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Jhoow
3
Aug 1, 2020
I would like to know if these headphones are good for those who still don't have any audio monitoring and want to purchase one to have a good monitoring response for music production
Michael-Q
243
Aug 2, 2020
JhoowBy audio monitoring do you mean like a headphone amp? It's not super hard to drive in terms of dB spl / volt and dB spl / mW but I would recommend an amp with this one.
(Edited)
Jhoow
3
Aug 2, 2020
Michael-QYes, I will buy a Scarlett 4i4 (3rd Gen) to use with HD6xx, it will be a good combination, what do you think?
JhoowYes, this headphone was designed for music production first, mainstream consumers second. The HD 6XX has been around since the early 2000’s as the Sennheiser HD 650. It was designed to sound neutral and natural except with a small decrease in fundamental highs: small enough for your brain to get used to and still make accurate mixing decisions, but decreased enough to prevent hearing stress and fatigue for professionals who have to listen for a full workday. I still recommend occasional breaks to reduce stress on your ears and to hear details clearly. The higher impedance will also do a nice job of dampening electrical noise, and provide a clean and clear sound. I’m not sure the Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 has enough power to present the same sound a music consumer with a more powerful amp would hear, and it won’t present the full capabilities of the HD 6XX. I expect it would be loud enough for safe listening levels, but you will hear some volume compression and weaker lows, but you may feel this is bad or okay. The 4i4 is a bus powered device, and due to the power limitations of USB, such devices don’t supply much power. The HD 650 has a SPL Sensitivity of about 101 or 100 dB (every 6 dB requires twice as much power), and an impedance of 300 Ω, both factors are two sides of a triangle needed to determine how much volume you will get out of an amp with a certain amount of power output (W). Focusrite says they feel the Scarlett series can power headphones up to 250 Ω, but I don’t see how much Watts it can actually deliver at 250 Ω or 300 Ω. This is what Focusrite has to say on the matter: https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/210708269-What-impedance-headphones-should-I-use-with-my-audio-interface- While the HD 6XX has a higher fidelity driver and I would recommend using a better amplifier (like the Focusrite Clarett or Red, or connecting a more powerful amp inbetween the Scarlett’s headphone jack and HD 6XX), another option is to consider the HD 58X Jubilee. It’s fidelity performance is lower, just between the HD 6XX and less expensive headphones, but the Drop x Sennheiser HD 58X has a similar timbre, the same enclosure, a bit more of the foundational lowest notes (like an open E string on a 4-string bass guitar), and only a 150 Ω impedance and higher 104 dB sensitivity.
EvshrugJust an additional note, if you didn’t know: both the HD 6XX and HD 58X jubilee have open-backed earcups and don’t block sound at all. This helps them sound better, but it also lets a little sound emit out, and you will be able to hear musicians playing in front of you. Whatever you do, don’t listen too loud and end your production career too soon due to hearing damage! I wish you well and the best of health and success!
Jhoow
3
Aug 3, 2020
EvshrugCould you please tell me some DACs to use with the HD6xx? because I will purchase it to use with the 6xx, I still don't have any dac
Jhoow
3
Aug 3, 2020
EvshrugI would like a dac close to $ 200 to buy and be happy with the HD6xx
Michael-Q
243
Aug 3, 2020
JhoowBy dac do you mean dac and amp? If you just want a dac the grace standard dac here on drop or the topping E30. I'm not to familiar with dac/amp combos but the Topping dx3 pro might work alight. The O2/standard dac sounds very promising but I'd be worried about quality. Evshrug might have better recommendations.
Jhoow
3
Aug 3, 2020
Michael-QYes, I want something of quality too, when I talk about DAC, I am referring to a versatile device, to plug a headphone, reference monitors, midi keyboard, input for instruments and mics .. these things, you know? I am purchasing my first audio equipment now and I intend to set up a home studio.
Michael-Q
243
Aug 3, 2020
JhoowYou honestly probably know more than I do for that. An option if you think the headphone output isn't good enough (after trying it) is to buy a separate headphone amp fed from say the Scarlett 4i4 headphone jack. The hard part about those devices is they never really talk about the performance of the headphone amp section. So you depend more on word of mouth.
(Edited)
JhoowIt seems like you aren’t really looking for a stand-alone DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), but actually an audio interface. I would say Focusrite is a good brand. If you need all those connections for instruments 🎸 and mics 🎙, and you can’t afford a Focusrite Clarett or Focusrite Red, then you should probably stick with the Focusrite Scarlett you were looking at. If you get an HD 6XX, I would recommend also getting a Cavalli Liquid Spark amplifier from Monoprice.com for $100. You would plug the HD 6XX into the Spark, then the Spark into the Scarlett’s headphone jack. Keep in mind that some people can spend thousands on a DAC/amp for the HD 6XX and still enjoy improvements. If you can’t afford the Scarlett and the Liquid Spark at the same time, just get the Scarlett and Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee, or if you need a closed headphone to block sound, get a Sennheiser HD 280 Pro or HD 300 Pro.
(Edited)
Michael-QSome Topping dac/amps sound great, but I’ve heard some that sound really weird and make the headphones sound “wrong.” I don’t remember which ones were the good ones, so I just feel like the brand is hit or miss. They’re certainly capable of great sound, so I’d believe you if you say the one you own is great. The support.focusrite.com link I posted above gave the best clues I saw about performance with headphones. It seems like they were clearly thinking of Beyerdynamic’s 250 Ω headphones when they were writing that article... the HD 6XX might be ok, but like you said they didn’t actually provide the Watt output (@1kHz) with a headphone of 300 Ω (or even 250 Ω so we could have an idea how much “headroom” it would have). Thanks for your contributions! I feel like we answered his question, hope he enjoys his decision!
Jhoow
3
Aug 4, 2020
EvshrugFirst I want to thank you for the help you are giving me and also to apologize for so many doubts. About "Cavalli Liquid Spark" it seems like a good amp, as you mentioned, I will have to connect HD6xx to Spark and then connect it to Scarlett .. I just wanted to know if with Spark comes the converter cable from "RCA" to "TRS" or would I have to buy separately also to connect Spark at Scarlett? or if you have any other way to connect them? And also with all these connections will generate a lot of latency in the signal? And does Spark generate a lot of distortion? or would it be nice to hear with hd6xx making these "HD6xx + Spark + Scarlett" interconnections?
Michael-Q
243
Aug 4, 2020
JhoowI don't think it does but monoprice does sell inexpensive cables. I'd guess trs to rca cable will cost under $2. I'd avoid their premium cables as they're hard to bend. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=9768 or https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=30900 two examples. Sadly I'd get the more expansive one (because it is shorter)- odder still is the 1.5ft version is more expansive than the 3ft version of the same cable model - I'd prefer the short cable. They used to have really cheap cables. You might also need a 3.5mm to 1/4in adapter as I don't know the plug size on the scarlett. There really isn't latency for analog to analog type stuff. There is buts it's in the microseconds (0. 000 001 s) scale. If you experience lag it'd be from your audio interface not the amp. I'd like to think there wouldn't be any audible distortion - at least not generated by the amp. If you loop the cables between the amp and Scarlett near say a computer fan you'll hear a buzz. That's a reason why I'd keep that cable short.
(Edited)
Jhoow
3
Aug 5, 2020
Michael-QAn amplifier was not in my plans but I will have to purchase it to hear the best that the HD6xx can offer me! Thank you so much Michael-Q and Evshrug for helping me, I am really grateful for your help.
Jhoow
3
Aug 18, 2020
Evshrugcan you tell me how can i connect the amplifier to the audio interface? in this case the amplifier I researched and am about to buy is the ARCHEL 2.5 PRO, and the interface is the Scarlett 4i4 3Gen as I mentioned earlier .. I am in doubt because I believe that there are two ways to connect Archel to scarlett, the first would be a dual xlr to 1/4 cable, connecting the xlr to the amplifier and the 1/4 to the scarlett headphone jack. The second way would be a double rca cable for 1/4 (mono) double, where the rca's I would connect to Archel and the two 1/4 ends I would connect to scarlett's outputs, but I don't know which would be the best way, it could help me to take this doubt please ?, thank you!
JhoowI have honestly never heard of the ARCHEL 2.5 before now. You can use either the XLR or Headphone out on the Scarlett. Ideally, you would use the line output of the scarlet’s XLR outputs to the ARCHEL 2.5’s XLR input, because a “line out” or Direct Out should bypass the potentiometer (volume control component) for a more pure signal. However, the Scarlet’s “Direct Monitor” button may allow you to use the 1/4” (6.5mm) headphone out jack while still bypassing the potentiometer, and you may even decide not to bypass it anyway for the sake of more volume control. I don’t think it matters too much what input you use on the ARCHEL amp. The ARCHEL probably isn’t balanced at the gain stage so it might not make much difference if you use the RCA, XLR, or mini-jack input of the amp. The dual-mono setup sounds awfully complicated for negligible benefit... just use well shielded cables, as short as you feasibly can in your setup. **TL;DR** Line out -> amp = theoretically best headphone out -> amp = probably ok, might help if you felt like line-out didn’t give you enough volume control.
(Edited)
Jhoow
3
Aug 19, 2020
EvshrugThe Archel amplifier has balanced inputs, has two xlr and rca connections
JhoowRight, I looked it up while writing my post. My general advice is still the same, though I clarified a few points. This is starting to feel like work! I’m not saying that it is an immediate demerit to the product that a few hype-content-makers have the top Google results, but let’s just say I’m skeptical that it beats the current cream of the crop for less money. Although it will be your first headphone amp, I would be interested to read your impressions on what it does for the sound, especially since I assume you’ve spent a fair amount of time listening to live music.
(Edited)
RayF
22206
Oct 11, 2020
Jhoow Do you have a Mac? Asking because I once read: “If you have a Mac, you don’t need a DAC” And if that wasn’t so, they couldn’t say on MD.
RayFMost laptop and desktop manufactures spend almost nothing on their audio components. Apple is one of the few companies that spends a little bit more on higher quality DAC/amp components (LG smartphones are above average too), but by no means have they achieved the pinnacle of hi-fi reproduction.
(Edited)
RayF
22206
Oct 11, 2020
RayFYou should make that photo your avatar, it basically sums up your entire posting history on Drop.
RayF
22206
Oct 12, 2020
Evshrug The infamous "If you have a Mac, you don't need a DAC" thread is a favorite example of the classic decent into madness, that given enough time, most MD Audiophile conversations eventually succumb to. I like to toss it out every now and then as a warning sign, and to interject a little levity into the community voted most likely to take themselves too seriously. Pretty sure if you weren't doing the latter, you would have appreciated the former ;- )
Michael-Q
243
Oct 13, 2020
RayFJhoow wanted an audio interface (not just a headphone jack). Evshrug was merely giving Jhoow detailed explanations to specific questions that was asked. I don't think this thread in particular went off the deep end. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/gigabyte-z390-aorus-motherboard-audio-review.13083/ TL/DR is that the mother board claims 125dB SNR (god tier if true) but only gets around 100dB dynamic range. Which for the most part is good enough. The terrible specs of the motherboard is the 78 ohm output impedance and a mere 7mW into 32 ohms output power. Getting at least an amp will greatly improve things. The claim is apple does much better. I suppose it is possible apple does well enough as the amplifier was the only real issue with the gigabyte mb. It'd be nice if someone posted how the apple product actually measures to avoid any hearsay in the argument.
(Edited)
RayF
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RayF
22206
Oct 13, 2020
Evshrug Sorry pal, our's come with better specs (sound quality and resolution) and zero canned facebook memes--not to mention unlimited time ;- )
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(Edited)
RayFSo wait, you DO like Apple? And this answers the OP’s question of “Is the HD 6XX good for monitoring music production?”
RayF
22206
Oct 13, 2020
Evshrug Of course I like Apple and the headphones are fine for monitoring music production (right on your new 16" MacBook Pro)
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RayF
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RayF
22206
Oct 13, 2020
Evshrug
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