Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones Discussions | Drop

Jun 25, 2019

infinatefail6XX is not really suitable for gaming because it has narrow soundstage, poor imaging but good enough and lack viseral ass impact espcially in the sub area. Treble ressed which is important for positioning audio for gunshots for instance. Your motherboard has enough power but it sound dull.

Jun 25, 2019

infinatefailI would try it out first before making a judgement and buying an external dac and amp. Different people have different experiences. I have seen people say that their motherboards and phones provide enough power, but in my experience, my phone and motherboard just weren't loud enough. This especially became a big problem when I listen to older tracks that have bad mastering/ are much quieter than more modern music. So yeah, since you've already ordered these, give then a try with your motherboard first, then make decide if you need an amp. As for gaming, these are just meh. nick_t said all that there is to say about the gaming experience. You can make them work, but when you compare it to something with a wider soundstage, it doesn't really feel as good. I've played rainbow six siege with them, and yes, I can figure out direction and what not, but on some of the jank/ bad maps or maps that just have trash sound design, it can get a bit confusing.

infinatefail

Jun 25, 2019

dwang040So what budget amp would you suggest with these then? My comp is mostly up to date including my motherboard. Would a sound card or something like that work? Im very new to all of this, and have not spent anything over 60 bucks on headphones before, sorry for the inconvenience.

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Jun 25, 2019

infinatefailThis is my experience and what I've found to be a good solution. I would personally suggest getting an external amp. With the amp, just use a 3.5 male to 2 RCA plug to connect it from the audio out on the mobo to the amp. A PCIe sound card can work, but I personally don't like it. A sound card is a valid option. I know Asus makes one that can handle headphones of 300 ohms and even 500 ohms. However, the inside of your pc case if filled with electrical interference. That noise is easily picked up by a dac and that can make it's way into your game audio leading to undesirable buzzing noises. Sound cards can be well designed and isolated to help prevent those issues, but I just prefer to play it safe vs buying a sound card only to learn that it wasn't shielded properly. With the 6XX, being 300 ohms, I think a wall powered amp would be the best and for that, I recommend the JDS Atom. It's $99 and for that price bracket, it can't be beat. Some alternatives are the Schitt Magni 3 or the Monoprice Liquid Spark. There are USB powered amps available for similar prices, but I find them to be lacking in power and older songs are just too quiet for my ears(ex: Nuforce uDac 3). I mentioned the dac which is really optional. Again, I believe that the dac is the last thing you should upgrade and your motherboard dac will probably be good enough. I would only recommend buying an external dac if you suffer from similar issues like me where electrical noise is getting picked up. If you want some recommended dacs, Topping makes really good budget Dacs. The Topping D10 comes to mind ($80). Another good option is the Khadas Tone Board ($100) but it's just a pcb so you'll have to 3d print a case or something. Final thing, there are also Dac/amp combos. A really good one is the Topping DX3 ($220). So if you wanted to get both a Dac and an amp, but wanted it to be all crammed into one solution and not deal with extra cables, then this would be a good solution for that.

(Edited)

Jun 27, 2019

dwang040Its 300 ohms, friend

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Jun 27, 2019

nick_tYes that is correct. Idk why I keep saying 200. Probably cause it's $200 (used to be) and I'm stupid so I mix up the numbers.

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WizBornstrong

Jul 2, 2019

nick_tI do not agree nick_t. You just need to power them properly with proper equipment. Its true what you said but its not THAT bad as you said it :)

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Jul 2, 2019

WizBornstrongSorry what did I say ?

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WizBornstrong

Jul 2, 2019

nick_ti thought you were referring to them like default straight bad. they will sound like that with motherboard only. thats what i thought. sorry if i misunderstood.

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Jul 2, 2019

WizBornstrongWell, to be honest I dont remember asking you a question.

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Jul 2, 2019

dwang040Have you tried pairing the mayflower arc amp/dac combo with the HD 6XX ?

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Jul 2, 2019

WizBornstrongThanks for calling me a dick !

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Jul 3, 2019

nick_tNo, I am using a Khadas tone board and JDS Atom to power the 6XX

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Jul 3, 2019

dwang040Isnt the JDS atom is also the NWAG ? Shouldnt the JDS Atom sounds similar to the maflower o2 odac ?

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Jul 3, 2019

infinatefailBut if you use this for music, prepare to get your world shaken if you can feed them with powerful and quality dacs

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Jul 3, 2019

nick_tIt similar, but slightly better since the internals are updated. Also, what is the comment reference? I've already had these headphones for like 2 years xd. I've also owned and heard some other great audio gear so not sure if shaken is the right term.

(Edited)

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Jul 3, 2019

dwang040Which is better than ? I got the arc for the sake of bass boost

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Jul 3, 2019

nick_tThe jds atomis better than the o2 amp (nwavguy and massdrop version).

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Jul 3, 2019

dwang040How can this be ? What about the mayflower version ? They all using the same circuit board.

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Jul 4, 2019

nick_tNo, don't get confused with the amps. There are (as far as I'm aware and correct me if anything I say is wrong since I don't follow the branding/ circuitry of the boards) 3 brands selling the o2 amp. Mayflower, JDS, and Drop (all are more or less identical). However, JDS has worked on another amp, the JDS Atom. It's supposed to be similar to the o2 (good quality but at a low price) however, because it's newer and redesigned, it's able to get slightly better specifications than the o2 design can. Is any of those audible? I doubt it tbh since the o2 was already very good.

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Jul 6, 2019

dwang040There are more brands selling the O2 amp/dac combo it may seems. In terms of branding/circuitry of the boards, have no idea as well as I thought they are more alike the same. Can you say that JDS Atom is better than the mayflower arc ? If you asked me, there are no other desktop amp/dac combo has the bass boost feature that I so desired at that price point. And by the way, do you think the O2 amp/dac combo can compete to high end amp/dac, because I dont belive the hype. But I do admit they do sound better than some higher ends ones but implying that you do not need high end amp and dac, its such nonsense as better sounding and end game audio amp or dac. What do you think ?

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Jul 6, 2019

nick_tI'm really confused as to what the argument is at this point... We're not really comparing the mayflower arc since that's a whole different amp what I've been discussing. You asked if the atom was the same as the o2, which I then told you it isn't. Compared to the o2 (mayflower, drop, jds), the atom is better. There isn't a subjective opinion on that. Look at the measurements provided by both units (o2 vs atom) and you'll see for yourself. As I've said before, the atom is a redesigned amp that was set out to do what the o2 did, but better. As for the mayflower arc, I don't know since I've never used it or looked it up. Judging by your response, it would be subjective since it seems as if the arc colors the audio. So whether or not you like audio coloring or not is up to you. For me, I prefer no coloring, so I might prefer the atom over the arc. For you, you want that bass boost so you may like the arc more. Color is preference based. Can the o2 compete with higher end audio gear? Well, it does well against high audio gear, but, as I've been saying earlier, the atom has outclassed the o2 amp. I also want to point I personally don't recommend the o2 combo offered here. People have reported that the internals are poorly put together. Anyways, the atom, for a fact, does compete very well against high end amps again, proven by the measurements. In my opinion, many amps like it are reaching a point where there specs are so amazing, that there really isn't an audible difference.

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Jul 7, 2019

dwang040Well the argument was to compare the arc and other O2 dac including the JDS lab atom. But also whether the JDS lab atom is the same circuitry and similar sounding as the O2 amp/dac. As you said you have never seen or looked it up, how can you assume the arc colors the audio ? As stated by Tyler and Mayflower site, "the arc is a powerful headphone amplifier, ultra-clean DAC, neutral " so it should not be colored as you suggested. However, to my ears they are bit colored and they influence the sound. For instance, analytical and detailed flat highs became recessed and smoother frequency response if hook with the arc. But I still considered them to be neutral but they are not the cleanest sound and very influential sounding to me. So, you are right, somewhat colored but somewhat neutral as well. Just so you know I prefer uncolored sound just as you. If its colored then it depends. As there are no subjective opinion on that, I might regret not getting one or do proper research on it at first but no regret at the same time because its an entry level and I like bass boost. Microphone in line is also a nice feature for streaming. In another words, the arc is mostly for people that want quality audio for computing such as editing or gaming, especially people who comes from on board sound. I could be wrong though in your opinion. Have already my uptake on the arc sounding. What about the JDS lab atom ? I really like the design of that amp/dac combo by the way.

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Jul 7, 2019

nick_tThe main comment I was referring to was when you asked if I had the arc and then you asked whether or not the o2 was the same as the Atom and which one of the two was better. And for that, no, I do not have the arc and between the JDS Atom or the O2, the Atom is better (look up the comparison and measurments of the two amps on AudioScienceReview). Anyways, going back to your comments. As I've already mentioned multiple times, no, the Atom IS NOT the same circuitry as the many various o2 versions out there (Mayflower, JDS, Drop). The atom is different to the o2. HOWEVER, they are more or less similar in that they are low priced while giving good performance. Again, as shown in the AudioScienceReview test results, the numbers provided by the Atom are better than the o2. However, as stated before, I do not think that these slightly better specs will really change how the music sounds. Aka, if you did an A/B/X test between the Atom and the o2, I really don't think one could really tell them apart. What about the arc? I don't know. I've never used it, I've never seen it. I only stated the arc was colored because you said you preferred it for the bass boost. Maybe I misread but I interpreted that as the arc was designed to give a boost in the lows which is why I said what I said. Maybe you meant it had a bass boost option, if that's the case, then that's different than an amp automatically coloring the sound. The added bass could definitely help in gaming (specifically where there are lots of explosions and low end sounds). I've been using the JDS Atom for, roughly almost year now? I enjoy it. When I bought my amp, I wanted an amp that was flat, low output impedence (I have fairly sensitive iem), and was also cheap. The atom fit that. I also play games, and I have no complaints with it. Sure, I don't have much to compare to, but as of right now, I'm perfectly find with my setup. Truth is, I almost bought the o2 but again, for the same price (even is sonic qualities are probably the same) why not get the one that's slightly better. As for dac/amp combos. They're great. The jumbled mess of cables is a bit of a nuisance. However, I personally think that the Topping Mx3 outshines the o2. If you'd like to read more about some suggestions I received, here was the thread I created. I asked about the o2 combo and instead, I was recommended other options as it was believed to be better: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sdac-o2-a-good-budget-choice.6147/

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Jul 7, 2019

dwang040Do you have any other JDS labs amp or dac? I was thinking of getting the JDS Subjective 3 as a collection to my mayflower arc for colouration pre amp. The by pass mode probably will acheive the same audio performance as the JDS Lab O2 Odac, currently waiting for respond by JDS Labs people themselves. They have many amp and dac not sure which one is better. The truth is we only know and can confidently argue if we able to hear it and evaluate with our own sense of judgement. Referring to my comment on my arc, its a neutral sound but very influential sound. To my ears, it somewhat changes the characteristic of the sound, not coloured. I wish you could hear it and do comparison with the JDS Lab Atom. If I got a chance, I would like to join your thread regarding the O2 Odac thread.

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Jul 7, 2019

dwang040Also, I forgot. Can you try to describe the sound of the 6XX + JDS Lab O2 Odac in your perception. No reason but just for fun comparing to my 6XX + Arc Combo. Will tell you soon.

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