[Max Rayder]

So I have been reading that the HD 6XX works without an amp, (Source: A guy talking about that here on reddit), can some of the knowledgeable people from this forum confirm me this please?

It is a big deal to me because I play rhythm games, so I need to avoid dac/amps to achieve the least amount of latency possible in the sounds. However I may consider getting an amp in the future, for listening to music when I'm not playing rhythm games, but as of right now I can only afford buying the headphones.

As much as I would like to just get started with headphones like the HD58X which are known to be easier to drive without an amp, if I can get the HD6XX to run on the headphone jack of my laptop then I would prefer to avoid spending on the HD58X and go directly for the HD6XX which I guess would be the better option.

Something worth noting is that I have no need for my headphones to get loud, so if it's for the volume I don't think I may need an amp. I'm 22 and I have a sensible and highly perceptive audition which I really take care of, so I actually prefer to listen to things at low volumes since I'm able to comfortably listen and enjoy the sound at those levels.(So far whenever people for whatever reason listen to my headphones and hear the volume of the music, they feel the need to turn it up and ask me how am I able to listen to music like that ).

So what are your thoughts and recommendations on this?
Will I be able to run the HD6XX out of my laptop's headphone jack? or Should I just go for the HD58X or HD598SR?

 

[Biscuitboy]

There's a few things I would touch upon.

1) You do have an AMP and DAC. They are just integrated onto your motherboard as opposed to on an Add-In-Card/External.
2) I only play for fun, but I do play Clone Hero and have never had an issue with latency across the few DACs I have used.
3) Headphone AMPs do more than just make sound louder.
4) If you buy them and they sound good to you, then you made a good purchase, regardless of what people online say.

As for volume. Most motherboards made within the last 3 or so years in custom build PCs will have at the minimum an ALC1220 which is enough to power a 6XX especially if you don't list to things on high volume, but you have a laptop so you should find out what your laptop has for an integrated AMP/DAC.

 

[Max Rayder]

There's a few things I would touch upon.

1) You do have an AMP and DAC. They are just integrated onto your motherboard as opposed to on an Add-In-Card/External.
2) I only play for fun, but I do play Clone Hero and have never had an issue with latency across the few DACs I have used.
3) Headphone AMPs do more than just make sound louder.
4) If you buy them and they sound good to you, then you made a good purchase, regardless of what people online say.

As for volume. Most motherboards made within the last 3 or so years in custom build PCs will have at the minimum an ALC1220 which is enough to power a 6XX especially if you don't list to things on high volume, but you have a laptop so you should find out what your laptop has for an integrated AMP/DAC.

Thanks for the reply!
I just checked the specs file for my laptop and found this: Audio Controller Realtek ALC3223
Will that be enough?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thanks for the reply!
I just checked the specs file for my laptop and found this: Audio Controller Realtek ALC3223
Will that be enough?

I can't find any detailed specs about the ALC 3223, looks like an audio DSP that gets installed in laptops, no listing of any great audio features.
I say to just get the 150-Ohm HD58X.

 

[mattiav]

Honestly? Get the HD58X if you aren’t going to amp. My HD6XX sounds OK with my phone or laptop, though it needs almost the whole power output for the phone. But with proper power, it opens up a lot, even at lower volumes.

 

[HipHopScribe]

I would get the 6XX now and get an amp later. The 6XX need power to unlock their potential, they're not gonna sound as good as they can sound, but they're not so hard to drive that you can't get enough volume out of most laptops, especially considering that you say you listen at low volume

 

[bzippy]

I would get the 6XX now and get an amp later. The 6XX need power to unlock their potential, they're not gonna sound as good as they can sound, but they're not so hard to drive that you can't get enough volume out of most laptops, especially considering that you say you listen at low volume

I agree. I have had the HD600 for about 6 years now and resisted amps at first before I finally coming around to the understanding that some HP's do need the right amplification to sound their best. I mean, you will probably get enough volume from just about everything, including a phone. But you won't get the full glory of the harder to drive cans like HD6__ & HD8__ etc.

And not just any external dedicated amp will do either. For example, my cheap Schiit desktop amp (AC powered) cost only $100 and sounds better to me than the most expensive portable amps & Daps I have/had that cost multiple hundreds. Don't ask me specifically what it is that some amps can do that others cannot. I have asked this question many times, hoping to be told what specs I can compare to predict amp performance with my 600's, but I've never really gotten a straight answer. In fact in one thread I started just to ask this question specifically, it ended up causing an argument that went on for multiple pages! lol

Bottom line for you, most will say that HD6XX is objectively "better" sounding (for music at least; I can't say for gaming), but all these legendary Senns are notoriuously finicky about amps. And if you don't give them what they want then you'll probably get better overall performance out of the 598/58x/etc. BUT I have never had any of the HD5__ headphones, so I'll let others who have done this exact compasion confirm or refute my claim. I really just wanted to chime in with my experience amping my HD600's over the years and hope it helps you in some way. Let us know how it goes. : )