[Digital-Pride]

Well tdockweiler, it just goes to show that price and size are not always indicators of performance.

 

[Unfie]

Well, it has been a while and nobody answered my question yet. How does the Maverick Audio Tube Magic D1 compare to the Nuforce Icon HD/HDP? The former seems to have more features for less. Is the latter really better sound quality since it costs more? Which has better synergy with the HD 650?
 

 

[olor1n]

@ sphinx, Shahrose, skeptic - Thanks for the insightful posts on the previous page. I'm drawn more to the Woo amps now but there's an opportunity to pick up a DV337 in the FS forum at more than half the price of a WA6-SE. I'm a sucker for bargains even if I can foresee a situation where I'll be looking to upgrade from that in a few months time. I just need to convince myself to go all in with a WA6-SE setup and not look back.

 

[Heidegger]

Quote:

 Maybe I should get the Headroom Micro Amp (not the battery powered one) and try it out. I'm now almost impressed with the HD-650, but not quite...yet.
 

I used the Headroom Micro Amp with the 650 for > 5 years. In terms of volume, the Micro could drive the 650 to insanely high levels, much higher than any sane person would care to listen to. All in all, the 650 sounded very good with that amp. However, when I got a better amp, there was an improvement, for instance in terms of depth of soundstage. There is also more texture to the sound. I've never heard the Bithead, so I can't say if it would be that much of an improvement to  upscale to the Micro. My advice is, save your money for a really good amp. There are those -- for instance, in the sound science forum -- who say that differences among amps are mostly imagined, but that has not been my experience.
 

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

I used the Headroom Micro Amp with the 650 for > 5 years. In terms of volume, the Micro could drive the 650 to insanely high levels, much higher than any sane person would care to listen to. All in all, the 650 sounded very good with that amp. However, when I got a better amp, there was an improvement, for instance in terms of depth of soundstage. There is also more texture to the sound. I've never heard the Bithead, so I can't say if it would be that much of an improvement to  upscale to the Micro. My advice is, save your money for a really good amp. There are those -- for instance, in the sound science forum -- who say that differences among amps are mostly imagined, but that has not been my experience.
 

I know, I've read them too... all brains but no ears.. ha ha

 
 

 

[sridhar3]

Quote:

I know, I've read them too... all brains but no ears.. ha ha

 
"No ears" made me think of Reservoir Dogs.
 
From what I understand, there are measurable electrical differences between what comes out of different amps.  I don't think they can deny that.

 

[Blasto_Brandino]

I can tell you from experience that the Lisa III drives the HD650's nearly flawlessly, but it's a friggin brick. I am quite pleased at how the UHA-4 is driving the HD650's.....

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

@ sphinx, Shahrose, skeptic - Thanks for the insightful posts on the previous page. I'm drawn more to the Woo amps now but there's an opportunity to pick up a DV337 in the FS forum at more than half the price of a WA6-SE. I'm a sucker for bargains even if I can foresee a situation where I'll be looking to upgrade from that in a few months time. I just need to convince myself to go all in with a WA6-SE setup and not look back.

Actually, I'd just go for the DV337. Trust me, no matter how much you tell yourself, you will never tide the urge to upgrade. There are even better amps out there than the WA6SE, so eventually you'll still want to move up. If you're getting a good deal on the Darkvoice, just get it. You can climb up to the WA6SE later if you score a nice deal on one. That way, you'll also have an idea of improvements from different levels of amping.

 

[skeptic]

Quote:

@ sphinx, Shahrose, skeptic - Thanks for the insightful posts on the previous page. I'm drawn more to the Woo amps now but there's an opportunity to pick up a DV337 in the FS forum at more than half the price of a WA6-SE. I'm a sucker for bargains even if I can foresee a situation where I'll be looking to upgrade from that in a few months time. I just need to convince myself to go all in with a WA6-SE setup and not look back.

Happy to chime in!  At the end of the day, I think any one of these amps would bring you a lot of joy with your HD650's - particularly if you experiment with tube rolling which really will allow you to tailor the sound to your preferences.  Contrary to some of the comments above, I really don't think the HD650's are picky at all in terms of amplification.  I think it just takes a decent tube amp with nice high voltage swing to make them shine.
 
The DV337 in the for sale forum is definitely a good deal, but personally, I would be disinclined to have to deal with two volume knobs and channel matching every time I put my phones on.  As a fellow "sucker for bargains" - I'll put in one more plug for the bottlehead crack, and then I promise I'll shut up about it (at least for a while

).  I simply love this amp kit with my HD650's and 800's, and you cannot beat the price (although I have no idea about the cost of shipping to AUS).  Skylab ranks it just below the DV337, WA 6 and WA 2 on his list (see: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/402585/review-summary-a-ranking-of-30-tube-and-tube-hybrid-headphone-amps ), while other veteran head-fiers (milosz and ironbut) have said that they often prefer it to some of the absolute top tier amps they own, including a Beta 22 (see: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/521988/amp-a-b-comparisons/30 ) and a Zana (see: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/476650/crack-bottlehead-otl/390#post_7029736 )  In any event, it is definitely worth considering - and it is also easily upgraded with a better pot, film coupling caps, etc. if you need to scratch your upgrade itch.    
 

 

[tdockweiler]

Thanks for this post, it helps. Well, to be honest, I don't listen to music enough to justify a amp over $500 right now. Actually, more like $400. I figure I will just try to get the best amp I can for under $400. I also heard the Micro amp sound great with the K702 too. The way I see it, when I buy an amp, there is always going to be another out there that is better

 
Yeah I've also noticed a lot of differences betweens amps. Switching from the Asgard to the E9 made me love the K702, but I prefer the HD-650 and HD-598 for 75% of my music. I use the K702 for gaming, classical, movies, ambient music and soundtracks.
 
I love how the HD-650 sounds on the Airhead/Bithead, so I hope the Micro Amp sounds similar.
 
Quote:

I used the Headroom Micro Amp with the 650 for > 5 years. In terms of volume, the Micro could drive the 650 to insanely high levels, much higher than any sane person would care to listen to. All in all, the 650 sounded very good with that amp. However, when I got a better amp, there was an improvement, for instance in terms of depth of soundstage. There is also more texture to the sound. I've never heard the Bithead, so I can't say if it would be that much of an improvement to  upscale to the Micro. My advice is, save your money for a really good amp. There are those -- for instance, in the sound science forum -- who say that differences among amps are mostly imagined, but that has not been my experience.
 

 

 

[Heidegger]

Quote:

Thanks for this post, it helps. Well, to be honest, I don't listen to music enough to justify a amp over $500 right now. Actually, more like $400. I figure I will just try to get the best amp I can for under $400. I also heard the Micro amp sound great with the K702 too. The way I see it, when I buy an amp, there is always going to be another out there that is better

 
Yeah I've also noticed a lot of differences betweens amps. Switching from the Asgard to the E9 made me love the K702, but I prefer the HD-650 and HD-598 for 75% of my music. I use the K702 for gaming, classical, movies, ambient music and soundtracks.
 
I love how the HD-650 sounds on the Airhead/Bithead, so I hope the Micro Amp sounds similar.
 


 

There are good, cheap Asian clones of my much more expensive amp. The clones are less than $400. You should check out their respective threads (search Matrix M-Stage and Lovely Cube). The people on those threads claim that those amps are just as good or even better than the original BCL. If true, then it's a great deal. I totally recommend you consider them, although keep in mind that I personally haven't heard the clones. I have the original though and it is a fantastic amp for the 650. For an even better deal, you can buy the LC as a do-it-yourself kit if you're into building things.
 
 

 

[serious7]

Quote:

There are good, cheap Asian clones of my much more expensive amp. The clones are less than $400. You should check out their respective threads (search Matrix M-Stage and Lovely Cube). The people on those threads claim that those amps are just as good or even better than the original BCL. If true, then it's a great deal. I totally recommend you consider them, although keep in mind that I personally haven't heard the clones. I have the original though and it is a fantastic amp for the 650. For an even better deal, you can buy the LC as a do-it-yourself kit if you're into building things.
 
 

 
I'm not an audiophile but I own the hd 650 with the original BCL. I previously used the headphone with the STX on board amp and I could not make out a significant difference between STX amp and the BCL. Lol... the BCL does have a nice construction though.  
 
 

 

[Heidegger]

 
Quote:

 
I'm not an audiophile but I own the hd 650 with the original BCL. I previously used the headphone with the STX on board amp and I could not make out a significant difference between STX amp and the BCL. Lol... the BCL does have a nice construction though.  
 
 

Isn't the STX a $200 sound card? That's pricey for a sound card.
 
If you listen to music from a computer, then I see no point in owning the BCL. Mine has a DAC and USB connection, but it's when the BCL is hooked up to my SACD player that it shines. It's a world of improvement over my Headroom Micro. Sennheiser specifically chose the Lehmannaudio Black Cube Linear to drive the HD650 and 800 at shows. And I agree with you, the BCL does have great construction!
 

 

 
 
 

 
 

 

[Digital-Pride]

Great pictures!  I would love to attend one these electronic/trade shows.

 

[Ryusen]

I got my HD650 in the mail yesterday, and I was really enjoying the sound. It blew anything I'd ever listened to out of the water. Very pleasant, very comfortable.
 
Today, my E7/E9 arrived.
 
Wow. Just wow. I didn't think I could get this kind of sound of out a pair of headphones. Up until now, I had been debating if it was really worth the price tag, but call me a convert.