OK...so I think that the way that I'll start out is by commenting on some of the things that really made me say WOW!
The first thing was the Sennheiser HD800. I'd had some exposure to these cans at an earlier mini meet, and I must say that I was prepared to be less than blown away. I'm a fan of the HD600 in balanced configuration, but I've always felt that the HD650 was tonally not as natural in its presentation. Had the HD800 simply been more of the same, and then some, it would not have been my cup of tea.
Well, the long and short of that was that it's nothing like the HD650, or HD600 for that matter. It's something completely different. It's speed and effortless presentation reminded me more of what I'd heard of electrostatic cans than anything dynamic. (NOTE - In beginning composition, they refer to that as "foreshadowing"...stay tuned
).
The last time around, I was able to listen to the HD800 with my home source (Wadia 830 w/ iTransport), but with an amp (Jude's Raptor) that, though I like it a lot, I'm not incredibly familiar with at this point. Well, this time I had an opportunity to listen to the HD800 in several amps, including the RSA Apache (with a Meridian 508) and a TTVJ FET-A (with my Wadia). I must say, both amps performed very well indeed. I'll be discussing both amps at greater length later.
Then I happened upon Jude's barely street-legal Wadia 301 (GNSC mods with Wadia P mod), paired with his Luxman P-1 amp. I saddled up to it with my stack of MOFI CD's and sat down for a good long listen.
First up, Marvin Gaye's
What's Going On. On the first track, "What's Going On", the opening sax and bass leaped out at me in such a way that it was almost startling. I've heard this track in several versions over the years, and I've been making particular use of it lately when actively listening...it gives a great sense of the "room size" if you will. Up until now, I had not heard it presented in such a natural way. The bass guitar sounded natural and effortless...not a touch of boom or bloom about it. The various instruments blended with the vocals without getting lost in the shuffle...and not a bit of distortion to be heard. Former Detroit Lions Lem Barney and Mel Farr never sounded so good as background singers (no...I'm NOT making that up. Read the liner notes on the Deluxe Edition).
Then I found my way to the Cowboy Junkies' long OOP
Whites off the Earth Now! for a listen. I found my way to this CD as a fan of the Cowboy Junkies in general, but when it popped up in the MOFI catalog I'd never heard it...or even heard OF it. Then some folks whose opinions I respect wrt such things started talking about it a little bit as an album, and I decided to take a flyer on it. Well, anyone interested in an exceptionally well-done work should run out and find this one ASAP!! This is IMHO the best recorded, best mastered, best sounding CD that I own. One of these days I hope to hear it on a really top-notch SACD rig. For now, however, the good folks at MOFI did an exceptional job with the redbook layer.
My favorite track on the whole album is a cover of the old blues classic "Baby Please Don't Go". The album is worth the cost for this track alone (but think of all the "bonus" tracks that come with it). It opens with a slow, smoky bass line...handled with impact and ease by the HD800's in this particular rig. Then comes the gorgeous hollow-body guitar...you can practically feel the texture of the strings on your fingers. Then a quick strum accross the strings that sounded like a gunshot in the distance.
Holy ****!! Wowee...we've got something going on here for real!!
Then came Margo Timmins' opening wail..."oh no bay-beee PLEEEASE doh-on't go-oh".
DAMN!!!
Jude!! Jude!! You've got to hear this!!
Same reaction.
As was the case with just about everyone who heard this track on that rig...
I also listened to it on several other rigs, and enjoyed it very much indeed. That said, there's something about that particular combination of components that really blew me away. Never fail to consider the impact of synergy, I guess. Between the clean, precise power and speed of the modded Wadia 301, and the exceptional power and incredibly resolving background of the single-ended Luxman (more on this amp later), I feel like we found the ideal pairing for the lightning fast, power hungry Sennheiser HD800's.
Lately, I've been doing most of my listening on balanced rigs. I'm finding that soundstaging and bass presentation sound much more natural to me, which I attribute to a doubling of the amplifying power and resulting improvement in speed and impact. What I'm finding, however, is that sufficient power in a single-ended amp will mostly suffice. Such was the case with the HD800 and the Luxman P-1. It was as impressive a pairing as I've heard.
What did I take from all this?
Well, I'm thinking I may just have to get my GNSC modded Wadia 830 a P-Mod when I get my new input board installed (hopefully before too long). I wish I'd have had an opportunity to compare the two to get some feel for just how much difference it really makes. My impression is a lot.
I'm also really, really, really looking forward to hearing from folks regarding the HD800 in balance configuration...and to hearing it myself in same. I'm going to have to get a pair of these in fairly short order, for sure. Unfortunately, I think I've overspent my allowance a bit lately.
BTW - we did do some A/B listening with Ray's HD600's balanced with military wiring, and I've got to tell you the HD600 does drive nicely in balanced termination. Now, I sometimes get a little goosey with balancing. I have found that some cans that I love as single-ended (e.g. AKG K701) I just don't care for at all as balanced cans. My hope is that this is not the case with the Sennheiser HD800's...my initial thoughts are that it won't be the case, but I look forward to hearing from folks about this.
NEXT UP: the HE90, paired with the RSA A-10 electrostatic amp.
Look forward to the meet impressions.
