[Holypal]

  Oh, I got this monster waiting for them...
 

 
What is this amp?

 

[MattTCG]

  Oh, I got this monster waiting for them...
 

 
Pretty sure it's a Sanza Clip. 

 

[Subhakar]

Pretty sure it's a Sanza Clip. 

Yes, Sansa Clip+ Rockboxed.

 

[drteming]

   
What is this amp?

 
The legendary Kevin Gilmore's Krell KSA5 clone.

 

[drteming]

Legendary referring to Kevin Gilmore, not the amp.

 

[Holypal]

   
The legendary Kevin Gilmore's Krell KSA5 clone.

 
You made it yourself?

 

[drteming]

Yep.  Got the boards off eBay and the BOM is readily available from Headcase here.

 

[buke9]

Audioquest Dragonfly?

That was funny.

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
Do you guys have your own offices? I work in an open desk environment and have always though having an open pair of headphones would almost be as bad as bringing a Cherry MX Blue mechanical keyboard to work. This is why I've always put having a good pair of closed back cans first on my list of priorities. 

 
Yes, I have my own office. I wouldn't use these headphones in an open desk environment.

 

[The_Terminator]

You can run any headphone from a phone with the exception of electrostatic headphones and they make sound but I agree for the most part don't sound very good.

I can confirm that they sound fantastic straight from an iphone. They sound better with various amps, but don't let the hype on head-fi convince you that they won't sound good straight from the phone. They sound fantastic, and you will enjoy it!

 

[MacedonianHero]

  I can confirm that they sound fantastic straight from an iphone. They sound better with various amps, but don't let the hype on head-fi convince you that they won't sound good straight from the phone. They sound fantastic, and you will enjoy it!

 
I think one thing many newer members might not realize is how well the HD650s scale with amplification and source. In the old days, these were the pinnacle of personal audio (with the K701, DT880 and HD600). Back then, flagships were ridiculously expensive at $350 - $400 a pop. 

 

 

[The_Terminator]

Agreed about these being high end!
Here is an interesting quote from John Siau of Benchmark Media:

WHAT HAPPENS IF I CONNECT MY STUDIO-QUALITY HEADPHONES TO MY IPHONE?

The good news is that high-impedance headphones will never overload or damage a portable device. Battery life may be increased, distortion may decrease, noise may be decrease, and the SNR may improve. The bad news is that the maximum playback level may be too low. Bottom line - if you have a pair of high-impedance headphones, try them with your portable devices. If the playback level is loud enough, high-impedance headphones should improve the overall sound quality of your portable device. But beware, the maximum playback level may be too low when driving high-impedance headphones from a portable device.

It's a very interesting article that people should read: https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/14017381-headphone-impedance-and-sensitivity

From reading Head-Fi, I was convinced that the HD-650s would barely make a sound and would sound like $2.99 junk coming from my phone. I was amazed at how good they sound (and plenty loud too) straight from the iphone. Some might like it louder, but there's no reason to hold off buying them to save for an amp. I tell people to buy them and enjoy the heck out of them because they sound fabulous without anything extra. Later on, after you've saved up some money, you can buy an amp and discover additional nuances to tickle your fancy.

...I know I can get kicked out of head-fi for this, but the HD800 sounds great from the iphone as well for the same reason as quoted above.    OMG I cannot believe I just said that in public. I'm going to be lynched!

 

[buke9]

Agreed about these being high end!
Here is an interesting quote from John Siau of Benchmark Media:
It's a very interesting article that people should read: https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/14017381-headphone-impedance-and-sensitivity



From reading Head-Fi, I was convinced that the HD-650s would barely make a sound and would sound like $2.99 junk coming from my phone. I was amazed at how good they sound (and plenty loud too) straight from the iphone. Some might like it louder, but there's no reason to hold off buying them to save for an amp. I tell people to buy them and enjoy the heck out of them because they sound fabulous without anything extra. Later on, after you've saved up some money, you can buy an amp and discover additional nuances to tickle your fancy.



...I know I can get kicked out of head-fi for this, but the HD800 sounds great from the iphone as well for the same reason as quoted above.    OMG I cannot believe I just said that in public. I'm going to be lynched!

No one said it would barely make a sound or sound like $2.99 junk. Just that it sounds better with a better setup. My Ether-C's get very loud from my MacBook Pro but don't come close to sounding as good out of a Kenzie feed by a Yggdrasil. If you think they are just as good out of a phone more power to you. I won't tell you are wrong I'll just disagree.

 

[muffins]

Agreed about these being high end!
Here is an interesting quote from John Siau of Benchmark Media:
It's a very interesting article that people should read: https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/14017381-headphone-impedance-and-sensitivity



From reading Head-Fi, I was convinced that the HD-650s would barely make a sound and would sound like $2.99 junk coming from my phone. I was amazed at how good they sound (and plenty loud too) straight from the iphone. Some might like it louder, but there's no reason to hold off buying them to save for an amp. I tell people to buy them and enjoy the heck out of them because they sound fabulous without anything extra. Later on, after you've saved up some money, you can buy an amp and discover additional nuances to tickle your fancy.



...I know I can get kicked out of head-fi for this, but the HD800 sounds great from the iphone as well for the same reason as quoted above.    OMG I cannot believe I just said that in public. I'm going to be lynched!

Lol I actually use all of my headphones out of my phone and iPod ;P

 

[Happytalk]

Agreed about these being high end!
Here is an interesting quote from John Siau of Benchmark Media:
It's a very interesting article that people should read: https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/14017381-headphone-impedance-and-sensitivity



From reading Head-Fi, I was convinced that the HD-650s would barely make a sound and would sound like $2.99 junk coming from my phone. I was amazed at how good they sound (and plenty loud too) straight from the iphone. Some might like it louder, but there's no reason to hold off buying them to save for an amp. I tell people to buy them and enjoy the heck out of them because they sound fabulous without anything extra. Later on, after you've saved up some money, you can buy an amp and discover additional nuances to tickle your fancy.



...I know I can get kicked out of head-fi for this, but the HD800 sounds great from the iphone as well for the same reason as quoted above.    OMG I cannot believe I just said that in public. I'm going to be lynched!

I can relate. I prefer an amp, but the IPhone is fine. Hd650's and 600's get loud enough with an iPhone. That's my opinion. No need for ear damage. An amp will make them bloom though.