[Anavel0]

It would be great, regardless of what amp you choose to get, if you could do an A/B comparison between un-amped HD650 and an amped HD650. I'm extremely curious whether any of these amps are worth the money for the HD650 in a blind-test.

I can do it. I'm considering just getting regular 6N6P power tubes (stock) and puting in the stock 5654 driver tubes, instead of my Sylvania Gold Brand 5654 tubes, and AB that against Vali or maybe Magni.

I'm currently DAC-less as well. That will be a Modi for sure.

 

[joebobbilly]

   
I appreciate your thoughts and impressions here. Since soundstage seems to be the most substantial improvement, I'll likely pass on this one. SS just isn't high on my list. I love the intimate sound of the lyr and the ability to roll the tubes. 

 
I just recently tried the Amperex Orange Globes with the Lyr... I can definitely see why you love these Matt. Excellent extension for the bass and treble... the bass control is tight and textured... the trebles have shine without being harsh. But most impressively... there is a very very smooth and clean emotional depth to the timbre in the mid/midbass region. Makes some more intimate vocal and smooth jazz songs really sing... to a degree that I think I can safely say I prefer the more musical setup of Lyr and Orange Globes over my M/G stack (slightly more analytical) for those tracks

.
 
However, don't discount the chance to listen to balanced if you can Matt... particularly if you have any larger orchestral pieces or recordings in a large hall. Anything with a larger sense of space... really takes on a different level of realism when the HD650s are balanced. TBH the M/G stack certainly isn't the best I heard for the HD650/600... as I again mention the rig I heard @ the Toronto meet

... that one was easily better than M/G... had the strengths of the soundstage and clean sound but definitely musical with emotion. But yea... really liking the orange globes right now

 

[MattTCG]

Excellent description of the lyr with the OG's!! Couldn't have said it better myself. 

 
 
I have no doubt that the M/G would be and is outstanding with the 650 and many other hp's. I'm just prepared to make the leap to go all balanced just yet, but haven't ruled it out. 
 
Right now I'm getting all the sound stage I ever dreamed of with the mdr-ma900. It's a tremendously open and expansive sounding experience for a very reasonable price. Give it a look/listen...
 
I'm grateful to MLE to giving me the heads up on this one.
 

 

[Lorspeaker]

Whatever dac u get, get the darkvoice336se....high or low impedance,
This tube amp rocks my boat...

 

[ngyu]

   
I just recently tried the Amperex Orange Globes with the Lyr... I can definitely see why you love these Matt. Excellent extension for the bass and treble... the bass control is tight and textured... the trebles have shine without being harsh. But most impressively... there is a very very smooth and clean emotional depth to the timbre in the mid/midbass region. Makes some more intimate vocal and smooth jazz songs really sing... to a degree that I think I can safely say I prefer the more musical setup of Lyr and Orange Globes over my M/G stack (slightly more analytical) for those tracks

.
 
However, don't discount the chance to listen to balanced if you can Matt... particularly if you have any larger orchestral pieces or recordings in a large hall. Anything with a larger sense of space... really takes on a different level of realism when the HD650s are balanced. TBH the M/G stack certainly isn't the best I heard for the HD650/600... as I again mention the rig I heard @ the Toronto meet

... that one was easily better than M/G... had the strengths of the soundstage and clean sound but definitely musical with emotion. But yea... really liking the orange globes right now

 
LOL i was wondering when you were gonna tell Matt to go balanced again. I'm trying out joebobbilly's M/G stack right now (he's got my Uberfrost/Lyr/OGs), and yeah, balanced is quite nice for the sound stage, been going at more orchestral pieces after the swap. I totally agree with you (joebobbilly) with the jazz, I definitely enjoy the Uberfrost/Lyr more. The M/G just doesn't do it justice (relative to the Uber/Lyr, its still amazing in its own right).
 
I currently feed the M/G via optical (Jriver/WASAPI) for music, but for movies/games, I use my ASUS STX to create virtual surround and output to the Gungnir via coax... and wow, that is another immersive experience in itself. Virtual surround sound from a BALANCED setup for any FPS or movies, is amazing. But this is Head-Fi, so I'll stop there for now =)
 
You using the OGs O-frame or the A-frame? How do the Matsu 6922 compare as its burning in? 

 

[Anavel0]

Okay having used the HD650 for a bit now I've noticed something surprising. THEY ARE TRYING TO SQUEEZE MY HEAD TILL IT EXPLODES! Okay maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration on my part but holy schiit they are really tight. Now they are brand new and I have barely had them over 24 hours now, but dang that's some clamping force. I'm afraid to think of the Audeze or HiFiMAN lines compared to this. 

 

[Tman5293]

  Okay having used the HD650 for a bit now I've noticed something surprising. THEY ARE TRYING TO SQUEEZE MY HEAD TILL IT EXPLODES! Okay maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration on my part but holy schiit they are really tight. Now they are brand new and I have barely had them over 24 hours now, but dang that's some clamping force. I'm afraid to think of the Audeze or HiFiMAN lines compared to this. 

 
Mine were the same way for about the first week. Don't worry. They stretch out and loosen up. 

 

[ngyu]

  Okay having used the HD650 for a bit now I've noticed something surprising. THEY ARE TRYING TO SQUEEZE MY HEAD TILL IT EXPLODES! Okay maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration on my part but holy schiit they are really tight. Now they are brand new and I have barely had them over 24 hours now, but dang that's some clamping force. I'm afraid to think of the Audeze or HiFiMAN lines compared to this. 

Haha they're like that at first, but trust me, the HD650 loosens up and is SUPER comfortable afterwards, its like it form fits to your head. My HD650 feels comfier than my friend's =P
 
But Audeze/Hifiman's issue isn't the clamping force, its the sheer weight (DOUBLE the HD650). I own the HE-500, and tried the LCD-2. I got neck strain for the first week, but after that, my neck got used to it. HE-500 giving my neck a workout =P

 

[pdrm360]

  Haha they're like that at first, but trust me, the HD650 loosens up and is SUPER comfortable afterwards, its like it form fits to your head. My HD650 feels comfier than my friend's =P
 
But Audeze/Hifiman's issue isn't the clamping force, its the sheer weight (DOUBLE the HD650). I own the HE-500, and tried the LCD-2. I got neck strain for the first week, but after that, my neck got used to it. HE-500 giving my neck a workout =P

 
+1

 

[skeptic]

 
Right now I'm getting all the sound stage I ever dreamed of with the mdr-ma900. It's a tremendously open and expansive sounding experience for a very reasonable price. Give it a look/listen...
 

 
Hadn't come across these before, but they look awfully tempting and super comfortable.  How do they stack up against the hd650's in terms of timbre?  

 

[MattTCG]

^^ The ma900 can not match the 650 in richness of the mids, natural timber and mid and sub bass. It's a step down for sure but not a huge one. If you can get get a good deal on the ma900 it's certainly worth owning both. 

 

[chachi]

I have to say, when I first got these headphones I was not fond of them. But the more I listen to them, the more I fall in love with the sound signature and the more I fall in love with my music again!

 

[Anavel0]

Update on amped HD650! And it's a bit iffy on amping. I completely blame my Little Dot MK III. With my HD580 it had a really black background, no humming that I could hear. Now with matched stock 6N6P tubes I can hear a bit of humming at higher volumes. It doesn't switch sides if I switch tubes around. Good news is that I only turn the volume to 10 now instead of 20 like with the HD580. At this level I can't hear it but if I want to crank a favorite song, which happens from time to time, I can start to hear it very faintly. The built in headphone amp of the onboard PC Realtek 892 seems to have a slightly blacker background. Audio quality wise it's a pretty even honestly, which is slightly surprising. The Little Dot MK III has a fun musical tone to it, straight from my computer had a more analytical sound. I don't mean that in a bad way, the tubes just seem to bring emotion to the sound. Everything, bass, mids, and highs, seems smoother, more rounded, or coherent with the each other through the Little Dot. Through the PC it was just all accuracy and not much for the life or feeling that stirs emotions while listening to music. Some songs had great highs but would detract from the mids for example. Honestly I like both types of sound signatures. I just want to get higher quality amps that can present the best of these two worlds. Sometimes you want to hear every tiny note with extreme accuracy and sometimes you want to put on your favorite songs and just loose yourself in the music and forget the world. That's kind of been my findings with most modern solid state vs. vacuum tube amps. 
 
LET THE SHOPPING AND RESEARCH BEGIN!!! (Who am I kidding I've been shopping and researching since before I bought the HD650, haha!) 

 

[Bimbleton]

Thanks for the impressions Anavel0! Blegh, sounds like the jump in sound quality wasn't that impressive. Guess the only solution is to throw more money at the problem.

 

[Anavel0]

A couple things to add though. I still don't have 24 hours of play time on these headphones yet. They could still have some burn in time. (I have noticed a change in bass. It's still great but not smack in your face above all else.) Also, I got my Little Dot MK III around 5~6 years ago, long enough I can't remember. It's only rev 1. With rev 2, if my memory is correct, you can roll in 6H30 power tubes and really wake this little amp up. There are two resistors that I'd have to change on my rev 1 if I wanted to do that. On top of that I'm using new 6N6P tubes that I just got, so they probably have some more burn in time too.
 
But hey, a couple $100 USD more and you're in to nice Woo, La Figaro/Dark Voice territory, even the Little Dot MK IV which comes with 6H30 tubes stock, and ankles deep in Schiit. Just to name a few options.