[Fearless1]

  That's simple. I'd like to have the rigs work at full potential as soon as they are turned on. Well, 1 or 2 mins might be fine to me. But 15 mins or longer really sound too long to me, unless I have planned 2+ hours for listening.

I have never even thought about it as an inconvenience in any way.

Come home from work/school, turn amp on, go shower/change, it is at full potential, it's worth the time if you ask me......

 

[JamieMcC]

  That's simple. I'd like to have the rigs work at full potential as soon as they are turned on. Well, 1 or 2 mins might be fine to me. But 15 mins or longer really sound too long to me, unless I have planned 2+ hours for listening.

 
Its not like the tube are unlistenable, they are  fine to listen within only 15-30seconds and the quality improves as they reach their correct operating temperature some of the European tubes have flashers which I have read are meant to instantly help warm up the tube once power is turned on.
 
You soon get into the habit of flicking on the amp prior to doing anything else, so by the time you have sat down turned on your dac put on your headphones and selected which track to play off your pc etc your tubes will be working just fine. There really is nothing to be concerned about imho.  In my experience solid state gear also sound best when its had time to warm up, the issue is a bit of a red herring imo and really not worth worrying about.  

 

[Fearless1]

BTW @JamieMcC, that is a beautiful Crack build, nice work.

 

[cddc]

  I does not matter what your source of the files is, the bitrate and quality of the recording itself is what matters.  The dac is a digital to analog converter, it should not change the "quality" of the file.  If it does, there is something wrong with the dac itself.  If you stream the file from win8, win 7 or mac or whatever, so long as the file is of a good quality the output will be also.  After the dac, whatever player you use, the file can be altered with crossfeed, bass boost, treble boost or cut or whatever you want to add or subtract from the file to make it sound "good" to you.

I am still confused by the feeding sequence. It seems that files will be sent to the dac first and then the player from your reply.
 
But how can the dac understand various file types, including the new ones yet to come. If dac is before player in the sequence, then new file types will not be supported (unless there is a firmware upgrade for the dac).
 
My guess is that audio files will be sent to the player first. The player interprets the files into digital singals, and then feeds the digital signals into the dac. This could explain why Winamp cannot play APE files by default, and you would have to throw in some plug-in to support the APE format.
 
Again, I am not too sure about the process. Just guessing.

 

[cddc]

  I have never even thought about it as an inconvenience in any way.

Come home from work/school, turn amp on, go shower/change, it is at full potential, it's worth the time if you ask me......

Thanks...well, I might not listen to music so often. I can't turn on the amp/dac after work/school everyday. I only turn them on when I want to listen to music.

 

[grrraymond]

It makes a negligible difference, so if you need to start and stop listening to music on a strict time frame, don't sweat it. You won't be missing much.

The DAC converts the file output from the player. The EQ point noted above is simply that you can alter it via the media player of choice. A DAC makes a discernible difference but much less so than an amp or even rolling a tube.

 

[cddc]

   
Its not like the tube are unlistenable, they are  fine to listen within only 15-30seconds and the quality improves as they reach their correct operating temperature some of the European tubes have flashers which I have read are meant to instantly help warm up the tube once power is turned on.
 
You soon get into the habit of flicking on the amp prior to doing anything else, so by the time you have sat down turned on your dac put on your headphones and selected which track to play off your pc etc your tubes will be working just fine. There really is nothing to be concerned about imho.  In my experience solid state gear also sound best when its had time to warm up, the issue is a bit of a red herring imo and really not worth worrying about.  

Thanks...make sense

 

[cddc]

It makes a negligible difference, so if you need to start and stop listening to music on a strict time frame, don't sweat it. You won't be missing much.

The DAC converts the file output from the player. The EQ point noted above is simply that you can alter it via the media player of choice. A DAC makes a discernible difference but much less so than an amp or even rolling a tube.

Thanks a lot...feeling relieved

 

[intlsubband]

I just got a second hand HD650 that I bought on the boards here, it's in excellent condition and I like the sound. I did notice though that it's the "old" version. I saw very contradictory posts in this and other threads about the differences in sound between the two version, and I wonder whether I should bother trying to get the new version... what are your thoughts, for people who heard the two versions?

 

[connieflyer]

I have had both versions, not much if any difference, when used with a good amp the so called veil lifts!!!    There is no veil, however, how do they sound to you?  Give yourself some time to adjust your mind to them, if after a while, you still have doubts that there would be a difference, instead of buying a new pair, send them back to Sennheiser for new drivers, and problem solve.  Don't let idle speculation get to you from people that just imagine that Sennheiser was up to some sinister plot to change things around so no one would know.  Even if they did, a company that is that smart would not draw attention to the possible changes by replacing the color scheme.  Really would have been a dumb idea. You are the final and best judge of how they sound.  If they sound great leave them alone.  There are better headphones out there, at much higher prices as well, the 650's are a really fine piece of equipment.  Give it time. 

 

[intlsubband]

  I have had both versions, not much if any difference, when used with a good amp the so called veil lifts!!!    There is no veil, however, how do they sound to you?  Give yourself some time to adjust your mind to them, if after a while, you still have doubts that there would be a difference, instead of buying a new pair, send them back to Sennheiser for new drivers, and problem solve.  Don't let idle speculation get to you from people that just imagine that Sennheiser was up to some sinister plot to change things around so no one would know.  Even if they did, a company that is that smart would not draw attention to the possible changes by replacing the color scheme.  Really would have been a dumb idea. You are the final and best judge of how they sound.  If they sound great leave them alone.  There are better headphones out there, at much higher prices as well, the 650's are a really fine piece of equipment.  Give it time. 

 
Thanks heaps for the comment! I really do like the sound of them, though the bass is not quite as good as I've read - BUT I'm sure that'll change once I get a better amp (I currently used a home made Cmoy desktop single tube amp). I can't say I heard a veil, but maybe that's because i'm still not as "experienced" with high end headphones as many others in this forum.
 
It's very easy to get swept away listening to these and forget they're even there!

 

[connieflyer]

When you get a better amp the bass will be there, and as far as being more experienced to "hear the veil" and what not, don't try to hear things that are not there, listen to the things that are there.  If you enjoy them, who cares what anyone else thinks.  Does not take an"experenced" ear to hear things that are not there, just the notion from others that have all heard others talk about maybe hearing something different.  LIsten to the music, enjoy the music,  that is what you bought them for.  I have had many headphones and amps over the years (lots of years) going back to the sixties when the tube amps where king.  Every headphone is a series of compromises you give a little here and take alitlle there, so over the years you will find what you like and stick with it.  There will always be something a little better, a little more expensive, nice shiny new things, but it is here and now, take the time to really listen to the differences that you hear and enjoy with these new phones.  You should get alot of pleasure from them if you really like music.

 

[intlsubband]

  When you get a better amp the bass will be there, and as far as being more experienced to "hear the veil" and what not, don't try to hear things that are not there, listen to the things that are there.  If you enjoy them, who cares what anyone else thinks.  Does not take an"experenced" ear to hear things that are not there, just the notion from others that have all heard others talk about maybe hearing something different.  LIsten to the music, enjoy the music,  that is what you bought them for.  I have had many headphones and amps over the years (lots of years) going back to the sixties when the tube amps where king.  Every headphone is a series of compromises you give a little here and take alitlle there, so over the years you will find what you like and stick with it.  There will always be something a little better, a little more expensive, nice shiny new things, but it is here and now, take the time to really listen to the differences that you hear and enjoy with these new phones.  You should get alot of pleasure from them if you really like music.

 
I completely agree. I have been listening to headphones since I was a child, it is how I discovered music and how I experienced it throughout the last 20 years of my life. Throughout my childhood, then university, various low payed jobs, then postgrad studies, I listened to whatever cheap headphones I could find until that headphones died - I am a big music lover and always found sound quality secondary. Only in the last year, after I based myself in a professional job, I could afford to start investing in better headphones. So I very much enjoy exploring better sound quality, and re-listen to all my favorite music and exploring new details in the music, but at the same time I still feel that I would prefer a great song on a crappy headphones than a crappy song on the best headphones.
 
I guess it is my geekish nature that, when I get into things, I explore them as deeply as I can - which is why I've read everything I could find about every new headphones that I got in the last year, and that's where I came across all the discussions of the "new" vs "old" HD650's.

 

[blownaway]

World Wide Stereo has the HD650's for $377.94 with free shipping on Ebay!
 
I just ordered a pair, finally made a decision.

 I think it's also eligible for a $50 (through April 30th) rebate through Sennheiser since WWS is an authorized dealer.  Thought I would pass on the good deal in case anyone was on the fence (like me).
 
As strange as it might sound this will be for mostly portable use (taking walks and working around the house).   I'll need to get some shorter custom cables along with a DAP and amp.  I'm excited to dive into the world of HD audio.
 
Has anyone used the VorzAmp Pure or Portaphile Micro with the HD650?  I really like it's small profile but I'm not sure they if they have a have a good synergy.

 

[intlsubband]

  World Wide Stereo has the HD650's for $377.94 with free shipping on Ebay!
 
I just ordered a pair, finally made a decision.

 I think it's also eligible for a $50 (through April 30th) rebate through Sennheiser since WWS is an authorized dealer.  Thought I would pass on the good deal in case anyone was on the fence (like me).
 
As strange as it might sound this will be for mostly portable use (taking walks and working around the house).   I'll need to get some shorter custom cables along with a DAP and amp.  I'm excited to dive into the world of HD audio.
 
Has anyone used the VorzAmp Pure or Portaphile Micro with the HD650?  I really like it's small profile but I'm not sure they if they have a have a good synergy.

 
I'm waiting on my Vamp Verza, I actually ordered it a month ago but still didn't get it delivered (apparently V-Moda were overworked with the launch of XS, hopefully it'll get here ASAP). I heard it's strong enough for the HD650, I can write some impressions once I get it.