Sennheiser HD650 Headphone Amplifier

[docharsha89]

A good option for the HD650 is the Schiit Magni 3. You can find it online for around 10 to 11 k. It's a relatively bright SS Amp, So pairing needs to be done to a Warm/Dark Headphone.

 

[kapvin]

A good option for the HD650 is the Schiit Magni 3. You can find it online for around 10 to 11 k. It's a relatively bright SS Amp, So pairing needs to be done to a Warm/Dark Headphone.

I've had a conspiracy theory for some time that that their products are actually appropriately named, and are a massive joke being played by the owners on the audiophile community at large. I really have not seen people hold onto their Sch*t for long, even on these forums. There seems to be a standard trajectory: Joy on purchase --> Happy Review--> 4-8 months --> for sale thread. This is especially true for their DACs, but also somewhere on many of their amps too.

Sorry if this is a bit incendiary, my excuse is the enforced "stay at home". Plus I would be happy to be proved wrong. If some Sch*t is part of someone's happy forever after, I would love to know.

@mpasanthosh; what is your budget; and your source? if it's a phone; which I suspect; you should look at a DAC+headphone amp.

 

[docharsha89]

I've had a conspiracy theory for some time that that their products are actually appropriately named, and are a massive joke being played by the owners on the audiophile community at large. I really have not seem people hold onto their Sch*t for long, even on these forums. There seems to be a standard trajectory: Joy on purchase --> Happy Review--> 4-8 months --> for sale thread. This is especially true for their DACs, but also somewhere on many of their amps too.

Sorry if this is a bit incendiary, my excuse is the enforced "stay at home". Plus I would be happy to be proved wrong. If some Sch*t is part of someone's happy forever after, I would love to know.

@mpasanthosh; what is your budget; and your source? if it's a phone; which I suspect; you should look at a DAC+headphone amp.

What makes them famous among the community, is their ideal pricing and accessibility. Their cheapest amp starts at $99, they have dealers all over the world, and they are rugged. Also, I've heard their USB implementations are A-grade. Compared to which, even my Hugo 2's USB input isn't good enough. If you want, detail and tonality, you gotta shell out more. But for the budding audiophile, it's all good schiit.

 

[kapvin]

What makes them famous among the community, is their ideal pricing and accessibility. Their cheapest amp starts at $99, they have dealers all over the world, and they are rugged. Also, I've heard their USB implementations are A-grade. Compared to which, even my Hugo 2's USB input isn't good enough. If you want, detail and tonality, you gotta shell out more. But for the budding audiophile, it's all good schiit.

hi, @docharsha89, the premise is the fine one. Except that at many levels, IMHO they don't deliver. And my consipiracy theory is that most owners figure this out, subliminally at least, which is why there is so much churn in Sch*t ownership. Again, as written in my previous post, happy to be proved wrong, by someone, who is not planning to put their sch*t on sale in the next few months.

 

[firearm12]

I've had a conspiracy theory for some time that that their products are actually appropriately named, and are a massive joke being played by the owners on the audiophile community at large. I really have not seen people hold onto their Sch*t for long, even on these forums. There seems to be a standard trajectory: Joy on purchase --> Happy Review--> 4-8 months --> for sale thread. This is especially true for their DACs, but also somewhere on many of their amps too.

Sorry if this is a bit incendiary, my excuse is the enforced "stay at home". Plus I would be happy to be proved wrong. If some Sch*t is part of someone's happy forever after, I would love to know.

@mpasanthosh; what is your budget; and your source? if it's a phone; which I suspect; you should look at a DAC+headphone amp.

For the price they are good i suppose. They captured dac market pretty well and have loads of options even in small budget, people who are just starting out are fascinated my cheap multibit bandwagon but in the long run they find that the sound is not actually what they are looking for. One reason more is that they have relatively cheap products, afterall which audiophile company produces 99 dollar dac? (i think their most expensive product is ygdrassil) so people dont consider them true high end and want to move to true high end e.g. chord even if it means buying their entry level products.

Btw i am using schiit mani phono since last 4 yrs and did not find a need to upgrade yet.

 

[kapvin]

For the price they are good i suppose. They captured dac market pretty well and have loads of options even in small budget, people who are just starting out are fascinated my multibit bandwagon but in the long run they find that the sound is not actually what they are looking for. One reason more is that they have relatively cheap products, afterall which audiophile company produces 99 dollar dac? (i think their most expensive product is ygdrassil) so people dont consider them true high end and want to move to true high end e.g. chord even if it means buying their entry level products.

Btw i am using schiit mani phono since last 4 yrs and did not find a need to upgrade yet.

I would hate to sound like a fanboy, but the product that I recommended to the OP is one such budget offering. Like I said; the basic premise is good and correct and I am all for companies operating out of a shed who bring out products that match their convictions.

After I decided to "quit vinyl" and gave away my record collection, i really have not allowed myself the temptation of any vinyl products again. so my comments were restricted to amps and dacs alone. Maybe their phono amps buck the trend. Or maybe thats my first proof that my conspiracy theory is just that.

 

[fLUX]

I would hate to sound like a fanboy, but the product that I recommended to the OP is one such budget offering. Like I said; the basic premise is good and correct and I am all for companies operating out of a shed who bring out products that match their convictions.

After I decided to "quit vinyl" and gave away my record collection, i really have not allowed myself the temptation of any vinyl products again. so my comments were restricted to amps and dacs alone. Maybe their phono amps buck the trend. Or maybe thats my first proof that my conspiracy theory is just that.

I think that applies to most of the people for any line of products. You keep your gear till you hear something better and then feel the need to upgrade, i have followed a similar trajectory for my portable gears and even with my current gears i know there is scope for improvement and there is always a chance that curiosity will make me jump to the next in line product. Doesnt neccesarily mean the product is 'schit'

 

[kapvin]

I think that applies to most of the people for any line of products. You keep your gear till you hear something better and then feel the need to upgrade, i have followed a similar trajectory for my portable gears and even with my current gears i know there is scope for improvement and there is always a chance that curiosity will make me jump to the next in line product. Doesnt neccesarily mean the product is 'schit'

this is hijacking OPs post, so my last post on this, I respectfully disagree. Unless your budget radically changes, upward or downward, a well researched system at a given budget,should keep most people going for some period. And that my theory about schiit, it may be budget, but it’s not the best sound for the buck at any buck.

 

[SwaroopKS]

Post your latest AV purchase(s)......

Purchased new Subwoofer ,Rhythmik LV12F FROM Santosh prosonics ,Bangalore .It is really too much up gradation from existing sub .So It is excellent sub for movies and music,I don't know how to write for review because it is really sounding well.While watching AQUA-MAN SCENES sub shows its worth...

www.hifivision.com

I just purchased this. In low gain mode, it works well even with low impedance, relatively low efficiency headphones life the hifiman sundara. will try it out with my HD800s when I change the HP cables to unbalanced. (currently running them balanced into SPL phonitor HP amp)

its supposed to be wonderful with HD660s so AFAIK the HD650 Should be similar.

THE CLEAR PATH TO PURE AUDIO.

geshelli.com

the owners are a pleasure to deal with as well. at this price, its a steal. For me, this has been one of the very few audio purchases with absolutely no post purchase dissonance.

Did you try the amp with HD800s? If so, like to hear your impressions on the combo

 

[kapvin]

Did you try the amp with HD800s? If so, like to hear your impressions on the combo

Only once, briefly. i normally listen to the HD800s in balanced mode. I had done the cable swap and was doing a quick a/b comparison versus the Sundaras. at normal levels it was just great. but I preferred my regular chain (see signature) which is quite a bit more expensive. (bur remember it was a different DAC as well)

I do believe that Geshelli has a balanced setup available. and I would have definitely gone for that if it was available when I purchased (that might have caused dissonance about purchasing the SPL phonitors )

THE CLEAR PATH TO PURE AUDIO.

geshelli.com

 

[ashkapur]

How about the bottlehead crack ?
Sounds more like a DIY Kit that can be assembled .
Do you think that Bottlehead Crack would suffice for the HD650's .


The Bottlehead crack falls within my price range as well, but I have never heard it yet to make the move.
The DAC I have is the BelCanto 3.7, sorry i missed to add this in the first post, thanks for your suggestions as well.

I have the Crack paired with HD650's and everything they say about the pairing is true. Definitely get it if you can do a bit of DIY soldering.

 

[mannukiddo]

the new Feliks Echo OTL amp is a great starter Amp for the HD650

 

[Bloom@83]

For the price they are good i suppose. They captured dac market pretty well and have loads of options even in small budget, people who are just starting out are fascinated my cheap multibit bandwagon but in the long run they find that the sound is not actually what they are looking for. One reason more is that they have relatively cheap products, afterall which audiophile company produces 99 dollar dac? (i think their most expensive product is ygdrassil) so people dont consider them true high end and want to move to true high end e.g. chord even if it means buying their entry level products.

Btw i am using schiit mani phono since last 4 yrs and did not find a need to upgrade yet.

I think most Chord DACs are schiit. Pun not intended.

 

[docharsha89]

I think most Chord DACs are schiit. Pun not intended.

Sorry but I agree to disagree. Chord DACs generally receive a lot of flak on sites like reddit and SBAF, but I've extensively used 2 Chord products - Chord Mojo I used for 1 year and sold to a fellow member and presently use a Hugo 2. Chord electronics specializes in providing a certain "depth" to the music and a real feeling to the voices, which cannot be replicated by other DACs even upto $3000. I agree there are some quirks like poor USB implementation and battery powered operation, but speaking of Sound quality alone, its a clear revelation.

 

[kratu]

Lehman Audio BCL headphone amp has been considered a reference component. Sennheiser uses them for auditions. So, they must be good. I've listened to them briefly.

Sennheiser HD650 headphones have been with me for around 7 years. I used to listen with a Little Dot MKIV tube amp. Being a push-pull architecture, the sound signature is more like a solid state.

I've been interested in the topic of an compatible amp for some time. Since, Spotify is my current source for content, coming through MacBook Air; I've been listening straight from the device without amplification. As I'm a low-volume listener and as I listen to ambient music, I could do without an amp. In fact, I like the warm, thick sound that emanates form these. I'm definitely not getting the best out of these marvellous headphones, but I'm okay with that (for now).

I'm open to having an amplifier. Something that is simple and easy to connect with a Mac. Woo Audio Fireflies looks quite interesting, and I've my eyes on it. So, I'd be keen on exploring some choices.

 

[oddtazz]

I have heard good things about IFI AUDIO ZEN CAN SIGNATURE 6XX AMP https://drop.com/buy/ifi-zen-can-signature-6xx-amp-drop-exclusive
This should work well with HD 650 too.
Currently out of stock though

 

[kartikay]

Lehman Audio BCL headphone amp has been considered a reference component. Sennheiser uses them for auditions. So, they must be good. I've listened to them briefly.

Sennheiser HD650 headphones have been with me for around 7 years. I used to listen with a Little Dot MKIV tube amp. Being a push-pull architecture, the sound signature is more like a solid state.

I've been interested in the topic of an compatible amp for some time. Since, Spotify is my current source for content, coming through MacBook Air; I've been listening straight from the device without amplification. As I'm a low-volume listener and as I listen to ambient music, I could do without an amp. In fact, I like the warm, thick sound that emanates form these. I'm definitely not getting the best out of these marvellous headphones, but I'm okay with that (for now).

I'm open to having an amplifier. Something that is simple and easy to connect with a Mac. Woo Audio Fireflies looks quite interesting, and I've my eyes on it. So, I'd be keen on exploring some choices.

I would recommend trying OTL tube amp with HD650, a good amp can transform these HPs and I am not just talking from volume POV. Recently I completed my own OTL build and its working quite well with HD650.

 

[kratu]

I would recommend trying OTL tube amp with HD650, a good amp can transform these HPs and I am not just talking from volume POV. Recently I completed my own OTL build and its working quite well with HD650.

Any specific brands/models that you have heard with HD650 (apart from the DIY)? And, what is the benefit of these amps vs others?

For my stereo system, I've been using Class A SET (Single Ended Triode) amp. I'd want to replicate that finesse and warmth but leaving out the hum/noise. Any noise with the headphone is a deal breaker.

Also, since HD650 is clipped on the higher frequencies, I'm guessing that many tube amps with higher THD would not be the best.

 

[kartikay]

Any specific brands/models that you have heard with HD650 (apart from the DIY)? And, what is the benefit of these amps vs others?

For my stereo system, I've been using Class A SET (Single Ended Triode) amp. I'd want to replicate that finesse and warmth but leaving out the hum/noise. Any noise with the headphone is a deal breaker.

Also, since HD650 is clipped on the higher frequencies, I'm guessing that many tube amps with higher THD would not be the best.

HD650 is my goto HP when I have to test an amp. Have tried it with Apex Teton, A&S Mogwai, Auris HA-2, Zana deux SE, Glen's OTL, Otomon 71A/45 based SET (which I owned till last month but sold after building my own amp). Listing only few as these amps I could see made big difference in terms of driving HD650. The so called veiled is no more there, bass sounds tight and controlled and overall you see more separation and space around various instruments.
none of these amps I would say added warmth, but there was better layering, bigger soundstage..

One more point to add IME with OTLs tubes used effect the amps tonality and pairing with a particular headphone. SET dont get affected that much with tube rolling (or the ones I tried didnt show major change).

 

[docharsha89]

HD650 is my goto HP when I have to test an amp. Have tried it with Apex Teton, A&S Mogwai, Auris HA-2, Zana deux SE, Glen's OTL, Otomon 71A/45 based SET (which I owned till last month but sold after building my own amp). Listing only few as these amps I could see made big difference in terms of driving HD650. The so called veiled is no more there, bass sounds tight and controlled and overall you see more separation and space around various instruments.
none of these amps I would say added warmth, but there was better layering, bigger soundstage..

Same when driving the HD6xx with my Hugo 2. The mids are full, warm and forward as always, bass is tight and the treble is very well balanced with good extension. Some call the treble to be dark or rolled off, but I strongly disagree. And veil occurs, only when the HD650s are under-driven.