[pdrm360]

  Hi everyone, just jumped on the HD650 bandwagon and I'm looking to of course pair them with an amp. But, I'm having a tough time deciding what I want to go with. My main focus is on speed, mid-range and soundstage. I listen to mostly electronic music but definitely have some post rock and classical in there. I'm more interested in lush and entertaining sound. Not analytical or fatiguing.  My budget is around $300.
 
A lot of people in this thread seem to really recommend the Bottlehead Crack and that is coincidentally around my budget. However, the Speedball upgrade also comes highly recommended and that definitely puts me over budget. It would drive me crazy knowing I'm missing out.
 
So, forgetting the BH Crack for a moment, what's some other great amps that pair really well with the 650? I've been seriously considering the Valhalla, the Maverick TubeMagic D1, and the iCAN iFi. A lot the reviews right here at head-fi say the Xbass and 3D mode on the iCAN aren't actually gimmicks, and I think I would enjoy that for gaming. Thoughts?

 
The Valhalla would be a good choice but you can also buy the Crack without Speedball. You can add the Speedball in the future if you feel that you need that upgrade. 

 

[syphen606]

   
The Valhalla would be a good choice but you can also buy the Crack without Speedball. You can add the Speedball in the future if you feel that you need that upgrade. 

 
Yep, Speedball can always be added later. I'm running a stock Crack right now and it still makes the HD6x0's sound awesome. I've been rolling tubes instead of just putting the Speedball in right away.

 

[kramer5150]

Hi folks. I've got the itch again and want to buy another pair of headphones. My current open cans of choice are my AKG Q701's. I also have a pair of V-Moda M-100's & Shure SRH840's. I want something different, something with a bit of warmth to the sound. I still want detail. I'll be driving them mainly with my ODAC / O2 (1x/3x gains) & occasionally with my Fiio E18. Will these amps drive the HD650?

I'm torn between the HD600 & HD650. Can someone explain what either would give me that's better than my Q701's? Sell these headphones to me.

If those amps drive your Quincy to your satisfaction, they will be fine with the HD6xx.  The 65 ohm AKGs based around the K701 driver have low sensitivity/efficiency.  So despite the 300 ohm impedance, the senheisers require less overall volume twist to drive them to the same output level.  For me with my K701 and HD650, have to turn up the volumes a slight but noticeable amount on all my amps when I switch to the AKG.  Spinal Tap analogy... if you turn your marshall amp up to 11 with the AKG, you'll need to turn it down to an 8-9 with the HD650/600.
 
HD650 -VS- AKG Quincy:
HD650 bass has a slightly deeper extension.  How audible this is depends on Whether or not the recording has content in these frequencies from 20-50Hz though.  The biggest difference is in the upper midrange-treble  frequencies.  Where the AKG house sound is energetic and to a larger degree forcing itself onto you.  The HD650 on the other hand chills it all out, relaxes the presentation and lets you go hunting and searching for vocals and solo instrumentation.  The HD650 details are there, they are just farther away.  The HD650 won't layer a near and far image soundstage like the AKG, which pushes stuff slightly farther out there.
 
The HD650 is my kick back after hours, relaxation headphone.  Its my get away drug of choice.  Psycho-acoustically, its a major stress reliever at the end of a long work day.  I find it a perfect compliment to my RS1, K701 and A250 which are all brighter and edgier sounding.

 

[Solrighal]

That's the kind of analysis I was looking for. I was kinda thinking the HD650's might be the next step up but from your opinion it sounds more like a step sideways.

 

[Androb]

That's the kind of analysis I was looking for. I was kinda thinking the HD650's might be the next step up but from your opinion it sounds more like a step sideways.

Hd650 was a big step up for me atleast, and I ended up selling my q701.

 

[Solrighal]

Hd650 was a big step up for me atleast, and I ended up selling my q701.

Ah, can I ask in what way it was a "big step up"? I'm finding that unless I choose the music very deliberately it's very difficult to just sit back and relax with the Q's. They have an energy at the top that can wear me down fast. I used to own a pair of HD595's which were smooth but in my opinion too laid back. Admittedly I never had an amp at that time but if the HD650's are like those but more I don't think I'd be happy.

 

[whirlwind]

Kramer nailed it right on, imho.
 
That is pretty much the same way I heard the Q701 & HD650
 
I kept the HD650 because it had better synergy with my amp and because I wanted the darker sound.

 

[atraf]

Can you guys help a newbie ? just getting into the hifi world planing on purchasing the the HD650, Is there a way to know if something like the vali/modi combo will be suffice or should I invest more for the valhalla/sabre u2(future byfrost)? since I can't hear either of them before I need your help, I prefer to spend as less as I can but I don't want to be dissappointed from the sound.. 
 
p.s
I like the warm sound, deep bass of the hd650 and I want to preserve it so and I don't mind even emphasizing it , mostly listen to elctronic music. 

 

[JamieMcC]

Has any one here tried the Ray Samuels Hornet Portable amp?

 

[joebobbilly]

  Can you guys help a newbie ? just getting into the hifi world planing on purchasing the the HD650, Is there a way to know if something like the vali/modi combo will be suffice or should I invest more for the valhalla/sabre u2(future byfrost)? since I can't hear either of them before I need your help, I prefer to spend as less as I can but I don't want to be dissappointed from the sound.. 
 
p.s
I like the warm sound, deep bass of the hd650 and I want to preserve it so and I don't mind even emphasizing it , mostly listen to elctronic music. 

Check out the last 10 pages or so in this thread. I believe several people have responded to the exact same question. If I recall, there are several members here that vouch for that combo being pretty solid. Though again... these cans scale well, so saving up for the bifrost and valhalla will likely be good too.

 

[Androb]

Ah, can I ask in what way it was a "big step up"? I'm finding that unless I choose the music very deliberately it's very difficult to just sit back and relax with the Q's. They have an energy at the top that can wear me down fast. I used to own a pair of HD595's which were smooth but in my opinion too laid back. Admittedly I never had an amp at that time but if the HD650's are like those but more I don't think I'd be happy.

Well the hd650 have such a nice soundsig and it's not making my head soar cause of the treble. And imo it's better at everything, and works for all genres. Well maybe except for soundstage but I don't care about soundstage.

I dunno about laidback, I think it's kind of upfront, but check my forum sig and you will see what source and amps I'm using.

 

[kramer5150]

That's the kind of analysis I was looking for. I was kinda thinking the HD650's might be the next step up but from your opinion it sounds more like a step sideways.

 
It depends on what you are looking for... if you want a warm, relaxing, groovy, soothing presentation its a DEFINITE step up over the 65 ohm AKGs.  If you want bass thats deep and harmonic-resonant enriched the 650 is a big step up.  If you wanted some way to erase the negatives of poorly mastered bad recordings while still retaining some detail resolution, and yet still make those tracks groovy, fun and enjoyable... thats absolutely a strength of the 650, and 600/580 too.

Ah, can I ask in what way it was a "big step up"? I'm finding that unless I choose the music very deliberately it's very difficult to just sit back and relax with the Q's. They have an energy at the top that can wear me down fast. I used to own a pair of HD595's which were smooth but in my opinion too laid back. Admittedly I never had an amp at that time but if the HD650's are like those but more I don't think I'd be happy.

Yeah the AKGs have that weird plastic-synthetic upper midrange resonance that folks either love or hate.  I like it for really busy large ensemble classical orchestrated pieces like movie sound tracks/scores.   When the wall of sound is huge and I am trying to pick out the woodwinds and flutes or listening for the decay of the tympani in the massive mix.  Thats one thing the AKG does superbly in this price range.  Unfortunately, the 701 can't turn that off for less busy musical passages and solo instrumentation can sound "off".   For those times when I am not mentally focusing on the sounds, the 701 can definitely be a bit distracting.
 
Speaking of amplification... No 701 -VS- 650 discussion is complete without at least some thought towards amp circuits.  The wrong amp with either could negatively enhance each of their flaws.  I have a millet hybrid for example that was tuned by its builder with the HD580 in mind.  Great HD650 dynamics and energy, particularly in the upper midrange tones.  It sounds really "off putting" with my K701 though, triggering those plastic-synthetic harmonics.  Its not a night and day kind of thing, but amplification can make enough of a difference for you to keep it in mind as you weigh it all out.

 

[Solrighal]

Thanks for all the opinions guys, very useful. Ill be using my ODAC XL & O2 for source and amplification duties. They should be good enough for now. Thing is I really like the Q's sometimes. When they're good they're great. They're also not the most comfortable headphones out there; a fact which caught me by surprise. I thought I'd get used to the bumps on the headband but right now I'm jury-rigging some pain relief with the help of a baby cot strap pad and a credit card (don't ask). I know the HD650's are going to be comfortable. There's also the cost. £310 for a mass produced product that's been out for years is a bit over the top. It's worth whatever anyone's prepared to pay I suppose.

 

[ridethespiral]

I wanted to see what kind of bass the HD650's were capable of yesterday and came across some bass boosted songs. Holy crepes I've never had my eyeballs shooken unless I was at a live show. My Shure SE535's sound so bland after listening to the 650's all weekend.
 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf3I3o2STc0
 
 
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[Solrighal]

Do they really have so much bass?