Which Amp & Dac pairs the best with Sennheiser HD600/650s?
Dec 24, 2017 at 3:07 AM Post #31 of 43
For HD650 driving tube amp, I read on head fi at Dv336 tube rolling thread to order some set of tube base on comments.
There are some headfi-ers use DV336se for their hd650 so can be good to refer to.
From my try, result of Tungsol 5998 and RCA 6SN7GTB (tall glass botle) is good at low/mid/hi especially the mid, very clean, thick and sweet.
Low and hi is not at that best as mid but, still clean, detail ...
Note : my setup has other upgrade include 3.5 to rca cable from Furutech(model ADL i35R) and hd650 custom cable. (I never touch 650 stock cable again!!!). Those make impressive sq improvement and when I say set of tube above is INCLUDING that upgrade.
Dv336se $250
ADL i35R $80
Upgr cabe hd650 $200
Tube JAN-5998 $170
Tube 6SN7GTB $100
With your budget, better tube conditon can avaiable
 
Dec 24, 2017 at 3:15 AM Post #32 of 43
Heinstar said:
Update: ...
What other tubes do you guys recommend that I try? I'm hearing good things about Sylvania 6SN7W, Sylvania VT-231 and Kendrick VT-231 for Preamps. I couldn't really find that many consensus recommendation on Poweramps besides Tung-sol 5998.

...
Click to expand...

JAN- VT231 Sylavian sound V shape pair with Tungsol Jan 5998.
IMO
 
Dec 27, 2017 at 11:48 AM Post #34 of 43
Heinstar said:
OMG. Headphone cables really do make a difference! I just swapped the cables between HD600 and HD650 and they sound different...
Click to expand...
Ah?..
...But which 'sounds' best??

I wouldn't want my HD600 to sound like a 650 or to 'improve' its sound in any shape or form over what I currently hear.

The 650 cable is a cheaper, albeit less flexible and versatile, alternative. I may have considered in the future, iif a replacent was required.
 
Dec 28, 2017 at 6:47 AM Post #35 of 43
god-bluff said:
Ah?..
...But which 'sounds' best??

I wouldn't want my HD600 to sound like a 650 or to 'improve' its sound in any shape or form over what I currently hear.

The 650 cable is a cheaper, albeit less flexible and versatile, alternative. I may have considered in the future, iif a replacent was required.
Click to expand...

Oh, sorry. I was just stating that they sound different. But I changed back because they made the headphone sound "off". Like it changed the loudness in different decibels. I guess Sennheiser designed the cable specifically for the headphone. I've heard that most aftermarket cables are designed for HD650. So they might make the sound signature of HD600 worse and make no difference in sound for HD650. At least that's what I've read in this forum.
 
Last edited:
Dec 28, 2017 at 7:31 AM Post #36 of 43
Heinstar said:
Oh, sorry. I was just stating that they sound different. But I changed back because it sounded "off". I guess Sennheiser designed the cable specifically for the headphone. I've heard that most aftermarket cables are designed for HD650. So they might make the sound signature of HD600 worse and make no difference in sound for HD650. At least that's what I've read in this forum.
Click to expand...

Think

Good to know. I'll stick with stanfard cable for now. You're right im saying all these custom cables are more for the HD650. It seems some owners of these are forever searching for improvements where as 600 owners are generally a happy lot. JIMHO :)
 
Last edited:
Dec 30, 2017 at 3:56 AM Post #37 of 43
What do you guys think of this Tung sol 5998? Is it worth it? It's claimed to be NOS NIB but only has a gm(?) of 8750/8750. I am looking for a balanced one, but if that's the number of GM, then it seems pretty low. Because I've read others where the numbers were 15,000/15,000. I've also read that the minimum good gm for Tung-sol is 6000Gm.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NOS-NIB...143839?hash=item5d794e769f:g:fo4AAOSwIGJaOxsQ

Past Tung-sol 5998 that I skipped on which had a gm of 15,000/14,500: https://www.ebay.com/itm/TUNG-SOL-5...REPLACEMENT-/222700575081?hash=item33d9fd1969
 
Last edited:
Dec 30, 2017 at 5:44 AM Post #38 of 43
Dec 30, 2017 at 12:07 PM Post #39 of 43
TYATYA said:
You can find one from this guy. I bought from him 5998

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/161714697197
Click to expand...

It says it may be new maybe used. And hasn't even been tested. Seems like too much risk.

This is what I mean by other Tung-sols having higher Gms: https://www.ebay.com/itm/TUNG-SOL-5...REPLACEMENT-/222700575081?hash=item33d9fd1969

I probably should've bought that Tung-sol with the Gm of 14,500-15,000. I backed off because I wanted it balanced. But now, there's no more good deals available :frowning2:

For 6SN7 tubes, I'm considering getting this Sylvania 6SN7W with a 2950/2900 measurement: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sylvani...999939&hash=item1a3c171e5b:g:FVcAAOSwShNZ1AtY

The other one has a more balanced 2400/2430 measurement but it says it's 6SN7GT on the base and doesn't have the JAN-CHS logo, so I can't tell if it's actually 6SN7W: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sylvani...059543&hash=item2a9988e222:g:SDsAAOSwiYFXHOmM

For RCA cable, I'm getting this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OJLNEOU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A1KF3ITPY3ZC5Y&psc=1

I'm using a crappy USB type A to B cable from Dell monitor for my Mimby. So that definitely needs to be upgraded. I haven't decided on which USB type A to B cable to get yet but I'm looking into Intona or Regen. But in the mean time, I'm going to get this because it's inexpensive: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00415AHFS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A14IIJ8CA334LK&psc=1

I've been back and forth with the aftermarket cable for HD650/600. I've heard good things about Cardas cables but they seem to be a hit or miss and also very expensive: https://www.amazon.com/CARDAS-AUDIO-Upgrade-Headphone-SENNHEISER/dp/B00GMS8RCM. So I'm probably going to leave the aftermarket cables to the last.

For now, I'm focusing on upgrading the Tubes on my DarkVoice 336SE and looking into buying bang for buck mid to high range Solid State Amplifier.
 
Last edited:
Dec 31, 2017 at 1:08 AM Post #40 of 43
@Heinstar writen specs of an item is not so sure or clear about how really thoes are.
I mean you can not confirm when received.
Specs showed quite well balance RL but you claim like "this item is not so good balance" then, how to do?
I always see other terms that can say a bit about seller.
. Item allowed return or not?
. Rank of seller and how many member remark
. Latetest remark rerult 3 months
. Refund if item not same as shown
 
Jan 13, 2018 at 2:35 PM Post #41 of 43
Just a bit of update.

Apparantly, R2R Dacs such as Mimby works best when you don't upsample the music and let the mimby do the work. They were right. The music sounds more lively now. Upsampling does make the music sound smoother but not necessary 'better' on mimby.

I've bought this Sylvania 6SN7W from eBay:https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sylvania-JAN-CHS-6SN7W-1944-Chrome-Top/112677297755?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649. It might have been of bad quality as it didn't blow me away. But it definitely improved the overall SQ. I've been switching between stock 6AS7 Tube and Tung-Sol 7236 but it's very hard to tell the difference. It seems like the pre-amp/6SN7 Tube makes the biggest noticeable changes in sound. I'm planning on also trying Sylvania VT-231and Tung-Sol 6SN7GT 'Round Plate' which I hear good things about: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-reference-6sn7-thread.117677/

The stock RCA cable that came with DarkVoice (from eBay) isn't very good. So I'm replacing with this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OJLNEOU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A1KF3ITPY3ZC5Y&psc=1

I'm also using a crappy USB type A to B cable from Dell monitor for my Modi Multibit. So that definitely needs to be upgraded. I haven't decided on which USB type A to B cable to get yet but I'm looking into Intona or Regen. But in the mean time, I'm going to get this because it's inexpensive: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00415AHFS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A14IIJ8CA334LK&psc=1

While I'm happy with the DarkVoice, I want to try SS amps to see if it suits my sound preference better.

I'm looking for relatively neutral (low coloration) yet musical SS amps that can run and go well with majority of headphones. Balanced in/out is a plus but not absolutely necessary. Basically, since Tube amps produce a unique tubey sound, I want SS amp that's best at producing solid state sound (not try to mimic tube amp sounds).

Right now, I'm considering between Rupert Neve Designs RNHP, Schiit Jotunheim, Black Widow 2, Arcam rHead, Audio-gd RSR11 or NFB 11.28.

I also had Cavalli Audio Liquid Carbon and Burson Soloist SL MK2 as a consideration but took it out because I've read that there's too much coloration with Liquid Carbon and it's hard to buy it as it's no longer made. And with Burson, while being a good price, doesn't have superb sound.

I can't seem to make up my mind when it comes to SS amps. They all have their downsides and not really future proof as DarkVoice. Any recommendations?
 
Last edited:
Feb 4, 2018 at 3:57 PM Post #43 of 43
@Heinstar
Are you in Sydney? Both Addicted to Audio and Minidisc have showrooms with a good range of gear you can audition. Other cities may have similar, but I'm less familiar with them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top