[kauljp]

Hey guys

I would like some help with regards to improving my setup. I love my he 560 and hd 6xx. Currently i am using mojo as a dac and project polaris as the amp.

With this setup, I like the sound that comes from my he 560 but not too impressed with the hd6xx

Yesterday I tried the woo audio w6a and it really made the hd 6xx shine, their wasnt a significant jump with the he 560.

I want to purchase a used amp or dac that will make my setup significalty better. After the audition, I am thinking of the woo audio w6a.

I would love a detailed sound with a bigger soundstage and an overall upgrade will be great. I am new to hi fi and I know I am asking for a lot lol. But still I am Looking to get my mind blown lol, looking to buy used under 800-1000 cad (500-700 usd i think)


Thanks for reading

 

[Muinarc]

Does the HD6xx not work straight out of the Mojo for you? If not, and you like the Woo, you might just go with that, or maybe you like tubes.... there's a lot to choose from in tube amps in that 800-1000 price range.

 

[cossix]

Keep the Mojo as a DAC and focus on upgrading the amp; the Mojo works outstandingly well as a DAC. I think tubes would be best for the 6xx. Perhaps the Bottlehead Crack, as it's the most popular pairing with the 600 and 650

 

[kauljp]

I want to get one that will work on a broader scale, eg with planars and hd 6xx. I think I will be upgrading the he 560 to another planar in the future or maybe the hd 800s. I just want to future proof myself and get an amp that I wont have to change once again when I upgrade my headphones. One that works well on both 6xx and planars is what I am after.
Appreciate advice.
Thanks

Btw: how does the bottlehead crack work with planars like he 560 etc??

 

[cossix]

I want to get one that will work on a broader scale, eg with planars and hd 6xx. I think I will be upgrading the he 560 to another planar in the future or maybe the hd 800s. I just want to future proof myself and get an amp that I wont have to change once again when I upgrade my headphones. One that works well on both 6xx and planars is what I am after.
Appreciate advice.
Thanks

Btw: how does the bottlehead crack work with planars like he 560 etc??

As far as I'm concerned, tube amps like the BHC work best with high impedance headphones and not so much with low impedance planars

 

[buke9]

I want to get one that will work on a broader scale, eg with planars and hd 6xx. I think I will be upgrading the he 560 to another planar in the future or maybe the hd 800s. I just want to future proof myself and get an amp that I wont have to change once again when I upgrade my headphones. One that works well on both 6xx and planars is what I am after.
Appreciate advice.
Thanks

Btw: how does the bottlehead crack work with planars like he 560 etc??

The Bottlehead Crack does not work at all with planars. The Cavalli Liquid Carbon does work well with both of them and the 800’s.

 

[NA Blur]

The reason why tube amps add to the bass for dynamic headphones, in particular ones with wildly frequency dependent impedance curves like the HD650/800, is it adds "bloom" to the bass. Planars are almost always immune to frequency dependent impedance hence they rarely receive enhanced bass when driven by tube amps.

I cannot emphasize enough in finding a tube amp like the Bottlehead Crack, Woo WA2, etc for the HD650/800. If you want more bass and some softer highs go with a tube amp. The issue with the 650 is it really sounds it's best at higher than average listening levels. The problem with that is, if like me and you like listening at lower volumes often, is the 650 will sound muffled / veiled at low volunes. It begins to lack dynamics.

The output impedance of an amp also plays a roll in controlling the bass and most tube amps have higher output impedances comped to their solid state counterparts.

I hope that helps.

 

[kauljp]

I am beginning to realize that 6xx do sound better at higher volumes but I dont enjoy that for more than a song or two, I do prefer to keep my volumes at a normal level Maybe thats why the effortlessness of the planars with reproducing a wider sound appeals to me, at least as far as I can tell lol. Keeping in mind that I am still new to this hobby. My main goal is to find an amp that will provide a significant enough upgrade in terms of sound quality for my headphones hd 6xx and he 560. While auditioning the woo audio w6 I noticed the planar sound wasnt affected much but the 6xx really came alive.
I dont think I would want to invest 800 cad for the woo audio just to play well with the 6xx as I enjoy the he 560 a lot too. I think I am going to keep mojo as my main dac for now and get an upgrade on the amp. Appreciate the advice guys

 

[buke9]

You’re going to find it hard to find a amp that will run both well at the price you want.

 

[NA Blur]

Best bet might be to admit the 6xx is not your style and change to something else like a closed planar.

 

[kauljp]

what would make more sense at this point, going for a tube amp or solid slate? at this point I dont know what type of headphone I am going to try next. I just want a better sound at the moment.

Also, I didt use the hd 6xx much until after the demo with woo a6, that just opened my ears to how good they are. I am listening to them straight outta mojo for the moment. I do like listening to them, they are differnt to the planars but worth listening to.

 

[dgindlespergerd]

As far as I'm concerned, tube amps like the BHC work best with high impedance headphones and not so much with low impedance planars

Valhalla 2 sounds great and has the low/High imp switch on the back..

 

[ahmadfaizadnan]

I love the liquid carbon with HD6XX. It was a major upgrade from valhalla 2 for me; It does amazing with LCD2.2 Pre-Fazor too.

 

[cossix]

Valhalla 2 sounds great and has the low/High imp switch on the back..

Val2 should be fine with planar but sometimes that gain switch doesn't help because the amps output impedance is still high.

 

[kauljp]

I will most likely buy a dedicated amp for planars down the road but for now I want something that plays well with both. Liquid carbon seems to be great for planars too, I think I will try and demo them and then buy.
Appreciate your help guys