The (new) HD800 Appreciation Thread - Page 40

Quote:

Originally Posted by TooPoor 

Yeah waiting for some quotes on a balanced M^3

  you can get multiple sets of op amp for rolling as well.

Balanced M3 and a BiFrost... something might be hard to plug in ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by preproman 

 

  you can get multiple sets of op amp for rolling as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TooPoor 

Yeah waiting for some quotes on a balanced M^3

Oh DAYUM..  Your going to need a balanced source...  Ask if you can get SE inputs as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikek200 

Welcome to the club.....

Brand new,& already thinking of modding them-why?

Sibilance???..might need a bit of breakin?

 

I've trimmed down most of my collection of.."stuff",but definetly keeping the HD800's,& the Maddogs

Shouldn't be breakin in by now.  I bought them used they are in the serial number 99xx range.  And I'm only cutting about 2db at 6khz and 1db at 10khz as of right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by preproman 

 

 

Ha ha ha JWahl man you got a new favorite every time you get a new headphone.    Give me a blow by blow against the AD2KX..  Please..

Quote:

Originally Posted by BournePerfect 


Yeah but this time he's probably right.

-Daniel

Haha, I guess I can see why it would seem that way but to be fair, these last three purchases have been in increasing price brackets, from K702 65th to AD2000X to HD-800 and I feel the improvement with each has been somewhat linear, factoring in diminishing returns.  And I think my several month Hiatus between my previous 3 flagships sort of "reset" my ears so to speak, hence, each purchase sounding progressively more impressive.  And I can only go off of distant memory for my older flagships.  I can't descriptively compare them by memory, only memory of how I enjoyed them in their respective setups.

And honestly I didn't expect to be that impressed since I wasn't when I heard them at a meet but I figured I'd give them a chance in my own home and I'm sure glad I did.

As far as comparison to the AD2000X.  I'm still very impressed with it in it's price bracket since I paid about $579 for it new.  The HD-800 just takes it to the next level all around.  I'm very surprised the HD800 doesn't sacrifice the sense of pace and timing that I like from the AD2000X. Not that I thought it would do poorly but I thought the AD2000X would exceed it there but I was wrong.  Bass quantity and quality is also much better on the HD-800.  I do find the HD-800 heavier though than the feather-light AD2000X, but it's still pretty comfortable.  

The AD2000X is much more closer sounding and intimate in comparison but that is to be expected given their design.  The AD2000X midbass while punchy doesn't seem as precise as the HD800.  I don't find the HD800 to be overly analytical at all but still very accurate and musical, at least in my setup, again I can only compare from the perspective of what I've owned mostly.  I'm sure my amp contributes some, it's from Audio-GD's "musical" SA series and according to Kingwa, the topology is supposed to be based on an Accuphase amp so take it FWIW.

Of course I could just have a lucky synergy with the equipment I already own.  I can try to give more impressions later, I'm finding it difficult to passively listen and formulate cohesive writing at the same time 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solude 

 

See my other pairs I'd agree.  But behind my current rig, which is what I had the LCD-3 with, the HD800 has much greater impact, precision and definition.  The LCD-3 bass was always kind of laid back.  Not sure what you mean by depth?  Layers?  Deep bass? Staging depth?  My HD800 certainly shakes the head more than the LCD-3 I had.  Movie watching with the HD800 is mind blowing :D

The bass on the LCD-3s extend lower and have better layering (not by much though) and slam harder. I agree I wouldn't call the HD800's bass lite either. Staging, air go to the HD800s. As I mentioned, between both, one would have pretty much all their musical bases covered.

My previous post wasn't directed at anyone, just in general, that $2000 headphones with low-fi amp/dac pairing is a bit unbalanced and you'll probably end up disappointed. If you're going to spend $3000 you might as well spend $1000 on headphones, and $2000 on gear, not $2000 on headphones, and $1000 on gear...

Anywho... I'll be getting in a new S/N 20xxx + HD800 to draw comparisons with a 2013 LCD3, and an LCD2 rev2.2. I've always heard the HD800 whenever I visited the local headphone shop and meets, even tried with a fully burned in Mjo/Gung, and I've always passed it off as having a weird soundstage and lacking bass. When I get home to Vancouver I'll try to compare the one in store with mine and actually see if there is any notable difference.

BournePerfect,

Would you say it's a pretty decent jump from your C2-SA to the Zana Deux SE with the HD800 synergy-wise?  The C2-SA should at least be somewhat similar in signature to my SA-31.  I'm not dissatisfied with my current setup but I can't help but be curious of what these things are really capable of.  Of course at that price range I'd probably go for something like the DNA Stratus.  Maybe a Sonett 2 is more realistic for my future budget though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Girls Generation 

$2000 headphones with low-fi amp/dac pairing is a bit unbalanced and you'll probably end up disappointed. If you're going to spend $3000 you might as well spend $1000 on headphones, and $2000 on gear, not $2000 on headphones, and $1000 on gear...

I believe the complete opposite.

The transducer is the most important link in the audio chain. It's where the rubber meets the road.

I wouldn't think twice about pairing $2000 headphones with a $500 amp/DAC (assuming the headphones are sufficiently sensitive and the amp has sufficient power).

Quote:

Originally Posted by palmfish 

 

I believe the complete opposite.

 

The transducer is the most important link in the audio chain. It's where the rubber meets the road.

 

I wouldn't think twice about pairing $2000 headphones with a $500 amp/DAC (assuming the headphones are sufficiently sensitive and the amp has sufficient power).

Yeah, from what I've heard, what really matters the most is how does the sound go in, and how does it come out (as the two most important links in the chain).

But the problem is, is buying $2000 headphones a smart decision if you're budget is limited to $3000? Between $1000 and $2000 headphones, the difference isn't that great, take the LCD3 and TH900 for example. Why not spend money where it'll give you less diminishing returns and better overall performance? Transducer isn't the whole story, but rather it's best to balance out the equipment for maximum performance. I'm assuming said person has a limited $3000 budget.

Would you say the GPU is the most important link in a $3000 computer chain, so you get a 2way SLI GTX690, and build the rest with mid-fi equipment like i5 3570K? What's the point? They'll provide minimal improvements, and just be bottlenecked by the rest of the computer.

Sorry to derail the thread. Back on track with HD800, I'm having high hopes for these... high hopes that it'll convince me to get rid of the LCD2/3 so I can save some money...

Quote:

Originally Posted by palmfish 

 

I believe the complete opposite.

 

The transducer is the most important link in the audio chain. It's where the rubber meets the road.

 

I wouldn't think twice about pairing $2000 headphones with a $500 amp/DAC (assuming the headphones are sufficiently sensitive and the amp has sufficient power).