[swmtnbiker]

Exactly.  Who doesn't like to think they got something for nothing?  It's much like the post-purchase justification phenomena.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-purchase_rationalization)  People like to perceive improvements and so they often do.

Indeed. No one ever *complains* about headphones/amps/dacs/cables/tubes/whatever sounding WORSE after burn-in. It's always an improvement.

And now back to your regularly scheduled program...

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Priming.
You go in expecting a change because you've burned them in, and voila, you hear a change, but there's no way to prove that you didn't hear the same thing and just convinced yourself you heard something different. It doesn't matter what you do. This is all subconscious and out of your control.
 

 

 
Perhaps you can explain then why I don't always hear an improvement, or indeed any change at all. I would say that happens 50% of the time.

 

[punks15]

Quote:

 
Comparing your old Hifiman HE-400 and DT880, based on sound quality alone, which one do you think is better for electronic music? Which has better bass, soundstage, and instrument separation?

Electronics definitely better on HE400. HD650 doesn't have that HE400's energy. For slower music i would pick the HD650 though

 

[dragonball]

what kinda amps are required for HD650? Give me some samples. from cheapest to costliest which *significantly* improves the SQ of 650.  Slight improvements do not count.

 

[MattTCG]

I can only offer suggestions based on what I've owned and auditioned. 
 
*e17-this was really not enough to bring out an enjoyable experience for me with the 650. Mark it down for "will do in a pinch."
 
*e09/odac-this combo was surprisingly good to my ears. I used low gain on the e09 and the odac seems to be a very good complement to the mix.
 
*lyr/bifrost-just a wonderful combo for the 650. It's an impressive upgrade to everything else that I'd tried with the 650. It got even better with a nice set of Amperex Orange Globe tubes.
 
Oh, I have heard that the bottlehead crack is VERY good with the 650 although I have not heard it. 
 
gL!!

 

[caracara08]

little dot MK2 - my first amp.. i thought it sounded very good but i had nothing to compare it to so take that with a grain of salt.
O2 - was not my favorite combo. 
Lyr - very good.  Might not give you exactly that tubey sound youre looking for but i have been 100% happy with it but if i had more money, there would be other options i would go for. 
CSP2+ - very very good also if your budget is that high.  clean sounding.  to me, this amp doesnt really sound as tubey as most either.  if budget was a concern, id go for the lyr between these two. 
ZDSE - the pinnacle of what i have tried.  not sure if it was new toy syndrome or what but everything sounded awesome out of it. of course it is pricey and i had an upgraded umbilical if that stuff matters to you.  
 
ive owned many more but not at the same time as when i had my 650s.

 

[matti620]

Is the HD650 the most natural sounding with live recordings in its price range? To me it sounded especially natural with live recordings, I used to turn my head when there was an ambient background noise in the recording which I thought came from the room I was in. That didn't happen with studio recordings as much, which tended to sound more one dimensional.

 

[caracara08]

Quote:

Is the HD650 the most natural sounding with live recordings in its price range? To me it sounded especially natural with live recordings, I used to turn my head when there was an ambient background noise in the recording which I thought came from the room I was in. That didn't happen with studio recordings as much, which tended to sound more one dimensional.

100% depends who u ask... as with most gear. some people think one thing, others think another.

 

[longbowbbs]

Quote:

what kinda amps are required for HD650? Give me some samples. from cheapest to costliest which *significantly* improves the SQ of 650.  Slight improvements do not count.

 
The 650's work very well with tube amps....I love my Decware CSP2+ with them. Lot's of happy Bottlehead Crack  and La Figaro 339 folks too. Price range $550 or so for the La Figaro, $750 or so for the Crack and about $1000 depending on options for the CSP2+....

 

[cpetrillo]

what kinda amps are required for HD650? Give me some samples. from cheapest to costliest which *significantly* improves the SQ of 650.  Slight improvements do not count.

Not sure my example will be of any help. Not sure it's even still available but the Opera Consonance Cyber 30 really makes the HD650 sing. It is a 2A3 tube based SET amp that makes 3.5 watts. This combo does not sound veiled or slow to me at all. Also responds well to tube rolling the small driver tube.

 

[yokken]

I'm not sure I like the HD650 more with the Amperex tubes. They aren't as crisp sounding as the GEs, though they are more revealing somehow? At least on my DT880. But there were some songs that I listened to on my HD650 last night where I was listening for one specific part in a song that is a little hard to hear, and I swear it was smoothed right over. Like it wasn't even there. Vocals didn't really seem any better, either. I do like the sound on my DT880 but it will take some getting used to with my HD650.

 

[longbowbbs]

Tubes matter with the 650's. Half the fun/challenge is finding the right combo for your tastes. Enjoy the ride!
 

 

[eltocliousus]

Tube rolling is a dangerous game.

 

[amandarae]

Quote:

Had a fun morning of listening on the HD650 comparing my Little Dot MkIII (Voshkod Gold Grid tubes) and a Graham Slee Solo SGRII with PSU. Both amps are fed by a Rega DAC.
 
I was mainly into IEMs (Shure 535se, UE Triple.Fi.10, Sennheiser IE80). But I'm so glad I bought the HD650 for home use. It really makes music listening such a joy and almost an addiction. The details and soundstage are really good. And it does react to its source equipement.
 
I'm also very impressed with the LD MkIII. It's such an inexpensive amp. And to my ears (with the Voshkod tubes), it has a much more detailed and energetic sound to the Graham Slee Solo SGRII. I was expecting really great things from the Solo, seeing that it is nearly triple (with the PSU) the price if the MkIII. I've had the Solo now for about 3 weeks, and the MkIII keeps on impressing,
 
I'm curious to hear the HD650 with the Schiit Lyr that gets high prise in this thread. I have tried the 650 with an ALO Pan Am, which I really liked. 

Go for it!  I have the LD MKIV and the Lyr.  You will not regret the purchase.  Those moments when you want to energize yourself at the very instant, plug to the Lyr.  At times when you do not care about "audiophile" thoughts and just listen to feed your soul, plug in to the LD.  Okay, maybe not that drastic of a situation but you know what I mean?  When you dialed in to your content the tubes for both the LD and the Lyr,  browsing this forum becomes less and less frequent  ha,ha!  Good luck!

 

[punks15]

Quote:

what kinda amps are required for HD650? Give me some samples. from cheapest to costliest which *significantly* improves the SQ of 650.  Slight improvements do not count.

Audinst HUD-MX1 internal amp : Forget it
DACport internal amp : Quite good actually, this will be my minimum requirement for HD650
HM603 internal amp : Very good!
Graham Slees : If you're into warm and mellow sounding, these amps is a nice buy. Personal favorite is SRG II, some like the Ultra Linear better though
WA6SE : Nice! It will liven up the sound while giving a near high-end resolution
Darkstar : My personal favorite