Best headphone for immersive ambient sounds?

[headphone55]

I appreciate all the replies, very helpful. It looks like I will be going for the Sennheiser HD650.

In regards to power/head amp/source/amplifier - these concepts are all new for me so I will be doing some research to learn more. It would be a waste to buy great headphones without unlocking its full potential.

 

[Kofi Baffour]

I appreciate all the replies, very helpful. It looks like I will be going for the Sennheiser HD650.

In regards to power/head amp/source/amplifier - these concepts are all new for me so I will be doing some research to learn more. It would be a waste to buy great headphones without unlocking its full potential.

thankfully all you need to look out for is output impedance of the headphone amplifier because high output impedance means you're not gonna get as close to the original tonal identity designed by Sennheiser when they R&D'd the HD650.

Basically use a solid state headphone amp with low/near negligible output impedance. These headphones have an efficiency rating of 97.8dB/mW. Meaning you'd need only 16.60mW to get to peak SPLs of 110dB.
So any amp with sustained 500mW into 300 Ohms should do.

This works excellently - Element IV from JDS Labs

and it has incredible DSP tool onboard to tailor the sound closer to your HpTF

 

[dan31]

I use two headphone amplifiers with my Senn HD 609/650. RSA Raptor OTL tube and the Tom Christiansen Audio HPA-1.

The TCA amps are excellent and the HPA-10 is a more budget friendly amp that has excellent 300 ohm measurements that match well with the HD-650.

HPA-10 Headphone Amplifier

Key Features The TCA HPA-10 is a nimble, yet powerful, headphone amplifier. It was designed to provide high performance in a small and highly portable package. Its diminutive size allows the HPA-10 to tuck into small spaces, including under the monitor at your workstation. The HPA-10 has no...

tomchr.com