[T.F.O.A]

hi guys, thinking of buying the hd 650, but don't know what amp would go well with it, would the asgard be good? or will it make it too bassy?
the sound i'm after is the ad 900 style but with bass.  any suggestions?

 

[Flipsidiaz]

Thanks for the input guys.
 
I was looking at the NFB-5 but there wasn't as much information that I could really compare too but I'll research it and see if it is worth the extra $100+ for just my mid level dac/amp.

 

[B-Dawk20]

More and more I hear people complain about the HD650 and classical music....is it really not great for that stuff? I was under a complete opposite impression before.

 

[kostalex]

AD900 soundstage is big. You should search for an amp which can open HD650 soundstage well, what is not easy task to do. The best soundstage I heard was from DarkVoice 336 SE, others did not come close, including WooAudio 3, HDP, SOHA II, AudioGD Sparrow, Yulong D100. 
 
Quote:

hi guys, thinking of buying the hd 650, but don't know what amp would go well with it, would the asgard be good? or will it make it too bassy?
the sound i'm after is the ad 900 style but with bass.  any suggestions?

 

 

[Macius]

Quote:

More and more I hear people complain about the HD650 and classical music....is it really not great for that stuff? I was under a complete opposite impression before.

I see a lot of conflicting opinions for this too. It doesn't help having different versions of the same headphone. Is the new 650 more suitable than the old one? How does the HD 600 compare?

 

[ac500]

My HD650 (latest version) is brilliant for classical music... you just have to boost the treble or else violinists sound like they were stuffed in a foam padded wood box.

 

[zenith91]

Is the meier corda2stepdance a good fit for the 650? Thanks.

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

More and more I hear people complain about the HD650 and classical music....is it really not great for that stuff? I was under a complete opposite impression before.

Everyone likes to complain here.

 
The 650s are fabulous with any music.  I find their unEQ'd tone to be closer to a real piano or acoustic guitar, than any of my other headphones.

 

[ac500]

> I find their unEQ'd tone to be closer to a real piano or acoustic guitar, than any of my other headphones.
 
unEQ'd is fine for piano, because the proper tonality of piano is very bass-centric, but I don't understand the acoustic guitar claim. Obviously the sound quality is great, but I find the sound of guitars and violins simply too quiet to sound real. I have to boost 10+KHz and especially 15+KHz for violins and guitars to sound like they do in real life.

 

[pelltj03]

Just got my pair in today.  Awesome headphones to say for sure.  They are a welcome addition to my small collection of HD598's and Fostex t40 Orthos. 

 

[Twinster]

The HDP pair very well with the HD650 but not the best soundstage. You can always purchase a Bottlehead Crack (Tube amp) after to complete your setup. That would give you both option SS & Tube. 
 
Or for a little bit more then your budget get a DACport LX ($299) with the Bottlehead Crack ($219) and never lock back (Ya right 

)
 
Quote:

Hey fellas, just got my hd 650 yesterday and could use some advice on what amp and dac I could get for $450. I've done allot of reading on this site and have come to a point that I narrowed it down to a few amps and dac to get, but the problem is I have zero experience on how it should sound like with an amp and a dac so the whole process of elimination is very hard to apply.
 
So far my list of contenders are this:
 
PreSonus central station
Schiit Asgard + Audinst HUD mx1
Matrix M-Stage (usb version) + Audinst HUD mx1
Yulong D100
NuForce Icon HDP
 
If any of this combo works or doesn't work please feel free to let me know. I have not listed any tube amps as I have not yet read up on it, but would like to hear some tube amp recommendation that will fit with my budget.
 
I know that you guys must be fed up will the whole "What amp / dac to get" question that pops up like a bad acne, but I hope one more wouldn't hurt, but if it isn't then I'll just have to try my luck and hope I get a combo that works..
 

 

 

[ac500]

 
Quote:

Right, that review didn't use the better sounding filter options.  
 
I have both the HD650 and NFB-12.  I think it's a pretty good DAC.  The NFB-12 doesn't break the sound signature - it just doesn't do it justice.  If you're more interested in the DAC and are okay with a stopgap amp, it's pretty good and there's one for sale for $200 in FS section, so you can save $50 and get faster delivery.
 
If mostly interested in an amp, I would keep looking.  There are a couple of ~$100 OTL tube amps in the FS section (Phenix G3) that I believe would be better than the NFB-12 HP amp.

To add to the confusion, wasn't there a guy saying the NFB12 amp was good but the DAC wasn't? Such inverting and conflicting reviews, it's... annoying to try to research anything around here.
 
I'm still looking for an improved amp for my NFB12 although I'm pretty happy with it after EQing. Every time I ask for suggestions though for solid state amps the discussion almost always leads to everyone trying to convince me to buy tubes, which I said 100 times I don't want now or ever.

 

[captouch]

Quote:

 

To add to the confusion, wasn't there a guy saying the NFB12 amp was good but the DAC wasn't? Such inverting and conflicting reviews, it's... annoying to try to research anything around here.
 
I'm still looking for an improved amp for my NFB12 although I'm pretty happy with it after EQing. Every time I ask for suggestions though for solid state amps the discussion almost always leads to everyone trying to convince me to buy tubes, which I said 100 times I don't want now or ever.

Was the "amp is good" comment in reference to HD650?  With other cans, it may be.  With HD650, it's not terrible, just doesn't sound anywhere as good as other $200-300 amps (but sorry, my experience is with tubes/hybrids).
 
And comment that DAC wasn't good may have been with older unit with non-adjustable filters.  Most people who have the new units and played with the filters seem to agree that the 8x filters (min phase apodising in particular) sound better than the default 2x ones.
 

 

[Bolardito]

I have a Lisa III with LLP (Power Supply) that previously were used with my JH13 but since I just upgraded to the JH3A system the Lisa III is getting dust...so I'm considering getting into the full size world by getting a HD650, which seems like the best option in terms of price vs. performance.
 
Do you think the Lisa III with its dedicated wall power supply would drive the HD650 fine? Haven't read any impressions so far regarding this combo.. as for source it would be iPod- Algorhythm Solo. 

 

[T.F.O.A]

wait, i thought open headphones, generally have big soundstage, no?

 
Quote:

AD900 soundstage is big. You should search for an amp which can open HD650 soundstage well, what is not easy task to do. The best soundstage I heard was from DarkVoice 336 SE, others did not come close, including WooAudio 3, HDP, SOHA II, AudioGD Sparrow, Yulong D100.