Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Sennheiser HD800 + ???
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Sennheiser HD800 + ???

post #1 of 55
7/2/10 at 5:58am
Thread Starter 

Hi,

 

I've recently bought a Sennheiser HD800, which is connected to a creative x-fi platinum soundcard in my computer.

 

So far i'm pretty impressed with the sound quality, and i like the clarity that the "crystalizer" function on the x-fi brings.

 

I'm wondering if i can make it even better with an amp (preferably via optical cable), but i'm scared that i will lose the clarity that my soundcard brings when i use the dac thats in the amp. But if i buy an amp that's connected through analogue cables i'm worried that i might lose quality somehow.

 

It seems my soundcard can drive the hd800's without problem, at 50% volume i feel that's about as loud as i should set it without damaging my ears (with long listening sessions). If i set it between 80~100% though i hear the sound distorting.

 

 

Any suggestions on what i should do or buy?

 

Thanks for your help!

Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones
Powered by NexTag
post #2 of 55
7/2/10 at 5:13pm

DoubleD2k10, congrats on your first post and the purchase of the HD800. I think it makes a lot of sense to begin as you have, with, as far as I'm concerned, the best headphones available.

 

Re upgrading: If the audio card is doing the job, then you should probably stay with it until you hunger for more. However, if you have funds to experiment, then you should probably explore an external DAC and amp -- separates if possible.

 

If you're using the HD800 with crystalizer turned on, it may mean that you need a better DAC/amp. But be advised that once you start on the upgrade path, the costs will mount steadily.

 

Still, if you're enjoying this hobby, then the journey should be fun and rewarding.

Reply
post #3 of 55
7/3/10 at 4:07am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for your reply feifan! :-D

 

I have the HD580 and the HD650 as well and i liked the sound of them, but i was really curious how the HD800 would sound. So i went to the local hi-fi shop and had a listen to some headphones, including the HD800... one week later i decided my HD650 no longer sufficed and bought the HD800. I'm really happy with it so far!

 

I think the audio card is doing the job right now, i have the crystalizer option set on 100%, to me it sounds the best like that... but maybe creative just made the soundcard sound less crisp in the first place when not using the crystalizer option, i dont know really :-) But as a new-born audiophile i'm always looking for making the experience even better. I have no problem with spending money on upgrading my gear, but i feel that if its a lot of money i want it to have a sufficient enough improvement. I guess a dac \ amp would offer this kind of improvement more than a cable-upgrade for instance would.

 

That said, i find it really hard to "just decide" which dac \ amp i should buy because with any purchase i make i usually read a dozen reviews first. And there are so many dac \ amp's arround i'm not sure what to do :-)

 

I took a look at your profile though and saw you have an x-fi card and a HD800 as well, perhaps you could connect your HD800 directly to your x-fi with the stock cables, and turn the crystalizer option to 100%. Perhaps you could then compare that with connecting it with stock cables to one of your DAC \ amp 's? I'm really curious if it has the same amount of clarity or what other things improve when using a dac \ amp.

 

I hope you read this post, thanks for your help in advance!

Reply
post #4 of 55
7/3/10 at 10:02am

You may also want to read more about what Crystalizer really does.

 

http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/multimedia/creative-x-fi.html

http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/multimedia/creative-x-fi-part2.html

Reply
post #5 of 55
7/3/10 at 10:59am

Crystallizer on an X-Fi with the HD800s? You have a long way to go my friend...

Reply
post #6 of 55
7/3/10 at 11:46am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for your replies guys.

 

I guess i'm a noob when it comes to this stuff I need guidance lol

 

Another thing i tried is setup bit-perfect playback with foobar2000 and the asio driver by following a tutorial i found. But to me it sounds less clear, perhaps my soundcard is just crap when not enabling anything?

 

 

 

Reply
post #7 of 55
7/3/10 at 12:21pm

khaos974 and Shahrose -- thanks for additional commentary and info on crystallizing.

DoubleD2k10 -- I'll try the HD800 with my X-Fi card and post a quick report -- with crystallizer on and off. A quick read of the links provided by khaos974 will give you background info on how the crystallizer works. Like an equalizer, it's basically boosting volume in selected frequencies to give the illusion of "better" SQ.


Edited by feifan - 7/3/10 at 12:25pm
Reply
post #8 of 55
7/3/10 at 12:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DoubleD2k10 View Post

Thanks for your replies guys.

 

I guess i'm a noob when it comes to this stuff I need guidance lol

 

Another thing i tried is setup bit-perfect playback with foobar2000 and the asio driver by following a tutorial i found. But to me it sounds less clear, perhaps my soundcard is just crap when not enabling anything?

 

 

That's how the sound card *really* sounds, because it's basically the best/purest signal your sound card can produce. I've owned pretty much every major sound card (check profile) and the Crystallizer setting is one of many gimmicky features that add subpar processing and boost bass/treble to give the impression of higher fidelity. Get used to bit-perfect playback and look to upgrade your source/amp. If you want something cheap but significantly better than the X-Fi, get a Musiland 02US for $125. The HD800 *atleast* deserves that...
 


Edited by Shahrose - 7/3/10 at 12:28pm
Reply
post #9 of 55
7/3/10 at 12:35pm
Thread Starter 

That would be cool feifan! thanks!

 

And indeed, i was quite informative what crystalizer really does.. i'm very curious what feifan will conclude. 

Reply
post #10 of 55
7/3/10 at 12:40pm

First of all, congratulation on your purchase, and welcome to Head-Fi.

 

From what I gathered, you seem to like your HD800 quite a bit, and have a sufficient amount of fund available for upgrades. If my assumption is correct then I suggest you hold off any purchase for the time being until after the next local meet (it's a great way to try out different gears). If that's not possible, then perhaps you could go back to the local hi-fi that sold you your HD800 and try out some of the gears there?

Reply
post #11 of 55
7/3/10 at 12:42pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for your reply shahrose, i will read some reviews on the Musiland! I guess you're right about the soundcard. I don't necesarily want something cheap, i just want a dac\amp that's worth its money and perhaps can achieve the effect crystalizer gives, but without tricks.

Reply
post #12 of 55
7/3/10 at 1:00pm
Thread Starter 

Thank you for your warm welcome jenneth :) Currently i have a sufficient amount of fund available to purchase upgrades yeah, but i feel like i should make a wise decision because i'm not the kind of person who will buy several amps. Perhaps i can go to the local meet in Berlin on september 11th, i think i can hold out that long. I went to the hi-fi shop as well but they didnt have any dac\amp with an optical input, except the x-can v8p i think.. i'm not sure if i want to play with analogue cables other than the ones going in the headphones. Decisions decisions   ...

Reply
post #13 of 55
7/3/10 at 1:34pm

Test Setup: X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro (crystallizer at 100% and other X-Fi features turned off) and the HD800 directly out of the card's 1/8" jack via a 1/4" adaptor.

 

Tracks: From the hi-res test disc Open Your Ears (Head-Fi & HDTracks).

 

Results:

 

Billy Burnette's "Everything Is Broken": Perhaps the toughest test for any rig. Unless your entire lineup from recording to cans is synced and of decent quality, "Everything" will be broken. The test setup simply couldn't handle it. Like running a top fuel dragster on regular gas.

 

Babatunde Olatunji's "Sare Tete Wa" (one of my all-time favorites) and The Conga Kings' "Tumbao de Tamborito": Two tracks that demo the dynamics, speed, soundstage, and sweet musicality of the HD800s. With the test setup, the low mids and sub bass are severely compressed and muddy. The mids at times are way too aggressive. The highs are rolled off.

 

Conclusion: jenneth offers sage advice -- go to a meet or shop where you can test equipment. Take your HD800 and a test CD (with good quality recordings) with you. Basing purchases on reviews alone is chancy. If you can establish a baseline with some of the reviewers, your chances improve, but the risk is still great.

 

Disclaimer: The opinions above are based on comparisons with my main rig (balanced): computer > USB > Monitor 02 > coax > DLIII > b22 > HD800

Reply
post #14 of 55
7/3/10 at 2:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DoubleD2k10 View Post
If i set it between 80~100% though i hear the sound distorting.

 

Any suggestions on what i should do or buy?


That's the sound of your soundcard clipping because it can't handle headphones that need a lot of power.   If you crank a powerful amp up to 80%-100%, you'd be more likely to destroy your ears or melt a voicecoil before you got distortion.

 

I don't know what you're looking to spend on an amp, but at the low end check the mid-priced solid state amps.  Good solid state costs less than good tubes, generally, so that's the best way to get into amplifiers.  Though if you're inclined, plug the HD-800 into a good set of tubes and you'll be quite happy - I'm spinning SACDs through tubes into the HD-800 right now.  :)

Reply
post #15 of 55
7/3/10 at 3:41pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks Feifan, i really do need to buy an amp + dac then i guess. I'm not prepared to pay 2000 or even 1000 euros for it though, i guess i'm not THAT hardcore yet i think my max is around 500~800 euros. Do you guys think i could get a decent set for that? It's not that i don't have the money, but it just doesn't sound logical to me.  I will probably attend the head-fi meeting in berlin in september, perhaps i can try out some stuff there. Maybe some people even have the Musiland 02US some of you have .

 

Thanks for your reply as well Uncle Erik!


Edited by DoubleD2k10 - 7/3/10 at 3:44pm
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones
Powered by NexTag
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Sennheiser HD800 + ???