[DeafBeef]

HeadphoneAddict,
 
Could you please elaborate the differences between HDP amp section and Travagans Red/AD743/Sigma 11 (your setup) relating to driving HD600. 
 
From the headamp point of view I see HDP as a better all around amp, but which one has a better synergy with HD600?
 
I just got HD600 and I have Gamma 2  DAC and I am looking for a relatively portable headamp ( I don't need a battery, just need to move it around).  
Also Graham Slee Novo looks relatively portable, not sure about the sound thought.
I don't mid to have an AMP and DAC in separate boxes as long as I get a superior sound.
 
Thank you.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

HeadphoneAddict,
 
Could you please elaborate the differences between HDP amp section and Travagans Red/AD743/Sigma 11 (your setup) relating to driving HD600. 
 
From the headamp point of view I see HDP as a better all around amp, but which one has a better synergy with HD600?
 
I just got HD600 and I have Gamma 2  DAC and I am looking for a relatively portable headamp ( I don't need a battery, just need to move it around).  
Also Graham Slee Novo looks relatively portable, not sure about the sound thought.
I don't mid to have an AMP and DAC in separate boxes as long as I get a superior sound.
 
Thank you.

The HDP seems to have a bit more speed and power, and also just a little better micro-detail, transparency and soundstage with HD600.  The stock Travagans Red is very neutral sounding with HD600, but sometimes erring on the "cool side" with some phones like Grados.  Putting the AD743 opamps in the Red brings it a little closer to the warmth of the HDP, but it still has less power and impact with HD600 (although the power is still acceptable).  Right now I have OPA627 opamps in the Red, which makes it warmer and smoother and a slightly better match for the HD800 than the HD600.  While the HDP is still good with the HD800 it's slightly brighter with HD800 than the Red (OPA627) and I like the HD600 with HDP more.  The HDP with HD600 has enough power to make my ears and face vibrate with the bass - a sure sign hearing damage will soon follow at those levels after a few minutes.
 
I thought the NOVO was slightly better than my opamp rolled Red as well (AD743), but the NOVO was a loaner and I don't have one to compare to the HDP.  If memory serves me right, the NOVO had a bit more power and transparency than the Red as well, but it was maybe slightly brighter than the stock Red, and I don't recall it having as much bass impact as the HDP with the HD600.  I think the NOVO was a little grainy with the stock PSU and also noisy with IEM unless I used my other Sigma 11 with it, but I might be wrong.  Power was one thing the NOVO didn't lack, but weight behind the power wasn't quite there.  I have a review of it in mrarroyo's NOVO beta loaner thread that I would have to check for what I said.  Overall the NOVO was only slightly better than my Apogee mini-DAC headphone jack, but not a big enough upgrade to go out and buy one because my WA6 was better.
 
If I had to guess where the NOVO would stand, I would say that I like the HDP more than I liked the NOVO while I had it on loan.  I currently have the HDP hooked up in my bedroom to use with my Macbook on a daily basis.  My Travagans Red, while being a great budget amp on par with the Meier Headfive or slightly above, is not being used much lately.  It's being stored along with my EF2, Nuforce Icon and Qinpu A-3, which all can drive the HD600 better than a portable but not as well as the HDP or my higher-end amps (WA6, ZDT).  My EF5 might be slightly below the HDP, and my SAC KH1000 amp may be slightly ahead - the results change depending on the tubes, cables, phones or sources I am using.

 

[DeafBeef]

Thank you HeadphoneAddict,
 
Quote:

The HDP seems to have a bit more speed and power, and also just a little better micro-detail, transparency and soundstage with HD600

 
That is pretty much sums it up for me. Gamma 2 via coax is a very good source and I don't want to loose anything during amplification process. Driving Audio-Technica CK10 from Gamma 2 output was an amazing experience, however the combo is too bright for any serious listening.
[size=10.0pt] [/size]

[size=10.0pt]Looks like I need to A/B Gamma 2 DAC vs HDP DAC and if HDP DAC is better I would need to carry just one box around.[/size]

[size=10.0pt] [/size]

[size=10.0pt]Thank you again HeadphoneAddict, your feedback is very helpful![/size]

 

[Pradeep]

Got my HDP finally

 
Everything is as described by others: low noise, the instrument separation/ delineation, tight bass, improved mids.
 
i'm using it with my HD650 phones. 
 
I did notice tighter bass which is the one thing i longed for. The HDP gave me this.
 
Also the one thing very prominent is the clean sound. It is scarily silent when it plays. 
 
However i have one question for HDP users who use it over 600/650 or other 300 ohm impedance phones: I am playing my HDP at 3 PM!!! (standing vertically)
 
Only then i can hear it at a volume level which is resolving enough and is satisfactory.
 
It can turn further down until 5 pm ( or 5:30). I can say it is almost distortion free until 4 PM. But am I supposed to play it (this loud) at this higher amplification to drive my 650s?
 
My 650s are fine. When using it over my macbook pro when using max volumes of my itunes/vlc and max system volumes. i get satisfactory volumes.
 
Will post more thoughts on my HDP later on. I just posted this to clarify this volume question. thanks.
 
 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Got my HDP finally

" class="bbcode_smiley" height="" src="http://files.head-fi.org/images/smilies//smily_headphones1.gif" title="

" width="" />
 
Everything is as described by others: low noise, the instrument separation/ delineation, tight bass, improved mids.
 
i'm using it with my HD650 phones. 
 
I did notice tighter bass which is the one thing i longed for. The HDP gave me this.
 
Also the one thing very prominent is the clean sound. It is scarily silent when it plays. 
 
However i have one question for HDP users who use it over 600/650 or other 300 ohm impedance phones: I am playing my HDP at 3 PM!!! (standing vertically)
 
Only then i can hear it at a volume level which is resolving enough and is satisfactory.
 
It can turn further down until 5 pm ( or 5:30). I can say it is almost distortion free until 4 PM. But am I supposed to play it (this loud) at this higher amplification to drive my 650s?
 
My 650s are fine. When using it over my macbook pro when using max volumes of my itunes/vlc and max system volumes. i get satisfactory volumes.
 
Will post more thoughts on my HDP later on. I just posted this to clarify this volume question. thanks.
 
 

What source are you using?  If you source has a low output then you might have to turn up the volume higher.  If using the computer as source via USB, the system volume affects the HDP volume, so make sure that isn't turned down.  Just because the Mac's headphone out is turned up all the way doesn't mean the HDP's USB volume is up all the way.  Each one has it's own volume control.  Also, I thought when you turn VLC all the way up that you could be overdriving some DAC's at 400%.  Weird.

 

[Pradeep]

Quote:

What source are you using?  If you source has a low output then you might have to turn up the volume higher.  If using the computer as source via USB, the system volume affects the HDP volume, so make sure that isn't turned down.  Just because the Mac's headphone out is turned up all the way doesn't mean the HDP's USB volume is up all the way.  Each one has it's own volume control.  Also, I thought when you turn VLC all the way up that you could be overdriving some DAC's at 400%.  Weird.

Typing mistake . I use max volume for itunes alone. For VLC, i use 100% or 139%.
 
SOurce is a macbook pro. I use MIDI utilities and i put audio output of nuforce hdp at 24 bit 96 khz. left and right volume are at max. 
 
Larry please tell at what volumes you listen to the HD600 with the HDP.
 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Typing mistake . I use max volume for itunes alone. For VLC, i use 100% or 139%.
 
SOurce is a macbook pro. I use MIDI utilities and i put audio output of nuforce hdp at 24 bit 96 khz. left and right volume are at max. 
 
Larry please tell at what volumes you listen to the HD600 with the HDP.
 

Well, my son has my HD600 up in his room right now, but I seem to recall not having to go past 2 o'clock, and 4-5 o'clock was clean and very powerful, making my face vibrate with the bass.

 

[Pradeep]

 
This is my gear

I use the Earforce DSS for movies alone.
My setup for movies:
The optical out of my macbook pro goes into the DSS which creates 7.1 surround.
I use a stereo to RCA cable which gives me Left and Right analogue audio outputs which i plug in to the HDP's back.
Then i plug in my 650s to the HDP.
 
I tried the DTS demo disks with this setup. U571 bombing scene rattled the 650s(in a good way) when playing it over this setup(getting an immersive,  speaker like sound which is good for movies). I also like the Kill bill fight scene with Gogo. and then the 'Behind enemy lines' scene where owen wilson dodges over landmines or something of that sort.
 
For music,
Source is macbook pro again. I play FLACs using VLC.
Sometimes i convert them to apple lossless and play them using itunes.
I use the USB/optical cable to connect to the HDP. My 650s plugged into the HDP.
 
As mentioned earlier, i need to turn up the volume to 3 pm (hdp in vertical position) to be able to drive the 650s in a decent manner. The sound is super clean. no noise, no hiss whatsoever. The bass is super tight and lean and also has improved extension. So is the evidence of increased soundstage and instrument separation.
 
Over 3 pm i can notice a slight hiss in certain types of recordings. if i play a silence wave file downloaded from brainwave.com i cannot hear any hiss even over 4 pm or the max volume but for general music, u can hear it for certain recordings.
 
if u play very low end bass over 3 pm, i hear cracks. esp for the u571 scene.
 
for rest of the music, i can use it slightly over 3 pm comfortably.
 
the amp section of the HDP is little under powered according to me(the consensus is also the same, so no surprises here).
 
I am not a treble fan and i dont listen to much of rock. I didn't notice any increased treble like others have mentioned. maybe i didnt notice that part yet by playing relevant music. or maybe as the 650s are slightly warmer in nature, i donno why, but, i didn't notice this one aspect yet.
 
However, i repeat again, the bass is improved in every way. The quantity and the quality. so are the mids.
 
These are some of my fav tracks on my setup:
 
Natalie Merchant's Tigerlily album,
Damien Rice - O,
Bowers and Wilkins Very audiophile new recordings,
FIM audiophile reference IV,
some tracks in David  Chesky's ultimate demonstration disk,
 
 

 

[Sid-Fi]

It looks like I found your thread a little late as you already pulled the trigger on the HDP. Just wanted to add that my impressions have almost exactly mirrored yours and I am thrilled with the pairing. I've had the chance to audition a lot of really nice gear over the last couple of months including a maxed Woo Audio WA6, Eddie Current ZDT, very nice custom Bijou's, Supra, etc. While I could definitely tell that many of these offered nice improvements over my HDP, I am truly impressed at how close HDP comes to them for the money using HD650. I am in no rush to upgrade again and have been enjoying focusing on building my music collection instead.
 
A couple of points to add:
 
- I usually listen between 12 o'clock and 1 o'clock, although I do need to go as low as 11 and high as 2-3 for some albums that appear to be recorded at significantly lower or higher volumes.
 
- I have also had the chance to audition many other headphones on my HDP recently including AKG 701, Denon D5000, Denon LA5000, Audio Technica W5000, Sennheiser HD600, and others. While most of these headphones still sounded pretty good with HDP, it is clear that the Sennheiser's have a unique, nice synergy with HDP.
 
- My HDP is also just as quiet and black with Sennheiser IE8s as it is with my HD650. I also had a chance to listen to JH13 universals on my HDP recently and it had no hiss at all and was very quiet (although the Woo WA6 really outshined HDP with JH13).
 
- At a local recent meet, we were fortunate enough to have Craig Uthus in attendance - the designer for Eddie Current. I got a big kick out of how impressed Craig seemed to be with my HDP. He came over to my table several times and really seemed genuinely surprised at the sound quality it provided for the size and price.

 
All this being said, I still see myself upgrading to a higher end balanced setup over time (over a few years probably), but it's sure nice to be so satisfied at this price point even after spending time with such nice gear.

 

 
Quote:

Got my HDP finally

" class="bbcode_smiley" height="" src="http://files.head-fi.org/images/smilies//smily_headphones1.gif" title="

" width="" />
 
Everything is as described by others: low noise, the instrument separation/ delineation, tight bass, improved mids.
 
i'm using it with my HD650 phones. 
 
I did notice tighter bass which is the one thing i longed for. The HDP gave me this.
 
Also the one thing very prominent is the clean sound. It is scarily silent when it plays. 
 
However i have one question for HDP users who use it over 600/650 or other 300 ohm impedance phones: I am playing my HDP at 3 PM!!! (standing vertically)
 
Only then i can hear it at a volume level which is resolving enough and is satisfactory.
 
It can turn further down until 5 pm ( or 5:30). I can say it is almost distortion free until 4 PM. But am I supposed to play it (this loud) at this higher amplification to drive my 650s?
 
My 650s are fine. When using it over my macbook pro when using max volumes of my itunes/vlc and max system volumes. i get satisfactory volumes.
 
Will post more thoughts on my HDP later on. I just posted this to clarify this volume question. thanks.
 
 

 

[Sid-Fi]

I forgot to mention that as pleased as I am with the sound using stock HD650, I was really surprised by how much of an improvement Jena Labs Ultrawire cables brought when I had the chance to A|B compare my stock cable with it and Cardas aftermarket cables. The Jena Labs added ALOT of detail that was simply not there at all using stock cable. For example, when listening to a track with a nice cello solo on the stock cable, the instrument sounded gorgeous, but I could not hear all of the harmonics and overtones emanating from it that I could hear with the Jena Labs cable. Most of the harmonics and overtones just disappeared when I switched back to my stock cable. I had another local member do  the same comparisons and he noticed the exact same things. This basically means that there is a lot of potential in HDP and HD650 that is being limited by the stock cable. I am actually buying the DIY Jena cable from the local member this weekend

. I didn't notice as obvious an upgrade using the Cardas, but spent most of my time with the Jena.

 

[Pradeep]

Is my HDP faulty or something ? I cannot get the desired volume levels below 2 o' clock

 
 
I want to buy the Jena Ultrawire cable for my HD650. Can some please tell me where i can get one? I think these are DIY only. 
 

 

[blargman]

I recently got a pair of hd650s with 6moons silver dragon cables. The hdp i play mine at about 12-1 most of the time. Coming from a bass heavy akg k81dj it seems bass light but everything seems a bit *for lack of a better term* veiled. The  akg's definitely were more up front with the music and I could feel the hard strum on an acoustic guitar.  It's an interesting headphone. I'm not sure if I like it yet. About 40hrs of listening time on them so far.
  Geting k701s in a few days and then some lcd-2's in about a month.
 

 

[Sid-Fi]

I'd be interested in updated impressions after your HDP and HD650 burn-in a little more and as you get more used to them. The silver dragon was the main other cable I considered before buying my Jena Labs cable. Overall, I'm loving the setup. As I posted earlier, the Jena cable improvements are quite noticeable to me when playing 24/96 files. I think the HD 650 pairs better with HDP than K701, but would be interested in your preference as well.
 
Quote:

I recently got a pair of hd650s with 6moons silver dragon cables. The hdp i play mine at about 12-1 most of the time. Coming from a bass heavy akg k81dj it seems bass light but everything seems a bit *for lack of a better term* veiled. The  akg's definitely were more up front with the music and I could feel the hard strum on an acoustic guitar.  It's an interesting headphone. I'm not sure if I like it yet. About 40hrs of listening time on them so far.
  Geting k701s in a few days and then some lcd-2's in about a month.