DeBilbao
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 20, 2003
- Posts
- 149
- Likes
- 185
My relationship with the Sennheiser HD 650 headphones is just pure love. I've been using them for more than 20 years and though I've tried to find better alternatives and tested many brands and models, no headphone has ever made them leave my place. Lately the AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon have come very close, but the HD 650's have something special that connects with how I like to listen to music, and they've given me thousands of hours of enjoyment.
If you want to get the max out of them, Sennheiser HD 650s are demanding headphones in terms of amplification. With their 300 Ohms impedance, they are not a pair of headphones that you can use with your phone, but they don't need a nuclear power plant either. The balanced output of my HiBy R3 Pro portable player offers 210mW per channel and moves them very well, but my Rega EAR MK2 amplifier with its 28dB gain and 0.175 Ohms output impedance manages them with great authority and its lovely, analog sound has captivated me too.
The Sennheiser HD 650s are particularly well suited to tube amplfication, and make listening very pleasant. I've tried a few of them, and I have a particularly good memory of the Icon Audio HP8 MKII, but with all of them I've always had problems with electromagnetic interference sneaking into the sound, and as I really like the sound of the Rega EAR MK2 and it takes up very little space on my desk, I've always returned to that combination
In my wish list is the Bottlehead Crack, a tube amp with an OTL (Output Transformer Less) design, which always appears as a great match for the Sennheiser HD 650, but it's a DIY design, difficult to get here and it's way too big, so I've never decided get one. In my radar is also listed the DarkVoice 336SE which usually appears in Drop and is also an OTL design also with good reputation.
Recently, the manufacturer xDuoo has released their alternative with the TA-26 model, so I have contacted them to try one and I've been testing it for a while, as I did with their other tube models TA-10 and TA-30, which also incorporate a DAC. I shared my impressions here in a post for the TA-30 and another post for the TA-10 .
You have all the information about the xDuoo TA-26 on their website https://www.xduoo.net/product/ta-26/ where you can buy it for 319 USD, a price that I consider very competitive for the quality it delivers. Keep in mind that it is a heavy package and if sento to Europe, its most likely the shipment will pass through customs. In my case the transport was done by DHL Express and added 64 USD for the import, which resulted in 383 USD, which at the exchange rate is about 325 EUR, and even at that price it seems to me a very interesting purchase.
https://album.link/i/1440864756
The sweetness of tube sound demands quiet music like this Chet Baker Sings, intimacy, and even a bit of darkness, so that the magic of that warm sound has its scenario with the electrons party happening inside the vacuum tubes. It all adds up to a pleasant experience.
The version of Chet Baker's My Funny Valentine on this album is one of those that invite you to put the playback on loop and repeat it over and over again. The voice of a young Chet, controlled, tempered and delicious, accompanied simply by Russ Freeman's piano and the occasional notes of Carson Smith's bass. The sound of Chet's voice is fabulous, and this is a 1956 recording, very well mastered.
The TA-26 amp is connected to a Topping D10s DAC, enhanced with a Burson V5i opamp, and provides a very clean and less analog sound than the Rega DAC I have in my main rig.
The Topping D10s is connected to the xDuuo TA-26 with an AudioQuest Evergreen RCA cable, and to my iMac 4K with an AudioQuest Pearl USB cable. These are cables from their more basic ranges, but they are very well finished and I like them a lot. On the iMac I use Audirvana version 3.5.46 as my source, which plays both my library of FLAC files and streaming from my TIDAL Hi-Fi subscription.
As you can see in the picture, the amplifier incorporates an output that you can use to integrate it into your stereo system. That's very convenient because it acts not only as a headphone amplifier, but also performs as a tube pre-amplifier, allowing you to add that tube sound to your source.
The first thing that surprised me about this xDuoo TA-26 is the silence of the unit when powered on and connected to the source. All the tube equipment I have tested in my place has picked up some interference coming from the equipment I have nearby. Very little noticeable interference at low volume, but this static noise is annoying for the mere fact of knowing it is there.With the TA-26 I got no noise at all, even though I have a Wi-Fi access point and a cordless phone next to me.
Henri Texier's bass on Cinecitta, the opening track of his latest album Chance, is simply incredible. The timbre achieved by this setup is very realistic, with great extension, leaving the notes suspended in the air. The track continues adding layers of instruments from the quintet and Henri Texier's bass is joined by the clarinet of his son Sebastien Texier, the drumsticks of Gautier Garrigue's drums to end in a party with Manu Codjia's guitar and Vincent Le Quang's saxophone. An exquisite album that grabs you from the first note, and that xDuoo TA-26, Topping D10s and Sennheiser HD 650 masterfully resolve.
https://album.link/es/i/1495824232
https://album.link/es/i/1457278367
Live music sounds fantastic, and the Jazz, my favorite genre, dazzles. Another great album recorded in 1959 with an amazing quality is this Jazz Alive! A Night at the Half Note, which transports you to a New York club atmosphere and in which you can imagine the smoke between the tables while we are introduced to those responsible for a session full of swing that I can recommend without doubt.
Second thing that surprised me is that it dissipates heat very well, and even after hours of continuous operation, the equipment is hot but you can put your hand on it without problem. You can tell that xDuoo has taken care of the details in the design and manufacturing, as excesive heating has been an issue that I've read complaints from users of previous models.
Both the sides and the bottom have some grids that allow the dissipation of the heat it generates. On the bottom you can see that it has four rubber feet that allow it to rest on any surface without damaging it. For those who want to get their hands on the guts, you will only need a Torx 8 screwdriver, as all screws are of that metric.
The equipment mounts two tubes that I suppose of Chinese manufacture. In the rear we have a double triode valve labelled as 6N13PJ, equivalent to a 6AS7G. In Radio Museum and The Valve Museum you have detailed information about it. In 1950 there are already references to it in the RCA catalog.
On the front we have the preamp valve, another double triode that is the most responsible of the final sound. It is labelled as 6N8P, and is equivalent to the 6SN7GT, which you can read about in Radio Museum y en The Valve Museum.
I have bought a NOS valve manufactured by Melody in the 60's. Cary Audio, the legendary british manufacturer, decided to select it for their preamps, and I'll share with you my impressions, but I'm expecting to make a noticeable difference.
https://album.link/es/i/821631318
Ike Quebec's tenor sax on his famous Bossa Nova Soul Samba, combined with Kenny Burrell's guitar are a delight, which the system reproduces beautifully and invites you to dim the lights, close your eyes and let yourself be carried away to Brazil.
https://song.link/es/i/1480026455
James Taylor's popular Fire and Rain follows in my listening session, and I close my eyes as I feel his mellow voice, his guitar and the fine background arrangements. There is a string strumming in the background that is not so easy to hear and is easily missed. I try switching from the Sennheiser HD 650s to the AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon and I have to turn the volume down slightly and notice the mids are more muffled than usual, although I soon get used to the signature of these.
https://album.link/es/i/1021629166
But clearly the xDuoo TA-26 makes a much better match with my beloved Sennheiser HD 650, so I return to them and to Jazz, thanks to Patricia Barber and her album Café Blue, which I have in its MFSL edition and sounds magnificent. Patricia takes a lot of care in her recordings and it doesn't matter the album you choose, it is a guarantee of quality.
I listen to Ode to Billy Joe, which is basically her voice, finger snapping and a bass line supporting the melody.... how good it sounds! And I continue with his version of Nardis, the song composed by Miles Davis and performed so many times by Bill Evans. The timbre of the piano surprises me, it is one of the most difficult instruments to reproduce and this setup does it phenomenally.
Definition is very good, and the equipment extracts all the information from these well-recorded albums. There is no congestion at all in the sound, and there is a lot of air between instruments, which are clearly distinguisable.
xDuoo publishes on their website a total power of 500mW with a 300 Ohms load, which is just the impedance of the Sennheiser HD 650. And they also announce a gain of 16dB, 110dB signal-to-noise ratio, and a THD+N distortion of less than 0.1% at 1kHz.
To give you an idea, I can't get higher than the first quarter of the volume knob. With this headroom, I don't feel that I'm going to lack power with this set.
To make it short, I've found the xDuoo TA-26 an excellent choice to get the most out of my Sennheiser HD 650. The only drawback is its size, which is a little big on my desktop When the summer end, I'll take it to my main rig and will try the combination with my Rega DAC, I'm sure I'll be surprised.
The design seems to me the most beutiful xDuoo have made so far. The metal of the chassis is treated with a fine shot-blasting process, which makes it no longer a magnet for fingerprints, which is also an added bonus.
Volume control knob is precise, and on the front there is also a switch to turn the device on and off, which is more convenient than if it had been placed at the back.
https://album.link/es/i/1569844201
I leave you listening to Ledisi and her new album, a tribute to Nina Simone. An impressive voice and an excellent recording that I would suggest to any vocal Jazz fan.
I hope you liked the reading, I'll be back soon with the result of the tube rolling and later on with the listening experience with the Rega DAC instead of Topping D10s.
If you want to get the max out of them, Sennheiser HD 650s are demanding headphones in terms of amplification. With their 300 Ohms impedance, they are not a pair of headphones that you can use with your phone, but they don't need a nuclear power plant either. The balanced output of my HiBy R3 Pro portable player offers 210mW per channel and moves them very well, but my Rega EAR MK2 amplifier with its 28dB gain and 0.175 Ohms output impedance manages them with great authority and its lovely, analog sound has captivated me too.
The Sennheiser HD 650s are particularly well suited to tube amplfication, and make listening very pleasant. I've tried a few of them, and I have a particularly good memory of the Icon Audio HP8 MKII, but with all of them I've always had problems with electromagnetic interference sneaking into the sound, and as I really like the sound of the Rega EAR MK2 and it takes up very little space on my desk, I've always returned to that combination
In my wish list is the Bottlehead Crack, a tube amp with an OTL (Output Transformer Less) design, which always appears as a great match for the Sennheiser HD 650, but it's a DIY design, difficult to get here and it's way too big, so I've never decided get one. In my radar is also listed the DarkVoice 336SE which usually appears in Drop and is also an OTL design also with good reputation.
Recently, the manufacturer xDuoo has released their alternative with the TA-26 model, so I have contacted them to try one and I've been testing it for a while, as I did with their other tube models TA-10 and TA-30, which also incorporate a DAC. I shared my impressions here in a post for the TA-30 and another post for the TA-10 .
You have all the information about the xDuoo TA-26 on their website https://www.xduoo.net/product/ta-26/ where you can buy it for 319 USD, a price that I consider very competitive for the quality it delivers. Keep in mind that it is a heavy package and if sento to Europe, its most likely the shipment will pass through customs. In my case the transport was done by DHL Express and added 64 USD for the import, which resulted in 383 USD, which at the exchange rate is about 325 EUR, and even at that price it seems to me a very interesting purchase.
https://album.link/i/1440864756
The sweetness of tube sound demands quiet music like this Chet Baker Sings, intimacy, and even a bit of darkness, so that the magic of that warm sound has its scenario with the electrons party happening inside the vacuum tubes. It all adds up to a pleasant experience.
The version of Chet Baker's My Funny Valentine on this album is one of those that invite you to put the playback on loop and repeat it over and over again. The voice of a young Chet, controlled, tempered and delicious, accompanied simply by Russ Freeman's piano and the occasional notes of Carson Smith's bass. The sound of Chet's voice is fabulous, and this is a 1956 recording, very well mastered.
The TA-26 amp is connected to a Topping D10s DAC, enhanced with a Burson V5i opamp, and provides a very clean and less analog sound than the Rega DAC I have in my main rig.
The Topping D10s is connected to the xDuuo TA-26 with an AudioQuest Evergreen RCA cable, and to my iMac 4K with an AudioQuest Pearl USB cable. These are cables from their more basic ranges, but they are very well finished and I like them a lot. On the iMac I use Audirvana version 3.5.46 as my source, which plays both my library of FLAC files and streaming from my TIDAL Hi-Fi subscription.
As you can see in the picture, the amplifier incorporates an output that you can use to integrate it into your stereo system. That's very convenient because it acts not only as a headphone amplifier, but also performs as a tube pre-amplifier, allowing you to add that tube sound to your source.
The first thing that surprised me about this xDuoo TA-26 is the silence of the unit when powered on and connected to the source. All the tube equipment I have tested in my place has picked up some interference coming from the equipment I have nearby. Very little noticeable interference at low volume, but this static noise is annoying for the mere fact of knowing it is there.With the TA-26 I got no noise at all, even though I have a Wi-Fi access point and a cordless phone next to me.
Henri Texier's bass on Cinecitta, the opening track of his latest album Chance, is simply incredible. The timbre achieved by this setup is very realistic, with great extension, leaving the notes suspended in the air. The track continues adding layers of instruments from the quintet and Henri Texier's bass is joined by the clarinet of his son Sebastien Texier, the drumsticks of Gautier Garrigue's drums to end in a party with Manu Codjia's guitar and Vincent Le Quang's saxophone. An exquisite album that grabs you from the first note, and that xDuoo TA-26, Topping D10s and Sennheiser HD 650 masterfully resolve.
https://album.link/es/i/1495824232
https://album.link/es/i/1457278367
Live music sounds fantastic, and the Jazz, my favorite genre, dazzles. Another great album recorded in 1959 with an amazing quality is this Jazz Alive! A Night at the Half Note, which transports you to a New York club atmosphere and in which you can imagine the smoke between the tables while we are introduced to those responsible for a session full of swing that I can recommend without doubt.
Second thing that surprised me is that it dissipates heat very well, and even after hours of continuous operation, the equipment is hot but you can put your hand on it without problem. You can tell that xDuoo has taken care of the details in the design and manufacturing, as excesive heating has been an issue that I've read complaints from users of previous models.
Both the sides and the bottom have some grids that allow the dissipation of the heat it generates. On the bottom you can see that it has four rubber feet that allow it to rest on any surface without damaging it. For those who want to get their hands on the guts, you will only need a Torx 8 screwdriver, as all screws are of that metric.
The equipment mounts two tubes that I suppose of Chinese manufacture. In the rear we have a double triode valve labelled as 6N13PJ, equivalent to a 6AS7G. In Radio Museum and The Valve Museum you have detailed information about it. In 1950 there are already references to it in the RCA catalog.
On the front we have the preamp valve, another double triode that is the most responsible of the final sound. It is labelled as 6N8P, and is equivalent to the 6SN7GT, which you can read about in Radio Museum y en The Valve Museum.
I have bought a NOS valve manufactured by Melody in the 60's. Cary Audio, the legendary british manufacturer, decided to select it for their preamps, and I'll share with you my impressions, but I'm expecting to make a noticeable difference.
https://album.link/es/i/821631318
Ike Quebec's tenor sax on his famous Bossa Nova Soul Samba, combined with Kenny Burrell's guitar are a delight, which the system reproduces beautifully and invites you to dim the lights, close your eyes and let yourself be carried away to Brazil.
https://song.link/es/i/1480026455
James Taylor's popular Fire and Rain follows in my listening session, and I close my eyes as I feel his mellow voice, his guitar and the fine background arrangements. There is a string strumming in the background that is not so easy to hear and is easily missed. I try switching from the Sennheiser HD 650s to the AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon and I have to turn the volume down slightly and notice the mids are more muffled than usual, although I soon get used to the signature of these.
https://album.link/es/i/1021629166
But clearly the xDuoo TA-26 makes a much better match with my beloved Sennheiser HD 650, so I return to them and to Jazz, thanks to Patricia Barber and her album Café Blue, which I have in its MFSL edition and sounds magnificent. Patricia takes a lot of care in her recordings and it doesn't matter the album you choose, it is a guarantee of quality.
I listen to Ode to Billy Joe, which is basically her voice, finger snapping and a bass line supporting the melody.... how good it sounds! And I continue with his version of Nardis, the song composed by Miles Davis and performed so many times by Bill Evans. The timbre of the piano surprises me, it is one of the most difficult instruments to reproduce and this setup does it phenomenally.
Definition is very good, and the equipment extracts all the information from these well-recorded albums. There is no congestion at all in the sound, and there is a lot of air between instruments, which are clearly distinguisable.
xDuoo publishes on their website a total power of 500mW with a 300 Ohms load, which is just the impedance of the Sennheiser HD 650. And they also announce a gain of 16dB, 110dB signal-to-noise ratio, and a THD+N distortion of less than 0.1% at 1kHz.
To give you an idea, I can't get higher than the first quarter of the volume knob. With this headroom, I don't feel that I'm going to lack power with this set.
To make it short, I've found the xDuoo TA-26 an excellent choice to get the most out of my Sennheiser HD 650. The only drawback is its size, which is a little big on my desktop When the summer end, I'll take it to my main rig and will try the combination with my Rega DAC, I'm sure I'll be surprised.
The design seems to me the most beutiful xDuoo have made so far. The metal of the chassis is treated with a fine shot-blasting process, which makes it no longer a magnet for fingerprints, which is also an added bonus.
Volume control knob is precise, and on the front there is also a switch to turn the device on and off, which is more convenient than if it had been placed at the back.
https://album.link/es/i/1569844201
I leave you listening to Ledisi and her new album, a tribute to Nina Simone. An impressive voice and an excellent recording that I would suggest to any vocal Jazz fan.
I hope you liked the reading, I'll be back soon with the result of the tube rolling and later on with the listening experience with the Rega DAC instead of Topping D10s.