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Beginning of a new journey...

I had never been a headphone guy, up until very recently. My main rig in my home office is built around Harbeth P3esr, Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Cambridge Audio Azur 851D, and Bluesound Node 2i. I'm extremely satisfied with the performance of this system, and cannot ever imagine parting ways with the P3esr's. They tick all the right boxes for me.

Having said that, my headphone journey started with my wife buying me a Bose Soundlink pair of headphones about a month ago. I put those on, and the first word that came to mind was 'meh'. I tried them with and without amplification, but the result was always the same. Meh! I concluded that maybe headphones were not for me. But then a friend of mine told me that Mass Drop (now just Drop) were running a special on the Sennheiser HD6XX headphones. With the first-timer discount, and free shipping, the cans were going to run me $175 + tax. I figured why not. I am in love with the Harbeth midrange and smooth sound, so 6XX's sounded like the right choice.

Now, I also have a Naim Unituque (V1) that was in my system before I upgraded to the Cronus Magnum. The display light had started to fade and eventually went out completely. So much for Naim quality! Anyways, I was hoping that the Naim would be a good match for the HD6XX's. But nope! Not at all. The sound was anemic, slightly better than running them straight from my iPhone, but not that much better. The bass was almost non-existent. I guess headphone amplification was an afterthought on the Unitiqute. I wasn't sure if it were the 6XX's, or just that the synergy with Naim was not optimal.

On a whim, I hooked the cans to the Cronus Magnum's headphone out, and immediately they came alive. The bass was much tighter, the midrange, vocals, treble -- everything was noticeably better. I can see why these headphones have achieved such a legendary status in the world of affordable hifi equipment. They definitely scale with better equipment, unlike the Bose. So now, I need some advice regarding a good headphone amp. Given the limited room on my desk, I would prefer something with a smaller form factor, and a single box solution with preamp/amp/dac. It will be a bonus if the unit can have a built in streamer, but not a must. I want to stay between $500-800, new or used. I'm sensitive to high frequencies, so tubes will be my preference but don't want to rule out smooth sounding SS amps.

Any advise is greatly appreciated!
128x128arafiq
big_greg
6,554 posts
 
I'll just have to find the right tubes for it
How do you know it doesn't already have the right tube if you don't even have it yet?

I haven't heard it either so I could be misjudging the Vali because of its low price, but I wouldn't spend a lot of money on tubes on something that inexpensive. You could easily spend more than the amp cost on tubes and still have a pretty mediocre amp. What do I know though, there are 359 pages on head-fi about tube rolling in that amp so a lot of people have found it worthwhile. I owned a Mjolnir for a while, so I do have experience with their headphone amps. 

If you're on a budget, consider saving up for something better if it doesn't tickle your fancy instead of throwing a bunch of tubes at it to see what sticks. 
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,595 posts
 
@chrisr Please do let us know your impressions of the Schiit Vali 2. I'll be getting the Anandas tomorrow. Once I figure out which headphones I'm keeping (HD66x or Ananda), the next step will be a suitable dac/amp. 
big_greg
6,554 posts
 
It's OK to have more than one pair of headphones!  You may find that the Ananda sound better, but maybe the HD6XX are more comfortable, or that one does better with certain types of music.  Having a bunch of different headphones is like having many different pairs of speakers, without taking up all the space.  I have 11 sets of headphones (which I admit is ridiculous) and they all sound different and all have different strengths and weaknesses.
213runnin
914 posts
 
Two nights ago, I was listening to some old headphones with a new set up. An old track came on, and the first couple of notes, then I what sounded like furniture creaking behind me, which was impossible. I restarted the song, and heard it again. Something that in 30 years I’ve never heard in this track.

The headphones? Nad HP50, considered decent in a sea of decent cans. The headphone amp, a Schiit Audio Asgard 3. This amp is really becoming my favorite with the class A design. I bought it with the dac multibit card, but prefer the stand alone Multibit modi dac running through it.  I've read that Schiit can't fit all of the circuitry of the multibit design on the small card.  The Modi has it all, though.

The Nads are on the warm side, the Asgard is said to be pretty neutral, with good detail and clarity. In the current very competitive amp market, the manufacturers have been putting out better and better entry level headphone amps.

I’ve had the Schiit Magni 3, and the Vali 2. The Vali 2 with modi multibit was delicious(sold it when I upgraded to the Asgard). Gorgeous sound for the money. But I never heard this finer detail with this set up that I described above. I have great respect for the Vali 2, but the Asgard 3 is a superior amp, definitely getting into higher end stuff.

Schiit Audio is really making some great sounding gear. For a one box solution, the Asgard or Jotunheim can each be ordered with their dac multibit card for a price of $399 or $599 price points. But for the best sound I’d recommend the Asgard with no dac card($200) and the Modi multibit($250), both in black. Sit the modi on top of the Asgard in the back corner, and connect with some decent RCA interconnects, I had a Audioquest Sydney sitting idle, and there is good synergy. The results are amazing with good files. And any of these options would be well within the budget

I’ve got the Nad cans, as well as 2 pairs of Bose, the better sounding one being the QC15($350 new). My favorite cans are the Grado SR125e, and for outside yard work I use the Koss Portapros. The Asgard sounds good with all of them. It does reveal, though, that the weaker Bose was not worth buying.


arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,595 posts
 
So the Ananda's were delivered yesterday. I have spent only a few hours with them, but so far I'm very impressed. They are much more resolving and revealing than the HD6XX. The soundstage is not only wider, but the depth and height is quite fabulous. It's the first time I've heard sound coming from above my head, which was quite an experience, especially for a newbie. Lots of air and much better instrument separation compared to the HD6XX. The bass is pretty good -- goes deep and more punchy than HD6xx for sure, but to be honest I was hoping for more. On some songs I felt that the overall sound character was a bit thin. I found myself wishing for a more lush sound. Hmm... maybe time to start exploring some tube amps?

But overall, this is a seriously good pair of cans. I'm really digging the holographic sound and the wide soundstage. At one point I thought the sound was coming from my main speakers, only to realize it was the Ananda's. Nice!

But here's the funny thing. After listening to the Ananda's for about an hour or so, I switched to the Sennheisers. Sure they don't have the same level of resolution, soundstage, and bass, but to my surprise they are not any less enjoyable. I don't know how to explain. I thought after the fireworks presented by the Ananda's, I would suddenly find the HD6XX boring and start packing for return. But that didn't happen. That midrange magic shines through despite everything else. I think the best analogy I can come up with is like wearing a new and stylish shirt when going out. But when you are back home, you put on your worn out, comfortable old shirt and kick back. Anandas are like the new shirt -- the colors are sharp, the fit and finish is perfect, and it has that wow factor. The HD6XX on the other hand have the intimacy and comfort that you long for when you want to just kick back and relax with a cup of your favorite coffee.

Yep, you guessed it right. I'm keeping both. The HD6XX gives you so much at such a low price that I find so endearing. I will listen to the Anandas when I want to do some critical listening or have some fun, but the HD6XXs will be my choice while working in front of my computer or when I just want to relax.


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