[Solrighal]

I hoped they'd do it for you Fuzziekiwi. They also really do benefit from burning in too so it gets even better. I listen to a lot of older recordings from the 50's & 60's which can sound harsh & flat on anything else; not so the HD 650.

As far as amps are concerned then the Crack definitely seems to be the one at a relatively affordable price. I like my O2 also but even my Fiio E18 can drive them satisfactorily and you can pick that up for £100!

 

[Za Warudo]

And how many times more Zana Deux cost?

Well I was being facetious, plus his username implies he has the money for it.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

 
These are definitely end game. 

Compared to the HD558, the vocals were VERY airy, on HD650s, it just sounds more real. 
Despite people saying the HD650 are darker, I don't think so. The 558's are much darker. Highs are much more easy to hear on 650's. 

Much better instrument separation, accurate, and not harsh. They make recordings sound so much better than they actually are, more than the 558's. Much tighter bass. 

Drums, cymbals are really my favorite part of this headphone. Much livelier.

I am currently using my Reciever to power these but my Xonar DG drives them to good volumes fine.
Would I pay $499 MSRP? I don't think so.. but if you put into the equation:


Good comfort, clamp is a little tight but I believe this will ease over time

Makes crappy recordings even more listenable, compared to 558's.  They are slowly growing on me every minute. 

Thanks for sharing your impressions. What are you powering you 650s with? So far, pretty happy with mine. Have only had limited listening sessions with it, and I've already put it straight to work in the studio where it has done a better job with mix downs than any headphone I've owned. 

My Pioneer receiver listed in my signature. The Xonar DG works fine too but I haven't AB them. I will not upgrade to another amp/DAC until Christmas probably.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

I hoped they'd do it for you Fuzziekiwi. They also really do benefit from burning in too so it gets even better. I listen to a lot of older recordings from the 50's & 60's which can sound harsh & flat on anything else; not so the HD 650.

As far as amps are concerned then the Crack definitely seems to be the one at a relatively affordable price. I like my O2 also but even my Fiio E18 can drive them satisfactorily and you can pick that up for £100!

Q701s almost seem harder to drive than these. Will probably buy an amp/dac around Christmas

 

[CanadianMaestro]

The 650 is beautiful for all genres of music. I use it with BHA-1 or WA6. Classic rock guitars sound real, without harshness on the less-than-well-recorded tracks. I find that with some jazz vocal tracks and large-scale classical music, I crave more sparkling highs and air, so then I turn to my Grados (GS1000i, RS1i)  for that. But otherwise, the 650 is a keeper for me.

 

[maxrocks13]

All of this is making me excited! I get my 650s tomorrow and just can not wait any longer! I know this is cliche, but I really do feel like a little kid in a candy store and I have done quite a bit of research on amps/dacs, everything is pointing towards the magni/modi combo since I'm trying to save money, is there anything else that would do more justice? Would upgrading the cables improve the performance as well?

 

[Mingus Ah Um]

  All of this is making me excited! I get my 650s tomorrow and just can not wait any longer! I know this is cliche, but I really do feel like a little kid in a candy store and I have done quite a bit of research on amps/dacs, everything is pointing towards the magni/modi combo since I'm trying to save money, is there anything else that would do more justice? Would upgrading the cables improve the performance as well?

I wouldn't spend any money on cables.  Just enjoy your new HP's. I have the magni/modi combo and it is nice, but I'd save up the money for an amp upgrade down the road.  That's going to make the biggest difference in sound for you.

 

[Fearless1]

  All of this is making me excited! I get my 650s tomorrow and just can not wait any longer! I know this is cliche, but I really do feel like a little kid in a candy store and I have done quite a bit of research on amps/dacs, everything is pointing towards the magni/modi combo since I'm trying to save money, is there anything else that would do more justice? Would upgrading the cables improve the performance as well?

I would go Vali/Modi , but I am a tube guy.

 

[Zojokkeli]

  All of this is making me excited! I get my 650s tomorrow and just can not wait any longer! I know this is cliche, but I really do feel like a little kid in a candy store and I have done quite a bit of research on amps/dacs, everything is pointing towards the magni/modi combo since I'm trying to save money, is there anything else that would do more justice? Would upgrading the cables improve the performance as well?

 
Vali costs basically the same amount of money as Magni and plays really well with 650's. 

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

Finally found what's used in my Xonar DG, if the internet is correct. Would getting a better DAC make a difference? What are the differences?

DAC & specifications of DG-
DAC chip is Cirrus Logic CS4245*1 (104dB DNR, Max. 192KHz/24bit) for fronts

Rest Cirrus Logic CS4361*1 (103dB DNR, Max. 192KHz/24bit),

 

[joebobbilly]

  All of this is making me excited! I get my 650s tomorrow and just can not wait any longer! I know this is cliche, but I really do feel like a little kid in a candy store and I have done quite a bit of research on amps/dacs, everything is pointing towards the magni/modi combo since I'm trying to save money, is there anything else that would do more justice? Would upgrading the cables improve the performance as well?

To my ears, there can be a subtle difference to be had from a cable change for the HD650. BUT it should be the last thing you 'upgrade'. I would prioritize everything else before that. So get good source material (lossless/well mastered music), good amp and DAC, even going balanced (i may get flamed for this) makes a bigger sonic difference (to me) than the cable.
 
All in all though, enjoy these lovely HPs! They really are something special

.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

save your money. the 650 does very well with a decent amp. But.... if you later crave some more air and articulated highs, do a silver cable from Ted's Headphone Lounge. That cable really opens up the 650.

 

[Za Warudo]

You might want to read this thread, not that it really proves anything, but should give you something to think about before spending too much money on amps.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/705169/how-do-you-compare-2-headphone-amps

 

[obsidyen]

Finally found what's used in my Xonar DG, if the internet is correct. Would getting a better DAC make a difference? What are the differences?

DAC & specifications of DG-
DAC chip is Cirrus Logic CS4245*1 (104dB DNR, Max. 192KHz/24bit) for fronts

Rest Cirrus Logic CS4361*1 (103dB DNR, Max. 192KHz/24bit),

Depends. If you get a Chord Hugo, you'll hear the difference. It has a custom FPGA dac. But with most commercial dacs, such as Dragonfly, Meridian Explorer, Dacmagic XS etc. it won't be worth it. I recommend you get a good amp instead (such as Vioelectric V200).

 

[Solrighal]

I might be wrong but I don't think FK's looking to swap DAC chips but gain some understanding of what she currently has. Sadly I can't help. I know that the Violectric is an €850 amp though, maybe a bit expensive.