[Artie17]

Hey I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for being so helpful and helping out someone that is completely new to the whole hifi scene. I was reading around and looked online and I'm really likeing the Little Dot MKIV, have anyone of you guys tried this amp with the 650's?
 
I was just talking to my dad and I found out that an old family friend that I haven't seen in a long time is an audio professional ( I don't really know what he does) and he makes custom amps and other devices for people. My dad told me he built someone an amp for $25,000 dollar, my dad even asked me whether the guy was bs'ing or are there really amps that cost that much money. Well anyways I'm going to try and get a hold of him and see what he can do for me, hopefully I can get him to make a nice for less than what I would pay elsewhere. Are there certain things you guys look for when buying an amp that set it apart form others?

 

[Ypoknons]

Basically, but the wording is a bit off. An amp is inadequate when it lacks the control and power to move the drivers properly. It's not so much a cause as a lack of something. Apparently the HD-series doesn't sound horrible with a weak amp, but a really one helps a lot. 
 
Quote:

Do they sound good out of the computer? Or does the "inadequate" power cause muddiness in the sound? because i plan on gettinga set of HD 600 soon and need to know how well they sound because the amp im getting probably isn't the beefiest around. check my sig to find out which amp im buying.

 

 

[Artie17]

Bump.
 
Anyone have any experience with Little Dot MKIV and 650's or maybe Little Dot MKV and 650's?

 

[Qonmus]

I'm not sure if you've already decided what you're going to do, but if I were you my first move would be to buy a good amp right now for your 555s, and if you still feel like you need more you can get the 650s later on. The 555s sound completely different after being properly amped, and after I amped mine I pretty much decided it was as far as I needed to go. I prefer them to my sr225s. You should also consider an integrated amplifier. 

 

[Artie17]

Quote:

I'm not sure if you've already decided what you're going to do, but if I were you my first move would be to buy a good amp right now for your 555s, and if you still feel like you need more you can get the 650s later on. The 555s sound completely different after being properly amped, and after I amped mine I pretty much decided it was as far as I needed to go. I prefer them to my sr225s. You should also consider an integrated amplifier. 

That's what I'm thinking too. I've been in contact with David from Little Dot, I'm thinking about picking up the Little Dot MKIV and maybe the 650's when the price drops. I just wanted to see if the little dot's pair well with the sennheisers and David told me that they tested the little dot mkIV with the 600,650, and 800 because they are very popular in China, so I feel more comfortable picking it up.
 
Since I'm thinking about picking up the HD650's , what other headphones do you think I should look at (in the same price range) that compare sound quality wise to the 650's ?

 

[plonter]

I believe that you can get very nice amps in the 200-350$ range that will drive the HD650 well.
they maybe won't sound like a 600+$ amps but they will do the job and give you great sound.  there are also many cheap dac+amp solutions that will enable you to use your computer's digital output and not the poor analog output of the motherboard (considering you don't have professional soundcard).   head direct amps are very good and don't cost much,if you look at the headphone amps forum you will find tons of great info and reviews.  
 
get a good amp anyway,even now with your HD555.  i am sure it would improve them but not by a big margin, as my experience with the HD595 tought me.   in your free time,upgrade your headphones too.

 

[godbreath]

i went a similar route
i had hd555's for about a year, sold them -> ad700 (for a week) sold them -> d2000 (a month, with the little dot amp) sold the d2000-> and finally settled on hd 650's with a little dot V
hd650's with the little dot is an amazing combination and sounds miles better than what any of the previous combination of headphones (but of course it cost a lot more also. however it's worth it in my opinion)

 

[Artie17]

Quote:

I believe that you can get very nice amps in the 200-350$ range that will drive the HD650 well.
they maybe won't sound like a 600+$ amps but they will do the job and give you great sound.  there are also many cheap dac+amp solutions that will enable you to use your computer's digital output and not the poor analog output of the motherboard (considering you don't have professional soundcard).   head direct amps are very good and don't cost much,if you look at the headphone amps forum you will find tons of great info and reviews.  
 
get a good amp anyway,even now with your HD555.  i am sure it would improve them but not by a big margin, as my experience with the HD595 tought me.   in your free time,upgrade your headphones too.

I'm currently using an Auzentech Prelude as my sound card and even though it's not the best source out there I think I'll stick to it and maybe upgrade to an external dac later down the road. The only thing I'm undecided about is whether to get the Little Dot MKIV or MKV ?
 
And also what other heaphones I should look into at this price range. Listen to a lot of hip hop (not a bass head) but also like jazz and rock. I just want a headphone that will let me listen to the music the way it was recorded. When I first heard of the HD650's people said it will make you hear all the imperfections in bad produced music and make you want to relisten to your whole music library, so I want to experience that kind of performance when I upgrade to new headphones

 

[Artie17]

Quote:

i went a similar route
i had hd555's for about a year, sold them -> ad700 (for a week) sold them -> d2000 (a month, with the little dot amp) sold the d2000-> and finally settled on hd 650's with a little dot V
hd650's with the little dot is an amazing combination and sounds miles better than what any of the previous combination of headphones (but of course it cost a lot more also. however it's worth it in my opinion)

Thanks for the feedback. The more I talk to people that use 650's with Little Dot amps the more comfortable I'm getting before making my purchase. David from little dot told me they would be more than enough to bring out the best out my 650's but I feel better hearing from fellow head-fi'ers. I'm going to order one as soon as I decide between the MKIV and MKV
 

 

[plonter]

Quote:

I'm currently using an Auzentech Prelude as my sound card and even though it's not the best source out there I think I'll stick to it and maybe upgrade to an external dac later down the road. The only thing I'm undecided about is whether to get the Little Dot MKIV or MKV ?
 
And also what other heaphones I should look into at this price range. Listen to a lot of hip hop (not a bass head) but also like jazz and rock. I just want a headphone that will let me listen to the music the way it was recorded. When I first heard of the HD650's people said it will make you hear all the imperfections in bad produced music and make you want to relisten to your whole music library, so I want to experience that kind of performance when I upgrade to new headphones

since you are looking for accuracy, the HD650 could be a good upgrade,they are not THE most accurate headphone in existence but they are pretty accurate,with a slight emphasis on bass (or so they say..).  the HD600 considered even more balanced (and they are cheaper

).
if you like your 555 you there is a good chance you will like the HD600/650 also. unless you want another sound signature.

 

[Artie17]

Are there any other headphones I should consider checking out in this price range. Unfortunately I wont be able to test them out, I can't find any places in Santa Clara that carry high end headphones so I'm just going off what people have told me.
 
Quote:

since you are looking for accuracy, the HD650 could be a good upgrade,they are not THE most accurate headphone in existence but they are pretty accurate,with a slight emphasis on bass (or so they say..).  the HD600 considered even more balanced (and they are cheaper

).
if you like your 555 you there is a good chance you will like the HD600/650 also. unless you want another sound signature.

 

 

[noparanoia]

When I look a SavageKabbage's avatar I always automatically think "Hope that doesn't damage the drivers". Maybe I need a rest from this site, before it is too late...

 

[High_Q]

Quote:

since you are looking for accuracy, the HD650 could be a good upgrade,they are not THE most accurate headphone in existence but they are pretty accurate,with a slight emphasis on bass (or so they say..).  the HD600 considered even more balanced (and they are cheaper

).
if you like your 555 you there is a good chance you will like the HD600/650 also. unless you want another sound signature.

Can you suggest some phones that you think are more accurate?  I am always in the lookout for some accurate phones as anybody else. 
 

 

[Artie17]

What other headphones are comparable to the HD650, I always hear about the AKG701's. What else?

 

[Mochan]

The trio of rivals: HD650, K701, DT880. 
 
Regarding the amp question, definitely get an amp even if it's just for the HD555. A decent desktop amp can really open up your home cans as opposed to using onboard sound.
 
If you have a Prelude, I don't suggest getting an External DAC, instead get an amp. The Prelude's DAC is already very good in my opinion and better than many of the lower end DACs you can get.
 
Better to pick up an amp instead that can give you more juice than the Prelude's headphone out can supply so you have more headroom for your cans
 
The Littledot Mark II is pretty cheap like sub $200 and is a great amp to start with. I already sold mine because I felt it was being outclassed by my Marantz 1090, but you should be able to get good results out of it especially if you go the Senn HD650 route. I also had great results with the MkII and the K701.
 
I actually ordered a Little Dot Q and it's due to arrive this weekend, I am really wondering how it will sound.