Naim headline 2 impression - Page 5

I'm pretty sure my OMZ is not a wrong source. To be honest with the GS1000 they sound good on my opera and amphora, heck they even sound better off LD MK IV than with the naim.

well, it's a wrong source for a NAHA for sure because the set up didn't work.

What part of the amp would you be willing to pay $6K for? Why piss on the PS? It's the heart of any amp. If the PS can't keep the rails fully charged every millisecond then you hear it, no matter how well the output stage is designed and implemented. Transparency and dynamics come from the power supply. It is THE place to focus on stiffening. Play a little Rachmaninoff; you'll hear the difference.

How would this (with the NAPSC) stack up against the BCL in terms of: 
Power
Speed
Bass

Haven't got the NAPSC (have a teddy cap, special made with teddy-reg napsc-output)

 

Really love the Headline. Slightly warm for an SS - in a good way (warmer than Grace m902 anyway) Have heard the Lehman BCL with my HD650. A good match. Heard the Lehman with HD800 - bad match - to bright. Didn't like the Naim with the HD800 either - think I just don't like the HD800..

 

Didn't a/b side by side, but I'd rate them kinda equally good and pretty similar. Roughly. BCL is a one box solution - less shelf space. Naim has got upgradeable power supplies. .  

I loved the HD 800/Naim combo, loved the warmth, the tip-tap midrange and the wonderful bass. Would the Headline or the BCL be the best match for me? 

If you loved to Naim - HD800 combo, I'd definitely go for that one.

 

If i HAD to keep my HD800, I'd choose the Naim. Price is roughly the same. With the HD800, I found the Naim warmer and with more body than the BCL - but that is going on memory - which is a very unreliable source of information :-) 

 

PS: Reason I sold the HD800: Too bright for my ears. Physical pain. If thats not a problem for you: Enjoy :-)) But be careful...

 

From TeddyPardo: "TeddyCapPlus can power both the NaitXS and the HeadLine, but if you want the ultimate performance for your headline you may want to consider a custom model which I build sometimes on demand. It’s like a TeddyCapPlus, but the napsc output is equivalent in quality to the HiCap output. It is based on a SuperTeddyReg rather than linear regulator, and comes with a higher quality cable for the headline. Price for the custom TeddyCapPlus is 690 USD"

 

I haven't compared it to the NAPSC - so I cannot claim that it is better - both others have, for whatever that is worth.. I'm happy with it, anyway. Guess Tedd Pardo can make a cheaper one, my one has two power supplies, one for my Naim amp, one for the headline. you could do with only one TeddyReg, which would equal his basic model at 480 USD - but wth the teddyreg powering the NAPSC-output. If you are confused, you're not a Naim guy :-)) Just email mr Pardo - he's a fast replier..

Never found the HD 800 bright :p 

Great. This guy agrees with you - and loves the Naim/HD800-combination in this ecstatic review:  

 

http://www.audiophile.no/omtaler/hodetelefoner/item/523-sennheiser-hd-800

 

If you do not happen to read Norwegian, then Google translate will make you laugh AND give you the illusion that you get the main points of the translated text :-))) 

 

Here is the HD800/Naim part  - briefly quality checked: 

 

".... I send warm thoughts to Salisbury for the superb instruments from Naim. The driving bass,rhythmic momentum and musical flow of these devices are a perfect match to the Sennheiser HD800. The headphones are literally shaking of powerful musical energy coming from the Naim gear, there is a soul-breaking experience of pure joy to hear everything from classic recordings made in the 20's to the latest news in audiophile credited super recordings".

 

This guy used a NAPSC, but says somewhere:

 

"....The spacious and richer sound the external power supply Naim HiCap gave to myHeadline headphone amplifier in comparison to my own NAPSC....blabla.."

 

Hope this helps. If you need to translate something else in Norwegian don't hesitate... :)

 

If you want to check out the TeddyCap - there is a lot of writing about it on pinkfishmedia

Thank you very much for that, highly appreciated. 

 

Seems like Naim would be a good match, both in terms of source and amplifier. 

I have a Naim Headline, a Naim DAC and Naim Nait XS (with my Rega R7 speakers). Naim is indeed great stuff :-)

 

However - before you go spending insane amounts on an expensive DAC - I'd recommend the (USD 60....) Muse TDA1543x4 NOS Dac. It is a worthy competitor to the Naim - and the Naim is a very good dac indeed!!. Check this out: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/512389/mini-dac-tda1543-x-4-nos and http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/514782/bryston-bda-1-dac-vs-muse-dac-reviewed The muse is some kind of KISS lucky shot.. There is a risk of malfunction due to heat - but that is a risk worth taking.. 

Thanks, I'll be buying a fiio E7 in the end of this month to see how much it improves the signal coming from my laptop. 

Just watched avatar on blu ray using the HD 800 with my stereo amp (bass set to maximum), it may not be a high end amp but all I can say is that it sounded like my speakers, just better in every way. Can the naim headline + napsc produce the same bass quantity? I now know the HD 800 can produce the bass I want for movies, just need the right amp! 

If you want to EQ your HD800 you need an EQ. Headline (or no other amp) will turn HD800 to bass monsters. 

Well, I don't want bass monsters, no way. Compare the hd 800 to a lightweight subwoofer and you get a hint of how the HD 800 sounds with my stereo amp. The difference between having the bass boost (not eq) on minimum/maximum is very slight, a tiny bit more low end weight and a bit more body is added, but it's no huge difference, so I should be able to achive this without Eq:ing the headphones.