I scooped up pair of these babies while travelling in the US a few months ago. I listened to them immediately after purchasing. I wasn?t expecting much from a performance point of view because my only source at the time was my HP laptop playing 320kbps MP3s and also given the general view that one needs a dedicated amplifier to get the best out of them. Nevertheless, what I heard was astonishingly impressive and easily one of the best reproductions of music I have ever heard. I mused at how much better they would perform with a better source and dedicated amplifier. I went for broke and immediately purchased a Fubar IV Plus DAC/headphone amp. I wasn?t able to listen to the entire setup until I got back home.
After returning back home, I eagerly hooked up the headphones to the DAC/amp using an Oppo BD-P83 as the source via its coaxial digital output. What a disappointment!!! The Sennheisers sounded nothing like what I heard from them when had them hooked up to my laptop. I subsequently tried all sorts of set-up permutations with my existing AV and stereo setups (all with and without the headphone amp) but never attained the same level of performance as I did through the laptop. In fact, on anything other than the laptop, the HD600 did not sound all that different from the HD515?s I?ve owned for a couple of years.
As it is now, I only use the HD600 connected directly to my laptop. Besides increasing the gain, the amp does not seem to have any audible effect on the sound when used with the laptop. I?ve read a lot of reviews on these headphones and was surprised at the diversity of opinion on their performance ? from ?dull, reserved, boring? to ?forward and bright?. Admittedly people?s perceptions of sound will differ from person to person, but I was amazed by how the HD600?s sounded so different when used on different equipment. Had I not listened to them on my laptop I could have very well been thoroughly disappointed with them, especially given how much they cost.
I have since sold the Fubar amp and continue to enjoy the HD600 on my laptop.
After returning back home, I eagerly hooked up the headphones to the DAC/amp using an Oppo BD-P83 as the source via its coaxial digital output. What a disappointment!!! The Sennheisers sounded nothing like what I heard from them when had them hooked up to my laptop. I subsequently tried all sorts of set-up permutations with my existing AV and stereo setups (all with and without the headphone amp) but never attained the same level of performance as I did through the laptop. In fact, on anything other than the laptop, the HD600 did not sound all that different from the HD515?s I?ve owned for a couple of years.
As it is now, I only use the HD600 connected directly to my laptop. Besides increasing the gain, the amp does not seem to have any audible effect on the sound when used with the laptop. I?ve read a lot of reviews on these headphones and was surprised at the diversity of opinion on their performance ? from ?dull, reserved, boring? to ?forward and bright?. Admittedly people?s perceptions of sound will differ from person to person, but I was amazed by how the HD600?s sounded so different when used on different equipment. Had I not listened to them on my laptop I could have very well been thoroughly disappointed with them, especially given how much they cost.
I have since sold the Fubar amp and continue to enjoy the HD600 on my laptop.
