[Brooko]

  what are you using @Brooko to convert the 1/8 to 1/4 for the hd600s? curious cuz im a longtime hd600 user, ive got both items in front of me, but ive never used em together cuz they require different size connectors, do you recommend any? pictures of your setup w/ the hd600s. im new to portable audio, and i just discovered stacking lol. we must look ridiculous to regular people in public with big stacks in our hands, haha. stacks on stacks on stacks.....

 
HD600 plug is actually a 3.5mm with a 6.3mm sleeve built in.  Pull the outer sleeve off, and underneath is the 3.5mm plug.
 

 

[imackler]

   
HD600 plug is actually a 3.5mm with a 6.3mm sleeve built in.  Pull the outer sleeve off, and underneath is the 3.5mm plug.
 
 

 
Brooko is a magician. Voila!

 

[xsk3l3t0rx]

   
HD600 plug is actually a 3.5mm with a 6.3mm sleeve built in.  Pull the outer sleeve off, and underneath is the 3.5mm plug.
 

i dont know if we are allowed to swear here, but HOLY F'N CRIPES! how have i owned this headphone for 3 years and not known about this hahaha. im literally facepalming right now. FACEPALMING I SAY! how did they not advertise this?

 

[Brooko]

   
On that note, would you say the K7XX is a relatively "tough" 62 ohm load to drive?

 
Can't comment on the K7XX  - but can on the K615Pro, K701, K702 and Q701 - as I've owned all of those.  Their problem is that they are all not very efficient headphones, and although you can get them to a reasonable volume - even out of an iphone! - the bass goes AWOL.
 
I''ve seen a lot of people refer to the AKGs as bass light headphones - but they are surprisingly linear through the bass if they have enough current.  IMO they deifntiely need amping.  I used to have a link at one stage to someone who had taken measurements and made calculations of voltage and current required (comparing the HD650 to the K702).  The K702 at 62 ohm were actually much harder to drive than the 300 ohm HD650.
 
If I can find the link, I'll repost it - it was an interesting read.

 

[Bu11dog]

   
Conversely - try running the HD600 straight from the X3ii (high gain).  If you can volume match properly (SPL meter), and can fast switch, try comparing amped vs unamped.  Make sure amp does not have any EQ engaged.  You might be surprised as well.
 
Long term HD600 owner, and I've had the X3ii for quite a while now.
 
There might be a tiny bit of missing mid-bass / low-bass unamped, but its not significant.  Fiio errs on the safe side with their specs - and the HD600 is a relatively "easy" 300 ohm load to drive.
 
IMHO the X3ii actually handles them pretty well.

Hi Bestula and Brooko, good to meet some other HD600 lovers.  I own my set of HD600 for 10 years now and it is the one I used to test all my new headfi toys.  I agree with with Bestula, X3ii LO with High Gain is definitely not the best HD600 sound I ever hear but it is also not horrible like directly plug into a smart phone.  After some more burn-in time, I will try to pair it with a Pico Power to see how it goes but mostly I will be using my X3ii unamp with Sony EXK. 

 

[hakushondaimao]

   
Can't comment on the K7XX  - but can on the K615Pro, K701, K702 and Q701 - as I've owned all of those.  Their problem is that they are all not very efficient headphones, and although you can get them to a reasonable volume - even out of an iphone! - the bass goes AWOL.
 
I''ve seen a lot of people refer to the AKGs as bass light headphones - but they are surprisingly linear through the bass if they have enough current.  IMO they deifntiely need amping.  I used to have a link at one stage to someone who had taken measurements and made calculations of voltage and current required (comparing the HD650 to the K702).  The K702 at 62 ohm were actually much harder to drive than the 300 ohm HD650.
 
If I can find the link, I'll repost it - it was an interesting read.

Would agree with what you say just based on my K7XX experience, and on other comments in AKG threads. The article sounds like an interesting read.

 

[CarlitoSyrichta]

Did you read the article you linked? They say that keeping lithium batteries at full voltage (4.2V) all the time (constantly plugged in) significantly reduces the lifespan of the battery. While charging to only 4.1V yields almost twice the overall lifespan of the battery compared to a full charge. Constantly keeping lithium batteries at full charge is like constantly revving the engine of your car to red line while in park. It's very stressful and will shorten the life significantly. Speaking from direct experience here, I would suggest NOT leaving the battery plugged in all the time.


From the linked article:

"Besides selecting the best-suited voltage thresholds for a given application, Li-ion should not remain at the high-voltage ceiling of 4.20V/cell for an extended time. When fully charged, remove the battery and allow to voltage to revert to a more natural level like relaxing after exercise. Although a properly functioning Li-ion charger will terminate charge when the battery is full, some chargers apply a topping charge if the battery terminal voltage drops to a given level. Read more about Charging Lithium-ion."

And this:

"To get a better understanding of what causes irreversible capacity loss in Li-ion batteries, several research laboratories* are performing forensic tests. Scientists dissected failed batteries to find suspected problem areas on the electrodes. Examining an unrolled 1.5-meter-long strip (5 feet) of metal tape coated with oxide reveals that the finely structured nanomaterials have coarsened. Further studies revealed that the lithium ions responsible to shuttle electric charge between the electrodes had diminished on the cathode and had permanently settled on the anode. This results in the cathode having a lower lithium concentration than a new cell, a phenomenon that is irreversible. Knowing the reason for such capacity loss might enable battery manufacturers to prolong battery life in the future."

Edit: While the above is true the saving grace is that USB charging from a computer outputs very low amps so it shouldn't be too detrimental to use as a DAC all day. Just don't leave it plugged in 24/7 is my only caution as it actually does hurt lithium batteries. They aren't indestructible.

@viperxp ^This. I've also read in newer articles/studies(credible or not) that it's best to charge batteries @ 40% and unplug them @ 80%. That's what I've been doing with my win 8 tablet for a year now and guess what? Batterybar reports 0% battery wear.

 

[Brooko]

 
Would agree with what you say just based on my K7XX experience, and on other comments in AKG threads. The article sounds like an interesting read.

 
Found it -  https://lsirui.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/k701-vs-hd650-electrical-measurement/

 

[hakushondaimao]

   
Found it -  https://lsirui.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/k701-vs-hd650-electrical-measurement/

Thanks Brooko. Will give it a look when my current course is over (so in a couple of weeks). Have saved it to Pocket...

 

[nmatheis]

Would agree with what you say just based on my K7XX experience, and on other comments in AKG threads. The article sounds like an interesting read.

Same here with my K553. Amped, they've got a much more balanced sound. Out of HO, a bit thin / shrill for my tastes.

 

[nmatheis]

Found it -  https://lsirui.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/k701-vs-hd650-electrical-measurement/

Thanks Brooko!

 

[x RELIC x]

Hi Bestula and Brooko, good to meet some other HD600 lovers.  I own my set of HD600 for 10 years now and it is the one I used to test all my new headfi toys.  I agree with with Bestula, X3ii LO with High Gain is definitely not the best HD600 sound I ever hear but it is also not horrible like directly plug into a smart phone.  After some more burn-in time, I will try to pair it with a Pico Power to see how it goes but mostly I will be using my X3ii unamp with Sony EXK. 

Curious, are you using the headphone plugged directly in to the line out? I only ask because you also mentioned high gain, which has no effect on the line out. High gain only affects the headphone out and you should never plug headphones directly in to the line out. It's dangerous for your headphones and for your ears.

 

[ngs428]

I picked up the FiiO HS7 case for my X3 2nd gen. Works nice and holds my iems and some SD cards nicely! Highly recommended.

 

[Brooko]

I picked up the FiiO HS7 case for my X3 2nd gen. Works nice and holds my iems and some SD cards nicely! Highly recommended.

 
Nice - photos?

 

[coletrain104]

Got my X3 this morning. Sounded really bright out of the box, I feel like there is definite burn-in, despite being a bit of a skeptic to the idea. I was hearing sibilance on my RE-600 at first (they have very little, very well-controlled treble). It seems to have calmed down. sounds better than my iPhone, and its a beautiful little player. Now I just need to reorganize my folders so I don't have to click through 6 screens to get to my songs