[Anderosai]

I have Sennheisser HD600s. I'm wondering what could match well with it. More importantly is where do I get started in learning all the ins and outs of amps , headphones , cables , etc. There are many different posts about people asking questions about what could be matched best to the equipment they have but nothing in terms of general knowledge about the hardware or anything else. 
 
 

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I have Sennheisser HD600s. I'm wondering what could match well with it. More importantly is where do I get started in learning all the ins and outs of amps , headphones , cables , etc. There are many different posts about people asking questions about what could be matched best to the equipment they have but nothing in terms of general knowledge about the hardware or anything else. 
 
 

Heya,
 
I'm biased since I'm enjoying it, but I have the HD580's which is the HD600's former soul before it got rebooted, same headphone. I drive it with a Little Dot MK III tube amp. Absolutely wonderful sound. It takes the neutral Sennheiser and makes it warm, crisp, and pushes it all the way. You could also investigate the Matrix M-Stage for a solid state amplifier.
 
To bring yourself up to speed, get ready to read on Wiki and here about (and related to sound reproduction specifically):
 
DAC (digital to analog conversion)
Amplifier (how they work, what milliwatts and volts and all mean)
Impedance (or resistance) (denoted and measured as Ohms)
Sensitivity (ie, volume it takes to hear something in the headphone, this is highly related to amplification in low impedance headphones)
Solid State amplifiers compared to Tube amplifiers and the technology behind them and the sound difference
Know the difference between electrodynamic and electrostatic so you don't grab amplifiers for one or the other depending on headphone (shouldn't be a problem, ever, until you splurge on Stax or something, but still know the difference)
 
Just search those terms and ideas on google or wiki and start reading. Then start reading reviews here on head-fi on equipment. Before you glaze over reviews, get an idea of the terms being used by reading this Glossary.
 
Welcome aboard.
 
Very best,

 

[Anderosai]

I have a few other questions - I already have the HT Omega eClaro soundcard. Would it be better to get a standalone DAC? Another thing is would I be able to use my eClaro in conjunction with an amp?
 
Now time to learn all there is to about pro audio.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I have a few other questions - I already have the HT Omega eClaro soundcard. Would it be better to get a standalone DAC? Another thing is would I be able to use my eClaro in conjunction with an amp?
 
Now time to learn all there is to about pro audio.

Heya,
 
The HT Omega eClaro is a decent soundcard. They have built in amps. You can even swap them, they're opamps. You do not need a DAC/AMP that is external unless this eClaro is noisy or just doesn't perform for you. But it should basically do the job. Are you listening to it on your HD600's and not feeling like it's working out? Is the volume low or something? Not sounding good?
 
Very best,

 

[Anderosai]

It sounds great but I have to do the "dreaded smiley face" in the eq. If it's left flat it sounds horrible. I was on another forum and people said it's recommended to leave the eq flat to hear what the artist intended. 
 
Another opinion I hear is that it's better to have a standalone amp / dac / preamp if you're listening on the computer. 

 

[Uncle Erik]

If you really want to learn the ins and outs of amps, build one.

Don't worry, everyone else here built a first amp. You can do it, too.

Start with a CMoy. Superbly documented and anyone in the DIY Forum can help you. After that, you might want to try a CK2III or a Bottlehead Crack kit. Both are great amps. After one of those, you could try something like a M^3 or Beta22. Those are some of the best regarded amps around. You can also branch into tubes - there are excellent designs out there.

There's a lot to learn, more than can be summed up in a post. But if you start building, you'll learn a lot. Also, DIY will get you into the really high-end stuff for not much money. It's worth it.