[Midgetguy]

Can the cans be driven by Fiio X3? Can the X3 drive the HD 600s to at least to half of its potential?

If you ask me, I feel like my iPod Touch 5g will make the HD600 sound at least 80% as good as my TEAC desktop amp, so in all likelihood, you can quite happily enjoy the HD600 on an X3.

 

[tgh5000]

If you ask me, I feel like my iPod Touch 5g will make the HD600 sound at least 80% as good as my TEAC desktop amp, so in all likelihood, you can quite happily enjoy the HD600 on an X3.

Thanks. That was helpful.

 

[DavidA]

Can the cans be driven by Fiio X3? Can the X3 drive the HD 600s to at least to half of its potential?

Agree with @Midgetguy , my X3 is decent with my HD650 and my ex-GF used to love the X3 with her HD700, can't say about the HD600 since I don't have them anymore but I say the X3 will drive the HD600 to about 80% of their potential easily.

 

[tgh5000]

Agree with @Midgetguy , my X3 is decent with my HD650 and my ex-GF used to love the X3 with her HD700, can't say about the HD600 since I don't have them anymore but I say the X3 will drive the HD600 to about 80% of their potential easily.

Thanks. I will probably get the 3rd gen one when they become available. I expect they will pack more power.

 

[DavidA]

Thanks. I will probably get the 3rd gen one when they become available. I expect they will pack more power.

Power is not the only thing to consider, some amps just pair better with some headphones, its this synergy that you want to search for. And balanced is not always better than single ended.

 

[MixMasterMan]

Can the cans be driven by Fiio X3? Can the X3 drive the HD 600s to at least to half of its potential?

Yes. I have X3vii. Even at low gain setting, the 600's get driven just fine to comfortably loud volume on modern day level maximised music (at 95-105 on the X3 dial. 85-95 at high gain setting. No/Flat EQ).

 

[Arin7]

I finally bough my first high quality headphones a month ago and they are the HD 600, I've read and watched so many reviews I couldn't decide between Beyer dt880 and HD 598 and HD 600, I finally end up buying the HD 600, and I gotta tell you, they are amazing! but someday when I got the money I will also buy those other 2, anyway I am using Sound Blaster Zx for driving them. I know its not the best source but still they are doing a good job driving them, out of the box they were not so great though, after a month of listening to them I guess what people call 'burning in' has happened cause I really feel much improvement in terrible and the details, like the sound stage has grown larger and bass in more accurate. when I am playing games I sometimes confuse if the sound is from the headphones or outside.

 

[DavidA]

I finally bough my first high quality headphones a month ago and they are the HD 600, I've read and watched so many reviews I couldn't decide between Beyer dt880 and HD 598 and HD 600, I finally end up buying the HD 600, and I gotta tell you, they are amazing! but someday when I got the money I will also buy those other 2, anyway I am using Sound Blaster Zx for driving them. I know its not the best source but still they are doing a good job driving them, out of the box they were not so great though, after a month of listening to them I guess what people call 'burning in' has happened cause I really feel much improvement in terrible and the details, like the sound stage has grown larger and bass in more accurate. when I am playing games I sometimes confuse if the sound is from the headphones or outside.

I wouldn't suggest the DT880 or HD598 since the HD600 is a great reference headphone, its what many get when they want something better than the HD598 and DT880. I would suggest either a DAC/amp or a headphone with a different sound signature from the HD600 to use as a complimentary headphone like a HE400i, M1060, TH-X00 or SR225e

 

[MixMasterMan]

I wouldn't suggest the DT880 or HD598 since the HD600 is a great reference headphone, its what many get when they want something better than the HD598 and DT880. I would suggest either a DAC/amp or a headphone with a different sound signature from the HD600 to use as a complimentary headphone like a HE400i, M1060, TH-X00 or SR225e

I think the DT880 is a good compliment to the HD600. They sound different enough, and do compliment each other as reference cans. I do agree that getting the HD598 is not needed if you already have the 600's.

 

[yangian]

I wouldn't suggest the DT880 or HD598 since the HD600 is a great reference headphone, its what many get when they want something better than the HD598 and DT880. I would suggest either a DAC/amp or a headphone with a different sound signature from the HD600 to use as a complimentary headphone like a HE400i, M1060, TH-X00 or SR225e

How about 1060? Someone said its timbre is bad. Maybe like 8320: great sound quality but bad timbre.

 

[Arin7]

I wouldn't suggest the DT880 or HD598 since the HD600 is a great reference headphone, its what many get when they want something better than the HD598 and DT880. I would suggest either a DAC/amp or a headphone with a different sound signature from the HD600 to use as a complimentary headphone like a HE400i, M1060, TH-X00 or SR225e

Most reviews that I read said the same but on the other hand my friend has the 598 and in games they are really accurate! you can pinpoint the enemies but to be honest I haven't tried mine (HD 600) with games, and once in the store I tested DT880 the sound was really good, not good as my HD 600 at this point but I loved how they sounded, as I mentioned I am new to this whole audio world, so I want to buy Beyerdynamic A20 amp for my HD 600, I would really appreciate if someone could help me if it it a good choice or not, cause I am confused someone told me they are great pair but also someone said A20 has a sound signature that is not compatible with HD 600, many thanks in advance.

 

[Argyris]

I've had my DT880 for almost seven years, and the HD 600 for a little over a year. The DT880 has less upper midrange and pronounced lower treble in comparison with the HD 600; it also has better bass extension, probably better treble extension, and has overall boosted treble. This creates the analytical leaning, airy sound the DT880 is known for, but because of the lower treble boost, there's also some sibilance and fatigue. It can also sound a bit "dry", which is what happens when overtones are boosted disproportionately to the fundamental (i.e. boosted treble). The HD 600, in comparison, is more coherent from top to bottom, has a more upfront presentation on account of the slight upper midrange lift, and has smooth, natural sounding treble. Overall, I feel it's better balanced than the DT880, though it lacks the low end extension and sense of space the DT880 creates.

The DT880 works well for all periods of classical, sounding particularly nice with massed strings or vocals. It's also a great movie watching headphone, as it has really good imaging and a nice, expansive soundstage. It breaks down with more heavily produced music, particularly if extra treble has been added to the mix, as the lower treble emphasis can cause harshness and fatigue. The HD 600 is a better all rounder, and overall I feel its tonal balance is more natural. It tends toward an intimate perspective, however, and has a very slight tendency toward shoutiness on material that's already prone to this.

They're both great headphones, and honestly the main reason my DT880 doesn't get more use is that I've gotten used to wearing the HD 600. The headbands for each headphone sit in a different place on the top of my head, and I've found that wearing the DT880 after having spent so much time with the HD 600 actually causes a dull pain where the weight of the headphone rests.

 

[BobG55]

I finally bough my first high quality headphones a month ago and they are the HD 600, I've read and watched so many reviews I couldn't decide between Beyer dt880 and HD 598 and HD 600, I finally end up buying the HD 600, and I gotta tell you, they are amazing! but someday when I got the money I will also buy those other 2, anyway I am using Sound Blaster Zx for driving them. I know its not the best source but still they are doing a good job driving them, out of the box they were not so great though, after a month of listening to them I guess what people call 'burning in' has happened cause I really feel much improvement in terrible and the details, like the sound stage has grown larger and bass in more accurate. when I am playing games I sometimes confuse if the sound is from the headphones or outside.

You made the best choice. IMHO the HD600 is one of the best headphones, period.

 

[DavidA]

I think the DT880 is a good compliment to the HD600. They sound different enough, and do compliment each other as reference cans. I do agree that getting the HD598 is not needed if you already have the 600's.

I've only heard the DT880 600ohm and it was fairly close to the HD600 but this is just me so to some they maybe different enough.

How about 1060? Someone said its timbre is bad. Maybe like 8320: great sound quality but bad timbre.

While I've only heard the M1060 once, I was a bit disappointed with all the hype about them but I'm willing to try them again if the opportunity comes up again and my I'm trying to find different ear pads for my friend who has them to see if it helps or not. What is the 8320? search only came up with IEM

Most reviews that I read said the same but on the other hand my friend has the 598 and in games they are really accurate! you can pinpoint the enemies but to be honest I haven't tried mine (HD 600) with games, and once in the store I tested DT880 the sound was really good, not good as my HD 600 at this point but I loved how they sounded, as I mentioned I am new to this whole audio world, so I want to buy Beyerdynamic A20 amp for my HD 600, I would really appreciate if someone could help me if it it a good choice or not, cause I am confused someone told me they are great pair but also someone said A20 has a sound signature that is not compatible with HD 600, many thanks in advance.

If you want a great sound stage and imaging for gaming I would go with the HD700 but not sure how it will pair with A20 amp. Most that like the HD700 usually go with a tube amp or a slightly warmer SS amp like Liquid Carbon, Project Polaris, or HA-501. A tube amp will also pair well with the HD600 and the HD700 is quite different sound from the HD600, closer to the HD800 to me.

@Argyris , agree that comfort is an issue with some headphones and to me a headphone can have the best sound signature but if its not comfortable for a hour or two then they are not worth it IMO.

 

[Arin7]

I've had my DT880 for almost seven years, and the HD 600 for a little over a year. The DT880 has less upper midrange and pronounced lower treble in comparison with the HD 600; it also has better bass extension, probably better treble extension, and has overall boosted treble. This creates the analytical leaning, airy sound the DT880 is known for, but because of the lower treble boost, there's also some sibilance and fatigue. It can also sound a bit "dry", which is what happens when overtones are boosted disproportionately to the fundamental (i.e. boosted treble). The HD 600, in comparison, is more coherent from top to bottom, has a more upfront presentation on account of the slight upper midrange lift, and has smooth, natural sounding treble. Overall, I feel it's better balanced than the DT880, though it lacks the low end extension and sense of space the DT880 creates.

The DT880 works well for all periods of classical, sounding particularly nice with massed strings or vocals. It's also a great movie watching headphone, as it has really good imaging and a nice, expansive soundstage. It breaks down with more heavily produced music, particularly if extra treble has been added to the mix, as the lower treble emphasis can cause harshness and fatigue. The HD 600 is a better all rounder, and overall I feel its tonal balance is more natural. It tends toward an intimate perspective, however, and has a very slight tendency toward shoutiness on material that's already prone to this.

They're both great headphones, and honestly the main reason my DT880 doesn't get more use is that I've gotten used to wearing the HD 600. The headbands for each headphone sit in a different place on the top of my head, and I've found that wearing the DT880 after having spent so much time with the HD 600 actually causes a dull pain where the weight of the headphone rests.

Wow! Thank you for the analyse! I really do enjoy HD 600 while listening to the music especially Epic music sound truly epic with them but as I use it with my PC I found they are good for the movies but not great, I think DT880 is not great for music but can be great for the movies or video games maybe, because of its semi-open design its more like an %80 closed %20 open compared to the HD 600 whoch are %100 open, and for movies I think it benefits from being partly a close headphone, as far as I know they don't even leak sound, but with the HD 600 I am rest assured that I am hearing what the artist or the composer intended their music to sound like, and after burning them in I feel they are truly amazing!