[Bruc3]

Wow thanks for your reply David, bit surpised about the Valhalla since most people seem to love the synergy, guess that's why its all subjective in the end.

The crack seems to be the only amp I see that is universally accepted to synergise with the hd650.

Also with the MCTH you said it was great with 660s but only ok with 650, might have consider upgrading headphones to 660s then haha..

 

[kman1211]

CTH: great amp for HD660S, its okay for the HD650 to me
Valhalla2: didn't care for this amp with HD650 or most headphones I tried with them, a bit on the dry thin side to me and tube rolling didn't have the same effect like it does with other amps
BH Crack: my favorite with the HD650 but it took a bit of tube rolling and the cost of the tubes adds to the price a bit, ugly is in the eyes of the beholder - my GF agrees with you
Lyr2/Lyr3: doesn't have the same synergy like the BH Crack but better than the Valhalla2 IMO
DV 336se: agree with you about build quality but you will also need to roll tubes since the stock ones aren't that good IIRC
EC ZDT jr: haven't heard this one yet
LD 1+: a great amp for the price and pretty good with the HD650 but I think the op-amps were changed along with tubes in the one that I heard
Jot: a good pairing for the HD650 but I'd still take an OTL amp over it any day
Project Ember: better than the Jot and Lyr2 for the HD650 to me and also one of the most flexible amps around

Agree on the Valhalla 2, one of the most disappointing OTL amps I've heard and tube rolling does almost nothing for it. It's dry and thin like you say and nothing really helps that much, it lacks body. The Lyr 2 is better from Schiit. Haven't heard the Lyr 3. Interestingly I like the HD 650(as well as the HD 600) more with my solid state Sony UDA-1 than either the Valhalla 2 or Lyr 2. It has all the body and dynamics of the Lyr 2 if not more but without the dryness found on the Schiit amps, I found it more transparent, refined, and musical as well. Bottlehead Crack is definitely an awesome pairing. You don't really start hearing better with the HD 650 until you get into higher end OTL amps.

 

[tafens]

@Bruc3
In the Lyr3 impressions and discussions thread people have said it does work well with the HD650.

I’m looking into getting one myself (with the Multibit DAC option and Tung-Sol tube), but in the mean time I’m enjoying my HD6XX with my Modi Multibit and Magni3 combo.

 

[Bruc3]

I actually have never considered the Lyr 3, I will look into it.

 

[skingg]

I was actually looking to grab the Valhalla 2...

 

[kman1211]

I was actually looking to grab the Valhalla 2...

It does have it's strong points such as detail and soundstage/imaging and it was refined, but it always lacked body and fullness and that is what killed it for me as I couldn't really remedy it with different tubes, a better DAC, clean power, vibration control, thicker power cable, etc. The improvements were more minor compared to other amps I owned, I was able to fix my problems with the Lyr 2's dryness and grain with tube rolling, better DAC, clean power, etc. but I was never able to overcome the issues I had with the Valhalla 2. I owned one and sold it for that reason.

 

[aisalen]

i like the pairing of my HD650/600 with my DV 336 than my Jot, no problem with DV's it's build quility, seems solid to me.

 

[raybone0566]

I’ve got a loaner lyr3 here w/ me now. I’d consider it a step up from crack & ember.

 

[Odin412]

Ok I have narrowed down my amp options to below to be paired with the HD6xx.

I listen to alot of instrumental and vocal music. I like the laid back and smooth sound of 6xx. Currently all I have is a SoundblasterX AE-5 amp/dac which is surprisingly good but I want a taste of OTL/hybrids as I think it will likely suit my music preference more.

I have narrowed down to list of amps below:
- Cavalli Tube Hybrid (MCTH) = currently my top pick as I like the aesthetics + many report good synergy
- Schiit Valhalla 2 = Seems to have good synergy but I am not too sure I like so many tubes (4 tubes will be costly)
- Bottlehead Crack + Speedball = everyone says its got great synergy, but I think its really ugly and also I cant DIY
- Schiit Lyr 3 = not sure how well this pairs
- Darkvoice 336se = bit concerned with build quality and fire hazard
- Massdrop Eddie Current ZDT Jr. = bit of mixed reviews on this one so unsure
- One of the LittleDot amps = don't know too much about these
- or other???

What do you think?

I have the Cavalli Tube Hybrid and to my ears it works very well with the HD650. I haven't heard the Valhalla 2, but I have the original Valhalla and that amp has a wonderful synergy with the HD650. I can understand that some people who value transparency and detail don't love that combo, but to me it was a relaxing musicality that I enjoy. YMMV depending on your preferences.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Pretty sure I've posted similiar things in past, but a good time to reiterate regarding best amps for HD650:

Massdrop/Cavalli CTH: I haven't heard this w/HD650, but a good friend has and he loved it (actually, he seems to like most headphones w/it).

I tried the HD650 on 5 SS amps and got good results on all of them. In ascending order of cost/review status, these amps are:

• M Stage Matrix HPA-1: I rolled opamps and found the very best/most musical to be OPA827AID on BrownDog adapter. This is my cheapest, lowest power amp--and the HD650 sounded very good on it (sound I could happily live with)
• Liquid Carbon v2: Tried both SE & balanced. It shouldn't work w/the already somewhat warm HD650, but it did. This amp keeps surprising me.
• Lake People G109-A: as usual, the HD650 sounded just terrific on this amp (all headphones I ever tried with it sound terrific)
• Violectric V281: SE & balanced, this got the very best sound of the bunch from the HD650, but by a smaller margin than you might imagine.

Also tried it on an OTL amp (Woo WA3). You might expect an OTL would bring out the best sound from this high impedance HP, but that wasn't the case. While I loved that tube dimensionality in timbre of instruments and soundstaging, it added some warmth to a HP that really doesn't need more.

Punchline: I never succeeded in maing the HD650 sound close to mediocre It sounded very good or better on every SS amp I have.

 

[Tuneslover]

Pretty sure I've posted similiar things in past, but a good time to reiterate regarding best amps for HD650:

Massdrop/Cavalli CTH: I haven't heard this w/HD650, but a good friend has and he loved it (actually, he seems to like most headphones w/it).

I tried the HD650 on 5 SS amps and got good results on all of them. In ascending order of cost/review status, these amps are:

• M Stage Matrix HPA-1: I rolled opamps and found the very best/most musical to be OPA827AID on BrownDog adapter. This is my cheapest, lowest power amp--and the HD650 sounded very good on it (sound I could happily live with)
• Liquid Carbon v2: Tried both SE & balanced. It shouldn't work w/the already somewhat warm HD650, but it did. This amp keeps surprising me.
• Lake People G109-A: as usual, the HD650 sounded just terrific on this amp (all headphones I ever tried with it sound terrific)
• Violectric V281: SE & balanced, this got the very best sound of the bunch from the HD650, but by a smaller margin than you might imagine.

Also tried it on an OTL amp (Woo WA3). You might expect an OTL would bring out the best sound from this high impedance HP, but that wasn't the case. While I loved that tube dimensionality in timbre of instruments and soundstaging, it added some warmth to a HP that really doesn't need more.

Punchline: I never succeeded in maing the HD650 sound close to mediocre It sounded very good or better on every SS amp I have.

I have to agree that the Lake People amp pairs extremely well with the HD650/6XX as well as with the HD58X and AKG7XX.

In addition, the Project Ember is equally as good, arguably better due to it's versatility.

 

[jaywillin]

I'm using the Project Ember, I have the 6xx, and the Grado GH2, and a wide assortment of tubes, I'm not saying it's the best, but the Emberis so versatile , it works well with any headphone, and you can roll so many tubes

 

[koover]

I'm using the Project Ember, I have the 6xx, and the Grado GH2, and a wide assortment of tubes, I'm not saying it's the best, but the Emberis so versatile , it works well with any headphone, and you can roll so many tubes

Have to agree. My 650 just sat on its stand for a good year as I was running it with a LYR2 with a ton of different tubes. It just didn’t sound that great to me and they went to the wayside. Then I bought an Ember and it came alive. Didn’t seem to matter what tube I’d roll, as it sounded better then ever. And just playing with the jumpers on the fly is what really makes this amp attractive. Plus the price is hard to beat. But nothing makes the 650 sound as good as it does until I fire her up with the Mjolnir2. The Gumby helps too.

 

[Tuneslover]

Have to agree. My 650 just sat on its stand for a good year as I was running it with a LYR2 with a ton of different tubes. It just didn’t sound that great to me and they went to the wayside. Then I bought an Ember and it came alive. Didn’t seem to matter what tube I’d roll, as it sounded better then ever. And just playing with the jumpers on the fly is what really makes this amp attractive. Plus the price is hard to beat. But nothing makes the 650 sound as good as it does until I fire her up with the Mjolnir2. The Gumby helps too.

I have heard that the Garage 1217 solid state Polaris is very close sounding to the Ember. It too is very versatile with various setting options. If you're uncertain about tube rolling this might be another amp to consider, however it would be helpful if owners of a Polaris and HD650 could offer their opinions.

 

[Bruc3]

I have the Cavalli Tube Hybrid and to my ears it works very well with the HD650. I haven't heard the Valhalla 2, but I have the original Valhalla and that amp has a wonderful synergy with the HD650.

Which do you prefer with the 650, valhalla or cth? Also please let me know the specific reasons e.g. better bass etc