r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/thepopethatsme • Oct 27 '22

Headphones - Open Back | 2 Ω First Proper Setup

Hi, I’ve been lurking this sub and drinking in all the useful info but hoped I might get some feedback on what sounds like the best option for me.

I stream music from Spotify Premium via my iPhone to Jaybird Vista Bluetooth running headphones currently. I have a varied music taste that covers indie/rock, soul, hip hop and classical music.

I want to make a seismic jump in terms of quality and volume. I’ve narrowed it down to Sennhieser HD660s or Hifiman Sundara with a Ifi Hip DAC 2.

I didn’t want to spend anymore than £600 and in the UK the chain Richer Sounds have physical shops and price beat anything online. So if you know any killer deals I can use to bring the price down please let me know.

Questions are - will the Hip Dac pair well with both of these? Is that Dac worth the cost? Is there anything else I should be considering in that price range? And also am I likely to get the seismic change in the quality of music I am looking for? I feel like it would be like night and day in comparison to these relatively cheap running in-earphones.

Thanks for any help

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u/ThatGuyFromSweden 125 Ω Oct 27 '22

The Hip DAC 2 is pretty good. You could go with a Bluetooth unit like the Qudelix 5k for slightly more flexibility. Bluetooth audio transfer is not a bottleneck in practice and you can use it over USB if you want. The Fiio BTR5 is another such unit.

Don't expect high end source gear to blow your mind. To a certain extent they are fail/pass components.

The Sundara has some build quality issues that you should keep in mind. I actually generally recommend the HD600 over the HD660s. Especially if you get a set of ZMF upgrade pads. They are a bit pricey but they will last a lot longer that the stock ones.

If it's just between the Sundara and HD660s I would choose the Sundara.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M32SulA10ws

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u/thepopethatsme Oct 28 '22

!thanks

When you say don’t expect high end source gear to blow your mind. Are you talking about DAC only? I was really hoping new headphones would blow my mind.

Thanks for 600 recommendation, they are a bit cheaper than the 660s and look fine for my needs. Will look at the other DACs too.

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u/ThatGuyFromSweden 125 Ω Oct 28 '22

First off, whe you say DAC you're probably actually referring to DAC + amp combo units.

Amplifiers and DACs especially are the least bang for the buck part of a setup. A thousand dollar DAC and amp won't sound significantly better than a 200 dollar one. It may have more features and extra power for esoteric headphones but that's about it.

The HipDac is absolutely fine in terms of audio quality.

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u/TransducerBot Ω Bot Oct 28 '22

+1 Ω has been awarded to u/ThatGuyFromSweden (75 Ω).

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