[icebear]

No, I dont have that version.

I have the original CD release, the original SACD release, the original MFSL Half-Speed mastered LP, the 30th Anniversay LP, and of course, a pre-recorded cassette for rocking with my Walkman.

Going by your avatar you are a fan of Alan Parson ...?
When you follow the link to the XX edition there are a couple of low ratings.
The most helpful of these is from a guy who claims to be a certified studio recording engineer.
Acc. to him Alan Parson was not involved in the 30th anniv. edition which seems to be the farthest away from the original.
Here the link to this review:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1KUQCJ93TOPW8/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R1KUQCJ93TOPW8
 
I never had an original Sony Walkman, only an Aiwa but that had auto reverse !!

 

[palmfish]

Oh man, one of my FAVORITE SACDs! That and Wish You Where Here are prized pieces in my multichannel audio collection!

LOl...I have three versions of WYWH - including the SACD reissue. Its my favorite Floyd album by far.

 

[palmfish]

Going by your avatar you are a fan of Alan Parson ...?
When you follow the link to the XX edition there are a couple of low ratings.
The most helpful of these is from a guy who claims to be a certified studio recording engineer.
Acc. to him Alan Parson was not involved in the 30th anniv. edition which seems to be the farthest away from the original.
Here the link to this review:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1KUQCJ93TOPW8/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R1KUQCJ93TOPW8

I never had an original Sony Walkman, only an Aiwa but that had auto reverse !!

Yes, Im a big APP fan.

There are a lot of people who spend way too much time arguing about the different versions. I dont worry about it - I just enjoy them

 

[wisemanja]

This is true, I thought it made more of a difference than it actually does with the 300ohm senns. Subjectively I found it to sound slightly tilted in favour of mid bass, in some basic blind tests it's much harder to say this had an obvious effect. If it was 100 ohm output I think it would be obvious but 43 is right on the point of really having an effect on damping with high impedance phones.

The HD300 have a very slight brilliance in the upper range that I believe the designed output impedance of the HDVD800 and HDVA600 was intentionally intended to tame a bit. If you look at the impedance curve of the HD800, it is bowed upward in the midrange reaching a high value of 600 ohms falling to just under 300 as you move up or down from that range. This produces the very result that you have seen (i.e., the relative midbass boost).
 
This also works well in taming the top end of the Beyrdynamic T1 which also have a hump shaped impedance curve that goes from 600 ohm to a high in the midrange of 1200 ohms.
 
However, this output impedance can screw things up (acoustically speaking) if the impedance curve shape is significantly different, and especially if the phones have a low impedance. 50 ohm phones would have half of the output power dropped across the output impedance. The output impedance alone can contribute to tonal aberrations on a lot of lower impedance phones. These amps really aren't recommended for low impedance phones for this very reason.
I've posted some detailed descriptions of this several months ago but I can't remember where 

 either this thread or the T1 owners thread.

 

[dleblanc343]

There's one track off DSotM that I try to remember when demo'ing, and it's Time. The intro is absolutely amazing for testing sibilance and distortion (the clocks and bells are literally painful on most mediocre speakers/headphones)

 

[wisemanja]

  The HD300 have a very slight brilliance in the upper range that I believe the designed output impedance of the HDVD800 and HDVA600 was intentionally intended to tame a bit. If you look at the impedance curve of the HD800, it is bowed upward in the midrange reaching a high value of 600 ohms falling to just under 300 as you move up or down from that range. This produces the very result that you have seen (i.e., the relative midbass boost).
 
This also works well in taming the top end of the Beyrdynamic T1 which also have a hump shaped impedance curve that goes from 600 ohm to a high in the midrange of 1200 ohms.
 
However, this output impedance can screw things up (acoustically speaking) if the impedance curve shape is significantly different, and especially if the phones have a low impedance. 50 ohm phones would have half of the output power dropped across the output impedance. The output impedance alone can contribute to tonal aberrations on a lot of lower impedance phones. These amps really aren't recommended for low impedance phones for this very reason.
I've posted some detailed descriptions of this several months ago but I can't remember where 

 either this thread or the T1 owners thread.

Ok, here's the blurb I posted on this:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/605444/sennheiser-hdvd800-headphone-amplifier/1290#post_9639003
 
-Jeff

 

[zackzack]

Anyone tested/tried HDVD800 with Beyer T1 or the AKGs?
DO these pair well? Or the Senn only plays with their own kind?

 

[AlanHell]

  Anyone tested/tried HDVD800 with Beyer T1 or the AKGs?
DO these pair well? Or the Senn only plays with their own kind?

T1 sounds better on this amp because T1 tuned similar to HD800. So, the bass kicks out more while the high is not as harsh as before.
HD800 has been turns into a more "all around" phone for now. You can listen to Taylor swift without hurting you years.
As for AKG, as long as you do not re-terminate your phone into full balance setup, there is no point to power it through the HDVD800 since 80% of the magic has been down through the balance setup.
 
P.S.
I do not own AKG, so I cannot say more than that.

 

[Speedy Pedro]

  I don't consider Dark Side of the Moon to much of a test.  I dragged it out some time back and it was terribly muddy through my HD800. This is an old recording, from the 60s and was meant to be mainly a head trip back then for people my age  back then, most of whom had cheap crappy systems.  The best cans then were Koss, which suck by today's standards.

Although I listened to other stuff as well, the Dark Side recording by itself was good enough for me to appreciate the difference between the HDVA 600 and the Auralic Taurus. It was considerably less muddy through the Taurus. The difference was not subtle to more ears. I suppose if the HDVA 600 was half the price perhaps I would have been more forgiving in my assessment.

 

[thomascrown]

Allow me to insist that your judgement is based on a flawed setup, as wrote before you should try hdva 600 or the 800 with a different source, so I mean not the nagra cd. Anyway I just tried the Vali, and I start thinking every amp is overpriced compared to this little jewel (imho of course).

 

[Speedy Pedro]

  Allow me to insist that your judgement is based on a flawed setup, as wrote before you should try hdva 600 or the 800 with a different source, so I mean not the nagra cd. Anyway I just tried the Vali, and I start thinking every amp is overpriced compared to this little jewel (imho of course).

And why is it flawed? Please, do tell. Nagra CD is a great source. Probably better than most people will use with their HDVA 600. The muddiness would not have come from the Nagra. And indeed this was evident when I listened to the Auralic.
 
 
Furthermore, I have listened to it in other occaisions, including a head to head with Graham Slee in London when the HDVA 600 was presented in the UK at the head-fi meet.

 

[zackzack]

  T1 sounds better on this amp because T1 tuned similar to HD800. So, the bass kicks out more while the high is not as harsh as before.
HD800 has been turns into a more "all around" phone for now. You can listen to Taylor swift without hurting you years.
As for AKG, as long as you do not re-terminate your phone into full balance setup, there is no point to power it through the HDVD800 since 80% of the magic has been down through the balance setup.
 
P.S.
I do not own AKG, so I cannot say more than that.

 
Don't make me happy. Just don't.
So you are saying I can have 2 of my favorite headphones T1 & HD800 and just ONE headphones amp to power them both?

 

[thomascrown]

  And why is it flawed? Please, do tell. Nagra CD is a great source. Probably better than most people will use with their HDVA 600. The muddiness would not have come from the Nagra. And indeed this was evident when I listened to the Auralic.
 
 
Furthermore, I have listened to it in other occaisions, including a head to head with Graham Slee in London when the HDVA 600 was presented in the UK at the head-fi meet.

I'm trying in these days to make a head to head between the vali and the hdva 600 connected to the same source (my dac and some lossless files played)... well It's really hard for me to make a comparison between the two, I "understand" there is a difference, but in the moment you turn off one amplifier, unplug the headphones, plug them in the other, turn it on and then find the right volume... well, what was my memory of the sound is pretty gone. This just to say that if it was so muddy, I guess I would have noticed it immediately. For sure the vali shows to be better pairing with my beyers (770 and 990 250 ohm), but the only consideration I can do is how good  the vali is for the money,  for sure not how bad the hdva is...
Concerning the Nagra, I can't really tell you, I'd love to try it again at this point.

 

[AlanHell]

   
Don't make me happy. Just don't.
So you are saying I can have 2 of my favorite headphones T1 & HD800 and just ONE headphones amp to power them both?

I have no idea what your expectation is, so I am not saying it is enough for you. But, from my own experience, HDVD800 makes the T1 sounds better compare to their own A1 amp.
I am planning to get an new Dac 2 + GSX for my headphones, so I do think HDVD800 is not my end game setup yet.
 
For now, I just use my T1 and HD800 in my office with HDVD800. I am happy with it. So, not sure Y you should be so mad?

 

[Speedy Pedro]

 
I'm trying in these day to make a head to head between the vali and the hdva 600 connected to the same source (my dac and some lossless files played)... well It's really hard for me to make a comparison between the two, I "understand" there is a difference, but in the moment you turn off one amplifier, unplug the headphones, plug them in the other, turn it on and then find the right volume... well, what was my memory of the sound is pretty gone. This just to say that if it was so muddy, I guess I would have noticed it immediately. For sure the vali shows to be better pairing for my beyers (770 and 990 250 ohm), but the only consideration I can do is how good  the vali is for the money,  for sure not how bad the hdva is...
Concerning the Nagra, I can't really tell you, I'd love to try it again at this point.

 
 
Sure, it is not always easy to tell the difference. And for me personally the most challenging is when I go to hifi shows and listen to so many units with music I don't always know (such as in the Munich high end show). So one can be mistaken about relative merits of equipment.
 
I was never particularly impressed with the HDVA 600 in my listening impressions. But I did not feel it that was bad though I was cautious. Cautious enough to demand a head to head with the Sennheiser dealer before I would commit to the HDVA 600.
 
My caution changed when in a head to head with music I knew well (including the Dark Side of the Moon, well recorded or not) I found the difference between HDVA 600 and Taurus to be too great for me to purchase the HDVA 600.
 
If some of you are wondering why I am making so much noise in this thread, the answer is that it is because it is natural for us to think of the HDVA 600 as a perfect fit for the HD 800. I hoped so as well. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case. At least, at this price point.
 
I have a lot of respect for Sennheiser and have quite a few of their headphones. But the HDVA 600 is a case of them having to try again. Or lower the price. The HD 800 deserves better than the HDVA 600.
 
If you in the market for an amp at Sennheiser's price point, I would suggest you give the Auralic a try. And if you are thinking about stretching your budget for the HDVA 600, it might be worth looking around to cheaper options. I have the Graham Solo Ultralinear and it is fab at the price (not a real looker though, but I guess the money goes on the music performance).
 
On a final note, it is a shame that are no Auralic dealers that I know of in London. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pedro