[Matthew-Spaltro]

I am considering a Sennheiser HD 600 and a headmaster combo however i have a Denon DCM 370 which is fairly cheap. should i upgrade my source also?

 

[Budgie]

Depends, I would give it a try for awhile. You may be happy with the Denon, you can always get a new cd deck later. But, If money is avaliable.........

 

[dave-the-rave]

I've also got a Denon DCM-370 (I'm a big HDCD fan), with Sennheiser 580's thru a Creek OBH-11. I, too, wanted to maximize my source before I upgraded my headphone amp, so I purchased a used Muse Model 2 DAC, which blew me away listening to a used piece in a hi-end store. The Muse was Stereophile class B in its day, and went for about $2400 new (I got one with HDCD). At home, the difference between the output of the Muse and the Denon was minimal at best (which was a great surprise to me. I auditioned the Muse with a Cambridge Audio D-500, which the Muse crushed; I had assumed the result would be similar vs. the Denon). I spoke to a tech guy at Denon to make sure I was running my digital out cable properly (I was), and he was tickled that the $299 Denon (I got mine for $89 at ubid) held its own with the $2400 Muse. (There's also the chance that a dedicated transport might get more out of the Muse than the Denon does.) I am actually considering selling the Muse, using the Denon alone and putting the proceeds towards an amp upgrade, likely a Headmaster. I would like to audition the currrent Cary CD players, particularly their new CD-308 which is borderline affordable at a $1500 list; they all have HDCD, many have upsampling and they're built like tanks. If the 308 delivers more than the Denon, then I'd upgrade the source. Until I hear something better, I'll stand pat.

Does that answer the question?

 

[TimSchirmer]

YES!!! I used to have MG Head/HD600's with the denon and it sounded horrible. My D-25S sounded much better. Do yourself a favor, and whack that denon with a big hammer, and get yourself a CAL transport and a modded Art Di/O.

Of course, if you were really hardcore, you could switch to vinyl.

 

[planar]

dave-the-rave:

I think at this stage the Headmaster may gives you more sensation than a new CD Player. Just my opinion.

Sometimes the difference between two sources may only at the style of their music reproduction. The measurable difference may only be small. You may prefer one CDP over another another no by resolution, fidelity etc etc, but only because it SOUNDS different.

So give Headmaster a go, it won't disappoint you.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Heck, I think you’re in the perfect situation. If ultimate transparency, and detail are the focus of your goals for the HD-600s you have definitely chose the right amp. I can guarantee it will be a big difference over the headphone jack of the Denon DCM-370. Who knows, the darker sound of the DCM-370 might even be a good match with the Sudgen. You can always upgrade your CD player later, knowing that you already have a good headphone/amp combo already; which will make it much easier to
distinguish sound differences between players.

 

[acs236]

As a general preference, I prefer to do incremental upgrades. So I would use the 600/Headmaster combo with the Denon for a bit, and then upgrade the source later if you still want to him. It may give you a better appreciation for how each component effects the sound.