what headphone amp and dac does linus use to drive his sennheisser hd600?

[tommyhawks]

which one is better

hd600 hd660s hd6xx 

[OfficialTechSpace]

We've had this discussion on the forum before. Objectively speaking, the HD600 is the best measuring and most accurate out of the three. Subjectively, the HD600 also has the best imaging, though only by a slim margin.

 

All of them are pretty dark, and still use 20+ year old drivers. HD660S is the worst of the three, and a muffled mess by comparison. HD6XX is just a rebranded HD650, and that sits center stack.

[tommyhawks]

2 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

We've had this discussion on the forum before. Objectively speaking, the HD600 is the best measuring and most accurate out of the three. Subjectively, the HD600 also has the best imaging, though only by a slim margin.

what amp and dac you suggest for hd600?

[GuiltySpark_]

I drive my HD650's with a Schiit stack. No complaints. 

[OfficialTechSpace]

6 minutes ago, tommyhawks said:

what amp and dac you suggest for hd600?

Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be anything too spectacular. I'd recommend a THX offering in the sub-$200 range. Think, THX AAA ONE from Drop, or SMSL SP200 THX-888.

 

For a DAC, you start to hit diminishing returns at $150 these days. Something to the effect of an SMSL Sanskrit 10th MKII would be sufficient. That kind of DAC/Amp combo would leave you plenty of headroom for many years to come.

[Shimejii]

FiO k5 Pro, youd be fine with that if you dont need a bunch of the other addons some have  Havent had any issues driving my HD 6xx

 

What linus uses probably changes on a "Whomever gives him money this month" and then goes back. Hes used the Schitt stack, hes used a few others, i think hes using something thats thunderbolt compatible atm due to his wanting to be away from the computer since he has a server rack style setup.

[saintlouisbagels]

2 hours ago, Shimejii said:

What linus uses probably changes on a "Whomever gives him money this month" and then goes back. Hes used the Schitt stack, hes used a few others, i think hes using something thats thunderbolt compatible atm due to his wanting to be away from the computer since he has a server rack style setup.

Hopefully get he gets some SMSL or Topping sponsors once LTT Labs gets going.

 

3 hours ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

We've had this discussion on the forum before. Objectively speaking, the HD600 is the best measuring and most accurate out of the three. Subjectively, the HD600 also has the best imaging, though only by a slim margin.

 

All of them are pretty dark, and still use 20+ year old drivers. HD660S is the worst of the three, and a muffled mess by comparison. HD6XX is just a rebranded HD650, and that sits center stack.

Isn't it worth mentioning that HD650 is the most subjectively pleasing (euphonic?) of the three? I'm new to LTT forums, but that was the general consensus on 4chan (lol, I know) and Head-Fi.

[Psittac]

The HD600/650/6xx are to basically anyone that doesn't have a whole lineup of headphones the same thing.  Zeos swears by the 600 and the 650 is slightly tweaked, with the 6xx being a drop rebrand of the 650.

 

The thing that I have found with my 6xx is that they reflect everything in the chain so if you improve anything you'll notice it on these more than others.  IE: They scale very well.  With that said they will sound good on just about anything that can power them.

 

Are you looking for a solution or a hobby?

 

If you're looking for a solution I would recommend a schiit stack or zen dac or a pairing/combo in the $200-250 range.  Still they can run onboard and you would be happy not knowing any better.  They really are great headphones.  But as I said they enjoy everything you do.

 

If you're looking for a hobby I would get a dac that meets your needs then get something like a THX AAA amp and then get a tube amp like the Darkvoice se336 or little dot MKII and start looking for tubes that tickle your pickle.  You don't have to spend a lot on tubes unless you're very sensitive.  This way you can daily the solid state amp and fire up the tube for special listening sessions.  600/650/6xx LOVE tubes.

 

To round it off you could get an antlion mod mic and have an entire solution that will make you smile.

 

I don't know anything about the 660s

[H713]

On the cheap end, the Magni / Modi stack is more linear than anyone needs. 

 

The Modius and Magnius adds balanced IO and a better volume control. The Asgard adds a good volume control and will appease the hardcore analog nerds.

 

I personally think it's pretty hard to justify spending more than a few hundred bucks on a <2 W audio power amplifier, but that's just my opinion. 

[OfficialTechSpace]

30 minutes ago, saint_louis_bagels said:

Isn't it worth mentioning that HD650 is the most subjectively pleasing (euphonic?) of the three? I'm new to LTT forums, but that was the general consensus on 4chan (lol, I know) and Head-Fi.

To my ears, it isn't. I reviewed the HD650/HD6XX, and I'm actually an avid hater of it. I find it extremely overrated, and underperforming given the price. Both objectively and subjectively.