[Zashoomin]

I would personally suggest that you pick a headphone and get an amp and dac to go with that headphone.  You seem interested in the he500 and hd650/600.  out of all of them I would say that the he500 would be the "best".  but best bang for your buck would be the hd600.  the hd650 is $100 more and only a very very slight upgrade from the hd600.  depending on what headphone you pick I do have a couple suggestions for what you could pair them with.  Hope this helps 

 

[Acix]

In my experience the best $700 you can spend is on a used K702 + Auditor.

 

[musicmaddy]

yeah it seems many people suggest the he500's more then the others and i have looked in to them and the others and i think im going to go with the he 500.
 
so any amps and dacs suggestions that go with these headphones would be great.

 

[Zashoomin]

If I where you I would build the dac.  The Gamma 2 to be specific and buy the amp.  I would go with the Schiit Vallhalla or the Little Dot MK III or MK IV.  If you would like to go solid state instead of tube amp than I would pick the M Stage.  

 

[DefQon]

Quote:

Most would say the HE-500 is technically superior to the HD600/650.
 

Apples and bananas no headphone is superior to any other within this bracket as it's in mid fi category. The HD600/650 are more musical sounding than any of the current orthos available. Sure they are not techincally as good as other more expensive or FOTM headphones but they have a special sound that draws you in and you just can't turn your back on them. That said, a HD600/650 + a Bottlehead Crack/Speedball is a good entry to a euphonic sound. There's a reason the HD600/650 have been well regarded over the past decade and ongoing.

 

[davidsh]

Can the little dots and valhalla drive the HE-500 properly? I think it sounds like a risky purchase...

 

[DefQon]

Quote:

Can the little dots and valhalla drive the HE-500 properly? 

Drive them adequately? Yes. Drive them to there best potential? No.

 

[davidsh]

^AFAIK those amps aren't good with planars, but better for high-impedance headphones

 

[DefQon]

Quote:

^AFAIK those amps aren't good with planars, but better for high-impedance headphones

Read what I said. Can it drive them? Yes. Will it drive it to there potential? NO!

 

[3rdear]

His statement still stands regardless of what was said.

 

[davidsh]

You are used to people being kinda aggresive when they adress comments here on the internet in a way that can be understood negatively. Be it directly or indirectly

 

[squallkiercosa]

But why throwing that amount of money on the first place? For some , expensive headphones sound like crap, very detailed headphones are not forgiving with bad sources... You guys should ask first which headphones he had/used before. 

 

[Dillan]

A lot of good recommendations in this thread, Id have to agree with a lot of people on the Hifiman headphones. I think a good setup for your budget would be:

Schiit Bifrost Dac
Audio GD SA-31 Amp

Those together are around 800 or 900 dollars I think, depending on USB or not for the Bifrost if you want it.

Just something to consider, The Audio GD sounds amazing, and can drive the 500's without any doubt. If i were to pick a good all around setup (that doesnt lack bass), it would be probably be the 500's with that dac and amp, maybe swap out one or the other with more research, because honestly there are a million options, but for some reason these two standout.

 

[DefQon]

Quote:

You are used to people being kinda aggresive when they adress comments here on the internet in a way that can be understood negatively. Be it directly or indirectly

Then read the posts properly before asserting your own opinion to argue against. 

 

[musicmaddy]

i was wondering are there any cheaper amp and dacs that can still drive the he 500, cause i only have around $1200 or less for the headphones the amp and the dac