[DDDamian]

OMG - the HE-560 is like USD$815 on Amazon.com and CAD$1827 on Amazon.ca. The exchange rate is somewhere around CAD$1.20 = USD$1.00.  You do the math. Factoring in taxes it's more than double.
 
Unbelievable. I'm closer to New York or Chicago than Florida or Cali is lol. Sled dogs assemble - we're off to Toronto!
 
EDIT: oh yes, it quotes shipping as $70 too compared to the Amazon.com $0 shipping. Guess who doesn't get my pennies...I did send them a price-match request lol.
 
EDIT EDIT: Headphone Bar out of Vancouver has them for CAN$949. They're a small brick-and-mortar shop that likely does more online than from the store. What have they got that Amazon doesn't in logistics genius?

 

[mikoss]

I don't understand the prices we pay either. The HD-800's can be had new from Van as well for $995 usd (a reasonable deal), whereas I've never seen HD-650's anywhere near the $300 usd or less level here.

You going for some HE-560's? I've yet to hear them. Happy with my 650's and LCD-3's... For now.

 

[cuiter23]

If I was paid in USD I would have gotten so much more equipment already... But hey that's what you get for living in this beautiful country

 

[DavidA]

@DDDamian @mikoss @cuiter23 Feel for you living in Canada, but yes it got some really beautiful places to see.  The only problem I have living in Hawaii is the cost of living is really high and almost every site has free shipping "Except to Hawaii and Alaska" or some don't even ship to Hawaii or Alaska.
 
@DDDamian $815 is a pretty good price, My first one was $849 about two months after they came out (gave to my son) and the second one my girlfriend found for $650 open box so if you can wait you can find some good deals.
 
@mikoss $995 for HD-800 is a really good price, best I could find shipped to Hawaii was $1050.
 
Since this is the HD-650 site I got mine from Amazon for $290 a few months ago, with free shipping to Hawaii.
 
Hope all are having a great weekend.

 

[purpledrank]

I'm considering buying the hd 650s because I've read that they are the jack of all trades. Sounds like it matches my diverse music tastes. I also know that 300 ohms definitely calls for an amp. I want a portable amp and multiple users in this thread have mention the Cayin c5 or the Fiio E12. Are there other portable amps in that price range that I should look at?

 

[cuiter23]

  I'm considering buying the hd 650s because I've read that they are the jack of all trades. Sounds like it matches my diverse music tastes. I also know that 300 ohms definitely calls for an amp. I want a portable amp and multiple users in this thread have mention the Cayin c5 or the Fiio E12. Are there other portable amps in that price range that I should look at?

 
Those 2 amps should do the job but I wouldn't power the 650s from a portable amp personally. 

 

[Kodhifi]

Guys I'm having a little trouble with my new Modi 2 uber setup and the 650's. The sound is very thick and rather than being more transparent, it's sounding muddled and excessivly warm. The SoundBlaster E5 into the Lyr2 on the 650's sounded great but it has a few rough edges that made me go for the Modi. Now I'm wondering if it was the right decision. Is anyone else using the Modi2 and Lyr combo with the 650 and do you notice the same things?

 

[Shaffer]

Guys I'm having a little trouble with my new Modi 2 uber setup and the 650's. The sound is very thick and rather than being more transparent, it's sounding muddled and excessivly warm. The SoundBlaster E5 into the Lyr2 on the 650's sounded great but it has a few rough edges that made me go for the Modi. Now I'm wondering if it was the right decision. Is anyone else using the Modi2 and Lyr combo with the 650 and do you notice the same things?

I own an original Modi, used in a non-critical application, and it sounds like mud. Not at all transparent, congested, undynamic, and lacking extension at the frequency extremes. Virtually no bass weight, no real sense of depth or space. If it weren't for the O2, the Modi would be the worst sounding component I've heard that was aimed at an audiophile audience.

 

[DDDamian]

  @DDDamian @mikoss @cuiter23 Feel for you living in Canada, but yes it got some really beautiful places to see.  The only problem I have living in Hawaii is the cost of living is really high and almost every site has free shipping "Except to Hawaii and Alaska" or some don't even ship to Hawaii or Alaska.
 
@DDDamian $815 is a pretty good price, My first one was $849 about two months after they came out (gave to my son) and the second one my girlfriend found for $650 open box so if you can wait you can find some good deals.
 
@mikoss $995 for HD-800 is a really good price, best I could find shipped to Hawaii was $1050.
 
Since this is the HD-650 site I got mine from Amazon for $290 a few months ago, with free shipping to Hawaii.
 
Hope all are having a great weekend.

Yeah I feel your pain being in Hawaii 

 Oops - you mean the price of headphones - my bad
 
It irks the he$$ out of me when a ma-and-pa brick-and-mortar can beat Amazon by half. And they wouldn't gouge me $70 to ship either. I've bought a few small things from Headphone Bar and I will again if only to support them. I'm peering around for the Amazon store where I can demo and deal with good folks lmao.
 
My wallet and head may trump my heart for right now - I refuse to pay their silliness and it is still early days for the HE-560 (given all the revisions HifiMan went through on previous models) and the few complaints I've read on the finishing detail. Then again, if someone PM's me a deal or they pop up used on canuckaudiomart.....Saw a pair there for CAN$650/USD550 but missed the boat.
 
Gorgeous weekend in southern Ontario - 30C and sunny. BBQ is warming up and the fire pit is getting it's first bonfire tonight. Ahhhh....now I remember why we work!

 

[cuiter23]

I own an original Modi, used in a non-critical application, and it sounds like mud. Not at all transparent, congested, undynamic, and lacking extension at the frequency extremes. Virtually no bass weight, no real sense of depth or space. If it weren't for the O2, the Modi would be the worst sounding component I've heard that was aimed at an audiophile audience.

 
Wouldn't go so far to call it this. There are much more analytical DACs but for 99 bucks what more do you expect?
 
If you think the Modi is muddy try the FiiO E07k. 

 

[purpledrank]

I can understand not wanting to use a portable amp but i just don't want to be tethered to my computer.

 

[Shaffer]

Wouldn't go so far to call it this. There are much more analytical DACs but for 99 bucks what more do you expect?

I had a HRT MSII next to the Modi. $20 difference in price, as delivered, and the HRT was better in every way imaginable. Unfortunately, I missed Schiit's return period and had to ship the HRT back.

If you think the Modi is muddy try the FiiO E07k. 

I own a E7. Its sins are of omission. Sounds better than my Modi, many of whose sins are of commission.

 

[DDDamian]

   
Those 2 amps should do the job but I wouldn't power the 650s from a portable amp personally. 

Honestly the E12 will do it and sound good. $1000 good or OTL tube good? No, but it can really rock them. The boosted voltage is to me the difference. Most portable devices are limited to the USB voltage x 2 (or less). The E12 will swing a whole lot wider, with power to spare. We sometimes want to throw state-of-the-art at the 650's needs, but I can say first-hand that the E12 packs past it's paltry price. PPiPP.

 

[Kodhifi]

$150 DAC. The DAC in it is decent as well. The Fulla was only $80 and it sounded excellent, better than my Audioengine which had the same DAC chip. The modi is sounding allright on my HE400's getting rid of some of their bite and warming them up, but the 650's sound a little like poop. I was doing back and forth comparisons using Sarah Mclaughlin's "Good Enough" listening to the snare hit and the sub bass on the toms and I am pretty sure I could tell one from another easily in a double blind.
 
Well this sucks. I bought it directly from Schiit, won't be as easy as an Amazon return but for some reason all of Schiit's stuff is heavily marked up on Amazon so I bought direct. I'm going to give it a few days and see if I like it better but it feels like a step backwards.

 

[DavidA]

  Guys I'm having a little trouble with my new Modi 2 uber setup and the 650's. The sound is very thick and rather than being more transparent, it's sounding muddled and excessivly warm. The SoundBlaster E5 into the Lyr2 on the 650's sounded great but it has a few rough edges that made me go for the Modi. Now I'm wondering if it was the right decision. Is anyone else using the Modi2 and Lyr combo with the 650 and do you notice the same things?

I have a modi optical & modi2 uber, both are not used anymore.  Sound with my Asgard2 and modi2 uber was so-so, I actually got a better signal straight from my mobo Realtek ALC889 so stopped using the modi2 uber.