[Lalapuni]

I keep getting the same responses when asking for a dac and amp, and it seems like the people in this hobby absolutely love proving to themselves that item A is good... then they move on. I've been recommended some things which were completely not what I'm looking for and then when you ask for more details or why people recommended that... they disappear. You don't have to give advice but man, if you're telling someone that thing A is worth spending money on, you can't just say "jump from the roof! I heard it's fun!" and bail.

I've been asking whether or not it is worth to upgrade my Fiio K5 Pro for Sennheiser HD600: some say it isn't worth it and tubes are what's worth it, others say tubes suck and make a colored sound and the third group tells me to use ... Iphone dongle. I mean, there is no way someone could believe that a game controller's audio jack or Iphone dongle are as good as it gets. Even I know that just being able to drive something doesn't mean it's driven well and that bad amp can damage the sound. I've had those bad amps before Fiio K5 Pro.....
"buy thing A, buy thing B", "lol they all suck just get an Iphone dongle" - and no explanation why or whether the more expensive options actually justify the price

This is likely one of the last posts I'll make in this hobby (not website but hobby overal) because let me tell you, it's toxic. Perhaps more toxic than shooting video games or sports. I've also been to some discord servers of "audiophilia" and that was perhaps the most toxic experience.... and I've been to toxic places before.



Can anyone who actually tried a lot of different equipment tell me if Fiio K5 Pro is enough for Sennheiser HD600? If not, what is the good dac and amp combo or separate items for this headphone? Under 500$ and clearly much better sound than Fiio K5 Pro. I've considered a few different Chinese companies amps... not really happy to pay them 100% of the money but it seems there's very limited choice. Other than Topping and SMSL (which seem to break quickly) there's American Schiit and that seems to be it?

 

[Stevko]

K5 Pro​

K5 is Good, schiit modi/magni is good. Hel 2 is good

and yes. try out TR-amp

 

[lpd2]

They will benefit from more power and a better dac chip. Theres JDS labs out of Missouri. They have a good combo called the Element 2. JDS and Schiit are the only made in USA brands coming within that price range that I'm aware of. The Asgard 3 with installed DAC module (2 choices) will handle any headphone. It's what I have to drive 600ohm Beyers. Both are single ended 1/4" jacks only. I would get the Asgard 3 with either of the optional DACs. Its something you can buy and not look back - it will run nearly any headphone. They fixed an issue with the original DAC module that you might read about in reviews btw.
Edit: Regarding "toxic" audio culture, its no big deal. Theres a changing-of-the-guard type of thing going on where scientific progress and economies of scale are making elitists kind of insignificant. You can get a flagship dac in an ultra clean SMSL headphone amp the m500 for like $400 with xlr outs to feed your desktop speakers for example. Its actually good trends causing a few ppls bad reactions. Stick around and stay positive!

 

[someguyontheinternet]

Good sound reproduction is defined differently by different people. That's why you will get conflicting information.

In my opinion the DAC and amp should impart no coloration to the sound. For the amp I also value flexibility very highly. It should have low output impedance, but also high and clean power output so it can drive anything from sensitive IEMs to demanding headphones without distorting the signal to audible levels.

The K5 should provide enough of what I describe for the HD600.

Others will disagree and I think that's ok. I won't tell anyone to like what I like.
Unfortunately I do see the same problem you do that some people are very vocal about their opinion and also treat it more like fact than opinion.

 

[jonathan c]

Good sound reproduction is defined differently by different people. That's why you will get conflicting information.

In my opinion the DAC and amp should impart no coloration to the sound. For the amp I also value flexibility very highly. It should have low output impedance, but also high and clean power output so it can drive anything from sensitive IEMs to demanding headphones without distorting the signal to audible levels.

The K5 should provide enough of what I describe for the HD600.

Others will disagree and I think that's ok. I won't tell anyone to like what I like.
Unfortunately I do see the same problem you do that some people are very vocal about their opinion and also treat it more like fact than opinion.

The old adage: “everyone is entitled to my opinion”…

 

[silent-circuit]

At first I used a Topping D50 DAC and a Little Dot Mk.II amp (still have them in a secondary system running some JBL 305pMk2 powered monitors), then got a Schiit Magni Uber because some headphones don't do well with OTL tube amps. Eventually after hearing a friend's higher end stuff I "went big" with a Topping D90 MQA DAC and A90 amp, and eventually added a used Gustard U16 digital interface. Is it better than my other gear? No question. Is it "night and day" better? Absolutely not. Is it ~6x better than the old stuff, given the price increase? No. Would I go back? Also no. That's the problem, for some of us.

I don't have first hand experience with the HD600 (though I've heard the HD600 plenty), but I do have the ATH-R70X, which is a similar beast, and they definitely scale up with equipment.