[LazyListener]

  The 1840 is one of the worst headphones I've heard that has a high end price. It sounds like a £30 headphone, no joke it's awful. I've had the Utopia on loan for a long time and  I don't find it a night and day differences at all, people exaggerate way too much on the differences between headphones. On the Zana Deux and Black Widow the HD650 wasn't that far behind in technicalities, the bass wasn't on the same level in terms of clarity, texture and pitch and extension but in other areas the HD650 was better tonally balanced, the Utopia is that typical lean, peaky tuning.
 
 
I'd take the HD650's natural sound and better tonal balance, smoother treble over the Utopias bit better technical performance.

It's not so much that people exaggerate differences between headphones (although some knowingly do), as it is that we each have a different perception of what constitutes a small vs a big difference.

 

[ubs28]

 
It's not so much that people exaggerate differences between headphones (although some knowingly do), as it is that we each have a different perception of what constitutes a small vs a big difference.

It mostly depends on the setup. I have tested some headphones which didn't sound that much difference on a certain setup, but on an other setup the difference was quite big. 
 
Also amplifiers (which should be called colour boxes by the way) mess up the sound of high-end headphones in particular. Headphones should be judged without an amplifier imo. 

 

[CanadianMaestro]

   
Also amplifiers (which should be called colour boxes by the way) mess up the sound of high-end headphones in particular. Headphones should be judged without an amplifier imo. 

 
Fatal mistake. Amps bring the best out of an HP. Can't drive a high-Z HP without ample power, and a good amp provides just that.

 

[ubs28]

   
Fatal mistake. Amps bring the best out of an HP. Can't drive a high-Z HP without ample power, and a good amp provides just that.

No it doesn't. The perfect amp can only at best provide the same signal as the DAC which doesn't exist ofcourse. 
 
Headphones (even the HD 800 S) don't require that much power so an amplifier is pointless.

 

[thebluebulk]

After months of poking I finally convinced my friend to sell me his HD650 headphones. He asked me if $90 was too much

 

[Fearless1]

Yeah my HE-6 sounds fantastic ou of my IPhone ...... just nonsense spewed on this thread today.

 

[thebluebulk]

My HD650s sound great connected directly to my Sansa clip but my phone barely has enough power to drive them. They really shine when connected to my FiiO E10K DAC. Just my 2¢

 

[olor1n]

Anybody running these off the jotunheim amp with the internal DAC like to hear your impressions on the sound ?

 
It's pretty much unanimous and very well documented that the Jotunheim as an amp has great synergy with the HD650. Like most good solid state balanced amps, it extends into the lower registers and renders bass with definition and control. This is especially beneficial for the HD650 as the mid-bass bloom that's left unchecked through lesser amps is reigned in. The transition from the midrange to the higher registers is smooth and there is excellent clarity in the treble region, with less of the unpleasant glare evident in lesser amps. This all makes for a cleaner, more balanced presentation across the spectrum, and perfectly counters the HD650's shortcomings.
 
Don't believe anyone claiming the presentation is thin. This amp with the HD650 renders a clean, textured and full-bodied presentation. It's not rolled-off or polite. It deftly hits hard when called for. It won't hide warts in recordings. With these qualities, the Jotunheim may not be the best option to curtail inherently bright headphones. With the HD650, it's awesome.
 
Most will also recommend you forego the Jotunheim's internal dac in favour of the multi-bit Modi but as good as that dac is, I question if these folks have actually spent any time with the Jot's internal dac option. The Jot's dac is no slouch. The mb Modi is a great bang-for-buck dac that shames many with much higher price tags, but the Jot's dac option is cheaper still and provides for a much simpler, all-in-one solution. I have the mb Modi in house at the moment and while it trumps the Jot's dac in terms of micro details and imaging, these differences aren't really as pronounced as what some impressions would have you believe - especially when volume matched. Personally, I'm content to stick with the Jot's internal dac until Schiit releases a better, fully balanced multi-bit dac - positioned above the mb Modi but below the mb Gungnir in their lineup - and in a form factor that matches the Jotunheim.
 
 

 

[califmike33]

You don't find the bass spilling into the mids vocals?

 

[jimmers]

Originally Posted by ubs28 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 Headphones should be judged without an amplifier imo. 

Then they would all sound the same, silent.

 

[olor1n]

You don't find the bass spilling into the mids vocals?

No. The bass is exactly as it should be given the HD650's sound signature.

 

[califmike33]

Okay cuz a lot of the reviews I've read on this on the 650 say that the bas spills into the mids and causes a cold kind of mid sound.

 

[olor1n]

Okay cuz a lot of the reviews I've read on this on the 650 say that the bas spills into the mids and causes a cold kind of mid sound.

 
The HD650 is a mid-centric headphone with a mid-bass bloom. The midrange warmth and richness of the HD650 is what most love about it, giving realism and intimacy to vocals and great texture to acoustic instruments. Some will argue that the mid-bass is bloated and the treble is rolled-off, making for a "coloured" signature. Good upstream components like the Jotunheim will remedy those "shortfalls" but it won't turn the HD650 into an HD800. Don't think anyone here would want that either.

 

[califmike33]

Great thanks

 

[LazyListener]

 
It mostly depends on the setup. I have tested some headphones which didn't sound that much difference on a certain setup, but on an other setup the difference was quite big. 
 
Also amplifiers (which should be called colour boxes by the way) mess up the sound of high-end headphones in particular. Headphones should be judged without an amplifier imo. 

That's another factor as well, but I've done side by side comparisons of different cans with exactly identical setups, and while I heard obvious differences, my friend said they sounded pretty much the same.  I think perception, bias, and hearing ability, have an even greater effect than the electronics.
 
BTW, how do you judge a headphone without an amplifier?  You get no sound without an amplifier.