mine is a Valab 23 step 100k ladder type, it came with all the resistors fitted for around $30 if I remember correctly, very happy with it and a noticeable improvement over the standard Crack pot.
 

 

[MattTCG]

Looks great Jamie!! I'm thinking about moving up to a stepped attenuator. 

 

[skeptic]

  Mine is a Valab 23 step 100k ladder type, it came with all the resistors fitted for around $30 if I remember correctly, very happy with it and a noticeable improvement over the standard Crack pot.
 

 
I'm planning to follow Jamie and try a valab in my wire se-se build that is presently underway.  I went with a tkd 2511 in my crack, which is a nice pot with no channel imbalance, but it wasn't cheap, and I really couldn't swear to any actual improvement in sq.
 
I've actually been enjoying a lot of listening time lately with my crack -> 650's having moved this setup into my office.  In addition to sounding great, the questions I'm getting from coworkers are a source of great amusement.  "What's that thing with the light bulbs on your desk?"  

 

[mcandmar]

   
do they make log curve stepped attenuators, or do you have to buy an empty one and do the math yourself when picking precision resistors?

 
Any i have seen were log, but you can always buy a blank switch and do it yourself, resistor charts are easy enough to find.  Kikitronic on eBay will sell a bare switch, or a parts kit if you fancy spending an evening soldering all 94 resistors in place. BTDT
 
Only down side to the Kikitronic versions is they don't have the nice PCB's on each end that the Valabs use, but they do use better Dale resistors.

 

[Manel]

Does anyone in here have the HD650s hooked up to a Sound Blaster ZxR? Do they make a good match? 
Do you recommend it over, let's say, the Schiit combo (Schiit Magni+Modi)?