Balanced HD800 Impressions

this thread is for members to post their impressions of the HD800 using a balanced cable, or to post comparisons of a balanced HD800 to an HD800 single ended or to other balanced headphones. i will start as i recently had the opportunity to borrow an 800 balanced with an SAA Equinox Voice cable.

vcoheda

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HD800 w/ SAA Balanced Equinox Voice Cable

okay. i was able to borrow a pair of balanced HD800s. they are hardwired with SAA's new Equinox Voice cable. the cable is gorgeous looking and i believe uses Oyaide XLR Focus 1 connectors. have listened for about 2 hours. my initial impressions of the balanced HD800 compared to the HD800 with a single-ended stock cable are that the balanced 800

* increases the overall clarity of voices/instruments
* brings the overall presentation of the sound into greater focus
* tightens the bass and enhances its impact
* makes for an even better flow and naturalness of sound

that seems pretty good. need to do more comparisons though. should have the balanced pair for a few more days.

The Best of AghaRTA, Vol. 1


this CD is live jazz from a famous jazz lounge in the Czech Republic. incredible music and great sound quality. i compared an HD800 single ended to one that was balanced. the numbers below refer to the track number of the CD.

HD800 SE v. HD800 w/ SAA Bal Equinox Voice

1. piano, bass cello, drums. SE. the piano sounds a bit thin and so does the bass. piano is solid though even se. no muddle either se. a little drum in the background. comes more into the piece at around 4:00. fast pace. good sound, but not much impact. drums to end the piece sounded good. still impact was limited. // BAL. the bal voice cable has an overall fuller and richer sound, esp to the bass. the notes go lower and have more feel to them. clarity is about the same (or appears to be). piano is solid and has a little more weight to it when keys are struck. both se and bal sound very good with piano - about equal. music is more involving balanced. why. maybe the overall fuller sound and general greater impact to instruments, esp. percussion. definitely more impact with drums and fuller bass.

2. female voice w/ piano. SE. the voice is very raspy. sound is clear se but lacks the enhanced clarity and richness of bal. song picks up pace at 2:12. sounds good but not toe tapping. // BAL. on bal, the female voice is noticeably clearer, more articulate. words are more audible. voice is richer. when things pick up, the toe tapping starts. that didn't really happen single ended. again, more engrossing listening experience. no question, balanced is better here.

4. trumpet, drums, bass, piano. SE. piano sounds good on the 800. bass guitar is solid too. trumpet gets loud. drums have decent impact here, se. good track. // BAL. trumpet kicks on bal. piano is great. 800 can do piano. bass sounds about the same. drums have great impact. really feel it. small gains for balance here. overall better. but not by a large amount. mostly just a slightly fuller sound with greater impact in certain places.

5. flute, bass, guitar, drums. SE. flute sounds like. good highs. bass with good lows. nice contrast. // BAL. with bal voice cable, bass goes a bit lower. flute has more energy to it. you can clearly hear the air being pushed through the instrument. the bass is very low here. nice rich, full sound. excellent track. balanced just seems to improve on everything to some degree, which when added up represent a noticeable improvement to the sound/performance.

7. male voice and sounds like a xylophone, harpsichord, and sax. very interesting. SE. remember being blown away by this track bal. sounds good se, but not special. will see if bal does the same 2nd time around. // BAL. the sound of the xylophone is amazing. vocals are so much better balanced. the gain in vocals is large. everything is clearer and more pronounced. as for instruments, the gain is most noticeable on percussion (impact) and the low notes. they sound lower/deeper. so balanced gives you clearer vocals, more impact to instruments, and better lows, as well as an overall fuller and richer sound. all this leads to a more engaging and satisfying musical experience. i think that last part is the key.

15. this track has an extended drum solo and the balanced version destroys single ended here - a large margin victory.

i'm definitely going balanced.

HD800 Bal Voice v. K701 Bal Black Dragon

this will be short. the HD800 trounced the K701. i didn't think the differences would be so stark, but they were. in sum, the bal 800 had

* clearer sound, more audible voices, better resolution - the K701 seemed blurry by comparison;
* better layering and separation - the music was compressed on the K701;
* much larger sound stage - the sound stage on K701 seemed small indeed;
* superior bass - no contest here;
* fuller and richer sound - the K701 sounded thin;
* was a more engaging experience, with better rhythm and flow - the K701 was not very involving by comparison.

Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room


i listened to tracks 1-3 of this CD using and comparing three balanced headphones: HD600, HD650, HD800.

HD600 (Bal Equinox)

1. voice very clear. piano sounds good. little hard though. bass not much weight but sounds nice still. drums sound decent. sound stage is average. best quality is the sound of the voice. very clear. piano definitely has a hard sound.

2. guitar in beginning sounds nice. some resonance, which is good. voice again is clear. very audible. little forward. piano again with the hard sound. bass sounds good but doesn't go very low. drums nice. not much impact though. sound stage is average.

3. bass - good articulation. but not low. drums sound nice but of only medium impact. hear but not feel. voice is clear and a bit forward. guitar is very nice. good tone. sounds better than the other instruments.

* 600 does voice very well and guitar. percussion and low notes are not its strengths. and there is not much in terms of texture.


HD650 (Bal Zu Mobius v.2)

1. bass is much better than 600. voice is clear. lows go lower. piano sounds better. not hard sounding. voice has more depth. sound stage is about same, maybe little better here. bass has a low not present with the 600. piano is more natural. drums/bass more impact.

2. guitar sounds good, same good reverb. voice is less forward. drums much better weight to them. voice is similar to piano. both less hard sounding. voice seems tad clearer/more forward on 600 but on 650 more natural. same with piano. more natural on 650. think heavier bass on 650 tends to cloud voice sometimes. sound stage is a little larger on the 650.

3. bass and drums so much better on 650. texture, weight, and just that low feeling you want from those instruments. voice sounds good. not as forward, which on the whole is probably better. more integrated into the music with rest of instruments. guitar is great on 650. was good on 600 too. piano is better. drums is better. bass is better. voice is more silky. but did seem to have more clarity with the 600 or was just more forward because of weaker bass quantity. more enjoyable on 650 than 600.

* 650 has good bass and lows and excels at texture, layering, nuance. the sound is more laid back than the 600 but more natural.


HD800 (Bal SAA Voice)

1. overall detail is better than either. you just hear more in the recording. voice is very natural but a tad forward. the 800 is not laid back like the 650. closer to 600 in presentation. piano is good. not hard. piano is slightly better than 650. voice is clearer than 650 (more forward) but also has a slight boomy quality to it, which i could do without. the forwardness is like the 600 but more depth.

2. voice is forward and clear like the 600 but natural like the 650. drums have good impact. no hardness to piano. drums good feel to them. nice impact/snap. strings have good resonance. voice is a bit forward, clear, but also still with a slight reverb.

3. sound stage is larger than both. voice is clear like 600. bass and drums have great articulation. bass and weight and texture of 650. impact is better though. voice is very natural. instrument separation and imaging is better. product of larger sound stage. guitar sounds excellent! such a sweet sound. piano is natural like 650.

* 800 has overall better detail than the 600/650. the sound stage is larger than both as well. voice is clearer on 800 but may sound better on the 650. sounds a little boomy on the 800. the voice is more forward on the 800 and i think that causes it. guitar is very good on all three. bass on 800 is good. might be more in quantity on 650 but quality and impact is better on 800. 600 is weak in this area. lows on 800 is about same on 650, but think a little better on the 800. piano is excellent on 800 and 650, but slightly better on the 800.

yes.

^^ the ZDT isn't really a balanced amp though.