earwicker7

Thanks!!! You cleared it up for me; I was thinking one input meant one jack, which is why I was a bit confused. D'oh!

Sorry if that's the way it came off. I just mentioned the 650s because that's what I have and am familiar with. Here's a more correctly phrased version of the question--On my 650s, there are two XLR inputs. I'm looking at getting an additional set of headphones and am thinking about the Stax Omegas driven by the SRM-007t amp. Being somewhat of a headphone newbie, I was wondering if there is a reason why my Balanced HD650s have two XLR inputs but the Stax amp, which I'm assuming is considered balanced, only has one XLR input. Is there are reason that there are two XLR channels on the Senns but only one XLR channel on the Stax amp? Hope this clears things up

No, I'm talking about a totally different set of cans. My understanding is that HD650s and the Omegas are very different sounds. I'm thinking the HD650s for rock and the Omegas for classical. EDIT--The HD650s are running off of a very portable amp, the Headroom Desktop. If I wanted to listen to rock, I could easily bring the amp into my bedroom. I know I can't run the Senns off of the Omega amp.

What do you guys think about this setup? Modded Opus 21 CD player and the Stax Omega II cans with the SRM-007T amp. If this setup sounds good, what kind of interconnects should I use? The description on the website says it has "RCAx2 and XLR1" inputs. I'm assuming the XLR is better, right? Also, newbie question here... I know on my HD650s, it has two XLR inputs, one for each channel. Does this amp only have one XLR connection? Is that all that is needed for balanced sound?

Cool. This is what I'm leaning towards. Anyone out there have any reasons why I wouldn't want this model? I'm not expecting anything, but you never know.

So the electrostatics are balanced to begin with? SO... CONFUSED Does anyone know of a Headphone for Idiots FAQ page? I was extremely educated about audiophile stuff back in the 80s, but I've taken a break until I heard the HD650s. Now I'm hooked again! But still confused.

No, there's no room for one. I'm in a weird situation; I'm one of those people who you'd think is dirt-shit poor until you walk in my front door, and even then you'd think I'm poor if you didn't have an eye for electronics. I live in an apartment complex where a good portion of the people are on food stamps, I drive a beat up Ford Focus, and I look like Sid Vicious if he had lived a bit longer. I live in a VERY small 2 bedroom rat-hole apartment. I can only afford to buy nice electronic stuff because I skimp on EVERYTHING else. Long story short... no, there isn't a TV and DVD in the bedroom

I went ahead and ordered the Limited Edition equinox, because a lot of people seem to say it keeps the sennheiser sound, just "better". Does anyone out there geek out enough to keep different cables for different music? Please say no so that I don't do it

Anyone tried the Great Northern Sound reference mod on the Opus 21? I'm very geeky, so anything that is modded is SWEET.

Well, I'm definitely impressed with my balanced desktop amp. Two thumbs WAY up. That being said, I want to diversify somewhat... two headrooms in one house may be too much. On that subject, here's a newbie question... do I need to worry about balanced vs unbalanced on the source stuff, or is it something you just worry about on the amplifier-->headphone stage?

Ah, it seems you are not aquainted with the Voodoo Omen It's loud. Not sort of loud, but LOUD. But it's up there with Falcon NW as one of the fastest rigs on the planet. I pretty much got it using the same logic as I am here... I gave myself a $10K budget and shot for the best gaming computer possilble. It looks like a hotrod, and purrs like one too. Unfortunately, once the initial "Holy Shit, that's the coolest thing I've ever seen" effect wears off, it's too much in the volume department. Right now I'm using my laptop as my CD player because it's not as loud.

Question... is it better to isolate all of the different parts (the way I did back in the day with my hi-fi stereo) or just buy high-end combo units? In other words, should I buy a separate CD and DAC, or one with both in the same unit? Same question with amps--preamp and power amp, or a combo of the two?

Are there problems with wireless interference? I live in a crowded apartment complex, so god knows who else will be using those frequencies.

I actually have a nice sound card on a REALLY nice computer. Unfortunately, it's a computer rigged for gaming and is liquid cooled, which means it is like sitting next to a coca cola factory--very loud. I'm actually thinking about getting a closed set of cans for this rig, as the blows through my HD650s. Anyways, I don't want to make this computer the center of my trophy system, just too loud.

Alright... good times, good times... Thanks a bunch, everyone!!! So far it seems that everyone agrees I should start off with a good source. I'll probably just be listening to CDs. Could you guys throw out some recommended models so I could check them out? Also, would you consider things like the abovementioned tube buffer to be part of the source or the amplification? Just want to concentrate on one thing at a time like you guys recommend.

I just happened to get some nice headphones because I needed something for my new PC. I got the Headroom Balanced Desktop/Senn HD650 combo. As someone who used to have a pretty sweet stereo system (until my drug habit caused it to go away, but that problem is, thank god, way in the past) I was expecting to be happy with the sound of a nice set of headphones. Instead, I was blown away. This actually sounded better than my old high-end setup. Music was, for a long time, something that caused the neighbors to knock at my door and tell me to quiet down (apartment living sucks). I rarely listened to it other than in the car. However, I was so impressed with the sound that I literally spent all weekend plugged in to my headphones listening for the things that I'd never before been able to pick up. Instruments that I'd never known were in the songs were suddenly front and center; it's amazing when you discover that a song you've listened to 500 times actually has a keyboard in the background that you've never noticed. So, as happy as I am with my new system, I'm being my typical obsessive self and want to upgrade to something REALLY NICE for my bedroom. I'm thinking about a $10,000 budget should suffice. Being somewhat new to the headphone world, I don't want to rush in and just buy the first thing that leaps out, so I'm posting here for some advice from the pros. This needs to be a complete system, ie, CD player, amp, headphones, and whatever else makes them sound good. If this makes much of a difference, I currently lean towards rock (mostly, for lack of a better word, alternative) but also like classical. With the new headphones, I can see myself veering towards more classical, as I enjoy it so much more with the HD650s. Thanks!!!

Thanks all. Do you know of websites where I could purchase these? I can find the Cardas and the Equinox but not the others. By the way, I'm using the HeadRoom Balanced Desktop Amp. Nice amp, IMO.

I just received a set of HD650s. "Wow" is all I can say. That being said, I don't think I've read anything positive about the cables on these things, so the idea that the sound could get even better has me salivating. What do you guys consider the best balanced replacement cable for these?