Why did you not keep them then? I really must try to seek out a pair to test out. I may start asking around here if there's any uk owners who would be kind enough to let me listen.
It was a tour unit (I probably could've bought them anyway) and I found a good price on the hd800. Now, I am getting acquainted with the hd800 waiting for a good offer on more gear, preferably on the HE-560.
For what reasons? Many find them to be the benchmark by which all other world class phones are judged, don't they? My music tastes are extremely broad, but I listen to mainly large scale orchestral works with jazz, big band, metal, death metal, solo piano and prog rock/psychadelic rock getting a lot of time as well. Is it their brightness that might put me off? I ultimately want a realistic sound with great dynamic slam, soundstage and separation.
My music preference is classic and Jazz, mostly acoustic. I drive the HD800 directly from a exasoud e20 DAC and I love it
.
According to the developer of the DAC it was voiced using the HD800 - maybe that's one reason I do not hear any of the negatives that often are criticized about the HD800.
It has the best sound stage of any headphone I have heard and for me it does sound realistic. This also includes realistic to reveal faults in recording and mastering. If you select good to very good recordings these will sound great. If you have some mediocre multi track assembly recorded in different locations with different acoustics, it will sound like the patchwork it is. Like most of the times: crap in crap out.
Given your other music preferences above, I am almost certain that you are not going to be happy with the HD800. Just my $0.02.
But you should definitely give it a try, just to make sure you know what all the fuss is about
I have lived with the 800 and depending on your gear, they can sound pretty edgy. Like an audio microscope if you will. I like them on a tube amp. But if I may suggest. The HE-6 is as notorious as claims make them to be. That's the beauty of the headphone IMO. You want to hear an open soundstage, listen to either of the HEs with the mods done. The felt mod cuts reflective energies from the sound. The grill mod opens the soundstage but with a slight bit of a hit on efficiency. The cups are a journey but many like the Audeze pads. I use Denon leathers. The pad really has some bearing on the soundstage. The three combined make for a world class experience with quality upstream gear. Your big iron will do the HE 6 justice and amp that goes to 11 will never leave you wanting. You will be startled with the slam and soundstage thrown with a quality speaker amp. And it usually happens that us audio hobbyists will have an amp or three around so no need for an investment. You get curious, you can take them to some A/V shops to have a listen to some high end amps.
Yes, that's true. You don't get any overly punchy and deep bass nor a big soundstage, though. But they are stats and some swear to them for good reason.
For me, the Stax sounds less mechanical and more natural than similarly priced headphones, they have a cleaner, less distorted presentation.
They do not have the sizzly treble that many dynamic headphones suffer from.
I would recommend the HE-560 as well. Amazing sound quality for the price. Fits all your criteria. Very linear sound signature. Sound stage, imaging, and detail retrieval is superb. No discernible sonic flaws to my ears. I would recommend pairing it with an amp that outputs at least 2W/channel rms.
Amazing deal at razordogaudio for a like-new open box HE-560 at $695. For that price, nothing can beat it (imo). I think it is great value at retail price as well.
I would recommend the HE-560 as well. Amazing sound quality for the price. Fits all your criteria. Very linear sound signature. Sound stage, imaging, and detail retrieval is superb. No discernible sonic flaws to my ears. I would recommend pairing it with an amp that outputs at least 2W/channel rms.
Amazing deal at razordogaudio for a like-new open box HE-560 at $695. For that price, nothing can beat it (imo). I think it is great value at retail price as well.
lol they are already all gone apparently the cheaper price was for the returned headphones with 50+ hrs of usage. There is a $700ish one on the website now. You can probably re-sell that at approximately the same price honestly.
Given your emphasis on bass and concerns about treble (these came up in one form or another in your first post), I recommend a planar, specifically the open Audezes. They're all somewhat different. I don't really like them much myself except LCD3 on a lark but they fit what you describe.
Look into how the fazor affects the response; it's a trade off. Tyll has a useful review, which mostly correlated to what I was hearing. "New and improved" is not for everyone, and you might find that a LCD2 or 3 non-fazored suits you better than any of the fazored ones.
Given your emphasis on bass and concerns about treble (these came up in one form or another in your first post), I recommend a planar, specifically the open Audezes. They're all somewhat different. I don't really like them much myself except LCD3 on a lark but they fit what you describe.
Look into how the fazor affects the response; it's a trade off. Tyll has a useful review, which mostly correlated to what I was hearing. "New and improved" is not for everyone, and you might find that a LCD2 or 3 non-fazored suits you better than any of the fazored ones.
Thank you for the recommendation, they will go on my list too. From what I've read about the Audezes, my concerns would be about them having a closed in or too small a soundstage. Is that the case? Can anyone compare the LCD 2 to the HE 560?
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
the cheaper price was for the returned headphones with 50+ hrs of usage. There is a $700ish one on the website now. You can probably re-sell that at approximately the same price honestly.
