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Balanced HD800 Impressions - Page 3

post #31 of 226
8/5/09 at 12:31pm
Here some pics...



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post #32 of 226
8/5/09 at 12:39pm
Thread Starter 
the black cable is nice.

my 800 currently just has the stock cable reterminated with furutech XLRs (not the expensive ones). thinking about getting the SAA hardwire though. i figure if the 800 is going to be my main headphone for a good period of time (and it looks that way), getting an SAA voice will be worth it.
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post #33 of 226
8/5/09 at 1:30pm
Just had a listen to Ravel's Bolero with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Abbado. I always liked the way this recording sounds (much better than most current DG releases), but with the HD800 it becomes real like in a way I never heard on other systems or headphones. Simply stunning.
Another test with Boito's Prologue to Mefistofele conducted by Bernstein. Not a very recent recording but one which can sound awesome if the setup is on par (and horrible if the setup isn't). The big drum at the start has a viscerality my previous HD650 could just dream of...who said this headphone lacks bass or impact? Ouch!
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post #34 of 226
8/5/09 at 4:52pm
Fafner,

The pictures on SAA site of the Voice cable look like some sort of a braid configuration is used (looks like 2 cords going into each side of the headphone). I just sent my 800's off for the voice cable last week and that is what I am expecting. Did James change the voice cable since the pictures were published on his website?

BTW, It looks like we have a similar system with the exception of my Zana Deux amp. I ordered the endorphin power cables for my SA7S1 CDP (picked the CDP up last week) and Zana Deux (power cable and umbilical cord) as well as the endorphin RCA interconnect. Can't wait to get the goods. Cables should be here Friday and hoping to have the hardwired voice in next week.
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post #35 of 226
8/5/09 at 5:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinR70 View Post
Fafner,
The pictures on SAA site of the Voice cable look like some sort of a braid configuration is used (looks like 2 cords going into each side of the headphone). I just sent my 800's off for the voice cable last week and that is what I am expecting. Did James change the voice cable since the pictures were published on his website?

Could be...I didn't even paid attention to this detail. If you look at the pictures, actually some of them show a cable which seems similar to mine (look at the first 2 pictures at the second row on http://stefanaudioart.com/VOICE%20Pi...20Gallery.html, wood xlr connectors apart, that one is identical to mine), while the rest is like you say, and vcoheda's pics show that approach too. Can't exclude some late change was done...did you ask James about it?
These pictures have been on their homepage for a while now (the one at http://stefanaudioart.com/Voice%20HD...0BALANCED.html could well be around 6 months old, as I seem to remember it has been there since the cable was announced), so maybe there have been revisions to the design...
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post #36 of 226
8/5/09 at 6:11pm
Are the black and white materials the same? To me, the black looks more like the material used on the Equinox cable, and the white more softer, like cotton.
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post #37 of 226
8/5/09 at 6:54pm
Thread Starter 
^^ i believe the cable is the same but the materials used on the sleevings are different.
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post #38 of 226
8/6/09 at 2:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nor_spoon View Post
Are the black and white materials the same? To me, the black looks more like the material used on the Equinox cable, and the white more softer, like cotton.


It's softer (and much more flexible) than my previous Equinox for the HD650, but I agree that images seem to suggest the white cable is even softer...
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post #39 of 226
8/6/09 at 9:59am
SAA has 3 different classes of HD800 Equinox cables listed on their website - Audiophile, Spectrum and Voice. How do these cables differ sonically? (I'm not sure if the Audiophile and Spectrum are available yet but I think HD650 versions are). If one gets the connector versions of these cables, I would think it might be more cost-effective to get the Audiophile version, especially if you're primarily interested in upgrading from the stock cables.
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post #40 of 226
8/6/09 at 2:38pm
why did they change the oyaide xlr to furutech ? i think the oyaide looks better in pic...
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post #41 of 226
8/6/09 at 2:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by winzzz View Post
why did they change the oyaide xlr to furutech ? i think the oyaide looks better in pic...


They didn't change them, you can choose the connectors you want from 4 models:

-Furutech
-Xhadow
-Oyaide
-Their custom wood shell connectors


I don't like the look of the Oyaide connectors, but ofc it's a matter of taste
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post #42 of 226
8/6/09 at 2:53pm
It appears to my expert eyes that the black is black nylon multifilament whereas the white is heavy white cotton tube. I'd probably go with the cotton, it is more triboelectrically neutral. There's probably copious cotton in there after the nylon though.
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post #43 of 226
8/6/09 at 2:55pm
That is very odd, normally the white one has a round-braid configuration with four thick individually padded conductors, whereas this black one pictured the quad-braid is all inside the cable.
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post #44 of 226
8/6/09 at 4:05pm
There we go...you made me curious so I asked James about it...

The VOICE was developed in two configurations, external braid and straight multi-layer style both being identical sonically. We had planned to offer both configurations as an option but material for the external braid style could no longer be custom made by the original out sourced manufacturer (which is the only current supplier in the world) due to the extreme shear (thin) consistency necessary for the braided style. This process was exclusive for Stefan AudioArt with this manufacturer but apparently became too expensive and not profitable enough to continue.

The external straight multi-layer style uses the same material but with a slightly different pattern. We actually prefer the external straight multi-layer style because in use it flows better and is extremely comfortable to use.
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post #45 of 226
8/7/09 at 7:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinR70 View Post
Fafner,

BTW, It looks like we have a similar system with the exception of my Zana Deux amp. I ordered the endorphin power cables for my SA7S1 CDP (picked the CDP up last week) and Zana Deux (power cable and umbilical cord) as well as the endorphin RCA interconnect. Can't wait to get the goods. Cables should be here Friday and hoping to have the hardwired voice in next week.


I didn't get the Endorphin ICs as I think my current ICs are good enough (and they costed me even more than the Endorphin's price). But I would be interested to know how these IC sound...
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