[mAurelius]

I have the Little Dot MKIII and couldn't be happier! Highly recommended. 

 

[KG Jag]

  I have the Little Dot MKIII and couldn't be happier! Highly recommended. 

 
Do you use it to drive to HD 650?

 

[mAurelius]

   
Do you use it to drive to HD 650?

 
Yes, I do. Sorry I should have clarified that. My setup is computer --> ODAC --> LDMKIII --> HD 650's. It's a great setup overall. I've played around with a few different tubes, I'm currently using the Mullar M8161/CV401 tubes, as I've been doing some experimenting with tube rolling, but the stock tubes work well also. 

 

[KukoCL]

I'm sorry for bumping up this old thread, but it's the first thread on Google if you type "hd650 tube amp".

I'm kinda new to audiophile gear, just using for 2 years a pair of m50x and now I moved to Momentum 2 as my daily urban headphones.

I bought a pair of HD6XX and I was using them unamped for a month or so with my Galaxy S9+ and the sound is very detailed but disappointing in dynamics.

The recommended amps here are from 3 years ago.

Does anybody have any other recommendations nowadays?

I'm planning to expend like us $200, and I'm looking for a warm sound signature.

Thanks.

 

[mAurelius]

I'm sorry for bumping up this old thread, but it's the first thread on Google if you type "hd650 tube amp".

I'm kinda new to audiophile gear, just using for 2 years a pair of m50x and now I moved to Momentum 2 as my daily urban headphones.

I bought a pair of HD6XX and I was using them unamped for a month or so with my Galaxy S9+ and the sound is very detailed but disappointing in dynamics.

The recommended amps here are from 3 years ago.

Does anybody have any other recommendations nowadays?

I'm planning to expend like us $200, and I'm looking for a warm sound signature.

Thanks.

I'll give my 2 cents...

Generally-speaking, not much has changed in the past few years in tube amps to throw out older recommendations on this forum. Yeah, there are flavor-of-the-month new configs, but honestly a tube amp is based on decades-old technology, and while some of the intricate electronics may have been refined in the past few years, some of the best tubes are ones that were manufactured in the 50's and 60's, so you're not going to find that much brand new.

I've been using the Little Dot MK III to drive my HD650's since probably 2009. I still couldn't be happier with that little amp. I also like a warm sound signature, FWIW.

Another amp that has become quite popular for the HD6XX's is the Bottlehead Crack (with Speedball). This is a DIY Tube Amp, but there are places to buy it assembled. Last year I bought one to see what all the fuss was about. It truly was an amazing amp, but honestly to my ears, it wasn't that much better than the MKIII. Since I already had invested in the MKIII, I stuck with my trusty MKIII and sold the Crack. But if I were starting from scratch, I'd probably roll the Crack+Speedball. It's above your budget, but if you keep an eye on the forums here, you might be able to find a good one used.

The Schiit line of amps comes up a lot on various posts as well. I've never heard any of them myself, but the Asgard and Valhalla seem to pop up all the time as popular choices.

By the way, I guarantee hooking your HD650's up to an amp will be a night-and-day difference from plugging directly into your phone. High-end cans like the HD650's are NOT designed to plug directly into a phone...it's just not meant to be used that way, so I'm not surprised you are finding some things to be desired. I guarantee if you get the right source setup, the HD650's will be completely unlike anything you've ever heard before if you're new to audiophile gear.

 

[KukoCL]

I'll give my 2 cents...

Generally-speaking, not much has changed in the past few years in tube amps to throw out older recommendations on this forum. Yeah, there are flavor-of-the-month new configs, but honestly a tube amp is based on decades-old technology, and while some of the intricate electronics may have been refined in the past few years, some of the best tubes are ones that were manufactured in the 50's and 60's, so you're not going to find that much brand new.

I've been using the Little Dot MK III to drive my HD650's since probably 2009. I still couldn't be happier with that little amp. I also like a warm sound signature, FWIW.

Another amp that has become quite popular for the HD6XX's is the Bottlehead Crack (with Speedball). This is a DIY Tube Amp, but there are places to buy it assembled. Last year I bought one to see what all the fuss was about. It truly was an amazing amp, but honestly to my ears, it wasn't that much better than the MKIII. Since I already had invested in the MKIII, I stuck with my trusty MKIII and sold the Crack. But if I were starting from scratch, I'd probably roll the Crack+Speedball. It's above your budget, but if you keep an eye on the forums here, you might be able to find a good one used.

The Schiit line of amps comes up a lot on various posts as well. I've never heard any of them myself, but the Asgard and Valhalla seem to pop up all the time as popular choices.

By the way, I guarantee hooking your HD650's up to an amp will be a night-and-day difference from plugging directly into your phone. High-end cans like the HD650's are NOT designed to plug directly into a phone...it's just not meant to be used that way, so I'm not surprised you are finding some things to be desired. I guarantee if you get the right source setup, the HD650's will be completely unlike anything you've ever heard before if you're new to audiophile gear.

Thanks bro!

Does the MK III gives that warm and soft sound out of the box? Or you need to roll other tubes?

I don't have too many options because I'm buying from Chile, and Amazon and eBay are the only viable options to buy for the shipping price.

 

[mAurelius]

Does the MK III gives that warm and soft sound out of the box? Or you need to roll other tubes?

To be honest, I don't completely remember how the stock tubes sound. I'm using the Mullard M8161/CV401. However, if you're new to this audiophile land, I can tell you with confidence any tube amp with stock tubes will be light years better than plugging straight into your phone. So if I were you (especially being in Chile), just get it with the stock tubes and use that for a while, and then start tube rolling as you have budget. Not to over-generalize, but most tube amps paired with Senn's are going to be warmer by the nature of tubes and Senn's being warmer cans (yeah, I know I'm generalizing for the purists...but as a roughly general rule).

 

[KukoCL]

To be honest, I don't completely remember how the stock tubes sound. I'm using the Mullard M8161/CV401. However, if you're new to this audiophile land, I can tell you with confidence any tube amp with stock tubes will be light years better than plugging straight into your phone. So if I were you (especially being in Chile), just get it with the stock tubes and use that for a while, and then start tube rolling as you have budget. Not to over-generalize, but most tube amps paired with Senn's are going to be warmer by the nature of tubes and Senn's being warmer cans (yeah, I know I'm generalizing for the purists...but as a roughly general rule).

I've seen the price of the MKIII and I think is a bit high for me now, so I found the MKII in massdrop at $125 with the option to buy it with the CV4010 tubes for additional $45. I'll give it a try.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Redcarmoose]

So - you bought neutral headphones and now you complain that they are too neutral?? OK...

No he saying the set-up does not make the headphones anymore warm; that’s all.

 

[JediMa70]

Darkvoice with tube rolling, I use it with HD600 and they sound so much better

 

[Redcarmoose]

You could maybe look for a used Woo 3. The combo is remarkably pleasant; and a legendary marriage.

https://wooaudio.com/amplifiers/wa3

 

[teoeduard]

Ok, I'm also in the same dark spot where I don't know which better amp suits well the HD650, along with the Audiolab M-DAC...using Audioquest Diamondback RCAs and Oyaide Neo+ Class S USB interconnect... (I can change the cables at any time, this is not a problem). Any other thoughts besides the Darkvoice 336SE stocked?

 

[teoeduard]

Is even that comparable with the amp used for speakers? In my main room setup I have a Sphinx Project 10 amp, that has 6.3mm hp output. I don't know any specs for that output...nor I can find on the internet... So that's why I'm confused, because I want the best from my Sennys

 

[buke9]

I think a Bottlehead Crack is one of the best with HD-650’s.

 

[blackdragon87]

I thought the massdrop cth amp was a good pairing with the hd 6xx when i had them

Although it is a hybrid amp