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pila405 said:

I'm glad you like it. It is just the way I see things.
 
Thank you very much for the advice\'phones descriptions. I hope next week I will be able to have a go on most of these

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Re: "Isn't reality only a synonym for perception", it indeed is a nicely turned phrase, and yes I like it, and I also see things the way you do.  Everyone should remember it, and when listening and evaluating headphones try to tune out all matters of the glitz factor, the size of the amp, even the brand, and just focus so heavily on the music that all else disappears.  I watch customers when they see things at my place, and with many I know they need to have something as soon as they see it, before hearing it.  A combination of price (meaning high, that makes folks wish they could have something), appearance, all those other things that go into the "lust factor",   I often think about hiding amps or speakers behind a black cloth, I know that the choice folks make would often be different.  I wanted to do the same thing with a wine snob, knowing that if I put a much less expensive wine in a bottle that Parker had endorsed he would parrot what Parker had written about the wine and wax poetic about how great that wine was.  

Original poster, please let us know what you think about what you hear next week, and tell us what you get.  That is always the most interesting part for me.  And I always hope the person is musically satisfied for a relatively long time.   

I will do my best in order to be as objective as possible. I found owners of: HD800, T1, SR-007, 404, ATH-W5000 and K1000. We shall see what comes of it. 
 
I will keep you posted.

Hello,
 
For me you have to focus on HD800, HE6, HE60, Lambda Nova Signature, SR507. 
They are very close on to another.
 
The HE6 has the most bass impact.
The HE60 is most detailed.
The HD800 accentuate the sibilance the most.
The HE6 and the HD800 has the most larger imaging.
The HE60 has most height an depth imaging.
 
The SR007 is rather a colored headphone : soft, round, warm.

So, I had the pleasure to listen to some 'phones and I really liked both the HD800 (from Beta22 and Buffalo DAC) and the SR-407 (from SRM 323S), but I've listened to both separately and couldn't compare the two side-by-side, so here I call for your help. Could anyone please write down a description comparing both?
 
Thanks

Probably not a lot of people who have heard these particular phones side by side. Will say, though, that you will like HD800 better from a better matching amp than the B22. The 323S is likely a good match for the 407, I had one with my SR-007 mk1. I haven't heard a 407, but I have the 404 as well as 507.

Many people said the B22 and HD800 are a great match, what makes you say otherwise?
 
I think the HD800 had more bass and maybe better mid, but since it was from early production there was certainly sibilance while the SR-407 also had, but less.
The HD800 soundstage was obviously superior in every way (imaging and space. Oooh it was very spacious and large! 
 
But I just can't remember which had a better background and more natural sound...
 
 
'Phones I heard and aren't for my taste:
-Audio-Technica W3000 ANV (too much bass and treble and artificial sound)
-Stax SR-007 (too much bass. Too round and soft\warm)

HD800 and a Beta 22 a great match I didn't think so. The sound is too laidback, too smooth and clean.
 
HD800 with the Super 7 is better better synergy, more musical, refined, meatier with a ******* sense of rythm. Also the sibilance is reduced with his amp. I had a SR507, superior to the 407, with a SRM007T and I prefer the HD800/S7 especially for the imaging, more musical, better bass impact. 
 
You could try the HE6 with the S7 or other tube amp, I believe that I prefer it to the HD800, you keep his imaging but with better bass, more organic and musical. 
 
The S7 gives chill because you're trained in music !

But I don't have that sum of money to invest in amplification at the moment. I thought about something more like in the range of 600-750$ for amp...

Beta22 will not be available in that price range. I agree with the above about the beta22 HD800 comments.

Let me first say that I think you did the smartest thing by going out to try and listen to the headphones you're considering.
 
There should be an amp available at that price point that will power the HD800 more than adequately. You could search the amp forum. I am sure that this topic has been well discussed. Simply accept that the most expensive amps are out of your price range and stop wondering about them, that's the safest thing to do for your wallet. I generally found amps to make the least difference in the chain, compared to the headphones themselves and the source.
I auditioned the HD800 once, and found my electrostats to be superior, which where at that time the Sennheiser HE60 and Stax SR-Lambda Signature. Thus, I am inclined to recommend the Stax setup. However, our tastes/priorities in sound could be different. If you think you could be just as happy with either setup, then maybe you should just buy the least expensive one.
 
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pila405 said:

But I don't have that sum of money to invest in amplification at the moment. I thought about something more like in the range of 600-750$ for amp...

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Quote:

pila405 said:

But I don't have that sum of money to invest in amplification at the moment. I thought about something more like in the range of 600-750$ for amp...

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On the SS side, you can consider Lake People G109-S and Audio-gd SA-31

If you are going HD800, I would recommend the Matrix M-Stage amp as a stand in til you can make the leap to the top. I am listening to my HD800 through my X-Sabre and the M-Stage right now and the M-Stage is really impressive for just $260. I got the one with the USB DAC for an extra $30 just because. The DAC is unsurprisingly not that great, but it doesn't sound terrible, and it could be handy to have an extra DAC if you ever found yourself in a position where you were selling your current DAC and waiting for a new one to come in.

I have a Bryston BHA-1 that I will be replacing with a Headamp GS-X mk2 when it arrives, but auditioning this M-Stage has me wondering if I could get by with it and sell the BHA-1 now instead of later, the M-Stage is really that good to be considered an acceptable temporary substitute for the second best solid state head amp I've ever heard. Note that this amp has a fairly magical response to HD800s and does well, but not this well with most other headphones. The M-Stage is a high quality clone of the Lehmann BCL (~$1140), which was used by Sennheiser while developing the HD800. Part selection is at least as good as the original. Casing is obviously cheaper, but no less effective, and you don't listen to the case.





edit: Just did a mini review of the M-Stage in the HD800 thread. Here it is: http://www.head-fi.org/t/650510/the-new-hd800-appreciation-thread/1515#post_9314256

I run a SA-31 and an Apex Arete side by side in my rig and I think the that Arete is better for the HD 800. TTVJ is selling them for $750, which is $345 off the original price. It has a better center focus and blacker background than the SA-31, while the SA-31 has a larger soundstage and is more laid back. 
 
When you feel like upgrading, you can buy the Volcano power supply, which yields a sizable improvement in performance.  

^ nice review on the HD 800s/M Stage. definitely a good amp considering the low cost (performance is very good at the cost), however theres definitely room for improvement. 
 
however, i would never recommend the real BCL to anyone. Lehmann BCL sounds terrible with the HD 800s, almost runs out of drive for the hd 800s, i found it to be dull and lacking (YMMV), and extremely overpriced (performance is acceptable as a temporary/budget/starter setup like M-stage or some of the other BCL clones, but definitely not worth the 1000$+ price tag of the BCL). 
 
 
hows the BHA-1 with HD 800?