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HD800 "Anaxilus" Mod - Page 11

post #151 of 172
6/27/12 at 12:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by muppet View Post

hi there all
Can you gain a greater amount body if like to the sound, could you put this in perspective say percentage, when say using foam, cables and amps.
Are tube amps the best option as well
I have listen twice now to 800's unfortunately to head out and some audio lab equipment so amplification wise justice was not served but I can tell theres something there
So difficult in the uk were I live to hear the properly
Regards
Muppet
And thanks

Don't know if I could rank the strength of different choices in the system right now...still trying things out.

 

Yes, I get a "bigger sound" from the Anaxilus mod (Inner Fidelity templates, 2mm Creatology self-adhesive foam, no dust covers) + EC Super 7 amp.

 

Now, is it the tubes or is it the transformers in the Super 7 or a bit of help from a "balanced" connection that gives me the bigger headstage and the slight removal of edge without apparent loss of transparency?  I don't have that answer yet but I definitely prefer my latest foam attempt and amp to "no foam" + straight out of the Benchmark DAC.  (The UE RM calibrate me to what I am aiming for in linearity.)

 

My next step might be a warmer DAC if I want it.  Have heard the PWD on multiple occasions and it pairs well with the HD800.  (But, I'll roll some more tubes before that.)

 

Have not done any aftermarket cables but have had my cable re-terminated for 4-pin XLR...

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post #152 of 172
6/27/12 at 1:11am

Oh hell yes the mod, tubes, transformers et al can bring out the naturalness and body of the HD800.  There are times when I'd find the HD800 this way more lush than the LCD2s.  I recall times w/ the r.1 when I wondered why they sounded thin and lacking.  blink.gif

 

Right now, it sounds like the real Miles Davis is playing Fran Dance center left front of my seat and the double bass has a beautiful, natural reverb and decay with the egg beaters doing their delicate dance on the skins.  I wish the piano was better mic'd but I'm not hurting.  I was listening to Godsmack right before.  wink.gif

 

The question is, are you willing to put in the effort to build on the potential of the transducer?  FYI, I hate thin, bass light sterile analytical garbage phones that make music sound like a sick joke.  If that's how the HD800 sounds to people, they aren't listening to my HD800 on my rig is all I can say. 

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post #153 of 172
6/27/12 at 4:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaxilus View Post

Oh hell yes the mod, tubes, transformers et al can bring out the naturalness and body of the HD800.  There are times when I'd find the HD800 this way more lush than the LCD2s.  I recall times w/ the r.1 when I wondered why they sounded thin and lacking.  blink.gif

Right now, it sounds like the real Miles Davis is playing Fran Dance center left front of my seat and the double bass has a beautiful, natural reverb and decay with the egg beaters doing their delicate dance on the skins.  I wish the piano was better mic'd but I'm not hurting.  I was listening to Godsmack right before.  wink.gif

The question is, are you willing to put in the effort to build on the potential of the transducer?  FYI, I hate thin, bass light sterile analytical garbage phones that make music sound like a sick joke.  If that's how the HD800 sounds to people, they aren't listening to my HD800 on my rig is all I can say. 

Thanks

FYI I would not say I was searching more bass, as odd as this will come across in my statement I'm about to make please try and understand here goes

I don't want to increase bass thickness just presence/volume still keeping it tight

Also another question SS amps sound fast do valves slow the sound down ? Would this be why valve amps suit classical as well ?

Cheers
Muppet
Karl
Thanks
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post #154 of 172
6/27/12 at 10:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by muppet View Post

Also another question SS amps sound fast do valves slow the sound down ? Would this be why valve amps suit classical as well ?

 

Depends on the design of the tube amp versus the design of the SS amp.  In general this can be true but is more indicative of the actual units design not really SS v. Tube argument.  Valves tend to have more separation, space, air and dimensionality than SS when implemented right.  SS tends to sound more flat and two dimensional to my ears but again it depends on the actual unit's design itself.  I tend to prefer this aspect for all genres personally and it seems to be generally more resolving of smaller details on the recording.  Beware though, most tube amps, err amps in general, do not resolve this well and are designed to 'color' sound, not let it shine through.  It's going to cost you money if you want to make the most out of the HD800.  

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post #155 of 172
6/27/12 at 11:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaxilus View Post

Depends on the design of the tube amp versus the design of the SS amp.  In general this can be true but is more indicative of the actual units design not really SS v. Tube argument.  Valves tend to have more separation, space, air and dimensionality than SS when implemented right.  SS tends to sound more flat and two dimensional to my ears but again it depends on the actual unit's design itself.  I tend to prefer this aspect for all genres personally and it seems to be generally more resolving of smaller details on the recording.  Beware though, most tube amps, err amps in general, do not resolve this well and are designed to 'color' sound, not let it shine through.  It's going to cost you money if you want to make the most out of the HD800.  

If I'm going to put my toe in the water the cost will be adsorbed, what amps do you recommend and what seem to favoured people.

Cheers
Edited by muppet - 6/27/12 at 11:06am
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post #156 of 172
6/27/12 at 11:20am

My favorite HD800 amps are the Eddie Current lineup, Donald North Stratus, Manley 300B so far.  The Woo WA5 is nice but I haven't heard any better tubes to know if it scales up to the others.  All IME, YMMV.

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post #157 of 172
6/27/12 at 11:40am
Thank you

The hd's can really stand up, would you you of the combi you know that you are listening and enjoying the music or listen and assessing the amp and hd combo

Cheers
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post #158 of 172
6/27/12 at 11:40am
Thank you

The hd's can really stand up, would you of the combinations you know say that you are listening and enjoying the music or listen and assessing the amp and hd combo

Cheers
Edited by muppet - 6/27/12 at 11:44am
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post #159 of 172
9/25/12 at 2:23pm

On this mod, does the felt in the felt/foam combo face the ear or the cup?

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post #160 of 172
9/26/12 at 12:26am

Tyll has felt facing the ear for his version.  I don't use any felt for either the first or second version of the mod.

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post #161 of 172
9/30/12 at 4:37am

Great mod, Anaxilus. Thanks heaps....

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post #162 of 172
3/5/13 at 10:04am

Finally did this mod and wanted to bump this up for others to learn about.  I was a bit tortured because I really was enamored with the HD800's huge soundstage and air, but the treble energy seemed exaggerated and hurt my ears on some tracks.  I started doing a lot of research into which DACs and amps I could switch to tame the peaks.  Would have cost me thousands in experimentation.  Just did the Tyll version of the mod and these are now the headphone I was looking for even out of some "lowly" SS amps.  Best $5 and 15 minutes I have ever spent on this hobby.  Thanks to those who did all the heavy lifting to discover and perfect this mod.

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post #163 of 172
5/17/13 at 12:37pm

if i want to remove the felt/foam if i dont like the sound the mod produces, will there be "sticky" residue left behind in the chamber?

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post #164 of 172
5/17/13 at 3:53pm

You can mitigate that by applying the creatology foam to another surface first to try and reduce the adhesive strength.  Otherwise, if it leaves a little foam and adhesive it is on a hard surface and can be scraped off (if your ring does not really touch the metal mesh).

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post #165 of 172
5/18/13 at 11:09am

i can't find the pdf for this mod  can someone reupload?

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