Well i just got me some HD-600's and...
Apr 23, 2004 at 9:16 PM Post #17 of 37
I ahve no idea what the gain of my amp is....its the standard pimeta from headsave. I have the specs that norm has given me...


PIMETA PCB

AD 8620 op amp, L & R (socketed)

AD 8610 op amp, ground channel (socketed)

3xBUF 634 buffers (socketed)

4xPanasonic 470uF 25v ps caps

Vishay/Dale 1% metal film resistors (hand matched to .1%)

Wima 4.7uF reservoir caps

Kemet 10pF ceramic C6 cap

JFET Cascode class “A” bias

R11 resistors to optimize buffer bandwidth

Cardas RCA input jacks (SL)

Switchcraft side mounted mini input jack (portable model)

Switchcraft mini or ¼”headphone jack (choice)

Panasonic EVJ 50k potentiometer

Machined silver or black aluminum knob (choice)

NKK mini toggle switch

DC jack (SL only)

Reverse polarity protection

Red or blue LED (choice)

Gain setting to individual requirements

Lansing Micropak case (5”L x 2.75”W x 1.1”H)

That's all the info i have on my amp.
 
Apr 23, 2004 at 9:34 PM Post #18 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by mega
Well, i did put the volume tab all the way up, and now its fine.


Good, one issue solved. Now, as to the next issue: a dark sounding set of cans. That's the Senn house sound. There are two ways to fix it. One cheap, the other not so. The first is to take off the ear pieces and remove the pad from inside. This frees up the highs a little bit. The second is to replace the cable with an aftermarket one. Even the Oehlebach (sp?) is a better choice for these cans, and makes enough of a difference to make it worthwhile.

I would reco that you first remove the dust covers from the cans, replace your source with something decent, and then look into the replacement cable issue.
 
Apr 23, 2004 at 10:36 PM Post #19 of 37
I wouldn't worry too much, just judge by what you hear... Although a CDP might be worth trying, you may just not like the Senns. I have the A900s and I much prefer them out of my humble PCDP to HD600s in much more expensive setups.

-jesse
 
Apr 24, 2004 at 3:14 AM Post #20 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by mega
I ahve no idea what the gain of my amp is....its the standard pimeta from headsave. I have the specs that norm has given me...

Gain setting to individual requirements


If the gain is "10" or higher, there's no reason why you should be getting too little power. I'd really look at the soundcard, the Santa Cruz is a bit better than the Soundblaster Live and such, but not a lot.
 
Apr 24, 2004 at 3:40 AM Post #22 of 37
I dunno, that has the ring of truth to me. The headphone amp stuff here at head-fi is wildly unrealistic and uninformed, IMHO, and the peer pressure is quite strong in that direction, and the people who know what they are talking about are just rolling their eyes and leaving in droves, to the extent they ever stuck around at all. I think you did a good thing to go outside head-fi for different opinions.
smily_headphones1.gif


Quote:

Originally Posted by mega
I was on the futuremark boards to get some different views...and this is what one member posted:


Re: Any sound gurus/audiophiles...come in here!

A different sound card would not make a difference. It may, it's circumstantial.

The reason you're not hearing a difference is because there isn't much of a difference to be heard. Contrary to what the folks at head-fi.com got you to believe, you don't necessarily need or would even want a headphone amplifier. And about the volume, the Pimeta isn't exactly all that powerful.

If the output voltage gain on the amplifier can be maxed with typical standard input voltage, a sound card with more powerful output would not give any improvement in power as the output of the amplifier has already been peaked.

However a sound card with lower output impedance would make a difference given the amplifier is not being used. It's also realistic to assume that the headphones may potentially get louder hooked up directly to the sound card if it has higher output current than the amplifier, which would be the result of a lower output impedance. In which case, your little ol headphone amplifier would be useless.

If you really need them to get louder, you will obviously need a more powerful amp.


Any comments?


 
Apr 24, 2004 at 3:40 AM Post #23 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by mega
Can you tell me how to remove the ear peices safley? I don't want to risk damaging the cans...so any help would be nice. Also, are there any disadvantages of removing the pads in the inside?


They are dust pads what do u think the disadvantage is?..................it's dust!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Apr 24, 2004 at 4:04 AM Post #24 of 37
Hey Mega, thanks for the link. Here's more from the guy at Futuremark. It looks like he knows what he's talking about. It's very valuable and educational reading, IMHO, if you value honest learning.
smily_headphones1.gif


Quote:
That's the same as saying it doesn't matter what amp you use to power speakers with. So you could basically go with the cheapest available 100W /ch amp and say there is no difference between it and a $1000+ amp or higher.

Futuremark guy response:

You can't expect him to go out and buy a $1000 amp assuming he will then be able to hear a difference.

If there is no difference in sound quality between unamped and powered with the Pimeta, it appears to me that the Pimeta is capable of faithfully reproducing the input signal, otherwise there would be a notable change in sound.

Which is quite obviously why I suggested he look for something more powerful if he needs more power, but not necessarily something of 'higher quality' which he apparently has no problem with. And higher quality is likely to come with higher power anyhow.

Quote:
If you have to turn the volume up it doesn't mean that the amp isn't powerful enough, it means that you don't have enough gain.

Futuremark guy response:

Considering it's a relatively low powered amp, it's remarkable that you can come to such a determined conclusion. Also taking into account that the op-amp is more than likely configured to peak output from standard maximum input voltage. Which is likely to be 5.5V at 0dB, but that's not for me to know.

Between the A900 and HD600, it seems there are split opinions about their performance. Although judging from them I'd say the A900 is a better value but generally the HD600 is more preferred.

It's very possible that the amplifier could be too underpowered to effectively drive the HD600s at relatively high volume. Which may be the cause of your negative impression. However the 'laws of subjective opinion' indicate you just might like the A900s better.
 
Apr 24, 2004 at 4:37 AM Post #25 of 37
To safely remove the earpiece simply grab some felt and pull inward toward the opposite earpiece. It sill pop out easily, but don't be afriad of exerting a little force. They won't take a lot, but just grab and pull. The plastic piece holding the felt in place and the earpiece in the shell will pop out, exposing the dust cover. Once you remove the earpiece simply remove the loose dust cover and then reinsert the earpiece and press it in place around the rim so that it snaps back in. Only do one earpiece at a time, and make sure you note with is top and bottom so that it goes in the same way it comes out. Easy surgery.
 
Apr 24, 2004 at 7:26 AM Post #26 of 37
Well, after removing the dust covers, the sound quality sonds MUCH clearer and crisper. To my ears, they made a big difference. Now ill just have to buy a new source, and test them both out to see which of the two i keep.
 
Apr 24, 2004 at 2:14 PM Post #27 of 37
I own a santa cruz, and the HD600 sounds wretched through that card (the sound quality is great for gaming, but its bad for general music and movies because of the tendency of the santa cruz to play static instead of a high end). I use a Maxed Out Home with the reference modules and a stepped attenuator.

Your problem is not your amp or headphones, but rather the source. Listen to HD600s out of a good stand-alone CD player or vinyl rig and you will see why people like them so much. I've had bad luck with soundcards. They can sound pretty decent on a good PC audio rig, though. But before I'd give up on HD600s, at least get a better source.

The HD600 is is a headphone a lot of members underestimate. Many people buy them and expect them to be driven sufficiently out of a sub $1000 setup. Some of these people end up happy; others, dissatisfied. The HD600 needs a ridiculous amp, ridiculous source, near-perfect recordings, great interconnects, and a quiet room; on top of that, an appreciation for natural sound, in order for the headphone to truly work magic. I'm not saying it will suck on budget setups; not at all, in fact; I liked the HD600s out of an old headroom airhead and a portable with the stock cable!

It could also be that you just aren't an audiophile; that's not bad, either. You won't dish out tons of cash for those tiny improvements in sound quality, which could be a good thing. Or it could be you're not looking for the right improvements in the sound, something that took me a long time to get right.

Anyways, I hope that you have some luck with those HD600s, mabye after a 200 hour period of playing they will sound a bit better.

Cheers,
Geek
 
Apr 24, 2004 at 4:37 PM Post #29 of 37
I went from an hd580 to an a900 and now back to an hd600. to me, there is just something funny about the a900's midrange (can't really describe it in words, its just not as natural as the hd580/600). also the soundstage is wide and all but there is a definite wall to the sound, probably due to its closed design. my initial impressions of the a900 were pretty good, more impact than the hd580. but after a few months, i grew tired of the a900 sound (for the above points mentioned).

my source is very humble, merely an echo indigo card on my notebook filled with flac files. however, even on this setup i prefer the sennheisers more. of course, ultimately it is merely a matter of personal preference so just stick with whatever sounds good to you, rather than trying to spend huge amounts of money trying to make something you may not like sound better.
 
Apr 24, 2004 at 9:08 PM Post #30 of 37
Based on my Energetic preferences

what would be the best choice under 200 dollars for hps?

I need something
1. spacious sound stage
2. upfront which slightly contradicts #1, but its possible with like Klipsch and Yammie
3. Detailed
4. Lively
5. Comfy
6. under 200
7. Games music dvds must all be well rounded, no need for masters, just jack of all trades.
8. Flat or natural.
9.Not closed in sounding, not dark either.


Would I hate hd580? would i like A700/900 better?
If i were to buy hd580 , it would be connected to a yahama receiver, removed dust pads, grills upgraded to hd600s and used a pimeta
A700 will go ampless
 
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