[vrln]

At 200 dollars I would go for the Schiit Magni 2/Modi 2. There aren't that many options at that price range, but spending most of the budget on headphones is a really good idea. You can always upgrade the electronics later if you catch the Head-Fi bug badly...
 
I haven't heard the Phillips X2 other than quickly at a store, but the HD 650 is a true legend that I doubt you will regret. Can't go wrong with it (or Hd 600 if you prefer brighter sound). It scales extremely well with equipment upgrades too. The voicing is still so unique many people prefer it to flagships like the HD 800. I've sold my 800 twice to go back to the 650

 

[Darien]

thanks for the info guys, so schiit stack is better than o2+odac combo? i saw a bunch of people say that the o2+odac combo can compete with stuff over $1000 which is why the guy who made it was killed. 
 
is audiogd pretty good? i saw it mentioned a couple times, though it looks like the website is made by me when i was 16 taking a computer class in highschool. the stuff is wayy out of my price range though....so ya think schiit stack is better than o2+odac? from what i know with the 650hd its more important to have a good DAC because even a e10k can get good volume out of them, but ya need a good dac to get the detail. 

 

[SirMarc]

For under 200, the Aune T1 isn't a bad choice either...

 

[raybone0566]

thanks for the info guys, so schiit stack is better than o2+odac combo? i saw a bunch of people say that the o2+odac combo can compete with stuff over $1000 which is why the guy who made it was killed. 

is audiogd pretty good? i saw it mentioned a couple times, though it looks like the website is made by me when i was 16 taking a computer class in highschool. the stuff is wayy out of my price range though....so ya think schiit stack is better than o2+odac? from what i know with the 650hd its more important to have a good DAC because even a e10k can get good volume out of them, but ya need a good dac to get the detail. 

Killed, really

 

[cuiter23]

  thanks for the info guys, so schiit stack is better than o2+odac combo? i saw a bunch of people say that the o2+odac combo can compete with stuff over $1000 which is why the guy who made it was killed. 
 
is audiogd pretty good? i saw it mentioned a couple times, though it looks like the website is made by me when i was 16 taking a computer class in highschool. the stuff is wayy out of my price range though....so ya think schiit stack is better than o2+odac? from what i know with the 650hd its more important to have a good DAC because even a e10k can get good volume out of them, but ya need a good dac to get the detail. 

 
Don't be bringing false reddit information on here

 

[Darien]

   
Don't be bringing false reddit information on here

right on sorry, im not worried too much about the amp because i see people say they can get high volumes even with cheap fiio amps, but apparently i need a good DAC to get the most detail for the 650hd. So what is probably the best stand alone DAC in my price range? is the ODAC probably my best bet?
 
thinking maybe if i get the ODAC for 150, and then connect it to my e10k, i can use the e10k for amping my headphone and the ODAC for dac?
 
Otherwise thinking i will do ODAC + Schiit magni because i hear the magni is pretty much good enough for anything.

 

[cuiter23]

  right on sorry, im not worried too much about the amp because i see people say they can get high volumes even with cheap fiio amps, but apparently i need a good DAC to get the most detail for the 650hd. So what is probably the best stand alone DAC in my price range? is the ODAC probably my best bet?
 
thinking maybe if i get the ODAC for 150, and then connect it to my e10k, i can use the e10k for amping my headphone and the ODAC for dac?
 
Otherwise thinking i will do ODAC + Schiit magni because i hear the magni is pretty much good enough for anything.

 
No worries People on reddit headphones praise nothing but the ODAC/O2 and the Modi/Magni stack and believe they are the final word in terms of audio components in the world, which is simply not true.
 
Although you will get an enjoyable and ear-piercing listening experience with the E10k, the HD650 does sound better with more powerful amplifiers in my experiences. Conversely, my experiences with different DACs have led to changes on a lesser extent.
 
EDIT: The Magni would be a good way to go for sure.

 

[Darien]

   
No worries People on reddit headphones praise nothing but the ODAC/O2 and the Modi/Magni stack and believe they are the final word in terms of audio components in the world, which is simply not true.
 
Although you will get an enjoyable and ear-piercing listening experience with the E10k, the HD650 does sound better with more powerful amplifiers in my experiences. Conversely, my experiences with different DACs have led to changes on a lesser extent.
 
EDIT: The Magni would be a good way to go for sure.

i notice the sony uda1 in your sig, is that a good way to go if i just save for a year or something? i always heard sony audio products aren't very good, would this be a good match for my 650HD?
 
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-UDA1-Hi-Res-System-Audio/dp/B00FFZD070/ref=sr_1_19?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1451940970&sr=1-19&keywords=usb+dac&refinements=p_72%3A1248879011

 

[mikoss]

Geek Out v2 is $249 new... You may find it for $200 used. IMO wired balanced, it sounds much better than the T1, ODAC/O2 and also the Modi2. Haven't heard the Magni.

 

[jimmers]

  hi guys, i got a hd 650 coming in the mail tomorrow....currently have an e10k but plan to save get a better amp/dac months later. whats the best amp/dac for these for the best price and like less than 200 dollars? 
 
i was thinking o2+odac for a bit more, though  i feel if i cant afford a good amp/dac i will return the 650hd and try to get a good pair of the phillips x2. 

My advice would be to use the FiiO while you get the brain/phone burn in done and then see if you can try out some other gear with your phones, go slow or you will end up wasting a lot of money on not-good-enough products before you get to something you are happy with, unless that's how you like to do things, of course - it seems many do.
(maybe spend some of the time learning to solder, might come in handy

)

 

[cuiter23]

  i notice the sony uda1 in your sig, is that a good way to go if i just save for a year or something? i always heard sony audio products aren't very good, would this be a good match for my 650HD?
 
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-UDA1-Hi-Res-System-Audio/dp/B00FFZD070/ref=sr_1_19?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1451940970&sr=1-19&keywords=usb+dac&refinements=p_72%3A1248879011

 
The UDA-1 does not have an outstanding headphone output stage, but it's not bad. I use it solely as a D/A. 
 
And Sony makes amazing audio products, especially their higher-end gear (like the UDA-1 etc.). Sony's roots are in audio (think Walkman)... and I am probably the biggest Sony fanboy here on head-fi lol.

 

[Darien]

how about the nfb-11 by audiogd? will it let me here adele swallow?
 
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB112014/NFB112014EN.htm
 
otherwise how about the dacmagic plus by cambridge?
 
http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Audio-DacMagic-Digital-Analogue/dp/B006GJU33I
 
otherwise this fostex seems nice right?
 
http://www.amazon.com/Fostex-Digital-Converter-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00IK2IKHU/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1451951002&sr=8-8&keywords=dac+headphone+amp&refinements=p_72%3A2661618011

 

[Youth]

how about the nfb-11 by audiogd? will it let me here adele swallow?

LOL that made me laugh.

 

[Sal1950]

Just MHO, keep the HD 650s and wait till you can afford something with a little more ba-ls in the power supply than any of the USB powered DAC/Amps. A Emotiva Stealth DC-1 will give the 650s awesome control and drive.
Look at that oversized torodial power supply, just what the 650 or any high impedance can needs. Now on sale for $399.  You couldn't pry mine out of my cold dead hands.
https://emotiva.com/products/dacs/electronics/dacs/stealth-dc-1

 

[Darien]

  Just MHO, keep the HD 650s and wait till you can afford something with a little more ba-ls in the power supply than any of the USB powered DAC/Amps. A Emotiva Stealth DC-1 will give the 650s awesome control and drive.
Look at that oversized torodial power supply, just what the 650 or any high impedance can needs. Now on sale for $399.  You couldn't pry mine out of my cold dead hands.
https://emotiva.com/products/dacs/electronics/dacs/stealth-dc-1

oh wow, thats a good suggestion thanks a lot!! is that your cans+stealth in your avatar? looks sexy as hell! will i be able to hear adele swallow?
 
i dont know much about emotiva, but i have heard a couple people mention they are GREAT bang for buck.