Post your headphones

[S.B.G]

(especially with what I understand about the quality of the MBP DAC)

Primarily, I will be using these with the latest (lol ) Mac mini. Do you think that is any different than the 2012 cMBP I have?

I'll most certainly give them a good break in period and report back what I find with them both. I do appreciate all the information you gave today too.

 

[bigpoppamac31]

I spent part of the day reading up on this stuff and decided on placing an order for some new cans and an amp.

Sennheiser HD 650 and the Schiit Audio Magni 3

This amp can drive up to 600 ohms in a set of cans! The Sennheiser 650's are 300 ohms. These will be primarily used with my Mac Mini and maybe once in a while my MacBook Pro.

I'm looking forward to getting these and hearing what I've been missing.

View attachment 768578 View attachment 768579

Why not go with the 6XX from Massdrop?? They'd be much cheaper and are the same thing as the 650 except different colour scheme and shorter cable. I have them and they're excellent. I also have the Sennheiser 58X from Massdrop as well and they're just as good in my view. Only had them for a couple days though.

 

[S.B.G]

Why not go with the 6XX from Massdrop??

Never heard of them. That's why.

 

[bigpoppamac31]

Never heard of them. That's why.

Well now you have. Check out the Massdrop site and save some money.

 

[D.T.]

Well now you have. Check out the Massdrop site and save some money.

The problem is there's not currently a drop on them, so until the unknown future time when they're offered again, you're pretty much relegated to EBay for $300-ish (and the "ebay factor").

@SandboxGeneral Sennheiser got together with Massdrop - which is a group by site focusing on higher end product, mostly audio gear - and built a "to Massdrop spec" set of headphones (they have that kind of clout). They're basically a 650, some aesthetic differences, I thought they had a slight tweak to a few other audio parameters. When they're on a drop, they're $199, generally there's several weeks while the orders accumulate, with the current status of inactive, you could potentially not have the product in your hand until Christmas (if another drop even occurs).

Juist for another Massdrop example, here's a collaborative hybrid tube amp:

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-alex-cavalli-cth-tube-hybrid-amp

A little of the description since it explains the custom angle (and also mentions the 6xx, but it's good general info about a hybrid tube amp!)

Built from the ground up by Alex Cavalli, a legend in the world of headphone amps, this hybrid amp combines a solid state section, a tube amp section, and an entirely new circuit design. It delivers the current required by planar magnetics, along with the voltage drive that dynamic headphones need to perform their best. It’s quiet enough for sensitive headphones like the Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 and powerful enough for higher-impedance headphones like the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX. With the supplied 6922 vacuum tube, the sound is smooth, natural, and resolving with precise detail and just a touch of tube character. And at this price, this amp is an easy addition to any desktop setup—especially when you consider that Cavalli’s desktop amps start at $800, and his tube amps at $3,500.

 

[bigpoppamac31]

The problem is there's not currently a drop on them, so until the unknown future time when they're offered again, you're pretty much relegated to EBay for $300-ish (and the "ebay factor").

True. I did have to wait a few months to receive my 6XX but so far it's been well worth the wait and cost. Given how much the 650 cost in Canadian dollars I'm glad I got in on the 6XX. Now if I can just find a good set of 600 for a decent price. I had to wait 6 months for my Sennheiser 58X Jubilee to arrive but the wait was also well worth it. excellent sound quality for the price.

 

[digitalnicotine]

True. I did have to wait a few months to receive my 6XX but so far it's been well worth the wait and cost. Given how much the 650 cost in Canadian dollars I'm glad I got in on the 6XX. Now if I can just find a good set of 600 for a decent price. I had to wait 6 months for my Sennheiser 58X Jubilee to arrive but the wait was also well worth it. excellent sound quality for the price.

I've passed on buying them a few times (on Massdrop) because I'm a wannabe audiophile, (and too easily distracted by shiny stuff to get far researching new electronics.) Thanks for your impressions. I'll probably go for it next time.

 

[D.T.]

True. I did have to wait a few months to receive my 6XX but so far it's been well worth the wait and cost. Given how much the 650 cost in Canadian dollars I'm glad I got in on the 6XX. Now if I can just find a good set of 600 for a decent price. I had to wait 6 months for my Sennheiser 58X Jubilee to arrive but the wait was also well worth it. excellent sound quality for the price.

Yeah, the 58x is getting terrific feedback! I have some older 558s I use as "direct connect" to lower power devices like an iPhone, but I considered the 580x.

I've passed on buying them a few times (on Massdrop) because I'm a wannabe audiophile, (and too easily distracted by shiny stuff to get far researching new electronics.) Thanks for your impressions. I'll probably go for it next time.

Sounds like you're already a member, definitely login (if you're not, join!) and track down the inactive 6XX drop and hit request. They need enough requests to send back to Senn for a production run (it doesn't commit you or anything, it just gauges interest).


Sorry, just edited this - realized I was missing some words ... duh ...

 

[bigpoppamac31]

I've passed on buying them a few times (on Massdrop) because I'm a wannabe audiophile, (and too easily distracted by shiny stuff to get far researching new electronics.) Thanks for your impressions. I'll probably go for it next time.

Yeah, the 58x is getting terrific feedback! I have some older 558s I use as "direct connect" to lower power devices like an iPhone, but I considered the 580x.

Both the 6XX and 58X are great headphones in their own right. The 58X is more lively than the 6XX which has an overall smoother sound. Both are clear and detailed. The 58X has more bass but is still not for "bass heads" and also is more forward with vocals and highs. The 6XX does sound more neutral in comparison. Guess that's the best way I can describe them.

 

[S.B.G]

The Sennheiser's arrived this afternoon. I just plugged them into the Mac mini and started playing some stuff. They don't sound all too great at all being driven by the computer alone. I expected as much since these are 300 ohm headphones. The B&O H7's plugged into the Mac mini and not powered on, sound better than these do.

My Schiit isn't due to arrive until Thursday. (I chuckle every time I say the company name!)

Looking forward to getting my Schiit and plugging these 650's into it.

As for the fit and feel, it's only been a few minutes, but the simple fact that the cups are oblong allow them to get my whole ear inside of them, I expect that they'll feel fine during long periods of use. I'll keep them on and listening to dull sound for a while tonight to see how they wear over the course of a few hours.

(Listening to Santana's "Soul Sacrifice" right now and it sounds awful without my Schiit)

 

[D.T.]

The Sennheiser's arrived this afternoon. I just plugged them into the Mac mini and started playing some stuff. They don't sound all too great at all being driven by the computer alone. I expected as much since these are 300 ohm headphones. The B&O H7's plugged into the Mac mini and not powered on, sound better than these do.

My Schiit isn't due to arrive until Thursday. (I chuckle every time I say the company name!)

Looking forward to getting my Schiit and plugging these 650's into it.

As for the fit and feel, it's only been a few minutes, but the simple fact that the cups are oblong allow them to get my whole ear inside of them, I expect that they'll feel fine during long periods of use. I'll keep them on and listening to dull sound for a while tonight to see how they wear over the course of a few hours.

(Listening to Santana's "Soul Sacrifice" right now and it sounds awful without my Schiit)

Yeah, they're probably so underdriven you can't really hear much, plus they need some break-in, etc.

Thanks for reminding me I'm not the only one with a juvenile sense of humor Wait, you said it _again_, hahahaha. OK, enough of that.

Have you tried the audio out on your MBP? Wondering if the power is a little better[?]

Do you have an AV receiver with a headphone jack? Might be a good alternative amp in the interim (some folks forget/don't even notice the headphone out on most AVRs).

 

[S.B.G]

Have you tried the audio out on your MBP? Wondering if the power is a little better[?]

Not yet, but I'll give it a try in a little while.

Do you have an AV receiver with a headphone jack? Might be a good alternative amp in the interim (some folks forget/don't even notice the headphone out on most AVRs).

I do not have an AV receiver or any stereo equipment. Just have a Polk Audio sound bar w/subwoofer hooked up to the Apple TV 4K and then the HomePod. I haven't had actual AV gear in decades - since before I joined the Marines. I live in an apartment now and I figure if I bought good AV stuff and wanted to listen to it how I want, I'd get evicted rather quickly!

 

[agenda893]

HiFiMan HE560s w/ balanced cable to Topping DX7s. Sounds great but might use the DX7s as just a DAC and add another amp at some point.

 

[S.B.G]

I could use some ideas for a nice elegant headphone stand.

I went with this one.

 

[D.T.]

I could use some ideas for a nice elegant headphone stand.

I went with this one.
View attachment 768907

Looks good, $16.99, 4.9/5 on 79 reviews ... seems like a winner!

 

[bigdog5142]

Love my setup...works well for me.

AirPods are my daily drivers...

And then when I really want to listen to music and not hear anything else I use the Sony XB950N1 Extra Bass Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones

 

[S.B.G]

Have you tried the audio out on your MBP?

I gave them a whirl on the MBP and listened to the same playlist as I did on the Mac mini and the results were essentially the same. I think, maybe, just a little bit, I could tell a difference on the MBP, but hardly enough to write home about.

Looking forward to getting some good Schiit on Thursday.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I gave them a whirl on the MBP and listened to the same playlist as I did on the Mac mini and the results were essentially the same. I think, maybe, just a little bit, I could tell a difference on the MBP, but hardly enough to write home about.

Looking forward to getting some good Schiit on Thursday.

Looking forward to pictures and a review.

Enjoy them when you receive them.

Re names, I do recall my brothers and I sniggering and giggling at the surnames of some German riders on the show jumping circuit when we were children watching this on TV; we couldn't understand why the commentator didn't dissolve into giggles anytime he mentioned their names. Hartwig Steenken was one I vividly recall.

And yes, I do recall a friend from university, who later obtained a position as an announcer with the radio section of the state broadcasting service phoning me in a panic as he had to do the voiceover for a concert where the featured piece of music was Holst's The Planets. "You know about classical music," he said. "Er, Jupiter is okay, but how do you pronounce Uranus?" he asked me in horror, less than an hour before he was due to go on air (live).

By way of reply, I told him that it was possible to pronounce this proper noun in one of two ways, demonstrating both.

 

[bhtwo]

Heh... I had a friend at college, I think he was/is german, His name - Hugh Janus.
I'm not kidding!

Looking forward to the pics (headphones!)

 

[JagdTiger]

Klipsch.

 

[S.B.G]

My Schiit arrived this afternoon!

Here is a photo of my home Mac mini setup. This is how it is all the time, so I didn't do any special cleaning up or anything. Except the only thing missing is one, or both, of my cats laying in the open space on the left or standing directly between me and the screen - such as now as I am trying to type this!


The headphone stand is quite nice and has a large rubber bottom to prevent it from slipping or moving around. The base is large enough to hold the loosly coiled cord and keep the cats from being too interested in it (I hope).

The Magni is also very nicely built. It's solid and so are the power and Hi/Lo switches on the back which are very nice. Some of the reviews I read on it mentioned the wall wart power brick and they weren't kidding that it was nearly as big and equally heavy as the Magni itself! But hey, if you're going to drive some cans that are up to 600 ohms, you're going to need some serious power.

Now to start listening. I'll report back later as I listen for a while and browse other parts of MacRumors.

 

[D.T.]

My Schiit arrived this afternoon!

Woo!

 

[S.B.G]

I've been listening for 4 hours continuously tonight and here are my impressions.

Impressed.

First the Sennheiser 650s. I absolutely love the oblong ear cups. My entire ear fits inside and that keeps the pressure off of them unlike round, smaller cups push. The open backs, first I've ever had or used, are very nice and don't make my ears sweat after a while. I don't know a lot of the jargon surrounding audiophiles but here goes. I think the overall sound from lows, to mids to highs are well balanced. I can even hear a lot of background detail that I never did before, even with the B&O H7's. The bass is quite decent and I do like me some deep bass. I would like for them to hit harder and go deeper, but that's not to say these don't perform well in this area because they absolutely do. I'm listening to some bass tracks right now and I like what I hear. These puppies can take some serious power too. I also like the nice long cord as well.

Now the Schiit Mangi 3
This thing is nice. Although it is powering the 650's I think its near its driving limits with these high impedance style cans. I have the gain switch set to high and I have the volume knob set to about 90% to really make these cans kick. I also have the volume on the Mac mini set around 85% too. It does well in the heat department too and is barely warm to the touch and more like room temperature. This may be due to the solid metal and vents on top. The 650's might be better served with the Valhalla 2 for driving performance and efficiency. But, the Mangi 2 is holding its own nonetheless and I am happy with the purchase.

I'm already looking at adding the Modi Multibit DAC. Though, I'd like to better understand the difference between the 'multibit' and what(?) single bit DAC like the Modi 2 and Modi 2 Uber.

Tomorrow I'll plug my Sony MDRV6's in and start with the Mangi on Lo with low volume and see what these 63 ohm headphones can take. I'll also plug the B&O H7's in as well which are estimated to be around 32 ohms.

All in all, I'm impressed and happy.

 

[S.B.G]

I decided to order more Schiit. I went with a Modi 2 Multibit after reading up on DAC and a few reviews on the Modi.

 

[D.T.]

I decided to order more Schiit. I went with a Modi 2 Multibit after reading up on DAC and a few reviews on the Modi.
View attachment 769452 View attachment 769453

Nice! Are you going to run it TOSlink or USB? Id' figure USB would be more flexible, the bitrates are super high, etc.

The, umm .. Schiit Stack <ahem>, is a fantastic bit of industrial design on top of the superb audio performance. A really good DAC can really transform your music, create all sort of nuance, presence, open up the soundstage. Should be pretty brilliant with the 650s!