[maibuN]

  Yeah, the more I read, the more I think it's just between the Ragnarok and Taurus MKII. It's strange no one is bringing up the CMA800R. That was an amp that was blowing up in this thread 10 months ago. I suppose the excitement has quelled.

Yeah, the more I read, the more I think it's just about getting the most expensive amp on the market. Of course the most expensive one is the best one. Just don't judge by sound quality but by price and everything is fine with HD800s.

 

[roguegeek]

Yeah, the more I read, the more I think it's just about getting the most expensive amp on the market. Of course the most expensive one is the best one. Just don't judge by sound quality but by price and everything is fine with HD800s.:rolleyes:

Can't tell if you're serious or attempting to troll.

 

[knowhatimean]

 

Yeah, the more I read, the more I think it's just about getting the most expensive amp on the market. Of course the most expensive one is the best one. Just don't judge by sound quality but by price and everything is fine with HD800s.

Can't tell if you're serious or attempting to troll.

You hadn't considered spending any time even thinking about this, had you ? He he he.....
 
(I find it much easier to not try to "translate the intent" of postings & take them at "face value" ; "Deeper meaning" may be beyond the scope of the person posting the message !!! ) (The depth of meaning of most things you read online goes no deeper than the depth of the screen you've read it on...  Hey I like that ! I'll have to add that to my book of "Semi - Useful Advice")
 
~steve

 

[roguegeek]

It's 4:14 in the morning. The only thing I should be deep into is sleep.

 

[wink]

or trouble.....

 

[Justin_Time]

I used to think that about the Taurus also. Then I got the WA5 and heard the HE6 from the K1K output. That changed my HeadFi world.

The Taurus will make music from the HE6, but you are getting a poor imitation of what the HE6 is capable of. The sound is flat and the bass weak when compared to what the WA5, or the 430HA, can deliver.

I have driven the HE6 from the speaker taps of a 150W power amp - and from that I can only conclude that the WA5 and 430HA both take the HE6 about as far as it can go as far as power requirements are concerned. There might be a slight increase in dynamics and bass response from the power amp, but it is so small as to be negligable - and so tiny I am still not convinced it isn't just happening inside my head.

The Taurus doesn't take the HE6 close to the limit of its capabilities. The 430HA and WA5 do. I own all three and am absolutely convinced of this from many hours of listening.

I have yet to hear the 430HA but I am in good agreement with you regarding the Woo WA5.

You are also correct regarding additional power. From testing about a dozen or so amps, I believe the optimal power for the HE-6 Is around 5-10 watts into 50 ohms and the Woo WA5 is at the low end of that range. So a little more power would be beneficial but I think looking for that extra power with most mass-produced speaker amps is misguided. In order to drive inefficient speakers and also satisfying the consumers' obsession with specs in the 70s to the 90s, many of them sacrificed the sound quality by opting for mostly class AB, complex designs, using a large number of low-quality transistors and parts, and huge negative feedback to achieve good looking but not so good sounding specs (low THD at the expense of other types of distorsions). A more rewarding effort would be toward smaller power (35-75 watts into 8 ohms), smaller-production amps from a few select companies dedicated to producing the best possible sound using simple, class-A designs and hig-quality parts.

Coincidentally but not entirely unexpectedly, these moderately powered, class-A amps, just like the Woo WA5, sound fantastic with the HD-800 as well because of the superb quality of their sound at the first watt. What it adds, compared to typical, lower-powered, but otherwise excellent HeadAmps, is bass control and dynamic range.

I get a chance to listen to the HD-800 with a few of these amps--namely the First Watts M2 and J2, and the Pass Aleph 0s and 3. They opens my eyes (ears?) on what a great-sounding and powerful amp can do with not just the HE-6, but also the HD-800.

 

[TonyNewman]

...
I get a chance to listen to the HD-800 with a few of these amps--namely the First Watts M2 and J2, and the Pass Aleph 0s and 3. They opens my eyes (ears?) on what a great-sounding and powerful amp can do with not just the HE-6, but also the HD-800.

 
Both the WA5 and 430HA throw around 8W into 50 ohm. That's a lot of juice for a headphone.
 
Totally on board with the HD800 benefiting from the extra juice also. This headphone scales beyond my wildest expectations when given a ton of power.
 
Balanced output from the 430HA is stunning. Perhaps even better is using the speaker taps of the WA5 with the HiFiMan adapter box. Either lifts the HD800 into another class - the sound is almost "planar-like" if that makes any sense. It certainly takes it beyond what the HPH output on the front panel of the WA5 can do.
 
Just a personal preference - to my ears a well driven + modded HE6 (or HD800) beats anything else I have heard, including LCD-X/3C/3F. YMMV

 

[Justin_Time]

 
Both the WA5 and 430HA throw around 8W into 50 ohm. That's a lot of juice for a headphone.
 
Totally on board with the HD800 benefiting from the extra juice also. This headphone scales beyond my wildest expectations when given a ton of power.
 
Balanced output from the 430HA is stunning. Perhaps even better is using the speaker taps of the WA5 with the HiFiMan adapter box. Either lifts the HD800 into another class - the sound is almost "planar-like" if that makes any sense. It certainly takes it beyond what the HPH output on the front panel of the WA5 can do.
 
Just a personal preference - to my ears a well driven + modded HE6 (or HD800) beats anything else I have heard, including LCD-X/3C/3F. YMMV

 


Tony,

Thanks for the comments.

It looks like I have to find a way to listen to the SimmAudio Moon 430HA. Honestly, I am not t huge proponent of speaker amps: I tried them because I already have them at hand.All that speker cables and adaptor boxes are a pain...

 

[TonyNewman]

 

   
Both the WA5 and 430HA throw around 8W into 50 ohm. That's a lot of juice for a headphone.
 
Totally on board with the HD800 benefiting from the extra juice also. This headphone scales beyond my wildest expectations when given a ton of power.
 
Balanced output from the 430HA is stunning. Perhaps even better is using the speaker taps of the WA5 with the HiFiMan adapter box. Either lifts the HD800 into another class - the sound is almost "planar-like" if that makes any sense. It certainly takes it beyond what the HPH output on the front panel of the WA5 can do.
 
Just a personal preference - to my ears a well driven + modded HE6 (or HD800) beats anything else I have heard, including LCD-X/3C/3F. YMMV

 


Tony,

Thanks for the comments.

It looks like I have to find a way to listen to the SimmAudio Moon 430HA. Honestly, I am not t huge proponent of speaker amps: I tried them because I already have them at hand.All that speker cables and adaptor boxes are a pain...

 
I think the speaker amps have their place - they can be very cost effective to drive the HE6.
 
The headphone amps that pack the cajones to drive the HE6 properly (power + SQ) are relatively few and usually expensive.
 
I like the high end + powerful headphone amps for the flexibility + SQ they offer. 430HA and WA5 can drive anything out there, and drive it very well with gorgeous sound. I like that

 
The 430HA is well worth an audition. I love mine as both a headamp and a preamp. The 430HA thread might be worth a look if you haven't already given it a browse.

 

[rawrster]

They definitely are very cost effective. When I had the he6 I had the v200 which did not drive them well. I also had a Mjolnir which was much better but not quite there and then I bought a $150 or so speaker amp that drove them much better. I have heard them through some good speaker amps and they do sound better but at the cost of the speaker amp it really is a bargain

I wouldn't want to use a speaker amp on any other headphone however.

 

[Dragonsan]

Does anyone here own the K3003s? How well do they stack up against the HD800s?

 

[yates7592]

Does anybody have any experience on how Sim Moon HA430 compares to HDVA600 (or HDVD800) when paired with HD800. I see the HA430 puts out about >33% more power than HDVA600 (667mW vs 480mW into 600 ohms). I have HDVA600 and am very happy with it but would upgrade in a shot if the HA430 gave me a measurably better sound quality experience.

 

[Mach3]

Does anybody have any experience on how Sim Moon HA430 compares to HDVA600 (or HDVD800) when paired with HD800. I see the HA430 puts out about >33% more power than HDVA600 (667mW vs 480mW into 600 ohms). I have HDVA600 and am very happy with it but would upgrade in a shot if the HA430 gave me a measurably better sound quality experience.

Last time I checked, the HD800 are 300 ohm

 

[lin0003]

Last time I checked, the HD800 are 300 ohm

Yeah, the 800s are definitely 300 ohm. 

 

[pearljam50000]

What would be a major upgrade from the HD800?