[oatp1b1]

Bought a Burson HA-160D to couple with my HD650. Fantastic pairing. Increased dynamics, sub-bass and detail which really shows what a great headphone the HD650 is. 

 

[olegausany]

Bought a Burson HA-160D to couple with my HD650. Fantastic pairing. Increased dynamics, sub-bass and detail which really shows what a great headphone the HD650 is. 

Strange, heard it at the meet a few years ago and I'm was lacking bass and it was confirmed by two other people who used the same pair

 

[Shaffer]

Strange, heard it at the meet a few years ago and I'm was lacking bass and it was confirmed by two other people who used the same pair

These are several factors involved here, not the least of which are your personal expectations, and the cognitive confusion stemming from hearing so many different things in a relatively short time at a meet. If you're serious about a purchase, you need to hear the pairing in your own system. Good luck.

 

[fstime]

Does anyone feel the need to use the high gain setting on their amp with these headphones as far as achieving fairly loud listening levels?

 

[DavidA]

  Does anyone feel the need to use the high gain setting on their amp with these headphones as far as achieving fairly loud listening levels?

Depends on the amp you have.  My Lyr2, Asgard2 and Ember all work great with low gain, my other amps don't have a gain switch so point is moot.

 

[DDDamian]

  Does anyone feel the need to use the high gain setting on their amp with these headphones as far as achieving fairly loud listening levels?

On a Fiio x5/e12 combo yes I do.

 

[BobG55]

  Does anyone feel the need to use the high gain setting on their amp with these headphones as far as achieving fairly loud listening levels?

In my case I don't have a high gain setting on my amp.  From my personal experience I believe in order for the HD650 to sound their best you don't necessarily need a loudness option as much as an amp with high output, well balanced, a dark background & a high frequency response.  Then these babies open up and truly shine.  Just my opinion based on experience (I've owned many different amps in the past) and the excellent posts/threads found on this site. 

 

[joebobbilly]

Seeing as these headphones are rated 300ohms, yes they generally will desire more voltage which the high gain option is there to provide (to my understanding it's why amp designers put that option there in the first place). Is it absolutely necessary? Well then that depends more so on personal preference.

 

[castleofargh]

loudness<=> voltage
the DAC should deliver up to 2volts but between those that fail to do so(portable stuff mostly), and DACs that deliver a little more to trick people into thinking it sounds better(using the good old "louder is better" trick), we end up with small differences.
anyway you get the voltage from the DAC, that should be around 2V. then the amp will apply a gain value(that can be pretty much anything) to that voltage and we then adjust with the volume knob to get less. if the gain value is ludicrously high, then we obviously don't need a higher gain.
 
now 2V into the hd650@1khz that should be 109db(google says sensi is 103db/1v, so double the voltage to get +6db).
so unless the DAC doesn't do its 2V job, or the low gain of the amp is actually a voltage divider(-Xdb), then it shouldn't be too hard to go a little loud on a hd650.
now for the usually asked 115db (what I use to tell if an amp is good enough or not for my headphone in all situations), we need to double the voltage again and 4V into 300ohm starts to be seriouzzz bizzznezzz( for a few weak portable devices

).
 
 
and gain switch on amplifiers can be there for various reasons. for some it's a way to compensate for the failure of a DAC to deliver 2V (so nothing to do with headphones and you use the gain to best fit the DAC). for others it's a way to make an amp usable with IEMs(when the default gain would have been too loud too soon, or with channel imbalance). sometimes it can have a design reason, with a higher impedance on the high gain or stuff like that.
but to most audiophiles, it's the "it goes to 11" switch and they imagine the sound to be better simply because it's louder when they switch.

 

 

[pietcux]

I use an European output limited Ipod Classic line out into my amps. Fiio E12/E12A/E12DIY and Meier Audio Stepdance. I don't need high gain for the HD650/700. I only used it on the AKG K702 and K401.

 

[DDDamian]

I use an European output limited Ipod Classic line out into my amps. Fiio E12/E12A/E12DIY and Meier Audio Stepdance. I don't need high gain for the HD650/700. I only used it on the AKG K702 and K401.

I believe the e12 is about +/- 8V P-P so enough to drive the 650's nicely. I just find the low-to-high gain of 16db a bit much, so low gain for me needs to be near the limit when I want all that the 650's can deliver, whereas the high gain I'm down in the lower 30% of the range. It works, but I wish that gain was just a bit lower like 8-10db. Trying to be all things to all people and the 650's fall right in between the deliverable range. Still a great little portable for these cans though. I don't take my 650's out and about but portability around the house or deck is great. With my lower-impedance cans for out-and-about it's massive overkill and the x5 alone has more than enough juice.

 

[Tuneslover]

 
Depends on the amp you have.  My Lyr2, Asgard2 and Ember all work great with low gain, my other amps don't have a gain switch so point is moot.

I use low gain with my Magni2Ü (turned to 1-3 o'clock) and it's plenty loud.  If I need more I just switch it over to hi gain and 12 o'clock is pretty darn loud.
 
I have my Lake People G109S set to the default (middle) gain setting and at 12 o'clock it's about as loud as can stand.  If there are quieter than standard tracks I do push it slightly above that then.

 

[Shaffer]

I use low gain with my Magni2Ü (turned to 1-3 o'clock) and it's plenty loud.  If I need more I just switch it over to hi gain and 12 o'clock is pretty darn loud.

I have my Lake People G109S set to the default (middle) gain setting and at 12 o'clock it's about as loud as can stand.  If there are quieter than standard tracks I do push it slightly above that then.

Sonically, how would you compare the Magni2U with the G109S driving HD650?

 

[Tuneslover]

Sonically, how would you compare the Magni2U with the G109S driving HD650?

The G109S is way more effortless sounding as it doesn't get strained sounding when pushed.  Also it's extremely neutral...doesn't add any sound signature of it's own.  It just simply amplifies the signal from your source...so what you're hearing is the source and your phones.
 
The Magni2Ü is a terrific amp, especially for it's bargain price but it just isn't in the same league as the G109S.

 

[Joe Garfield]

Do these headphones hold up well over time? I tried a set in a HiFi store and they had a little buzz at some low frequencies. I also bought a set of HD600 that sound almost like they are blown at some low frequencies. I read the thread about hairs getting through the foam and am hoping that was the case at the HiFi store, and hoping the HD600 I got online was due to previous use before being retuned to the store and sold to me.
 
I am totally hooked on Sennheiser - The HD650's just seem to nail clarity at every frequency like no other can. They might color the sound a bit more but you can hear everything so well. Even with the 600's I am hearing things in my music that I've never heard before, even with the Beyer DT880's I've got here sampling as well.
 
But I am a little put-off by the buzz at the store in the HD650 and how easy it is to seemingly over drive the speakers (with my digital piano's lowest 5-7 notes) to distortion.
 
Any thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated. I would like to send back the HD600 and get the 650's as they are my favorite, but I am hesitant to spend $350-$400 and hear buzzes or rattles.
 
Thanks,
JG