[DavidA]

   
I've never owned a tube amp before, so please forgive my ignorance on the subject, but I thought that the Solstice and Starlight were both tube amps?  I'm just looking for a good first tube amp that I can try out with different tubes.

Both are tube amps but the circuits are slightly difference in how much you need to do to roll different tubes and the tubes are used in the input stage while the output stage is SS/op-amp:
Ember sets tube voltage and bias automatically
Solstice set tube bias automatically but you need to adjust the voltage for each tube family
Starlight is manual tube voltage and bias

 

[Androb]

I've never owned a tube amp before, so please forgive my ignorance on the subject, but I thought that the Solstice and Starlight were both tube amps?  I'm just looking for a good first tube amp that I can try out with different tubes.

Look into the little dot family, they got good and cheap products!

 

[olor1n]

 
...The iPhone 6 could not push the volume level as high as the DC-1, BUT there was an audible difference in the bass. There seemed to be a bit more of it, and it also seemed to reach deeper than the Emotiva unit. I don't get it...

How can the iPhone 6 (that cannot play as loud as the DC-1) have better bass at the lesser volume?

 
You're hearing that wooly and flabby bass that is evident when the HD650 is plugged into components incapable of exerting great control over the transducers.
 
Go to a meet if you can, and listen to the HD650 from a good balanced solid state amp (like the Ragnarok). You'll hear bass that's defined, taut and distinct. No smothering and bleeding into other registers. Bass that hits hard. Then listen to the HD650 from your iPhone and marvel at your naivety.

 

[iancraig10]

@ painted known,

Feeding the iPhone digitally into an amp like the Ifi micro idsd cleans the sound quite a bit. You still get a good strong bass, but it is better defined and encroaches less into the upper bass where there is a hump in the frequency response,

 

[mysticstryk]

Look into the little dot family, they got good and cheap products!

I was looking at the mk 2, but I was under the impression the Garage1217 amps were better for the money.

 

[iancraig10]

They are imo. I had a Little Dot 2 and it good extremely hot to say the least. It burned itself out in the end and gave me a firework display!!

I use both the Ember and Polaris. Both excellent with the hd650. Both run cool = longer life too.

 

[Tuneslover]

If I had to attempt a guess I'd say the cheap $.05 op-amp chips in your iphone and tablet, running with the volume maxed out and trying to drive a high impedance load like your HD 650, are in big trouble. Distortion levels, specially in the bass range most likely off the charts. Yea the bass may give you the impression of having more punch with all the doubling, etc going on. Being a "total noob" you have to ask yourself does my impression of better sound from two cheap, badly matched products driving near state of the art phones maybe say there's something in err with my expectations?
Your DC-1 may not be the best DAC/Amp on earth but its for sure in the top 1% and worlds ahead of an iphone. Besides the fact that I own and love the sound of the same combo and have over 50  years experience at this stuff.  Don't mean to heart your feeling here but somethings not adding up in your listening impressions..

Ones opinion of good bass certainly varies, my cousin and a brother-in-law define good bass as loud, dominant and with lots of rumble.

 

[mysticstryk]

Decided to plug my hd595s in for kicks, haven't heard them since I bought my hd650s a few months ago.
 
Damn, the drop in clarity and separation was immediately apparent.  Back to my hd650s!

 

[iancraig10]

The HD650 is easy to take for granted. It's one of the few headphones that many seem to sell on, only to buy it again later!!!

I've had 4 so far.

 

[mysticstryk]

The HD650 is easy to take for granted. It's one of the few headphones that many seem to sell on, only to buy it again later!!!

I've had 4 so far.

 
It cured me of some upgraditis I was having towards the LCD-2.  
 
Whew....$1000 bucks saved, and probably would have had so sell off some headphones to pay for it.
 
Is the Solstice the best Garage1217 amp to pair with the hd650 outside of the ember?

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Do Polaris.

 

[mysticstryk]

  Do Polaris.

But...I've never owned a tube amp...
 
Would it be a significant upgrade over something like the Solstice?

 

[knorris908]

The HD650 is easy to take for granted. It's one of the few headphones that many seem to sell on, only to buy it again later!!!

I've had 4 so far.

Seconded in regards to the HD-650s being taken for granted.  I've never sold mine, but all the "hype" for other headphones have lead me to embrace my personal weakness and seek to "upgrade".  Consequently I have HD-800s arriving this week, and Beyer-Dynamics T1s arriving next week...  I'm leaving it up to my wife once I finish playing with them and whipping myself into a frenzy trying to discern every possible advantage of one over another via A/B of sources, genres, amps, etc...  (And before you laugh, she's the one who often questions me about why I don't pick up a set, or why I didn't bring one home with me after listening...  BUT she doesn't have the upgrade bug like I do, so she just listens to a couple of tracks on the setup she's most likely to use, and usually has a favorite by the 2nd pass.)  I married REALLY well!  LOL
 
All that is to say, that I half-suspect that all I'll hear is larger soundstage (Not a major requirement as i find the HD-650 soundstage to be quite appropriate.) and perhaps more detail.  If I'm brought to "a religious experience" by either headphone, I'll be VERY surprised as I believe that the HD-650s are already THAT GOOD, and have left me quite spoiled.  

 

[mbusby]

   
It cured me of some upgraditis I was having towards the LCD-2.  
 
Whew....$1000 bucks saved, and probably would have had so sell off some headphones to pay for it.
 
Is the Solstice the best Garage1217 amp to pair with the hd650 outside of the ember?

 
I have the Polaris, Horizon and Ember. All three do a good job with the HD650. I am currently using them with the Ember. I have a Mad Dog plugged into the Polaris.

 

[iancraig10]

Do Polaris.

I agree, although some on my own site would argue with me about that!! The Polaris has less noise and is more versatile with other headphones. The Ember does sound terrific as well though, so for me it's a toss up, with a weighted coin........