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Supporting these headphones ..

Lildirt
By Lildirt
in Audio
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Alright, so I own some Sennheiser HD 598 headphones. I'm really looking to get what I can out of these things (even though I've had them for a while) and I would really also like to eliminate the use for the 3.5mm adapter at the end. I know these are meant to be used in an actual stereo with proper 6.35mm ports, but I don't really own a stereo.

 

I also have a set of 2.1ch speakers (with a sub, obviously) that uses a generic 3.5mm adapter. So if I could somehow support both of these devices without the need of an adapter, I would love that solution even more. My onboard audio is fried like bacon and I'm using a $3 USB sound card right now that gets the job done but that's about it.

 

So, what do you guys recommend? I would really like the best performance out of these, but would also like not break my bank since my wallet would cry (edit: don't find one that costs a mortgage worth).

 

I can do a sound card or an external device. It doesn't matter, I'm not limited by space.

 

Thanks in advance! :)

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3.5mm really is fine. If you need USB go with the SMSL M2 but if you have optical or digital coax I would suggest the SMSL SD793-II.

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Look up ZY cable got one for mine. It's 4ft braided and ends in a slim 3.5mm they had them on Massdrop. I believe both amazon and newegg carry them.

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Look up ZY cable got one for mine. It's 4ft braided and ends in a slim 3.5mm they had them on Massdrop. I believe both amazon and newegg carry them.

That doesn't help anything... At all...

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That doesn't help anything... At all...

 

Helps to align the energies tho.

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Helps to align the energies tho.

Plus, the copper totally makes the bass deeper, and that silver plating helps to retain that sweet sweet treble energy. Am I doing it right?

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Plus, the copper totally makes the bass deeper, and that silver plating helps to retain that sweet sweet treble energy. Am I doing it right?

 

I love it when you talk like that.

 

:blink:

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That doesn't help anything... At all...

Thought he was looking for some way to not need a 3.5mm adapter for the HD 598's...

Cable was like $20 and well worth it. I dont need a 18ft cable 4ft is plenty. Its nice and light and flexible too

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Imagine if we had a budget to work with. What a concept.

Yes, thank you for that. I figured it was implied that "not breaking the bank" means something that isn't four digits in price (and possibly not three, but I wasn't holding my breath). Maybe I was too generous with you, my apologies, I guess. I'm not limited by a budget, I just don't want to pay a mortgage.

 

 

Thought he was looking for some way to not need a 3.5mm adapter for the HD 598's...

Cable was like $20 and well worth it. I dont need a 18ft cable 4ft is plenty. Its nice and light and flexible too

Maybe I wasn't clear. I reread that and I suppose I was a little vague exactly what I was asking for. I was really hoping for a DAC or sound card of some sort that supports 6.35mm connectors (which is what is on the end of these headphones), I don't really have anything in mind (besides what @dylan43270 recommended, which seems promising enough compared to other solutions). I have heard a lot of what holds these headphones back is simply the fact that there's this damn adapter on them which butchers really anything that can be offered by the headphones themselves. Plus, this USB sound card is simply just bad at higher volumes (and scales horribly in volume -- 35% to 40% is a huge leap, while 60% to 100% is hardly any louder).

 

The cable, though irrelevant, is more than sufficient. The stock cable is just ridiculous, but I'm thankful for it being the way it is since my setup is pretty organized with zip-tied cables and whatnot.

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Yes, thank you for that. I figured it was implied that "not breaking the bank" means something that isn't four digits in price (and possibly not three, but I wasn't holding my breath). Maybe I was too generous with you, my apologies, I guess. I'm not limited by a budget, I just don't want to pay a mortgage.

Basically (and I'm assuming you have optical out here), there are three products that are worth looking at, as far as DAC amps go. 1st, the SMSL SD 793-II. 2nd, the O2/ODAC, or the prettier, slightly more expensive version, the JDS Labs Element. (also, I suppose that the Schiit gear should go in here somewhere) 3rd, the Benchmark Media DAC2/HGC. 

 

That covers pretty much all of the possible budgets, unless we're talking 5 figures, but at that point, you'd be paying for snake oil... So there's that. The Benchmark is, well, the benchmark. It is pretty much the best measuring headphone amp/dac that money can buy. (Please note, though, I am NOT claiming that you will be able to hear a difference between any of these options. Chances are, that in a blind test, you would not be able to tell the difference between any of these, so it's totally up to you. Also, the SMSL is the only one restricted to optical. All of the others can do USB inputs.)

Hey! New SIgnature! 

 

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Basically (and I'm assuming you have optical out here), there are three products that are worth looking at, as far as DAC amps go. 1st, the SMSL SD 793-II. 2nd, the O2/ODAC, or the prettier, slightly more expensive version, the JDS Labs Element. (also, I suppose that the Schiit gear should go in here somewhere) 3rd, the Benchmark Media DAC2/HGC. 

 

That covers pretty much all of the possible budgets, unless we're talking 5 figures, but at that point, you'd be paying for snake oil... So there's that. The Benchmark is, well, the benchmark. It is pretty much the best measuring headphone amp/dac that money can buy. (Please note, though, I am NOT claiming that you will be able to hear a difference between any of these options. Chances are, that in a blind test, you would not be able to tell the difference between any of these, so it's totally up to you. Also, the SMSL is the only one restricted to optical. All of the others can do USB inputs.)

 

Ah, I'll be sure to give those a look. Thank you so much. I didn't think I was going to get a useful post.

 

I guess I'm going to have to find another solution for the 3.5mm 2.1ch speakers (though I have an extra sound card laying around I might repurpose for that instead).

 

Greatly appreciated though, thank you again.

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