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Thanks! That is exactly what I needed to know.
Does anyone know how much money you have to throw in to electronics to hear this fabled hd600 scaling?
Have a Ares 2 dac and Flux FA-12 amp. Are they up to the task or do I need to blow $1k on a tube amp? Would a simple Schiit Vali give me what I want?
I was thinking of dipping my toes in to a tube amps to see if thatâs the direction I want to build my speaker system towards, but the thought of ever having to replace or tweak tubes sounds like a chore and added expense.
I wonder if this WaveTheory review will be relevant. He goes into a fair amount of detail towards the end on the minimum chain to make the HD 650 come alive. Iâd think it would apply to the HD 600 as well.
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Thank you.
600 sounds better on the kit BHCs amp than on the well more expensive Ragnarok 1 and Bryston.
I never heard a veil on the 600. The 650 certainly is.
Cheapest great tube amp for the 600 is the DIY BHCs. Probably under $600 these days. Wonât run speakers or planars, but 300-600 ohm cans? All of them.
A Little Dot MKII will power 600 ohm sets 
I disagree with that. But we all have different preferences soâŠ
Interesting. I have a 5 yr old Rag 1 that I used for 1k + hours with the 600, also a Gumby DAC, after I finished my BHCs build, and put 100 hrs on it, it blasted my Rag 1 in every way but very damped bass. Interesting the 600 drops off starting at 85 Hz and is -5 db at 50 Hz and -10 db at 35 db. On the BHCs its -1.5 at 50 and -3 at 35 Hz. Bear in mind that the Rag 1 produces 3x the watts at 300 ohms over the BHCs but totally lacks the authority it has on the HE-6.
As for the Bryston, borrowed it 3 times for about 60 hrs - 15 when comparing it with the BHCs. Same as above, BHCs toasteed it on the 600.
Donât agree, but nice to hear other voices, thanks.
I can totally see how a BHC can be more preferable. There are things I liked about it that I havenât heard in another amp. Specifically the texture of the mids - so freaking awesome. The Bryston on the other hand has more separation, better micro detail and in general better technicalities. For me the more âaudiophileâ sound wins over the more âromanticâ sound. Never heard the Rag. So yeah - preferences.
A $99 Schiit Magni 3. Not the new one the 3+âŠthe OG 3âŠ
It rocks my real HD 650s not the Drop 6XX
It rocks my real HD 600s as well.
I have the BH crack, BH Mainline as wellâŠyes the BH crack is awesome but not anymore awesome that this ridiculous $99 old SS amp from SchiitâŠ
I listened with it today for 4 hours and was shocked at how well it works with these cans on high gain.
Bass is awesome. TightâŠLive Tom Petty soundstage super!
Absolutely ridiculous, but I will take it any dayâŠdac is Soekris 2541 at present.
Most any tube amp non-otl like the crack will work well with the hd6xx seriesâŠmade for 120 ohms or higher for best efficiencyâŠfairly low power amps. The cost of a BH crack has risen quite alot with all this supply train stuffâŠI was shocked at the new prices for it and the Mainline. Sign of the times.
Bottom line is you dont have to spend alot for excellent performance with these cansâŠif your honest and objective!! lol!!
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Another STELLAR pairing IMO is the PassLabs ACP +. A DIY CLASS A kit for only $199. Almost 2 watts.
Its another magical pairing with the HD 6xx series.
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Yes the BHCs is for romance - but strangely it fills in the bass from 80-35 Hz w.o any real flubbiness (which I hate). It also give them a much better soundstage than ANY SS amp. 5 distinct sections, big middle fill, far left/right, mid left/right. Name me a SS amp that does better than 3 blobs.
The Rag is a Class A (to 4 watts) integrated amp which puts out 100 wpc to 4 ohms and 16 to 50 ohms. At gain 1 the purity is notable, but, it lacks drive at the bottom and top (like no drive section in the pre-amp. Gain 3 is for speakers that have less than 90 db efficiency. Gain 2 is the gem. The drive is back and most headphones do not need more than 4 watts - so all Class A. Clean, sometimes with poorly recorded music they get a bit dry on top. Bass is really good - less than the Bryston - but that amp is overblown in the bass IMO.
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I owned amps designed by Pass from 1980 to 2016. The best overall. I have not heard the 600 with any Pass, so Iâll take them out of consideration since Passâs can do great things.
Memory lane: Threshold Stasis 3, Pass Aleph 3, Pass Aleph 5, Pass P, Pass Ono, Pass X150 x 2.
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Canât imagine the baby Schiit can fill in the bass from 85-35Hz and move off the 3 blob imaging I hear from every SS amp I ever heard on the 600. My BHCs (with $500 upgrades) gives 5 distinct widely spaced parts of the soundstage which fit nicely together.
But if you say so. Iâll try to locate one.
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With Crack the 3 blobs are certainly more filled in for me. As in, theyâre still there but not as separate - there was âfillingâ in between them.
Yup I know what the Rag is, just never heard it.
The BHA-1 out of the box is too much of a brute. Itâs a different amp with the gain mod (12db gain reduction).
You cant loose much by trying they probably are around for $50 or soâŠ
Its the only Schiit amp I have kept for so longâŠ
But dont trust meâŠlisten with your ears. For u it may not be as good as it is here for me!
:>)
I dont want to derail the thread but would like to know what u spent $500 on in your crackâŠ
Alex