Is it worth it to get a dac/amp for sennheiser HD 600?

[Featherpool16]

I bought the HD 600 before I saw comments about how notoriously hard they are to "drive". Everyone seems hyped about using a good dac/amp for the HD600; I've even seen comments saying that it's a waste if I don't pair it will good enough accessories. So I have been really struggling on deciding whether I should get something. My main concern is whether or not it will improve the *sound quality*. Will I be missing out a lot if I just play it directly from my iPhone 15 Pro MAX/ iPad Pro/ MacBook Air? I'm willing to get the Apple dongle if it helps.

Some things to consider:

- They will only be used for listening to music

- I don't listen to music at high volumes, so if all the amplifier does is make it louder, I probably don't need it

It's my first audiophile headphone so I really want the experience to be good. However, I am also not a professional so I only want to make the investment if there is a noticeable improvement in sound quality. Budget is around $100. I am wiling to buy the Topping DX3 Pro+ if it is truly worth it. So within the law of diminishing returns, should I pair it with anything?

 

[hutt132]

The MacBook air (introduced in 2022 or later) can provide 30mW of power into 300 Ohm headphones, which could be fine if you don't listen too loudly.

Use high-impedance headphones with your Mac – Apple Support (UK)

You can connect high-impedance headphones directly to compatible Mac computers introduced in 2021 or later.

support.apple.com

(For headphones with an impedance of 150 to 1k ohms, the headphone jack delivers 3 volts RMS.)

The Apple Dongle can provide 3.6 mW into 300 Ohms, which isn't enough for the HD600s. You'll want a higher powered headphone amp for your iPhone/iPad.
The Topping DX3 Pro+ would be plenty.

You won't be able to tell a difference between most modern dacs/amps that are competently made. Anyone who says otherwise is biased.

How Should I A/B Test Headphone Amps?

Update: Test results in this post https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-should-i-a-b-test-headphone-amps.8186/#post-203680 Update 2: Some more setup comparisons...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[staticV3]

Personally, when properly level-matched and listening blind via a Douk MC103 switcher, I cannot hear any difference between the HD600 driven from the 0.5V EU Apple headphone adapter, and driven from the 3.4V E1DA 9038S.

This gives me no reason to suspect that an even more powerful Amp would make any difference.

In other words: if your current headphone output can play loud enough for your needs, then it's unlikely that you'll see any return in sound quality from buying new electronics.

 

[formdissolve]

If you want to use them with your iPhone, you're gonna need a dongle anyways. (Unless they added a headpone jack back in??). The US version of the Apple dongle is cheap and outputs 1V I believe.

I have a USB-C dongle (Helm Audio Bolt), and I can't really tell the difference other than volume between the internal output of my Macbook M1 and the dongle. I have the HD6xx and also listen at a reasonable volume.