[castleofargh]

  Thanks guys!  I will look into all of these as well.  Such question probably gets asked to death, so apologies...but reading and searching through 1,395 pages of comments is

well it's a lot of history repeating. you could sum it all up with :
relaxed, comfy, mid veil, bottlehead crack, shiit, tube tube tube, cheap LCD2, is hd800 better? bend the metal plates, where do I get new pads?

 

[LxJLthr]

  well it's a lot of history repeating. you could sum it all up with :
relaxed, comfy, mid veil, bottlehead crack, shiit, tube tube tube, cheap LCD2, is hd800 better? bend the metal plates, where do I get new pads?

 
Bend the metal plate?  I will add that to my searches Hahaha And I cannot even imagine what I will need to get my gf to keep her passified if I ever buy myself $1,500 headphones #Scared 

 

[SunTanScanMan]

  well it's a lot of history repeating. you could sum it all up with :
relaxed, comfy, mid veil, bottlehead crack, shiit, tube tube tube, cheap LCD2, is hd800 better? bend the metal plates, where do I get new pads?

Think we can close the thread with this. See you guys nice knowing you.

 

[Krutsch]

  well it's a lot of history repeating. you could sum it all up with :
relaxed, comfy, mid veil, bottlehead crack, shiit, tube tube tube, cheap LCD2, is hd800 better? bend the metal plates, where do I get new pads?

You forgot: cables cables cables...

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

....and the Schiit brochure

 

[godlyatheist]

Just got an HD650 for myself. Having listened to IEM for almost 2 years, it's a very nice change in the sound stage. They just sound much more lively than IEMs. Currently using them with AQ Dragonfly but my Audio-gd NFB11 should arrive tomorrow.

 

[knorris908]

Are there any reasonably priced portable amps that can drive these?

If the cost differential between the FIIO e11 and the iFi Nano isn't too much, (~$180) then I would investigate that. I hear great things about it, it also has a good DAC.
I have the IDSD Micro, (~$500) and it blows my FIIO e17 away. (And I really LIKE my FIIO!). More power than I would EVER need for all of our headphones up to the HD-650s, and it drives them louder than I would ever want to listen to them. (I rarely feel the need to turn the volume dial beyond 9 o'clock.). It opens them up wider and makes them sound fuller than anything I've listened to short of my SCHIIT ASGARD 2 desktop amp or greater power desktop/rack amp setups that I've sampled. No other portable amp or amp/DAC that I've listened to has touched the IDSD Micro so far with the HD-650s.

 

[Androb]

If the cost differential between the FIIO e11 and the iFi Nano isn't too much, (~$180) then I would investigate that. I hear great things about it, it also has a good DAC.
I have the IDSD Micro, (~$500) and it blows my FIIO e17 away. (And I really LIKE my FIIO!). More power than I would EVER need for all of our headphones up to the HD-650s, and it drives them louder than I would ever want to listen to them. (I rarely feel the need to turn the volume dial beyond 9 o'clock.). It opens them up wider and makes them sound fuller than anything I've listened to short of my SCHIIT ASGARD 2 desktop amp or greater power desktop/rack amp setups that I've sampled. No other portable amp or amp/DAC that I've listened to has touched the IDSD Micro so far with the HD-650s.

Oh yea the micro is a good option aswell if you are willing to spend more!

Do you use it as portable or just as desktop amp? knorris

 

[knorris908]

I use it as both. When I'm on the go, I swap-out the iDSD Micro for the FIIO e17. (Windows automatically switches the drivers when I swap units, and my JRiver MC 20 is set to use "Default Sound Device" instead of specifying each time I swap.)

The FIIO e17 does a great job with movies and foreign films. Nice channel separation can be heard through the speakers and dialogue is that much clearer than when I used to just use the Sound Blaster sound card's LINE OUT port. The iDSD does just as well, but with even more separation, clarity, and "3D effect" with movies. You're more likely to turn your head to look for something in real life when listening to certain songs or movies with both devices, but just a little more-so with the iDSD Micro.

Neither is bad. Consider when you dropped dial-up for broadband. It's like going from 28.8k up/56k down speed (PC sound card/commercial DAC) to 100MB up and down speed digital broadband option 1 (FIIO e17), or 200MB up and down speed digital broadband option 2 (iDSD Micro). Yes there are times when the second option will REALLY make a difference, like downloading movies or large program files, but if you're just doing the most common and mundane tasks like opening web pages or reading e-mail, there really isn't much of a difference in performance between either broadband option usually since the bottleneck for performance is elsewhere. Yeah, it's kind of like that.

 

[viscab]

I hadn't been enjoying my set-up (Woo Audio 6SE, Audiolab M-DAC and HD-600) for a while now. It only sounded good with perfectly produced music. With the rest (90%) I did not enjoy listening for too long very much. There was a harshness I did not enjoy.
 
After reading all the positive comments about the HD-650 here, I decided to bring my HD-600 to my local hi-fi store and give other headphones a listen (including the HD-800). The HD-800 was too close to my HD-600 in terms of brightness. I really enjoyed the fullness and lush sound of the HD-650 the most. So I bought the HD-650.
 
I'm very pleased with the synergy of my system now. It's the kind of sound (smooth but still detailed and with attack if needed) that I was gunning for. Music sounds much closer to how it sounds at a concert. My favorite musical moment so far has come from listening to Radiohead and Johnny Cash on my new set-up. The latest Beck album sounds amazing as well. I'm pleased that changing my headphones made the difference. My DAC and amp are much more costly. Perhaps I will add a LCD-2 down the road. Unfortunately they do not lend you gear in Holland. When I lived in Singapore they would visit your house to let you try out gear.

 

[Solrighal]

Welcome to the laid-back club viscab. I actually think that, for me, the HD 650 is the best headphone in the world.

 

[lawrecedent]

Are there any reasonably priced portable amps that can drive these?  I travel for business a lot and already know I will want to bring these along for more extended periods.  Obviously putting tub amps in my carry ain't exactly an option Haha

I am currently looking at FiiO E12 Mont Blanc...from doing a quick search within this thread it seems to work well and it is only $129.  I didn't see any objections to it unlike E11 or some other FiiO offerings.  Any other suggestions?

As far as desktop amps, Massdrop currently has DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp for $219 (if enough people commit).  So thinking about that one.  I know Bottlehead Crack seems to be a popular suggestion for these, but I absolutely and utterly suck at electronics.  I would probably burn down my house with a solder.

Still very much researching...

I have the Fiio e18 and although I dont have extensive amp experience I find these sound great using Flac music from my Note 3 connected by usb to the e18 through to the HD 650's. Clarity is superb with plenty of quality bass, lush mids and detailed highs. The soundstage and 3d placement of instruments is great with this set up. Well worth considering imo. I've been very happy with the capabilities of this amp through a number of different cans.

 

[donlin]

Ray Samuels Audio has quite a few portable amps that used to get a lot of attention.  Don't seem to hear about them much any more.

 

[Michaelf35]

Cool
what do you thinks is better Audio Technika 

ATH-M50X

Or Senheier Momentum
 

 

[teofilrocks]

  Cool
what do you thinks is better Audio Technika 

ATH-M50X Or Senheier Momentum

 
This is the place you're looking for: http://www.head-fi.org/f/7840/introductions-help-and-recommendations