Pangea Audio HP-201 vs. Little Dot Mk II vs. Schiit Valhalla 2

The stock HD650 cable is quite good actually. Many HD600 owners purchase it as an upgrade from the stock HD600 cable (which does in fact need to be upgraded).

@Benzion I'm looking forward to hearing your comparison of the Little Dot and the Valhalla 2. I used to own a Valhalla 2 (sold it for the Jotunheim when that was launched) and found it had excellent synergy with my HD600, wonderfully holographic with great depth to the sound. A bit bass-shy though.

 

When I briefly had an HD600 (ultimately returned it due to clamping), I also tried the Cardas cable. It does sound slightly better than the stock cable, but it's also bulky and stiff. It was uncomfortable to me, so I returned it, too.

 

I have a camelcamelcamel price alert for the HD650. Amazon now has the HD650 for $339. Right now, both Amazon and B&H Photo have the HD650 for that price. That's a good price. I'd buy it at that price if I was looking for one. Or you can gamble and wait for Black Friday and hope to try to get it for $300.

Don't worry about aftermarket cables for the HD650 till you decide on an ultimate amp for them. Till then the stock cable will be plenty fine. I'm still using the stock cable on mine. I'll be upgrading the cable soonish, but only because I want a balanced cable for them. If I was staying all single-eneded with them it is unlikely that I'd choose to spend money on an aftermarket cable.

 

I had the HD650s for a year, using the output on a Sony receiver, and got a Valhalla 2 from Schiit out of curiosity, with the plan to return it and eat the shipping and restocking fees. I don't know about the other amps you are considering, but the Valhalla 2 takes the 650s to another level entirely. It's a keeper. I hope this adds to your fun.

 

A few days ago they were going for $286 new on Amazon. That's a great deal, and they don't often drop that low. I ordered one but canceled it to snag a $250 Amazon Warehouse pair that was new with some damage to the other box. The inner box and headphones were untouched. I'm using them with the Jotunheim now and even unmodded they are my new reference (over the HD600 which was my previous daily driver).

 

Great score! That's how I got my 650's last year, but I paid 300. Ripped outer box on mine, but everything else perfect. Not sure we should be broadcasting this trick though lol

 

The HiFiMan 440S are great with the Valhalla 2. The Senn 600, with a Cardas cable, are SPECTACULAR. I bought this cable:
Cardas Cable for Sennheiser HD580, HD600, HD650 ***Hand Built by Corpse Cable*** »

 

When I originally added the 650's to my list on amazon, they were also something like $287. Then they steadily inched up to $389, now they dropped to $339. I'm pretty sure by some big Holiday prices will drop again. Eventually I'll get them for about $300 or below.

 

Got the Little Dot MkII today. Even while not broken in, it is still a considerable improvement over the Pangea HP-201, even with the same Senn 598's. With CD playback, the order of sound quality is pretty much the same:

Through integrated amp jack - mediocre;
DAC jack - better;
Little Dot - best.

But, with vinyl - WOW! Ortofon 2M Blue + Pro-Ject Tube Box S + the Little Dot = incredible sound, even with the Senn 598's. Now I can't wait for the 650's! I have not tried it with the cassette deck yet, but however good that was, I doubt it will be as good as this vinyl/tube combo. Will try and report, though.

Test LP: "Siesta" soundtrack, by Miles Davis and Marcus Miller.

Pangea amp will not be for sale, after all. I decided to keep it in the bedroom system, where it still provides considerable improvement over the stock Yamaha receiver's headphone tap.

 

Definitely! Ultimately, there are two more headphones amps I plan to buy, Valhalla 2 being one of them, to be paired with the Senn 650's. The other - Woo Audio WA6 - a SET Class A unit, which I'm thinking of pairing with Hifiman HE400i's. The Little Dot will soon be running the 650's, but eventually will pair with Senn 600's.

So, ultimately I plan to have these four pairings:

Sennheiser 598 / Pangea HP-201;
Sennheiser 600 / Little Dot MkII;
Sennheiser 650 / Schiit Valhalla 2;
Hifiman 400i / Woo Audio SE6.

 

Observation: Little Dot is non-fatiguing, as opposed to the Pangea. I've been listening for close to four hours, and I'm fine.

 

Another interesting observation: connected to the Yamaha receiver in the bedroom, the headphone amp's volume is independent of the Yamaha. You turn it up all the way - and that's what you got.

Connected to my Cambridge Azur 851A integrated, though, the integrated still provides gain with its volume control. So - I have the headphone amp's volume set to the maximum by default, and can use the integrated's remote to adjust volume up and down, as I want. Very convenient! Kudos to Cambridge, their headphones output is mediocre, but at least in terms of this functionality they shine.

 

Just pulled the trigger on Sennheiser HD600's. 650's next.

 

seeing the tremendous response from most, the jotunheim amp is THE amp for hd650 if you value impact, clarity and details.
vallhala 2 is smoother but les controlled

sbaf forum seem to be going nuts with jotunheim + 650
Schiit Jotunheim impressions | Page 38 | Super Best Audio Friends »

 

Must have tubes, SS need not apply.

 

The 600's have arrived. Giving it the first spin. So far - I'm underwhelmed. Given all the favorable reviews here I was expecting it to sound WAY better than my 598's, out of the box. But, adjusted for reality, I understand that the 598's are well broken-in, and the 600's are not. I will give the 600's time to improve, and report again in a few days(weeks?)...

 

Play them continuously for a week. I had to with my 650s, which blossomed afterwards. Honest.

 

What's your source? The 600's need some juice behind them. I recommend the Valhalla 2. They are miserable with my Pono alone, even balanced.

 

Little Dot Mk II, brand new.

 

Give them both some time to break in - you'll probably change your mind. I think the Valhalla 2 powers the 600's better than the Little Dot (45omW vs 300mW at 300 ohms; that's 50% more juice).

LL MkII = Review of the Little-Dot MKII Tube Headphone Amp/Pre-Amp »

Valhalla 2 = Schiit Audio, Headphone amps and DACs made in USA. » (see specs)

 

Uhm... I know all this already, and read all these reviews before I bought them both. I'm just reporting, as promised above in this thread.

 

Expecting a 300 ohm headphone to sound "WAY better" than a 50 ohm headphone, using an underpowered source, is asking a bit much, imo.

 

I don't think the Little Dot is under-powered for the 600's. They both just need time to break in. Besides, what sounds better to me may not sound better to you, and vice versa. Opinions are subjective by definition. We are here to share ours, not to impose them on one another.

 

I want to pair the Valhalla with the 650's. Both are on the list.

It's not the lack of juice that so far underwhelms me, juice is plenty. Just the overall sound flavor. I'm sure it will improve as both the LD and the 600's are broken in. Same thing happened to the 598's and the Pangea - both took time to improve, and now sound great. Both LD and 600's are a step up, so, they're bound to sound better with time.

 

FWIW I much preferred the 600 with the Valhalla. I didn't enjoy the 650 until I got the Jotunheim. You may have a different reaction but do try different pairings to see what gear matches up the best.