[pk4425]

What are your favourite cheap solid-state amps for HD650? I mean like up to 300 EUR used. I liked it on tubes but a little extra extension in treble would be welcome and it was already a little too thick for my taste. I don't like harsh and sterile sounding amps for all THX offerings are probably not for me. My DAC is Gustard R26 so I'm looking for a pure amp.

Can't go wrong with a JDS Labs Atom+. Enough clean power to drive the 6XX for $100 USD.

Note for context: I'm not one of the audiophiles addicted to the Chi-fi spec wars. Many Chinese firms use tiny reductions in THD -- already inaudible to the human ear -- and small power gains as market differentiators at launch. A JDS Labs Atom+ pushes out 1 watt at 32 ohms. Some may see that as feeble compared to the nuclear power station specs of Chi-fi amps, but that's not the case. John Seaber (Mr. JDS) believes in good engineering and design and CLEAN, uncolored power over spec wars, and I agree wholeheartedly with him. Quality, not quantity, especially when the vast majority of cans on the market don't need that power.

 

[baskingshark]

I had an Asgard 3 and gave it back after break-in. Very bright and harsh high end on all my phones including 6xx. Also scratchy volume dial.

You might have a defective unit. If you read consensus reviews and impressions of the others on audio forums, most would agree the Schiit Asgard 3 is warm neutralish.

But YMMV, everyone has different hearing health, volume played at (Fletcher Munson curve), ear anatomy, etc.

 

[schmalgausen]

Yep, don't listen, just read reviews.

 

[kman1211]

You might have a defective unit. If you read consensus reviews and impressions of the others on audio forums, most would agree the Schiit Asgard 3 is warm neutralish.

But YMMV, everyone has different hearing health, volume played at (Fletcher Munson curve), ear anatomy, etc.

I don’t think they have a defective unit, rather how the amp present treble doesn’t sit right with them. There’s a few people that have trouble with the treble, though it’s only some people. I’m sadly one of those people, I generally like Schiit amps (I like their bass, mids, their soundstage, etc.) until I get to the upper regions.

Many Schiit amps including the Asgard 3 I found have a somewhat rough treble response which I found increases its perception of brightness to people who are sensitive to how the amps present treble, it’s been a complaint I’ve had with them since the Magni 1 and it has gotten better with their newer stuff, but I have yet hear it fully addressed, though I haven’t heard the newest stuff nor have I heard anything above the Lyr 3. I’m a big fan of the Schiit Multibit Dacs but the treble on the amps has been a mixed bag for me.

It was a bit of a problem with the Asgard 3 and Lyr 3, it’s why I sold those amps. It was a more major problem with the Lyr 2 and the Valhalla 2 for me. When you compare it to something like the G111 MKII which has notably cleaner and better controlled treble it’s quite obvious to me at least.

 

[Plieb]

You might have a defective unit. If you read consensus reviews and impressions of the others on audio forums, most would agree the Schiit Asgard 3 is warm neutralish.

But YMMV, everyone has different hearing health, volume played at (Fletcher Munson curve), ear anatomy, etc.

All my other amps sounded exactly as most reviewers described. ie singxer, rebel, gashelli, thx887,liquid spark.
So hopefully most likely the result of a bad amp?
Edit kman seems to agree. So i guess im not alone.

 

[LeonidK]

I'm waiting for Asgard 2 to arrive, so I'm going to share my experience. I'm not very sensitive to treble tho and I don't believe HD650's treble could fatigue me on any amp, it's just very recessed there.

 

[pk4425]

I'm waiting for Asgard 2 to arrive, so I'm going to share my experience. I'm not very sensitive to treble tho and I don't believe HD650's treble could fatigue me on any amp, it's just very recessed there.

Yep. If the HD 650/6XX treble assaults your ears, your treble sensitivity is off the charts. The HD 6XX is the smoothest, most chilled headphone I've heard.

 

[tafens]

What are your favourite cheap solid-state amps for HD650? I mean like up to 300 EUR used. I liked it on tubes but a little extra extension in treble would be welcome and it was already a little too thick for my taste. I don't like harsh and sterile sounding amps for all THX offerings are probably not for me. My DAC is Gustard R26 so I'm looking for a pure amp.

I like the Schiit Asgard 3 with the HD650. Warm neutral tuning with big power on tap, even though it is purely single-ended. Not harsh at all.

I second that. Schiit Asgard is single-ended only but less than $300 new. For balanced there is Jotunheim at $399 new (so should possibly be available at $300 or less used). I have the Asgard and like it with the HD6XX although I’m more of a tube guy. I have no experience with Jotunheim though, but it might be worth looking into if you’d want to run balanced.

 

[marone]

100+ hours of burn-in on 6XX.
Amp/Dac is Fosi/Nobsound Q5 192kps

Slight but noticeable improvement in midrange detail retrieval from hours 30 to 70. No changes or improvements in SQ from 70 to 100 hours.

Senns are opposite of V-shaped FR with curtailed extreme highs and no sub-bass.

That midrange is sweet and neutral on Jazz, Rock, EBM, Classical. Stringed instruments and distorting rock guitars both sound excellent. Harmonic detail is all there.
Male and Female vocals both outstanding.

Even if you have a collection of TOTL headphones at 5k each, the 6XX still has strong points to keep it around.

Downside?
Curtailed highs.
No sub-bass - bassheads need look elsewhere.
I can hear the midrange detail from 20 feet away as I burn them in, in another room of my house. Definitely not good if isolation is wanted. Everyone else will know what you are listening to.

Music:
Handel, Elastica, Beethoven, Front 242, Avril Lavigne, Steely Dan, Respighi, Ludicris, Clash, Indigo Girls

 

[marone]

What are your favourite cheap solid-state amps for HD650? I mean like up to 300 EUR used. I liked it on tubes but a little extra extension in treble would be welcome and it was already a little too thick for my taste. I don't like harsh and sterile sounding amps for all THX offerings are probably not for me. My DAC is Gustard R26 so I'm looking for a pure amp.

I used a Fosi/Nobsound/Weiling Q9 192kps.
Barely midfi but a noticeable upgrade from phone and CD player chipset. Coax and toslink inputs, volume control, USB input also.
$69.
If exact name doesn't pop up then any $69 dac/amp will do and be similar.
Certainly you can do better at $300 with a Schiit or Atom etc but if you want to start inexpensively this is a choice.

 

[marone]

I have completed 150+ hours of burn in on the 2 week old 6XX and sound has stayed the same since hour 70.
Burn in is now completed.

 

[LeonidK]

I'm waiting for Asgard 2 to arrive, so I'm going to share my experience. I'm not very sensitive to treble tho and I don't believe HD650's treble could fatigue me on any amp, it's just very recessed there.

I actually prefer Asgard 2 to Feliks Echo MK2 in most ways. Echo has a bit more sweetness but the difference is not big, both are very smooth and warm amps. The dealbreaker here is treble, on Echo I had to use EQ to boost treble because otherwise orchestra sounded very blunted and somewhat aggresive since without the treble it was the upper midrange that was dominant. On Asgard 2 it's fine (I'm still going to replace HD650 with HD600 and I think's it's going to be a better choice for me), orchestra sounds more natural. Soundstage is slightly wider on Asgard, detail and separation a bit better on the Asgard as well (despite Echo had expensive upgrade tubes). Sound is clearer overall and bass is more tight and textured. For sure Asgard is a bit leaner and that's what I wanted because Echo was already too thick for me. Perhaps it would be better pairing with HD600 than HD650. I liked Echo very much but either it was not high enough grade OTL to experience this "magic", or this whole OTL-HD6X0 pairing is bs. It was a good synergy, but I didn't feel it transformed HD650 into another headphone. The difference between PC out-Echo 2-Asgard 2 is the same as if you used any other cans. Mostly minor differences between amps and on PC out you can still feel the same character and signature (I actually like the treble more than on Echo because it was not recessed), it's just underpowered. I actually think planar headphones benefit from a good amp more than HD650. And if this <it was not high enough grade OTL to experience this "magic"> is the case, then I'm out of this game, because Echo is already crazy expensive amp to pair with such cheap headphones. Once I listened to HD650 with $10k Enleum amp, and it sounded mostly the same as my setup, HD650 will always have that signature warm, sweet sound with average technicalities and bad soundstage, I don't really get the whole scaling thing. So just enjoy what you have, HD650 are amazing!
Btw. Asgard 2 is also the first amp that ever let me enjoy my original Momentum Over Ear.

 

[castleofargh]

I have completed 150+ hours of burn in on the 2 week old 6XX and sound has stayed the same since hour 70.
Burn in is now completed.

I already posted it yesterday in another thread, but here we're literally talking about Sennheiser, so I'm posting it again (it was on the front page not long ago)

Question at 20.10mn in case the link doesn't start there for some reason.

 

[HipHopScribe]

I already posted it yesterday in another thread, but here we're literally talking about Sennheiser, so I'm posting it again (it was on the front page not long ago)

Question at 20.10mn in case the link doesn't start there for some reason.

I watched this, and the other video you didn't post here, when you posted them in the audiophile myths thread and was actually thinking of them as I read the burn-in comments here. Burn-in is basically a religious ritual for audiophiles at this point though, so there's probably no point in trying to logic it out of practice lol

 

[marone]

I already posted it yesterday in another thread, but here we're literally talking about Sennheiser, so I'm posting it again (it was on the front page not long ago)

Question at 20.10mn in case the link doesn't start there for some reason.

I judge by what I hear not what an engineer says.

Human hearing consists of two areas above the outer ear approximately the size of half of a large walnut.

As such it involves significant cognitive processing.
IOW it varies from person to person based upon our brains and individual abilities from an organ that exceeds the ability to discern far beyond any man-made object.

I have zero interesting discussing this with those who are obsessed with "objective science" and "what an engineer states".
That is his opinion and yours.

I did not ask for your opinion on this topic.