[ranfan]

Quick question.
Should I buy Alessandro MS2e, or HD650?

I plan on buying second-hand. And from what I've found, the MS2e is slightly cheaper. Both in good condition.
I like listening to female vocals, especially j-pop.

 

[DavidA]

   
On my pc I listen between 35-45 volume anything higher than that is too loud. 
 
 
hd650 is much more clear than X2 but also less bassy and with less sound stage, obviously I expected that. I also have yamaha rv481 and after comparing sound against my pc they sound a bit better on receiver. Also I dont hear any artefacts on my pc so I guess I should buy better amp than amp + dac

The HD-650 can get close to the X2 in bass but this takes some careful matching of gear.  While the Magni2 is a decent amp its not a great pairing with the HD-650 from my experience so far.  You might want to look at the Jot, many like it with the HD-650 but I still like them paired with a OTL amp like the BH Crack, MicroZOTL2, Elise or WA2 (will still have to include cost of tubes).  If price is a concern then the Vali2, Solstice, or Ember would be my suggestions.  And I agree that you can go without a DAC for now but in the future you might want to consider one if you want to get the most out of the HD-650 since they scale with better gear.
 
I'm pretty certain that your motherboard has optical/coax output so I would suggest a DAC with those connections to by pass USB issues that might arise if you use a DAC connected by USB.

 

[DavidA]

  Quick question.
Should I buy Alessandro MS2e, or HD650?

I plan on buying second-hand. And from what I've found, the MS2e is slightly cheaper. Both in good condition.
I like listening to female vocals, especially j-pop.

I would go with the MS2e also since its easier to drive since you seem to be price constrained if looking at used gear.  But if you have the funds to get a decent OTL amp the HD-650 will be a much better performing headphone.

 

[lewy313]

  The HD-650 can get close to the X2 in bass but this takes some careful matching of gear.  While the Magni2 is a decent amp its not a great pairing with the HD-650 from my experience so far.  You might want to look at the Jot, many like it with the HD-650 but I still like them paired with a OTL amp like the BH Crack, MicroZOTL2, Elise or WA2 (will still have to include cost of tubes).  If price is a concern then the Vali2, Solstice, or Ember would be my suggestions.  And I agree that you can go without a DAC for now but in the future you might want to consider one if you want to get the most out of the HD-650 since they scale with better gear.
 
I'm pretty certain that your motherboard has optical/coax output so I would suggest a DAC with those connections to by pass USB issues that might arise if you use a DAC connected by USB.
 

 
Do you know any cool solid state amp that is easy to buy in europe and work great with hd650 ( up to 250 eur ). You are right about my motherboard it supports optical so in future thats how I will connect dac.
 
Thank you very much solid response

 

[DavidA]

   
Do you know any cool solid state amp that is easy to buy in europe and work great with hd650 ( up to 250 eur ). You are right about my motherboard it supports optical so in future thats how I will connect dac.
 
Thank you very much solid response

At 250 euro I wouldn't bother with a amp at this time since it would be a very small improvement, if any, over your motherboard audio since ROG mobos have some of the best audio chips on them.  I suggest saving up to around 500 euros to get to where the improvements would be more noticeable.  Another thing you might want to consider is the other headphones that you currently have, the X2 is easy to drive and better DAC and amp would not make much improvements, the HD-598 does show some improvements with better gear but nothing like the HD-650. 
 
Since you seem to be concerned with sound stage are you a gamer?  If so I would look at a HD-700, its easier to drive properly than the HD-650 and for gaming one of the best I've used since it has great positional audio and voices are quite clear and the 6khz peak that bothers some would be a non-issue for gaming.

 

[ranfan]

  I would go with the MS2e also since its easier to drive since you seem to be price constrained if looking at used gear.  But if you have the funds to get a decent OTL amp the HD-650 will be a much better performing headphone.

Thanks, I think you're right. MS2e it is

 

[mysticstryk]

Thanks, I think you're right. MS2e it is

I wouldn't. Unless you like your female vocals with a side of needles drilling into your ears.

Even unamped, the 650 will outperform Grados, including the slightly better tuned, but not really Alessandro's. At least until Grado decides it's a headphone company and not a hip fashion designer.

If your looking for something solid that doesn't need amping, grab a 400i for cheap used. If you like a side of brightness, try the Beyer DT880 32ohm version.

 

[ranfan]

I wouldn't. Unless you like your female vocals with a side of needles drilling into your ears.

Even unamped, the 650 will outperform Grados, including the slightly better tuned, but not really Alessandro's. At least until Grado decides it's a headphone company and not a hip fashion designer.

If your looking for something solid that doesn't need amping, grab a 400i for cheap used. If you like a side of brightness, try the Beyer DT880 32ohm version.

Are they that sharp? Yeah, I wouln't want that. If they're like the SR125/225 shrilling/sharp highs, then no. Thank you for your recommendation.

 

[mysticstryk]

Are they that sharp? Yeah, I wouln't want that. If they're like the SR125/225 shrilling/sharp highs, then no. Thank you for your recommendation.

They are a TINY bit smoother than the Grados, but we are talking about really minor differences. If you didn't like the Grados, it's safe to assume you will not like the Alessandro's.

 

[dodi]

Hi all,
 
I use a NAD CD player as my source most of the time. I would like to be able to switch from my headphone amp to my integrated amp (when listening to speakers) without swapping cables. Anybody have a suggestion?

 

[ranfan]

They are a TINY bit smoother than the Grados, but we are talking about really minor differences. If you didn't like the Grados, it's safe to assume you will not like the Alessandro's.

I dunno about the 650, but I like Grado. The part that I dislike is their sharp highs. The SR325, which is the base model are said to be sharp as well. So it's probably better to follow your recommendation of avoiding them (Alessandro).

 

[drwlf]

  Since you seem to be concerned with sound stage are you a gamer?  If so I would look at a HD-700, its easier to drive properly than the HD-650 and for gaming one of the best I've used since it has great positional audio and voices are quite clear and the 6khz peak that bothers some would be a non-issue for gaming.

 
Actually, I managed to get tinnitus for months, and hurting ears after gaming with Q701, which are not as peaky/bright as the HD700. Add some stupidity infused with ramping up the volume to dither outside noise due to their very open nature Queue explosions/gunfire with sharp treble peaks, and you've got ear damage.

 

[DavidA]

 
Are they that sharp? Yeah, I wouln't want that. If they're like the SR125/225 shrilling/sharp highs, then no. Thank you for your recommendation.

Need to be sure of models, the newer "e" series is quite a bit warmer than the older "i" series which I consider quite bright.  The MS2e is very close in sound to the RS2e and to me its bright but not shrill or sharp, one of the smoothest highs around, better than an HD-800 IMO.
 
The SR-325e is one of the brightest and even i didn't like them.  If you want bass then the PS500e is the one you want, its the warmest of the Grado's that I've heard.

 

[DavidA]

   
Actually, I managed to get tinnitus for months, and hurting ears after gaming with Q701, which are not as peaky/bright as the HD700. Add some stupidity infused with ramping up the volume to dither outside noise due to their very open nature Queue explosions/gunfire with sharp treble peaks, and you've got ear damage.

bummer about getting tinnitus, I never really did turn up the volume much since I had a fairly quite area out on my balcony where my gaming system was set up

 

[Sennheiser Yo]

how comfortable is the HD650 headband compared to the HD600? I might switch my hd600 headband to a 650.