[Phantaminum]

I'm not sure why it took me so long to purchase a pair of these headphones but I'm happy to have finally taken the plunge. They sound great paired with my Jotunheim and have been listening to them exclusively for the last week. I think I've come to realize that I like warm sound headphones. I'm thinking of using some Dynamat to dampen the back and see if it'll tighten up the bass but they put a huge smile on my face stock.

 

[LazyListener]

This is why its hard to get any real consensus with audio gear, to me and a few friends most Chord gear is on the warmer side and quite full sounding, I've only heard the Hugo TT, Hugo and Mojo so far and I liked the Hugo TT. When we did a comparison of a friends Hugo it was against my Bimby and UD-301, the Hugo was pretty much the one that we all considered the warmest of the three.

FWIW I don't like any of the Chord DAC/amps with the HD650, too much of a overall warm signature to me.

This is the problem when many opinions on head-fi (and online in general) don't come with a point of reference (what people are used to and what they're comparing with). Maybe the Chords are warm when compared with other solid state amps. Maybe some are comparing them with some warm tube amps and are calling the Chords cold/thin.

I wonder how common variations in manufacturing of amps are that cause the same model to sound noticeably different. Reminds me of the time I bought an HD 598 SE that sounded way thinner/leaner than my original (ivory) 598. The original I love. The SE I hated. I guess with headphones, there's more of a chance of that happening than with solid state electronics.

 

[lugnut]

I'm not sure why it took me so long to purchase a pair of these headphones but I'm happy to have finally taken the plunge. They sound great paired with my Jotunheim and have been listening to them exclusively for the last week. I think I've come to realize that I like warm sound headphones. I'm thinking of using some Dynamat to dampen the back and see if it'll tighten up the bass but they put a huge smile on my face stock.

Count me in too, on really starting to love the HD650 ! I have also read many times how people buy all higher cost different Headphones and end up coming back to the 650. There are only two other HP's that I want to try and if they don't suite me, I will just stay with the 650 and build my system around them. I wish I could combine the hd650 with the Nighthawks and have the perfect headphone, Oh well !

 

[Cigaro]

Alright guys, I am about to dive into a purchase here and want to make sure I am not making a bad choice.

I am going to go with a pair of HD650s, and after a lot of research and value for money I have decided to go with a schitt uber stack. Anything I should rethink before clicking the purchase button? If I went up to 500 dollars on an amp/DAC combo is there anything else that would blow the schitt out of the water? (Remember I am new to this so I have untrained ears at the moment)

Keep in mind this will be my first entry level audiophile setup. As of now I game and listen to music on a ****ing HyperX headset connected directly to the audio jack of my motherboard lol. I really do not know why I never looked into getting serious about my audio earlier, but better late than never. Really excited to get these cans!

 

[MattTCG]

Alright guys, I am about to dive into a purchase here and want to make sure I am not making a bad choice.

I am going to go with a pair of HD650s, and after a lot of research and value for money I have decided to go with a schitt uber stack. Anything I should rethink before clicking the purchase button? If I went up to 500 dollars on an amp/DAC combo is there anything else that would blow the schitt out of the water? (Remember I am new to this so I have untrained ears at the moment)

Keep in mind this will be my first entry level audiophile setup. As of now I game and listen to music on a ****ing HyperX headset connected directly to the audio jack of my motherboard lol. I really do not know why I never looked into getting serious about my audio earlier, but better late than never. Really excited to get these cans!

I love Schiit stuff, but I'm not sure that if I was getting started that I take that stack. Do you mean magni/modi uber? The ifi micro idsd Black Label is on sale at Adorama for $380 which is insanely good at that price and incredibly versatile. Consider picking up a used amp/dac and getting more for your money on the forums here. hd650 plus the Bottlehead Crack has some of the most beautiful tone in the hobby, seriously. Also consider the Jotunheim with DAC and add a balanced cable for your 650 and still be in budget.

 

[LazyListener]

Alright guys, I am about to dive into a purchase here and want to make sure I am not making a bad choice.

I am going to go with a pair of HD650s, and after a lot of research and value for money I have decided to go with a schitt uber stack. Anything I should rethink before clicking the purchase button? If I went up to 500 dollars on an amp/DAC combo is there anything else that would blow the schitt out of the water? (Remember I am new to this so I have untrained ears at the moment)

Keep in mind this will be my first entry level audiophile setup. As of now I game and listen to music on a ****ing HyperX headset connected directly to the audio jack of my motherboard lol. I really do not know why I never looked into getting serious about my audio earlier, but better late than never. Really excited to get these cans!

Hey, welcome to Head-Fi!

You said you do both gaming and music with headphones. Are you planning to do gaming with the HD 650 as well? If so, they may not be the best choice. With gaming, you probably want a large soundstage to allow you to quickly locate the position of sounds left to right, front to back, top to bottom. Soundstage is not one of the 650's strengths. Plus, I had Magni 2 (not Uber) with 650 and soundstage actually shrunk versus the E10K amp. Also with gaming, I'm thinking you'd want a bit more treble energy than what the 650 offers.

The 650s are great for music, but I don't see many people in this thread raving about them for their gaming prowess. Of course, now that I mention it, I'm sure there'll be a few to comment about how great they are for gaming.

Cans I've read are great for gaming are HD 598, K7xx, DT 990.

 

[mks100]

Alright guys, I am about to dive into a purchase here and want to make sure I am not making a bad choice.

I am going to go with a pair of HD650s, and after a lot of research and value for money I have decided to go with a schitt uber stack. Anything I should rethink before clicking the purchase button? If I went up to 500 dollars on an amp/DAC combo is there anything else that would blow the schitt out of the water? (Remember I am new to this so I have untrained ears at the moment)

Keep in mind this will be my first entry level audiophile setup. As of now I game and listen to music on a ****ing HyperX headset connected directly to the audio jack of my motherboard lol. I really do not know why I never looked into getting serious about my audio earlier, but better late than never. Really excited to get these cans!

+ $20 = Vali 2/Modi 2 Uber - Pretty much the Magni 2 w/ the ability to upgrade the Tube and/or tweak the sound. Amazon has a couple of Tube options ~ $40.
+ $120 = Vali 2/Modi Multibit - Advantages of the above w/ World Class DAC.
+ $200 = Jotunheim w/ DAC. Ability to run the HD650 Balanced. You can upgrade to the Modi Multibit (or another DAC) later. I purchased a VE Basic Balanced Cable from AliExpress for ~ $30.

...this was my evolution. Wish I would have just purchased the HD650s and the Jotunheim from the beginning. I have not heard the Black Label but I think that would be a great option as well based on what I've read. You are adding DSD/portability and losing the Multibit and/or Balanced options for the more expensive Schiit tiers. My recommendation would be to go for the Jotunheim and a Balanced Cable for the HD650s.

 

[Cigaro]

Hey, welcome to Head-Fi!

You said you do both gaming and music with headphones. Are you planning to do gaming with the HD 650 as well? If so, they may not be the best choice. With gaming, you probably want a large soundstage to allow you to quickly locate the position of sounds left to right, front to back, top to bottom. Soundstage is not one of the 650's strengths. Plus, I had Magni 2 (not Uber) with 650 and soundstage actually shrunk versus the E10K amp. Also with gaming, I'm thinking you'd want a bit more treble energy than what the 650 offers.

The 650s are great for music, but I don't see many people in this thread raving about them for their gaming prowess. Of course, now that I mention it, I'm sure there'll be a few to comment about how great they are for gaming.

Cans I've read are great for gaming are HD 598, K7xx, DT 990.

To be honest, I game a lot , but I would not say that is the primary reason I am getting the HD650. Like the only shooting game I play anymore really is Battlegrounds, and even the HyperX do good enough for me with that. I play MMOs so actually music in those will be nice to hear some differences on. I am pretty set on the 650s just because of the versatility I hear about them, and how well they apparently scale which is something that will matter to me in the future when I feel confident enough to drop more money on some higher end stuff. Personally i cant see the HD650s with some equipment being worse than a pair of HyperX plugged into my motherboard.... at least I hope not? haha

 

[Cigaro]

I love Schiit stuff, but I'm not sure that if I was getting started that I take that stack. Do you mean magni/modi uber? The ifi micro idsd Black Label is on sale at Adorama for $380 which is insanely good at that price and incredibly versatile. Consider picking up a used amp/dac and getting more for your money on the forums here. hd650 plus the Bottlehead Crack has some of the most beautiful tone in the hobby, seriously. Also consider the Jotunheim with DAC and add a balanced cable for your 650 and still be in budget.

yeah, I mean the uber stack. it looks like the sale price on that one is gone, at least for me it is showing over 500 dollars again. Thanks for the suggestions though, two people have mentioned the jotunheim so I am definitely going to look into that.

 

[Cigaro]

+ $20 = Vali 2/Modi 2 Uber - Pretty much the Magni 2 w/ the ability to upgrade the Tube and/or tweak the sound. Amazon has a couple of Tube options ~ $40.
+ $120 = Vali 2/Modi Multibit - Advantages of the above w/ World Class DAC.
+ $200 = Jotunheim w/ DAC. Ability to run the HD650 Balanced. You can upgrade to the Modi Multibit (or another DAC) later. I purchased a VE Basic Balanced Cable from AliExpress for ~ $30.

...this was my evolution. Wish I would have just purchased the HD650s and the Jotunheim from the beginning. I have not heard the Black Label but I think that would be a great option as well based on what I've read. You are adding DSD/portability and losing the Multibit and/or Balanced options for the more expensive Schiit tiers. My recommendation would be to go for the Jotunheim and a Balanced Cable for the HD650s.

In regards to the jotunheim, if I was willing to spend the money, would the jotunheim paired with the multibit DAC be the way to go? Also on the jotunheim which voltage would I be looking for?

 

[mks100]

In regards to the jotunheim, if I was willing to spend the money, would the jotunheim paired with the multibit DAC be the way to go? Also on the jotunheim which voltage would I be looking for?

I believe it will an incremental improvement but I would also spend some time with the Jotunheim's DAC and HD650s before upgrading the DAC. It would be $650 if you went with the Jotunheim only and Modi Multibit. For the $100 for the Balanced AKM DAC I thought it was worth it. 115V is the Voltage for USA. I see you are in Orange County.

 

[Cigaro]

I believe it will an incremental improvement but I would also spend some time with the Jotunheim's DAC and HD650s before upgrading the DAC. It would be $650 if you went with the Jotunheim only and Modi Multibit. For the $100 for the Balanced AKM DAC I thought it was worth it. 115V is the Voltage for USA. I see you are in Orange County.

Okay thats good to know. So you think the Jotunheim w DAC is definitely worth the extra money over the uber stack? I might order it tonight haha

 

[Letmebefrank]

In regards to the jotunheim, if I was willing to spend the money, would the jotunheim paired with the multibit DAC be the way to go? Also on the jotunheim which voltage would I be looking for?

Welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet!

I use the HD650s for gaming with a Modi Multibit and Jotunheim with a balanced cable. The audio positioning with this setup is insane for competitive FPS/shooters. I play PUBG, Arma 3, battlefield 1 & 4, etc. The HD650s destroy my old HD598s and my pc37x. Soundstage depth isn't as important for FPS, it's all about accurate spatial positioning and the HD650 is incredible for it. Besides, the Soundstage isn't much smaller than the HD598s, you just have to drive them better to get there.

I'll add that in my experience being able to tell what direction the enemy is coming from is much more important than how close they are, as that is relatively easy to figure out due to volume.

 

[Cigaro]

Welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet!

I use the HD650s for gaming with a Modi Multibit and Jotunheim with a balanced cable. The audio positioning with this setup is insane for competitive FPS/shooters. I play PUBG, Arma 3, battlefield 1 & 4, etc. The HD650s destroy my old HD598s and my pc37x. Soundstage depth isn't as important for FPS, it's all about accurate spatial positioning and the HD650 is incredible for it. Besides, the Soundstage isn't much smaller than the HD598s, you just have to drive them better to get there.

I'll add that in my experience being able to tell what direction the enemy is coming from is much more important than how close they are, as that is relatively easy to figure out due to volume.

Thats great to hear. Do you personally think the multibit DAC is worth the extra money over the one I can get with the Jutenheim?

 

[chef8489]

If you are thinking about the Jot I would look at the Valhalla 2 and a modi 2 multibit. The hd650 does quite well with tubes. Thing I like with the vali 2 is it is a hybrid amp. You can have it as close to a ss amp as you want or you can tube roll for a different sound. You could even look at the Lyr 2 and look at the Liist as well as the tubes.