Sennheiser HD600 needs an AMP - Which one? Suggestions needed

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howie

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I have the Senn HD600 and feel I need an amp, especially after all the reviews I've read on them.

I've done some checking into the following:
Creek OBH11
Antique Soundlab MG-Head DT
Corda HA-1
Morgan Jones Mini Tube Headphone Amplifier

My budget is no more than about $400. I listen to all types of music. Would one of these puppies be better suited for the HD600's?

I am swaying towards the Antique Soundlabs MG-Head DT. Any one have any more suggestions or recommendations? Are there any newer models to consider?

Thanks.

Howard Jack
 
High quality headphone preamps are kind of an esoteric piece - usually people buy them when they've invested in Grados or some other type of really expensive ($1000+) electro-static headphone.

Personally, I don't have any knowledge in this area, and I would guess that very few on this site would be able to give you a good answer (Harvey and a few others would be the exception) - but you might want to try a site where some top mastering engineers hang out, something like recording.org or RAP.

Good luck.
 
I have 2 pairs of the 580s which the 600s replace and I can give you several ideas. The top of my list would be anything by Headroom. Go find their website. They have a circuitry that makes them sound more like speakers in that they don't have that "sealed in your ears" sort of imaging. Their website explains it and it really works. It's a product I was turned on to by Stereophile magazine. I'm somewhat of an audiophile (expensive-ass turntable, 5000 albums, that sort of weird guy :) ).
The Headroom stuff starts around $150 and goes on up. You'd probably want the Supreme or the Cosmic. They have a full line and upgrades are available later on.
Also Grado makes a nice battery-powered headphone amp for about $350. It's gotten rave reviews in the Audio press.
The Creek's supposed to be ok but not as good as the other two. The antique soundlabs might be pretty good but I haven't seen a review on it. McCormick also had a unit at the top-end of your price range that got very good reviews.
One thing for sure.....those are some first rate, flat, detailed headphones. When you get a good amp, (not the afterthought op-amps that come in the gear we use) you're gonna wonder how you got along without it. ;)
 
There's a review of the Grace 901 in this month's Pro Audio Review by Tom Jung. You may want to check it out.
 
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