Amp/dac for disappointed HD800 owner - Page 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanHell 

Just wait for 20 more days, you will see how good the HDVD 800 is~~~~~ For me, I am going to buy it right away. I trust a company that can pull off the HE90 system is capable of design an headphone amp that works ultra good with there own headphones.

I agree!

 Wow that new sennheiser amp sure looks sexy.Any one heard it yet and what does it cost? How does the onboard dac sound?

Quote:

Originally Posted by buson160man 

 Wow that new sennheiser amp sure looks sexy.Any one heard it yet and what does it cost? How does the onboard dac sound?

anyone?

i read some impressions saying that its not very good.

I might chime in saying my and only my opinion, is that tube amps rock!

If I had the money I would have gone for a full tube amps and pre for my loudspeaker setup but as I very much like DSP and active filtering and multiamping, tube would have been such a monstruous and expensive system. So practically discrete amp is good enough for my situation.

On the other and with a simple headphone amp, you can enjoy the beauty of good designed tube amp without taking a loan, and really tube amp sound very good compared to comparative discrete amps.

HD800 is better on tube amps is not a surprise, as most cans will sound better with tubes. Just my 2 cents.

Quote:

Originally Posted by trunk 

Hi,

I recently bought the HD800 with a Nuforce Icon HDP dac/amp and I'm mostly disappointed.

The high notes sound too harsh to my ears and the bass is pretty much nonexistent, I find myself using my old and much cheaper Denon AH-D1001 instead..

Did anyone have a similar experience with the HD800? Is this something that can be fixed by a better amp? Or is this just the overall signature of these cans?

 

My budget for an amp/dac combo is probably around 1000-1500$. I listen mostly to classical/rock/electronic music.

I'm currently thinking about the Burson 160D/160DS. Will it fit my needs? Is the 160DS as good musically as the 160D?

Any other recommendations/advice?

 

I should also mention that I won't be able to try out an amp before buying it..

 

Thanks!

I'm moving away from it now, but the NuForce DAC9 matches up VERY nicely, particularly with balanced connector to the phones.  I've just been through the agony of researching for something better and that was impossible to find in this price bracket.  So I've now ordered an M2 Vaughn at a much higher price bracket than the DAC 9.  At the moment I'm hanging on the that DAC'headamp as it also sounds very nice on AGK 702s.  To give you a reference - I had Steve Nugent extensively modify a Benchmark DAC1 with the total cost running at abour $5k.  The DAC 9 sounded better - not just my opinion but verified by a couple of other audiophiles.  It is a very musical unit.  You might be lucky to locate one used, although they rarely come on to the market.  That tells you something too!  If you get one from NuForce direct they will refund your money if dissatisfied - that is what finally seduced me to try it out and I have not been sorry.   Maybe worth your while doing that too.  PM me if I can give any more help as I do not intend to follow up on this thread.

BUT, GIGO applies with a vengeance with the HD800.  If your source is mediocre then these phones will let the nasties through. No DAC can improve on poor input.

ASUS are now producing some nice DAC/headamps - Google for them.

Good luck with your hunt.  It can be a frustrating exercise.

John

HD800 sounds really balanced with my Icon Audio HP8 mk2, particularly with the NOS Mullard ECC83 tube. Good deep bass, smooth top end - just fantastic. Blows away the v200 imo.

Sell the HD800s and get a different can, they are too bright and have rolled off bass. If you are looking for flat response from 1 or 2khz to 20hz consider audeze or hifiman offerings. Don't shape the sound with the overpriced "audiophile" amps that only shape the sound. Amps are made to amplify, dacs are made to convert. Nothing else.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Docks 

Sell the HD800s and get a different can, they are too bright and have rolled off bass. If you are looking for flat response from 1 or 2khz to 20hz consider audeze or hifiman offerings. Don't shape the sound with the overpriced "audiophile" amps that only shape the sound. Amps are made to amplify, dacs are made to convert. Nothing else.

Have you ever heard an HD800 lol? The bass is not ortho good, but the headphones definitely do not roll off in the bass unless poorly amped. I own the HD800/HE6/LCD3 and I acknowledge the HD800 being less bassy; but they still compete and do many, if not most things better than the two orthos.

^^^ While this is very true.  Sometimes the HD800s are just not that fun to listen to.  Where the orthos have a very fun sig.  IMO..

Quote:

Originally Posted by dleblanc343 

Have you ever heard an HD800 lol? The bass is not ortho good, but the headphones definitely do not roll off in the bass unless poorly amped. I own the HD800/HE6/LCD3 and I acknowledge the HD800 being less bassy; but they still compete and do many, if not most things better than the two orthos.

Yes I have "lol".

I'm saying that the hd800 "frowny face" eq isn't the end game for all (rolled off bass after 100hz and sharp square waves verify my listening impressions), and certainly not for me on any level considering my taste in electronic music they are very disappointing/harsh/overpriced.

I can't see these being enjoyable on anything except classical music.

Quote:

Originally Posted by preproman 

^^^ While this is very true.  Sometimes the HD800s are just not that fun to listen to.  Where the orthos have a very fun sig.  IMO..

They definitely don't have the viscerality of the orthos, that's why my HE6 get most head time! But you can get the HD800 to sound really fun with the proper amp; it's just a HUGE hassle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Docks 

Yes I have "lol".

I'm saying that the hd800 "frowny face" eq isn't the end game for all (rolled off bass after 100hz and sharp square waves verify my listening impressions), and certainly not for me on any level considering my taste in electronic music they are very disappointing/harsh/overpriced.

I can't see these being enjoyable on anything except classical music.

YMMV. But calling them harsh is relative to what you are feeding them. And I also disagree that they are overpriced. For the exceptional build quality and unmatched technical performance of the headphone; the price is entirely justified imo. I'm more inclined to say that the LCD-3 is more overpriced, and aside from maybe the drivers; the production costs of the LCD-3 are definitely smaller.

Just because you do not like the HD800 does not make it a bad headphone. I did not like it at all either at first. But after playing around with different components, I found out that this headphone is like no other. It literally morphs to what you feed it. Your jaw would drop if you tried it on a vintage Quad amp, trust me; the bass is not lacking (bottomless extension, incredible harmonics and no clipping) .

I would not necessarily associate headphones with musical genres either. On some edm, my HD800's sound better than my LCD-3. It depends on the recording and the contents of the song.

It's like saying that a Bower and Wilkins 800D is better than a Paradigm Signature tower for classical, when the paradigm is better for electronic/pop/hard rock... You can't generalize unfortunately.

Don't bother dlebanc343. I doubt Docks' experience with the HD800 is substantial enough to place any value in his views. Anyone who has spent any time with this headphone should be as bemused by the hyperbole he's spreading as I am.

Can you clarify the "frowny face eq"?

Also I do agree that the HD800 is overpriced but I consider all of the headphones at this price range to be overpriced. The price jump from the flagships of old to the current flagships are quite large and ridiculous imo. It goes from the $200-350 or so range to over $1k. It would make more sense to be priced at say $700-800 or so but that's just wishful thinking and price gouging imo