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What headphone amp to buy-Sennheiser HD 600?

Well, thanks to the kindness and patience of my fellow A'gon-izers, the hook-up "problem" for the headphone amp I have is solved. The amp is a Ramsey SHA 1. The phones are Sennheiser HD 600. I had remembered that amp sounding great. Now I'm spoiled by the new speakers I have, and even though the signal path to the amp is thru the Dodson DAC, I still think it sounds........not so great. Decent I suppose, but harsh on the upper end, yet without the mitigating detail, and you know, just.....unsatisfactory.

OK, OK, so here's the question(s): What's a great, fairly cheap (like, at LEAST less than a grand) headphone amp? Sonically, I want EVERYTHING!!!! (Except soundstage, that has never happened for me with any headphones, ever, I'm pretty sure not even with the expensive Stax I heard a few years ago).
It MUST have: Tight, deep, fast, smooth, tonally correct, musical bass, shimmering, non-fatiguing, emminently smooth yet ultra detailed highs, great midbass punch with no boom or softness whatsoever, midrange that is totally natural, smooth, detailed, and lacking any hint whatsoever of grain or electronic amplification artifact in the upper registers. It should sound great on ALL program material, from classical to rock to bluegrass to new age to jazz, anything and everything.

Other than those relatively modest criteria, there are no other performance demands. :)))

So, fire away!
mdhoover

Showing 4 responses by robm321

robm321
932 posts
 
If you have those high demands get the AKG K1000. I own Grado RS-1 and Senn hd600 (heard the 650) - I heard the K1000 and end of story it was in another league altogether while creating a soundstage outside of the head (by a little bit). If you can hear them do so before centering a system around the Senns. I wished someone would have told me about the AKG's before I went down that road.
robm321
932 posts
 
I think they would work with that amp. There are a couple of caveats:

One they need an amp with about 5+ watts - they connect to the taps like speaker cables do.

The second is as you mention the bass response. It goes very deep but is not as full as dynamic headphones. Most headphones have lots of coloration in the bass - the K1000 has the tightest and cleanest bass, but it doesn't get that flooded with bass feeling that you will get with Grado's and Senn's which you may or may not prefer.
robm321
932 posts
 
Bill,

I kept the 600's because I wouldn't be able to get much (maybe $150) for them used. And I also kept my Grado RS-1
s. The K1000 is the ultimate, but until I get a dedicated amp I need to switch the connection and disconnect my speakers each time.

So, I wanted something that I can just throw on and listen without all the connection changes. For more serious headphone listening, I always go for the K1000's. It's one of the few components that made me feel like I would never want anything else. I'm considering buying a second pair because they are discontinued. We'll see. The one down side is you look like "Doc" from "Back to the Future" with them on.

Rob
robm321
932 posts
 
"With the price range most people here are playing with, I'm surprised on one has recommended anything from the Headroom line. I've heard nothing but good things about them, especially the upper level amps. My friend has one and says the crossfeed process/switch helps with the feel of headphone listening by making it seem more like listening to speakers instead of 2 distinct sound sources. Maybe the solution to imaging?"

I agree with the fact that the maxed out home will probably be one of the best amps you can get for the Senns, esp. the balanced version.

I disagree with the fact that it solves imaging problems with phones. It helps move it in front of you, but the K1000 headphones are the only ones that really make you feel like you have a large soundstage (still nothing like a life sized speaker setup).
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