[debitsohn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drubbing /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't bother with re-cables, they are the worst value for money spend in audio. If you had money to budget for that, it's far more logical to put it into your DAC/amp.

with some headphones this is true, but from what i read, silver cables work well with the 650 and i think the 600 also.

the order i went in was hp, amp, dac, cable.

and dont fool yourself, you will buy more audio equipment.

 

[aimlink]

I'd personally go with the HD600's and the cheap or no amp'ing. The HD595's are quite different in sound signature to the HD600's and I much prefer the sound of the HD600's when comparing them with or without amp'ing.

Note that there are those who prefer the sound of the HD595's, but the general trend seems to be towards a preference for the HD600/650 sound.

I'd be careful with the AKG's, since they are more fussy with amp'ing when it comes to getting decent performance out of them when compared to the HD600/650. I highly recommend the AKG's, but their price sort of doesn't imply their demand on equipment to sound great.

 

[Melanter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimlink /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd personally go with the HD600's and the cheap or no amp'ing. The HD595's are quite different in sound signature to the HD600's and I much prefer the sound of the HD600's when comparing them with or without amp'ing. Note that there are those who prefer the sound of the HD595's, but the general trend seems to be towards a preference for the HD600/650 sound. I'd be careful with the AKG's, since they are more fussy with amp'ing when it comes to getting decent performance out of them when compared to the HD600/650. I highly recommend the AKG's, but their price sort of doesn't imply their demand on equipment to sound great.

Could you compare the sounds of the 600s and 595s? Which are more immersive, full and warm?

 

[1Time]

x2... because this strategy is good for the used headphone market. It's best to buy a system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roker /img/forum/go_quote.gif Personally I'd go in this order: 1. Headphones 2. Amp 3. Source [DAC] 4. Cables, mods, pads, etc.

 

[1Time]

What makes either of these headphones preferable or as you describe here is the associated equipment used.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Melanter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Could you compare the sounds of the 600s and 595s? Which are more immersive, full and warm?

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melanter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Could you compare the sounds of the 600s and 595s? Which are more immersive, full and warm?

I had a good laugh there since you chose three great words to use for comparing the two cans. In my experience, the HD600/650's are more immersive, full and warm. My experience is more with the HD650's, but I found the HD600's to be quite similar so I would stand by the same comments.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melanter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is it worth getting the Senn HD 600s if I'm only going to spend around $100 on a DAC/amp combo and not replace the cord? Would I be better off with the 595s? Same question for the AKG 701/601, do either of these require an expensive amp etc to be worthwhile?

Get the HD600 and a $99 Nuforce uDAC. Later you can get a proper amplifier for the HD600, and the uDAC will scale up very well as a DAC only and using the RCA out to feed the better amp. The uDAC drives the HD600 well enough to appreciate and enjoy them.

 

[dweaver]

I am using my HD600 with a "cheaper" Amp and also use them straight with my Auzentech Forte 7.1 soundcard sometimes and they sound VERY NICE, as for the cable there is a bit of difference but not a lot and the 650 cable can be bought pretty cheaply later on if you want to give it a try. I highly prefer the HD600 over the HD595 myself.

Just in case anyone is wondering, I really like my Amp alot which is why I put cheaper in quotation marks. The price of my RW Audio Amp 1 is quite reasonable thus "cheap" but is a nice sounding slightly colder analytical amp that matches up with my AD600 quite well.

 

[Shahrose]

I say go for the HD600 regardless. They'll still sound pretty good and I don't think you'll be disappointed. Upgrading the rest of your equipment down the road will bring about further improvements.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Get the HD-600. If you want a cheap amp, try something like the PreSonus HP4 ($100) or an old receiver which you should be able to scour up. Go with whatever source you have and skip the cable - they're nonsense and I got precisely nothing from the Blue Dragon and Cardas that I had.

The nice thing about the HD-600 is that you can slowly build a system around them - they are that good. Once you have them going, take some time and save up for an amp. Then you can work on a source. You don't have to spend a fortune, either. Going about $1,000 into a total system can be very satisfying.

 

[Melanter]

The one thing left that scares me is that the 600s are labelled as 'amp' required on here, while the 595s are labelled as 'amp recommended'. At times I'd like to use them just with an iPod. Is that a reason to go with the 595s?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melanter /img/forum/go_quote.gif The one thing left that scares me is that the 600s are labelled as 'amp' required on here, while the 595s are labelled as 'amp recommended'. At times I'd like to use them just with an iPod. Is that a reason to go with the 595s?

NO NO NO NO NO. Listen to what the people are telling you. True the HD600 are not great from an iPod. But the 600's even with a $50 Cmoy amp are better than the 595, and very acceptable sounding with a $99 vividaudiotech.com V1 amp or $99 Nuforce uDAC (I have reviewed both amps). And if you only use the computer as your source later you could build up a very nice uDAC + Amp rig for the HD600 that will last you a long time.

 

[hentai]

My opinion is that hd600 really needs beefy amp and source in order to shine and $100 amp/dac is not gonna do anything. I suggest that you look into other brands.

 

[Melanter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif NO NO NO NO NO. Listen to what the people are telling you. True the HD600 are not great from an iPod. But the 600's even with a $50 Cmoy amp are better than the 595, and very acceptable sounding with a $99 vividaudiotech.com V1 amp or $99 Nuforce uDAC (I have reviewed both amps). And if you only use the computer as your source later you could build up a very nice uDAC + Amp rig for the HD600 that will last you a long time.

What about this. Say the 600s are a 10, while the 595s are a 7. Do the 600s lose more from being played un amped (say -8) to bring them to a level below the 595s when likewise unamped (say they only lost -3). That is my only worry at the moment!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hentai /img/forum/go_quote.gif My opinion is that hd600 really needs beefy amp and source in order to shine and $100 amp/dac is not gonna do anything. I suggest that you look into other brands.

HAVE YOU HEARD THE HD600 WITH EITHER OF THE TWO $100 AMPS I RECOMMENDED?

I agree a good amp will squeeze the most out of the HD600, and many portable amps wont cut it, nor will unamped. But a few inexpensive amps do a nicer job than others.

The original poster asked if the HD600 are worth it with a $100 DAC/amp. I mentioned TWO DAC/amp that could drive them well enough that I can enjoy even though I have an $8000 electrostatic rig and a $5000 dynamic headphone rig. If he doesn't like the HD600 out of the uDAC or Vivid V1, then he probably wont like HD600 with anything. If he does like them, he'll be thrilled to hear them with a better amp later when/if he upgrades. But if he gets the HD595 and likes them from a $100 rig, I suspect he wont like them a whole lot better even if he upgrades to a $1000 rig.

I'm out.