Sennheiser HD650 & Massdrop HD6XX Impressions Thread
Nov 14, 2012 at 5:42 PM Post #8,656 of 46,534
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You'd have a tough damaging them by turning them up too loud unless you have a super powerful amp and turned them up way past distortion level. Hair on the driver sounds like a good guess.

Well they definitely distorted a fair bit...I'm on an Audio-gd Compass so I don't think my amp is all that powerful, so you're probably right. I oughta check that out. How would I do that?
 
Nov 14, 2012 at 10:23 PM Post #8,658 of 46,534
Duckman, that is a fun combo. My dealer is a Phonitor dealer (Metrum and Burson too!) I plugged my 650's into the Phonitor and really enjoyed the combo.
 
Nov 15, 2012 at 7:04 AM Post #8,659 of 46,534
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Just spent five minutes with the 650 and Phonitor at our local store. It was wonderful.

 
Looks a little spendy for me. 
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Nov 15, 2012 at 10:38 AM Post #8,664 of 46,534
I was using my Asus Xonar Phoebus (a sister card similar to the Asus Xonar Essence STX) to drive my 650's, and decided to try an external DAC and Amplifier to see if there was any noticeable improvement.  Considered the Schiit Bifrost, but had also heard very positive things about the Asus Xonar Essence One, so I took one home to try out.
 
Well, there is most definitely an improvement to the sound quality.  An external DAC is the way to go!  There is virtually no audible noise (dependent on the recording), and the clarity is amazing. 
 
The E1 drives my E650's easily.  After some minor firmware updates, the sound quality is even better, and if you want to tweak the sound more you can roll some op amps.  Decided to get a couple of op amps to try out (LM4562NA), and it really expanded the sound stage and provided even more clarity.
 
A bottlehead crack is on its way to me, so i'm going to see what the sound is like with the combo E1 and crack.  Will update!
 
Nov 15, 2012 at 10:49 AM Post #8,665 of 46,534
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IMO...sublime. Hard to get much better at this price point.


that is encouraging... and i think this bifrost+lyr combo have good enough juice to run an lcd-2 in the future as well right?? but i heard that the bifrost has sub bass deficiencies... which can be a big no no... if that is true then is there another dac which would be better(considering my future upgrade)? or is it hardly noticeable??
 
Nov 15, 2012 at 2:56 PM Post #8,666 of 46,534
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that is encouraging... and i think this bifrost+lyr combo have good enough juice to run an lcd-2 in the future as well right?? but i heard that the bifrost has sub bass deficiencies... which can be a big no no... if that is true then is there another dac which would be better(considering my future upgrade)? or is it hardly noticeable??

 
No, not at all. The bifrost is a slightly warm amp if anything...but just a touch. The choice of tube will be a bigger difference on bass. 
 
Nov 15, 2012 at 3:39 PM Post #8,667 of 46,534
thinking of getting a pair of these headphones for christmas. the most upscale i've ever had are Beyerdynamic DT 1350 portables which i drive off of nothing but whatever source i plug them into. my home headphones are ATH-AD700s. so i'm looking to upgrade. i run those through iMac -> E17 & E10 -> ATH-AD700.
 
i really want to get a tube amp for home use, continue using my E17 on the go for vacations and get a better DAC as well.
 
i mostly listen to indie rock, indie emo, lately dream pop, alternative, hip-hop, a bit of game soundtracks. basically, i'm all around.
 
would this be a headphone to look into or should i steer clear? i'd like to point out i also don't have any gripes with either headphone that i owns sound. after EQing the ATH-AD700 the bass is no problem and the DT 1350 is fine flat to me.
 
 
Nov 15, 2012 at 3:55 PM Post #8,668 of 46,534
I think that this headphone is fantastic and a good all rounder. Some of the best mids out there IMO. If you are looking for more sub bass though with rap and hip/pop...then consider the he400 which is easier to amp but also responds well to tube amps. 
 
Nov 15, 2012 at 4:06 PM Post #8,669 of 46,534
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I think that this headphone is fantastic and a good all rounder. Some of the best mids out there IMO. If you are looking for more sub bass though with rap and hip/pop...then consider the he400 which is easier to amp but also responds well to tube amps. 


i just read your write up on the comparison between the two and the only thing i can really see myself liking a bit more about the HE400 is the ease of amping, but even then i plan on upgrading my amp source anyway, so doesn't make too much a difference. good read, btw. i don't listen to enough rap/hip-hop to justify leaning toward one over the other based on that.
 
edit: but any DAC recommendations? i know the Little Dot will pair well with the Senns but as far as a DAC goes i'm in the dark.
 
Nov 15, 2012 at 4:30 PM Post #8,670 of 46,534
Got the 650 drivers/grills and the asgard in last week, been putting in some hours on them and I have to say I'm 110% satisfied with the sound. No idea what this "veiled", slow, and lacking sub-bass hullabaloo is about honestly, all i hear is gold. now I just need a dac to get rid of my noisy computer audio input :frowning2:
 
for all of you saying the 650 lacks sub-bass, how does this song sound to you? if you're still saying its ****ty are you sure your amp has enough juice?
http://soundcloud.com/fat-freddys-drop/cays-crays-digital-mystikz
 

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