[MacedonianHero]

  God dammit guys :/
This can ruin my already ruined budget

 
There is no reason to believe that. Just this weekend I heard an HD800 in the 28 000 ish serial number range...and guess what...basically identical to my 6XXX pair from 5 years ago. There have been no measurements or double-blind experiments to show any change by Sennheiser (which has denied ever making a change). Upfront rigs can drastically alter the HD800s and I suspect that has a big part of this. Just my two cents....

 

[vrln]

HD 800 does indeed change a lot with electronics, enough to make it sound anywhere from horrible to divine. So while my HD 800 do sound different than the previous ones, I´m also using an amp with a high output impedance custom built for the HD 800 so that probably changes a lot of things (HDVD-800).
 
For what it´s worth, here´s my 38k HD 800 FR chart... It is showing a warm 3 db or so bass tilt, but I haven´t checked the original charts for a long time so perhaps they measured the same.
 

 

[RubyTiger]

   
There is no reason to believe that. Just this weekend I heard an HD800 in the 28 000 ish serial number range...and guess what...basically identical to my 6XXX pair from 5 years ago. There have been no measurements or double-blind experiments to show any change by Sennheiser (which has denied ever making a change). Upfront rigs can drastically alter the HD800s and I suspect that has a big part of this. Just my two cents....

Except they are each hand assembled in Germany. Hence each one will sound unique. I never changed a thing between the 'rental pair' and those that arrived. I have added a Draug 2 cable now and they do sound near perfect to my ears. Very neutral and balanced.
 
But, that's not to say the rental pair did not have mechanical problem's to begin with. It wouldn't be the first time I auditioned equipment only later to find out it was faulty.

 

[rawrster]

  HD 800 does indeed change a lot with electronics, enough to make it sound anywhere from horrible to divine. So while my HD 800 do sound different than the previous ones, I´m also using an amp with a high output impedance custom built for the HD 800 so that probably changes a lot of things (HDVD-800).
 
For what it´s worth, here´s my 38k HD 800 FR chart... It is showing a warm 3 db or so bass tilt, but I haven´t checked the original charts for a long time so perhaps they measured the same.
 

 
My 6k or so SN chart looks pretty similar and this leads to my previous HD800 at SN of 600's.

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
Except they are each hand assembled in Germany. Hence each one will sound unique. I never changed a thing between the 'rental pair' and those that arrived. I have added a Draug 2 cable now and they do sound near perfect to my ears. Very neutral and balanced.
 
But, that's not to say the rental pair did not have mechanical problem's to begin with. It wouldn't be the first time I auditioned equipment only later to find out it was faulty.

 
But the drivers (where the wheels hit road so to speak) aren't...and this is Sennheiser in Germany we're talking about. 

 

[Oregonian]

Where is the serial number on the HD800's?  Just got my pair from AWD and would like to know.
 
Thanks...............

 

[Sorrodje]

Close to #40000 I think .  

 

[paradoxper]

Serial is on top of the headband.

 

[preproman]

I just ordered "yet another pair" from Coloware..  I got SN 38, xxx.  

 

[negura]

  I just ordered "yet another pair" from Coloware..  I got SN 38, xxx.  

 
What will you be amping those with?

 

[preproman]

Bricasti M1 / GS-X MK2  Waiting for a pure silver cable from Trevor.

 

[Sorrodje]

  Bricasti M1 / GS-X MK2  Waiting for a pure silver cable from Trevor.

 
WOW . You really want to torture someone ? 

 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

   
WOW . You really want to torture someone ? 

 

 
I'm going to give it a shot.  
 
Why you say that, have you heard this rig together, or any part on its own besides the HD800, or the HD800s with either?
 
Or have you just been drinking the kool aid and thinking all D S DACs are crap.  Or the GS-X mk2 / HD800 is not a good match?

 

[Sorrodje]

  Quote:
 
I'm going to give it a shot.  
 
Why you say that, have you heard this rig together, or any part on its own besides the HD800, or the HD800s with either?
 
Or have you just been drinking the kool aid and thinking all D S DACs are crap.  Or the GS-X mk2 / HD800 is not a good match?

 
I was just kidding you. Keep calm and let"s personal rant between forums out of this.  right ? 
 
Heard the GSX mkII + HD800 ( meet conditions but good ones.. no ambient noise, very few people during our listenings, good quality time of listening, A/B against my own rig) and couldn't personaly live with that . Even for classical listening. 
 
the result I heard was surprising for me in the sense that it was both beautiful and unlistenable. Beautiful cuz it's so clean, precise and vivid with a stellar black blackground. Unlistenable because the overall result is way too edgy and cold. Sounded like a radiography of the music. I already think the HD800 by itself proposes a kind of "enhanced" sound experience where everything is a bit overstated.. like 102% of the reality . Right ?  with the gsx mkII it becomes 105% of the reality. that's too much for me and I found that really  fatiguing, harsh.  the friend who owns that combo ( with a HEGEL HD25 as DAC) loves that though. For me, GSX MKII + HD800 combo falls in the "too much of a good thing" category.    Even for Classical and Stellar recording  we tried. 
 
What I wrote above is a pure Sorrodje's genuine opinion.  I heard the HD800 from a bunch of other amps , including Meier's best offers that represent what I can call "neutral". I'm not in the camp who thinks the GSX mkII is "wire with gain" . No other amps I know are. I'm not in the camp of GSX mkII haters either. trust me or not  
 
Considering you usual tastes, for me it looks like you're choosing the best option to hate the HD800 definitely .. YMMV and let time will tell if you keep this 4th (5th? )  HD800.  
 

 
PS : No opinion about the Bricasti, never heard it.  But I'm convinced you'll do serious comparison with your totaldac with the HD800.   

 

[preproman]

   
I was just kidding you. Keep calm and let"s personal rant between forums out of this.  right ? 
 
Heard the GSX mkII + HD800 ( meet conditions but good ones.. no ambient noise, very few people during our listenings, good quality time of listening, A/B against my own rig) and couldn't personaly live with that . Even for classical listening. 
 
the result I heard was surprising for me in the sense that it was both beautiful and unlistenable. Beautiful cuz it's so clean, precise and vivid with a stellar black blackground. Unlistenable because the overall result is way too edgy and cold. Sounded like a radiography of the music. I already think the HD800 by itself proposes a kind of "enhanced" sound experience where everything is a bit overstated.. like 102% of the reality . Right ?  with the gsx mkII it becomes 105% of the reality. that's too much for me and I found that really  fatiguing, harsh.  the friend who owns that combo ( with a HEGEL HD25 as DAC) loves that though. For me, GSX MKII + HD800 combo falls in the "too much of a good thing" category.    Even for Classical and Stellar recording  we tried. 
 
What I wrote above is a pure Sorrodje's genuine opinion.  I heard the HD800 from a bunch of other amps , including Meier's best offers that represent what I can call "neutral". I'm not in the camp who thinks the GSX mkII is "wire with gain" . No other amps I know are. I'm not in the camp of GSX mkII haters either. trust me or not  
 
Considering you usual tastes, for me it looks like you're choosing the best option to hate the HD800 definitely .. YMMV and let time will tell if you keep this 4th (5th? )  HD800.  
 

 
PS : No opinion about the Bricasti, never heard it.  But I'm convinced you'll do serious comparison with your totaldac with the HD800.   

 
I was joking with you as well,  I guess one can never really tell the tone of the Internet..  Like i said, I was just picking at you...
 
I'm choosing the option to really let the HD800s do it's thing.  Instead of trying to mask them with mods and tubes and  - well other things.  I want to get a rig that gets out its way.  I'm in the wire with gain camp, and the GS-X MK2 is one of the only amps that comes close to that - that I've heard.  
 
Besides the M1 is the Ace in the hole here.  The DAC is great, Black background on black background. 
 
I've owned a GS-X mk2 from the first run.  The only reason I got rid of it is because the F1J beat it out using the HE-6.  But I know the amp very well and all it's capabilities.  
 
I'm at the point to get any other amp I can think of to go with this rig.  I'm going with the GS-X base on the experience I've had owning other TOTL amps.   
 
The GS-X mk2 is one of the most transparent amps I know of (a la "wire with gain").  The Bricasti M1 DAC is one of the most cleanest DACs I know of.  The HD800 is one of the most revealing headphones I know of.  
 
Lets see what happens.