Amp For Sennheiser HD600 coming from Xonar D2

easyrider

easyrider

easyrider

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My Quest for some headphones has ended with some Sennheiser HD600's

Right I'm sticking to my guns and getting these phones.:o

Now I need an amp from my Xonar D2

Help!

Uriel? :p

What about one of these to get me started?

hfamp.jpg


hfampback.jpg


£29
 
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For a starter cheap amp I got decent results with a Senn HD600 and a CMOY. You get more for you money with a well made amateur amp like that.

Two of the best are from sellers on the bay. Look for the JDSLabs Bass Boost CMOY (£40-50, seller three3three3) or Neco Soundlab from the UK (£60-70 for probably the best available) . They have a great reputation on Head-Fi and RockGrotto.

My own CMOY is a cheaper affair that only takes batteries but both of them offer DC in.

I've also been impressed with the HD600s on a Bravo Audio v1 tube amp but one look at them will tell you they aren't well shielded. I have mine sitting on a metal plate so it doesn't pick up buzz from my wi-fi.

Also, don't forget your AV receiver. Just because it doesn't sound great with one set of headphones doesn't mean it won't do the job with another (it's not just about impedance).
 
easyrider said:
Thoughts on the Pro-Ject Head Box MKII?
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At £40-50 it's worth a shot, and you'll easily make that back selling on eBay. I had one for my evening movie watching, but it's not a patch on my Shanling PH-100 (£150). You'd be mad to spend ~£100 on a new one.

I found the headbox struggled to get to high levels of volume when I had my HD600s (and with my AKG K701s and HD 580s). Maybe the phono output on my DVD player is a bit 'low power'.
 
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What Ohms are your 600's.

I have a NJC monitor ii amp and that drives some Bayers Dt880's which are 600ohms very well.
If its 600ohms you need a fairly good amp to make them sing well. Its not just volume levels its also makes a difference in sound quality.
You need to check the spec out on whatever amp you purchase to ensure its has the strength to drive your headphones.

Have a search on the amp above but its over £200 but its very nice and note its not an imported amp with a label stuck on it.
The down side is that the better your source the better the amp will sing.

The problem you have is the HD600's are a good set of phones so to pick a cheap amp will not make them produce the quality they deserve. Also keep away from tone controls on the amp. This just degrades the sound.
 
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Minipeace said:
What Ohms are your 600's.

I have a NJC monitor ii amp and that drives some Bayers Dt880's which are 600ohms very well.
If its 600ohms you need a fairly good amp to make them sing well. Its not just volume levels its also makes a difference in sound quality.
You need to check the spec out on whatever amp you purchase to ensure its has the strength to drive your headphones.

Have a search on the amp above but its over £200 but its very nice and note its not an imported amp with a label stuck on it.
The down side is that the better your source the better the amp will sing.
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HD600's are 300Ohm's I think, quite an easy load to drive as long as you've got enough voltage swing. :)
 
MikeHunt79 said:
HD600's are 300Ohm's I think, quite an easy load to drive as long as you've got enough voltage swing. :)
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Had to check and you are right 300ohms so middle of the road to drive.

Stick to a fairly good amp like the one I posted and you will be fine and it will make them 600's sound good if your source is upto it.
 
Minipeace said:
Had to check and you are right 300ohms so middle of the road to drive.

Stick to a fairly good amp like the one I posted and you will be fine and it will make them 600's sound good if your source is upto it.
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Yep, a good amp will be transparent and often be quite revealing about your source... I'm using a PengiunAmp right now and it doesn't sound too bad right now using 18v, but I plan on getting a better amp when I can for my 600's. :)
 
Sounds good Mike.
The amp I posted about is made by a nice chap and its a cottage industry, one man only and made in the UK.
Most stuff tends to be from abroad now so its nice to support a UK based company plus its damn good.
No fancy names or markings, just good build using high quality parts. Well worth a look at.
 
That's great.
The monitor 2 offers a bit more backbone and a different amp plus a selector on the rear if you could reach to that but the monitor 1 should be fine.
The trouble with audio is you can keep going.
Your headphones will take quite a few hours to run in as well so they will sound better as time goes on.

Nick is a nice chap so email him as he really likes a chat with any questions you have.
 
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Minipeace said:
Sounds good Mike.
The amp I posted about is made by a nice chap and its a cottage industry, one man only and made in the UK.
Most stuff tends to be from abroad now so its nice to support a UK based company plus its damn good.
No fancy names or markings, just good build using high quality parts. Well worth a look at.
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I must say that those amps look great and the specs look good also. I take my hat off to someone offering quality over quantity, and I must admit I'm tempted by the Monitor 1.

I've decided to try and solder up my own though, as my DAC outputs a balanced signal, so I've gone for a headphone amplifier which has got balanced inputs:
wholeampconnected.jpg

This isn't mine, but it should look a little like this once I've soldered it up, and then I've got to put it in a case. It's going to take a while but I think it should be worth it. :)
 
MikeHunt79 said:
I must say that those amps look great and the specs look good also. I take my hat off to someone offering quality over quantity, and I must admit I'm tempted by the Monitor 1.

I've decided to try and solder up my own though, as my DAC outputs a balanced signal, so I've gone for a headphone amplifier which has got balanced inputs:
wholeampconnected.jpg

This isn't mine, but it should look a little like this once I've soldered it up, and then I've got to put it in a case. It's going to take a while but I think it should be worth it. :)
Click to expand...

Damn dialup only gives me half the photo:mad:

Mike I had a small audio company in the 90's where I produced speakers and part of the fun is to try out ways to improve sound. It seems the UK audio industry has lost its small groups and has suffered with the cheap imported stuff which costs very little to do so then simply add a name plate and mark up.
I better not rant as it is a subject that has upset me, seeing it all go down hill as I did.

Keep working away on your project and see how you get on.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Awsome

Pay day I'm treating myself to the monitor i

Lordy lordy I have spent some money on music stuff this month...

Xonar D2
Senn HD600
NJC Monitor i

lol
 
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FiiO E9 is worth a look as a budget amp.

E7+E9 combo looks like a good deal cracking bit of kit for the money certainly getting rave reviews on head fi.
 
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I've researched but I don't understand if an amp is something I need for some headphones I'm looking at. I don't want to hijack this thread but I also don't want to start a new one as it seems overkill.
They are Audio Technica ATH-M50S, I have the cheapest Xonar 5.1 card (says it has headphone amp) and the headphone specs are:

Frequency Response: 15 - 28,000 Hz
Maximum Input Power: 1,600 mW at 1 kHz
Sensitivity: 99 dB
Impedance: 38 ohms
 
Not worth it with those phones and the xonar DG, might be worth getting a cheap e5 amp £10-£15 but beyond that i'd say no unless you are looking long term.
 
C64 said:
Not worth it with those phones and the xonar DG, might be worth getting a cheap e5 amp £10-£15 but beyond that i'd say no unless you are looking long term.
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Thanks for the reply, I'm glad you said that because it would have added a whole other headache. It took long enough deciding on the headphones. Thanks again.
 
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