[sainteb]

Greetings.

I recently got a pair of HD650s and I am currently using a Schiit Fulla 2 DAC/AMP to drive them. That's all I have and I have to say I think it's doing a good job but then again I don't have any other amps for comparison, nor have I tried anything else before.

Have you tried this setup and do you think the Fulla 2 is sufficient to drive them appropriately? I'm still able to return it but I thought it was a pretty good deal for the time being.

 

[cswann1]

I have no experience with the Fulla2, but per Schiit's website those cans are getting 40mW/channel RMS. That's fine for moderate to low volume levels but if you're like me and like to rattle the fillings in your teeth now and then, I expect the Fulla 2 would be a bit lacking.

 

[sainteb]

I have no experience with the Fulla2, but per Schiit's website those cans are getting 40mW/channel RMS. That's fine for moderate to low volume levels but if you're like me and like to rattle the fillings in your teeth now and then, I expect the Fulla 2 would be a bit lacking.

Thanks! What do you mean when you say lacking for high volume?

 

[DavidA]

Thanks! What do you mean when you say lacking for high volume?

I think what he was saying is you need to double the mW for a 3dB increase in listening level so if you listen at really high levels (+95dB, which is a dangerous level to listen at) the Fulla2 might not have enough power to control the drivers since you are reaching the maximum output of the Fulla2

 

[vibin247]

Thanks! What do you mean when you say lacking for high volume?

I had some time to demo the Fulla 2 at the Schittr, and while it's a great amp for the money, it defnitely didn't drive the HD 650s enough to get them to completely sound great. The Valhalla 2 is what I chose for these cans, along with other high impedance headphones like Beyerdynamic's offerings, as the sound just envelops as a result from that 450-800mW the amp pumps out at 300-600 Ohms. The new Magni 3 has enough power to drive the HD 650, if you want to keep your price range the same as the Fulla 2.

 

[sainteb]

I had some time to demo the Fulla 2 at the Schittr, and while it's a great amp for the money, it defnitely didn't drive the HD 650s enough to get them to completely sound great. The Valhalla 2 is what I chose for these cans, along with other high impedance headphones like Beyerdynamic's offerings, as the sound just envelops as a result from that 450-800mW the amp pumps out at 300-600 Ohms. The new Magni 3 has enough power to drive the HD 650, if you want to keep your price range the same as the Fulla 2.

Thanks! + DavidA

Sorry for the questions but I am quite new to all that. So the whole point is that even though it has enough power to drive them at really loud levels (which I can confirm), sound quality - rather than just loudness - could be improved if I use a more powerful amp?

What I liked about the Fulla 2 is that it's a combined DAC/AMP and I thought I needed a DAC to replace my Dell laptop on-board audio. Do you think that returning it and going for just an amp (e.g. Magni 2 or 3) would be better for the time being, until I get a separate DAC too?

 

[DavidA]

Thanks! + DavidA

Sorry for the questions but I am quite new to all that. So the whole point is that even though it has enough power to drive them at really loud levels (which I can confirm), sound quality - rather than just loudness - could be improved if I use a more powerful amp?

What I liked about the Fulla 2 is that it's a combined DAC/AMP and I thought I needed a DAC to replace my Dell laptop on-board audio. Do you think that returning it and going for just an amp (e.g. Magni 2 or 3) would be better for the time being, until I get a separate DAC too?

I would suggest getting an app for your smart phone to check to see how loud (dB level) you listen at. If you are under 85dB at peaks the Fulla2 should be good for listening at that level, this doesn't mean that its the best sounding amp for the HD650 but at this point its a personal preference, as an example: I have a Lyr2, Asgard2, BH Crack and Project Ember, all are capable of driving the HD650 to really high dB levels but I prefer the way the BH Crack and HD650 sound together, its what I consider good synergy between the amp and headphone but my GF likes the pairing of the Lyr2 + HD650, to her the BH Crack is too smooth in the highs, treble does not have a sharp edge which the Lyr2 has.

I don't know if returning the Fulla2 and getting just the Magni3 would be that much of an improvement if any over the Fulla2, I could be wrong since I don't have access to a Fulla2 but the Magni3 that I got to listen with yesterday is an impressive amp for one Benjamin.

 

[Letmebefrank]

I would suggest getting an app for your smart phone to check to see how loud (dB level) you listen at. If you are under 85dB at peaks the Fulla2 should be good for listening at that level, this doesn't mean that its the best sounding amp for the HD650 but at this point its a personal preference, as an example: I have a Lyr2, Asgard2, BH Crack and Project Ember, all are capable of driving the HD650 to really high dB levels but I prefer the way the BH Crack and HD650 sound together, its what I consider good synergy between the amp and headphone but my GF likes the pairing of the Lyr2 + HD650, to her the BH Crack is too smooth in the highs, treble does not have a sharp edge which the Lyr2 has.

I don't know if returning the Fulla2 and getting just the Magni3 would be that much of an improvement if any over the Fulla2, I could be wrong since I don't have access to a Fulla2 but the Magni3 that I got to listen with yesterday is an impressive amp for one Benjamin.

dB apps are very inconsistent, I have 2 highly rated dB apps on my phone, both over 4.7 stars, and one reads ~10dB higher than the other. One says my loudest listening volume that I like with my HD650s is around 60dB and the other says about 70dB. I always assumed it was louder than that. Might need to pick up a real dB meter.

 

[vibin247]

Thanks! + DavidA

Sorry for the questions but I am quite new to all that. So the whole point is that even though it has enough power to drive them at really loud levels (which I can confirm), sound quality - rather than just loudness - could be improved if I use a more powerful amp?

What I liked about the Fulla 2 is that it's a combined DAC/AMP and I thought I needed a DAC to replace my Dell laptop on-board audio. Do you think that returning it and going for just an amp (e.g. Magni 2 or 3) would be better for the time being, until I get a separate DAC too?

I'd definitely wait on getting a DAC, if you're just gradually adding pieces to your headphone listening setup. While a DAC is a great step up to your headphone listening experience, it's not beneficial until you have a headphone amp that you need and that you can afford, IMO.

 

[DavidA]

dB apps are very inconsistent, I have 2 highly rated dB apps on my phone, both over 4.7 stars, and one reads ~10dB higher than the other. One says my loudest listening volume that I like with my HD650s is around 60dB and the other says about 70dB. I always assumed it was louder than that. Might need to pick up a real dB meter.

The app that I got lets you calibrate it and is fairly decent (+/- 1.5db) when I compared it to a friend's industrial unit that is calibrated weekly and for these purposes of just getting a ball park number its sufficient IMO.

 

[Letmebefrank]

The app that I got lets you calibrate it and is fairly decent (+/- 1.5db) when I compared it to a friend's industrial unit that is calibrated weekly and for these purposes of just getting a ball park number its sufficient IMO.

I'm sure there's some good ones out there but wading through 100 different apps on android isn't something I want to do. Hopefully other folks will have better luck than I have.

 

[Michael Gonzalez]

hey guys, new here.

will the new LG v30 drive these without the need for a separate DAC/Amp? any input would be appreciated.

 

[Tuneslover]

I just sent Sennheiser Germany a request to make available a replacement stock HD650/600 (possibly HD660S) cable with a 4 pin XLR connector...aka BALANCED.

Last year I ordered a replacement stock Sennheiser HD650 cable from a local audio retailer. It cost me less than $20 Canadian dollars. I also purchased a 4 pin XLR Neutrik connector, which cost me less than $5 Canadian dollars. An electronics friend of mine re-wired the replacement cable with the XLR connector thereby allowing me to enjoy my HD650 in balanced mode while listening to my Schiit Jotunheim.

Although I was fortunate to have a friend who is an electronics expert with excellent soldering ability, not everyone may be as lucky as me nor have the ability to do this modification themselves. Since Sennheiser already offers a stock replacement cable, why not offer the option of Single Ended or Balanced? I know there are many replacement cable offerings out there but they can be extremely expensive and with no guarantee that it will improve the sound of your HD650's. Hopefully Sennheiser will accommodate the millions of it's world wide customers.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

Does anyone know if this HD 700 cable is 4 conductors?Sorry! if this is the wrong place to asked.
Thanks!

 

[raybone0566]

I just sent Sennheiser Germany a request to make available a replacement stock HD650/600 (possibly HD660S) cable with a 4 pin XLR connector...aka BALANCED.

Last year I ordered a replacement stock Sennheiser HD650 cable from a local audio retailer. It cost me less than $20 Canadian dollars. I also purchased a 4 pin XLR Neutrik connector, which cost me less than $5 Canadian dollars. An electronics friend of mine re-wired the replacement cable with the XLR connector thereby allowing me to enjoy my HD650 in balanced mode while listening to my Schiit Jotunheim.

Although I was fortunate to have a friend who is an electronics expert with excellent soldering ability, not everyone may be as lucky as me nor have the ability to do this modification themselves. Since Sennheiser already offers a stock replacement cable, why not offer the option of Single Ended or Balanced? I know there are many replacement cable offerings out there but they can be extremely expensive and with no guarantee that it will improve the sound of your HD650's. Hopefully Sennheiser will accommodate the millions of it's world wide customers.

they already have one
https://www.crutchfield.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/p_143CH650S/Sennheiser-CH-650-S.html