[mdotdub]

I've seen the Violectric amps a couple of times in the Classifieds here, but hadn't looked into them before. I'll have to do some research — thanks for the recommendation. I was thinking of getting the iFi go blu for when I'm away from my desk as I've read good things about it. Which iFi do you have/like?

 

[mdotdub]

my 660s2's really come alive with my Feliks Espressivio (OTL amp). Surprisingly, they sound great with the Schiit Vali 3 as well.

Do you have any solid state amps that you've liked with the 660s2's that you'd recommend? I haven't tried tube amps yet, but I plan to eventually so I appreciate the recommendations.

 

[Quadfather]

I recently got a pair of renewed HD 660S2s for $399 on Amazon and I'm really enjoying them. I'm primarily listening to newer artists including Lorde, boygenius, Julien Baker, Halsey, and then mixed in with some older artists like ABC, Florence + the Machine, R.E.M., Silversun Pickups and so far, for almost all of the tracks I've listened to (several times), the HD 660S2s do not really leave me wanting for more.

Halsey's Ya'aburnee feels like a great example of the headphones to do well in both the mid range and the bass (sub bass?) without struggling. I'm running them off of a fairly lower-end, entry-level FiiO K11 combo DAC/amp as that's all my budget really allowed for at the moment.

I'd love to hear what others are using to power their HD 660S2s and any recommendations you all might have. I won't say that these are "end game", but I do feel like these will last a very long time and are a great value (to me at least).

My HD660S2 headphones sound very nice from Lotoo Paw Gold Touch, balanced.

 

[giuseppe75]

i use g111 lake people with mojo 2 dac and the sound is beaty

 

[Luckyleo]

Do you have any solid state amps that you've liked with the 660s2's that you'd recommend? I haven't tried tube amps yet, but I plan to eventually so I appreciate the recommendations.

I really enjoy the Violectric V222 with them. Punchy bass, good sound stage, Timbre is excellent. Of course IMHO....

 

[Shane D]

I've seen the Violectric amps a couple of times in the Classifieds here, but hadn't looked into them before. I'll have to do some research — thanks for the recommendation. I was thinking of getting the iFi go blu for when I'm away from my desk as I've read good things about it. Which iFi do you have/like?

Violectric amps have a warm, full sound. Especially the older ones, such as the V220/V281 and V280/V200. I have also heard some very nice things about the new V202/V222. Other new ones can get Very expensive and are apparently a little more neutral.

I have an iFi Pro iCAN. It was pretty expensive, used. But pretty much any iFi has bass boost and I don't find that the HD660S2 needs a ton of power.

I bought both the above amps used and I traded for my Schiit Valhalla 2. You can save a lot of money if you get creative.

 

[Gradostax fan]

Hagerman tuba suits the hd660s2 very well but it is no longer for sale.

 

[PopZeus]

FWIW, I am a big fan of the S2 with the Mjolnir 3. Maybe it’s overkill, but so far I’m not itching to upgrade my cans; the S2 scales as well as the 6-series rep suggests.

 

[mdotdub]

I really enjoy the Violectric V222 with them. Punchy bass, good sound stage, Timbre is excellent. Of course IMHO....

Thanks for the suggestion. That looks like a great option and something worth saving up for or finding used. Appreciate it.

 

[Xerosnake90]

So what's the consensus these days on 660s vs 660s2?

The 660s have become my main headphone. The 1990s are great as an instrument headphone, but for music it's too treble hot. I sold off my Arya v2 for being sibilant and uncomfortable to wear.

660s is a good level of warmth and treble that never feels harsh to me. I wouldn't mind it to be a bit cleaner sounding. Despite good imaging it feels a bit claustrophobic at times (though that intimacy is also a positive in some ways)

 

[kman1211]

So what's the consensus these days on 660s vs 660s2?

The 660s have become my main headphone. The 1990s are great as an instrument headphone, but for music it's too treble hot. I sold off my Arya v2 for being sibilant and uncomfortable to wear.

660s is a good level of warmth and treble that never feels harsh to me. I wouldn't mind it to be a bit cleaner sounding. Despite good imaging it feels a bit claustrophobic at times (though that intimacy is also a positive in some ways)

The HD 660S2 is warmer, cleaner, more dynamic, a bit more relaxed in the upper mids, and more resolving and detailed. The HD 660S does seem to lack some clarity, I found both the older HD 600 and HD 650 not just the HD 660S2 have an advantage in terms of clarity.

The DT 1990 is quite hot in the treble (reason I let go of them in the past), you may want to consider the more neutral and warmer sounding DT 900 Pro X as an alternative, it's much more pleasant in the treble than the DT 1990.

 

[frkasper]

When I plug a high impedance Sennheiser, this is what these little Magnis remind me of:

It can drive the S2 great at loud levels without start falling apart though. Still a ton of headroom left to my listening levels.

---

So what's the consensus these days on 660s vs 660s2?

The S2 is objectively better, a.k.a. less distortion, and has more extension on both ends of the spectrum. You can instantly grasp that in an instant A/B comparison. It also is less veiled in the mids -- conditioned to the genres you listen or if you jump between transducers with different sound signatures.

The 660s have become my main headphone.

In short: if you like the S1, there is a big chance you will also enjoy the S2.

 

[YtseJamer]

When I plug a high impedance Sennheiser, this is what these little Magnis remind me of:

It can drive the S2 great at loud levels without start falling apart though. Still a ton of headroom left to my listening levels.

I'm with you on that. The Magni Unity pairs really well with the HD660S2. It's my go-to setup for the office when I'm not working from home.

 

[Xerosnake90]

The HD 660S2 is warmer, cleaner, more dynamic, a bit more relaxed in the upper mids, and more resolving and detailed. The HD 660S does seem to lack some clarity, I found both the older HD 600 and HD 650 not just the HD 660S2 have an advantage in terms of clarity.

The DT 1990 is quite hot in the treble (reason I let go of them in the past), you may want to consider the more neutral and warmer sounding DT 900 Pro X as an alternative, it's much more pleasant in the treble than the DT 1990.

Appreciate the info, sounds like it'd be right up my alley.

I'll take a look at the 900 Pro X though I'm ok with the 1990s. As said they're exclusively for my keyboard/mixing purposes and they handle that really well.

 

[kman1211]

Appreciate the info, sounds like it'd be right up my alley.

I'll take a look at the 900 Pro X though I'm ok with the 1990s. As said they're exclusively for my keyboard/mixing purposes and they handle that really well.

Yeah definitely worth trying the HD 660S2, I think it sounds better than the HD 660S, but late production HD 660S's (and HD 650's) are less fatiguing to me making them better for long sessions for me at least. Sonically I like the HD 600 and HD 660S2 the most of the HD 6xx lineup bringing the most joy in music listening but they fatigue me a bit more than the other two so have to keep them for shorter sessions even though I want to listen to them longer than the HD 660S or HD 650. Of course these things vary on systems, etc. just going by how they work on my systems.

The DT 900 Pro X may be a nice addition as it's a nice departure sonically from older Pro Beyers, been really enjoying my pair. Still figuring out where I'll rank them among my headphones as they're quite new still but so far ranking higher than I expected.