Headphone Amp for HD650

I know there are some threads that discuss this and I have been perusing them as well as other forums via Google BUT, I thought I'd throw out a line and see if anybody has some recommendations for a fairly inexpensive headphone amp for a pair of Sennheiser HD650's.

I'm going to directly connect it to my Oppo 195 either coax or RCA out. I really want to make these sound warm and most fingers point to a Schiit tube amp like the Valhalla or the Lyr. I did read that the stock tubes in those were crap by one persons findings. There's all these pluses and minuses and damnit, I just wanna drive these headphones right!

I figure the DAC in the Oppo itself is probably fine. If you think otherwise please say so. I think they just need a good amp! The headphone out jack on the Oppo 195 itself is just OK and I wanna pull everything out of these things.

Any and all input is greatly appreciated.

 

I'm happy with my Bottlehead Crack if you're handy with a soldering iron or want to learn.

 

No not at all. I’m VERY much plug and play unless the price difference is significant.

 

OK now I'm pretty much sold on the Bottlehead Crack with speedball upgrade. I'm not building it though.

 

Instead of opening a thread I'll bring this back to life. Would a Lyr work fine with a HD650?

 

I use a 1st Gen Lyr with my HD650 and it's a fantastic pairing. Plenty of power and wonderful stage and depth.

 

Budget? The newish Headamp Gilmore type amp looks sweet.

 

I’d be happy to build one for you. It’s fun and I’m loving mine too much to sell right now. You can PM me if you’re interested.

 

Budget? "Fairly inexpensive" is a highly relative phrase. And SS is OK, sounds like your mind is set on tubes currently......

EDIT: never mind -- sounds like you decided on the Bottlehead Crack...... not a bad choice and definitely worth trying!

 

All set! I ordered one a year ago. I've been playing with it for months! Thanks for the offer though.

 

I’ve got a Schiit Valhalla 2 driving a pair of Sennheiser 600’s. I must say it sounds stellar. Although I liked the smaller stock tubes just fine, I did replace them with JJ Golds from the Tube Store. It made a noticeable sound improvement. Highly recommended on this end.

Happy hunt8ng,

Bill

 

The good old Massdrop Cavalli CTH. That thing sounds utterly fantastic with my 650s (Massdrop HD6xx). Music has never sounded so huge and natural.

I also use an Oppo— a DV-980H.

 

Emotiva BasX A-100.

 

Believe it or not, this little Nobsound sounds GREAT with my Massdrop HD6xx, especially after upgrading the tubes.

I just wish that it had proper RCA inputs.

https://www.amazon.com/Nobsound-NS-08E-Integrated-Amplifier-Headphone/dp/B014FASL1A

 

On paper anyway, an OTL would work better than a hybrid like the Lyr. I have not read anybody say he was happy with 600/650 on a Lyr until just now. I was not impressed at all with the Lyr 2 driving my HD 600s.

I think your bottlehead idea would be a lot better. There are a lot of OTL amps available from companies like Woo, Feliks, the list goes on and on.

 

You can consider the DarkVoice 336se tube amp, now on Massdrop for $200. I'm very much enjoying mine, especially after upgrading the 6SN7 tubes. Works very well with the Sennheisers.

 

Not to threadjack, but can anyone recommend a good non-tube amp that pairs with the HD 600s? I have a Massdrop CTH and I enjoy the sound, but I am getting tired of the sound going off in one ear or the other because the tube needs readjusted.

 

The Little Dot Mk V pairs well with Sennheiser headphones, solid state dual mono configuration. My 650s sound pretty good through through this amp. About $300 new, but probably available for less used

 

The CTH amp shouldn't be doing that. Are you sure the tube is pushed in all the way and seated well?

The design of the case makes it difficult to see if the tube is pushed in all the way into the socket. The socket is also tight when new. So it would be easy to end up only pushing the tube only partially into the socket and think it was all the way in. It's also possible you have a bad tube or a tube with bent pins or pins that aren't spaced exactly correctly.

Here's a picture of the CTH with the stock tube pushed all the way in:

 

My 650's sound great with my SS Schiit Asgard 2 but it's my first nice headphone setup so I have nothing to compare it to.

 

I’ve used my 650s with a Woo Audio Wa6 with a Mullard NOS tube and the sound was excellent. Even better has been the pairing of the 650s with my Elekit 8200.

 

Burson Audio Soloist SL MK2

 

I'm sure either of the Schiit options you mentioned will work great. I've been very happy with the lower end Schiit Vali 2 amp with my HD650s. The stock tube was pretty mediocre, but I've been happy with relatively modest replacements such as the Genalex Gold Lion E88CC and Electro-Harmonix 6922.

 

I tried a Valhalla and the Little Dot mk iii. I listened to both with the 650 and the 600 and preferred the Little dot mk iii with both sets of cans. I ate the restocking fee for the Schitt and all.

In fact this thread is reminding me I need to sell my Little Dot because my current integrated has a wonderful headphone amp in it.

 

For non tube I have been happy with a Schitt Asgard 2, although I prefer the Valhalla 2.