A tunbe amp will change the sound. The idea is for the sound to pass from the source to the HD6xx without being modified along the way. There is a review of the Fiio A5 amp on here that says that the A5 is a great match for the HD650.
I'd choose a tube amp over a Fiio a5 any day of the week. A portable amp is never, ever going to drive the 650's like a desktop amp. I've done it, with much better portables than Fiio. And the 650's sound sloppy compared to a desktop.
I've read that the Valhalla 2 is a much better amp for the HD6XX than the Lyr 2. May jump on the Lyr 2 just because it is more versatile. The Bottlehead is just ugly, which does matter to me. I only have 2 headphones currently with a high impedance (DT990 250ohm being the other). I do want to hook it up to my Pioneer Elite SC-72 that drives my 4 ohm Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grands. I've always wanted to get into tubes, and buying a headphone amp with preouts gives me the best of both worlds. Any other recommendations?
I do really like my Schiit Magni, which has a ton of power (doesn't get used anymore after the X7 purchase). Really just want a great tube amp, just want to buy one and be happy. No need to half ass it as I would rather spend money once and be done.
What about one of the tube amps from Garage1217? I have their Project Sunrise 2 and love it with all my headphones. I've read amazing things about their Project Ember as well. Just a thought. Check out their respective threads for more impressions.
I'd choose a tube amp over a Fiio a5 any day of the week. A portable amp is never, ever going to drive the 650's like a desktop amp. I've done it, with much better portables than Fiio. And the 650's sound sloppy compared to a desktop.
I'd choose a tube amp over a Fiio a5 any day of the week. A portable amp is never, ever going to drive the 650's like a desktop amp. I've done it, with much better portables than Fiio. And the 650's sound sloppy compared to a desktop.
I would not go tube. I don't want my music to be changed. I want the music to sound as close as it can to what's coming from the source as possible. The 650's should not sound sloppy. If they do, then you have a poor setup.
I would not go tube. I don't want my music to be changed. I want the music to sound as close as it can to what's coming from the source as possible. The 650's should not sound sloppy. If they do, then you have a poor setup.
Given the right tube amp, the hd650 can be as good or even better than a solid state amp. BHC is a no brainer. Valhalla 2 is also exceptionally good and sounds more solid state with a splash of tube goodness.
I would not go tube. I don't want my music to be changed. I want the music to sound as close as it can to what's coming from the source as possible. The 650's should not sound sloppy. If they do, then you have a poor setup.
In theory I would agree. The concept of as close a reprodutlction of the source as possible, appeals to me, and a tube amp inherently colors the sound, so it will always have a higher THD.
That being said, I had a Lyr 2 for a short while and with the 1975 Voskhod Grey Shield tubes I bought it sounded amazing.
I lack the golden eared audiophile terminology to discribe it, but there was a certain airy spacial magic to that setup which I really loved.
I made the decision to return it and go with the Jotunheim's - however - because I didn't want to become dependent on costly 60 year old collectible consumables and also didn't want to fall I to the trap of obsessive tube hunting spending way too much money looking for the perfect tube.
I'm very happy with the Jotunheim. It is a fantastic amp and reproduces the sound it is GI en with great accuracy. There is just slightly less "magic" than with the Lyr2 and the right set of tubes.
I'd choose a tube amp over a Fiio a5 any day of the week. A portable amp is never, ever going to drive the 650's like a desktop amp. I've done it, with much better portables than Fiio. And the 650's sound sloppy compared to a desktop.
Given the right tube amp, the hd650 can be as good or even better than a solid state amp. BHC is a no brainer. Valhalla 2 is also exceptionally good and sounds more solid state with a splash of tube goodness.
But do you get the same sound as the source from these tube amps? I'm not talking about them being better or worse, but the same. If they are not the same, then forget it as they are then modifying the sound.
But do you get the same sound as the source from these tube amps? I'm not talking about them being better or worse, but the same. If they are not the same, then forget it as they are then modifying the sound.
You're assuming that all solid state amps are completely uncolored and transfer directly what's coming from the source as it was recorded....they don't. I've owned solid state amps that were as colored as a tube amp and I've had tube amps that were nearly uncolored. It's not just the topology and design of the amp but more importantly the implementation.
The bottom line is that IMO it's a huge mistake to rule out tube amps with the hd6xx.
I would not go tube. I don't want my music to be changed. I want the music to sound as close as it can to what's coming from the source as possible. The 650's should not sound sloppy. If they do, then you have a poor setup.
I would not go tube. I don't want my music to be changed. I want the music to sound as close as it can to what's coming from the source as possible. The 650's should not sound sloppy. If they do, then you have a poor setup.
Actually the difference in sound between a tube and a SS amp is less than you think. With my darkvoice 336SE with Jan 6080 tube rolling, it sounds very SS like. I will say the difference between a good Tube and SS with enough power is <5% difference.
You're assuming that all solid state amps are completely uncolored and transfer directly what's coming from the source as it was recorded....they don't. I've owned solid state amps that were as colored as a tube amp and I've had tube amps that were nearly uncolored. It's not just the topology and design of the amp but more importantly the implementation.
The bottom line is that IMO it's a huge mistake to rule out tube amps with the hd6xx.
Agreed! My best experience with the HD650 was with a balanced tube amp. I also have audition a solidstate amp that sounds warmer than tube amp. Plus not all tubes sound the same.
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