The Sennheiser HD650 is one of the most fabled open-back headphones of all time, well-known for its sonic performance and high sound quality. It will be an excellent headphone choice for both casual listeners and discerning audiophiles, suitable for almost all music genres. If you are planning to use the Sennheiser HD650 to listen to your high-res audio files and/or music from your PC, you probably will need a high-quality DAC partner. Are you currently on the lookout for a matching DAC? If you say yes then please continue to read on.
We are preparing to list out the best DACs in which you can pair with the remarkable Sennheiser HD650. It is certainly worth the effort and time to find the right DAC that is matching and can bring out the best sound quality from your HD650. To do so, we will first need to find out how superb they sound as well as their sonic characteristics. Also, we will need to finalize your DAC requirements and along with a better understanding of the Sennheiser HD650, we can then find compatible DACs that will match really well with this open-back headphone. This data and information will be very useful for you too, as you can use it to search for D/A converters in the future on your very own. And so without further ado, let us start.
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Sonic Characteristics of Sennheiser HD650 and DAC Requirements
The nominal impedance of the Sennheiser HD650 is 300 Ohms which shows that it is difficult to drive and will require a powerful headphone amplifier. Its frequency response is impressive at 10Hz-41kHz and has an SPL of 103dB. The HD650 overall sound reproduction is neutral and transparent, not to mention, they are experts in retrieving music details and produces them out in spades. It is a revealing headphone and has a punchy bass performance, but sometimes you may find the HD650 a little lack in clarity when it comes to subtle details and nuances. The midrange reproduction is probably its greatest strength, highly accurate and clean, capable of delivering natural-sounding instruments and vocals.
The high-frequency reproductions are accurate as well and do not sound overly bright, which helps to provide a high-resolution music presentation. Bass performance is surprisingly solid and full for an open-back headphone, furthermore, the Sennheiser HD650 is capable of digging deep into the bass extension and deliver the lows out with prominence. It might not be satisfying enough to analytical audio enthusiasts though but at least is not clinical sounding. You probably want to use the Sennheiser HD650 headphone at home or in a quiet environment since it has poor noise isolation due to its open-back design.
Since you will need a headphone amp powerful enough to drive the Sennheiser HD650, you probably might want to take your time to work on your budget. Unless you already have a working headphone amp then it will be easier to focus on allocating a budget that you can use and invest in a DAC. For listeners who do not have a headphone amplifier, you might want to think of getting one with a built-in DAC as this might help you save some money and space. Going for a dedicated DAC will be ideal for listeners who want the best performance they can get for the money and/or fine-tune the overall sound quality to their liking.
More Information at Amazon – Sennheiser Pro Audio HD 650
The types of high-res audio files you are playing will also affect the DACs you should get, for instance, if you are into DSD file formats, you might want to go for DAC that is capable of handling Native DSD audio files. The type of connections you require such as optical, USB, etc., will determine which DAC you might want to go for. Do you mainly use the Sennheiser HD650 headphone for gaming? If it is a yes, then we will suggest checking out DACs specially designed for video gaming. For listeners who prefer tubes or like to tube roll, you probably should go with a tube digital-to-analog converter.
As you can see there are quite a number of potential requirements that you might want to confirm on your end before checking out the best DACs list we have prepared for you. You should also add in a few more requirements of your own so that you will have a thorough checklist and have covered everything. If you are sharing the use of the Sennheiser HD650 with someone else, it is highly recommended to check with the person and see what are their opinions. Once you are absolutely sure what kind of D/A converter you require then please check out the best DACs which you can go for and pair it with the Sennheiser HD650 open-back dynamic headphone.
Best DACs to match with Sennheiser HD650
The Chord Mojo is one of the best DACs to pair with your Sennheiser HD650 headphone. It is an award-winning DAC with a powerful headphone amp that can drive the HD650 and make it sing. The compact design makes it easier to transport the Chord Mojo anywhere, furthermore, it doesn’t take up much space in your room. More importantly, this premium DAC/amp has impressive insights, delivering a richly detailed music presentation that complements the Sennheiser HD650 really well. The music handling of the Chord Mojo is immaculate, never once loses its footing, and remaining composed throughout the most sophisticated music passage.
More Information at Amazon – Chord Mojo DAC
The Schiit Audio Modi 3+ is one of the best DACs to go with the Sennheiser HD650 headphone and it is an ideal choice for listeners who have a tight budget. This is an excellent entry-level DAC with up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution. The sonic characteristics of the Modi 3+ D/A converter are rather similar to the Sennheiser HD650 headphone which makes it a suitable partner. It also adds a tad more weight to the bass response without compromising the agility, delivering a punchier performance. The mids are accurate, providing a natural sound reproduction of vocals and musical instruments.
More Information at Amazon – Schiit Modi 3+ Delta-Sigma DAC
The Schiit Audio Bifrost 2 is another amazing premium DAC that will certainly be a worthy partner for the coveted Sennheiser HD650. The overall bass performance of the Bifrost 2 is superb, it has the impact and thumps giving you an entertaining music listening experience. Overall sound reproduction is neutral with a touch of warmth which makes most music easy and enjoyable to listen to. This is absolutely great for casual listeners as it never once sounded harsh and has a pleasing sound quality. If we were to nitpick then it will be the lack of DSD/high sample-rate support.
More Information at Amazon – Schiit Bifrost 2 True Multibit Autonomy DAC
If you want a DAC that has a modest price tag and yet can decode native DSD, you might want to take a look at FiiO K5 Pro. It is built and designed to be a desktop DAC/amp with up to 768kHz/32-bit resolution. The headphone amplification of the FiiO K5 Pro is powerful enough to drive the Sennheiser HD650 too. For a DAC/amp at this price point, the FiiO K5 is giving its users loads of value for the money. It has a quiet background and the overall sound reproduction is neutral with a hint of warmth where it will sit nicely with the Sennheiser HD650 headphone. The sound quality is good for the price and is worth your time to hear them out.
More Info at Amazon – FiiO K5 Pro 768K/32Bit and Native DSD 512 decoding Deskstop DAC
Do you require a portable DAC with exceptional sonic performance? Then the AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt is the one for you. It uses a powerful ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip and has a native resolution of up to 24-bit/96kHz. The overall sound reproduction is very clean and clearly defined. The high-resolution music presentation is accompanied by an impressive amount of musical details with a high level of clarity. These sonic characteristics complement the Sennheiser HD650, opening up the sound and widens the soundstage. The surgical precision of the stereo imaging will simply hook you right into the music.
More Information at Amazon – AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt
The Aune X1S Anniversary Edition is an incredible DAC to go for and partner with your Sennheiser HD650 headphone. The well-regarded Aune X1S uses an ESS 9018K2M chipset, supporting up to 32-bit/384 kHz resolution. If you are also looking for a headphone amp at the same time, you might want to check out the matching Aune X7S balanced headphone amp which is powerful enough to drive the HD650 (Class A output). With this stack, you got yourself an amazing desktop headphone sound system that provides a fast and engaging music presentation of your favorite tunes.
More Details at Amazon – Aune X1S 32Bit/384KHz DAC
The JDS Labs Element II will be a headphone amp with a built-in DAC and can efficiently drive the Sennheiser HD650 open-back headphone. The DAC of the Element II supports up to 32-bit/384kHz (PCM) and uses a custom XMOS XU208 chip solution. The overall sound reproduction is clean and neutral with a polished background. There are hardly any colorations that we can audibly hear which is cool as the HD650 sonic characteristics will be more prominent. The aesthetics of the JDS Labs Element II looks clean as well and is compact enough to fit anywhere on your desktop.
To Conclude
You might want to take your time to look through the list of DACs and shortlist the ones that you find are the best of the lot. Once you have shortlisted the DAC/amp, we will suggest arranging an audition where you can find out more about how good they sound with your Sennheiser HD650 headphone. You might want to prepare a few of your favorite songs including the ones you usually stream. These music/songs will give you a better picture of how well each DAC is doing in terms of sound quality. Feel free to take your time during the auditions as it is important to determine which is the best DAC for you to take home.
