[icebear]

  Suppose thats one way to get the buggers out.. Mine won't budge! 

ROFL

.

 

[ALRAINBOW]

THE wires do look really good

 

[TwoEars]

   
Oh Lord, please help us.  

 

 
Your Lord cannot help you here, friend.

 

  Nice work TwoEars

 
Thanks!
 

  he did a good job with the hardwiring, no doubt.
 
What I don't get:
people pay so much attention to the wiring of their headhpones.
But what about all the cheap wires and connectors in the amps and DACs?
 
Not to mention what happens on the recording side of things
 
Also from another standpoint, I consider the connectors of the HD800
to be well thought out.
Once I stepped on the cable of my HD800 while I tried to stand up.
The connectors disconnected on their own without damaging the cable nor the HP itself.

 
Yes, it is a bit silly I fully agree. I do believe that cables can make a difference since I've heard so myself. But I try to be somewhat realistic about it. I like thick pure copper and standard solder, after that all bets are off. I don't blame people for splurging on something like the SAA cables since they're a nice piece of craftsmanship and nice things cost money, I even owned a pair myself at one point. But I'm not a big fan of super expensive interconnects or speaker cabels.
 

  Suppose thats one way to get the buggers out.. Mine won't budge! 

 
Mine was almost impossible to get out when I first got my HD800's as well. They got easier after I had disconnected them a couple of times. Best way to get them out was to get a firm grip with the fingers and pull them straight out in a very determined motion, but it does feel like you're using waaaaay too much force on something that costs this much money. That being said I do think these connectors still are superior to the HifiMan and Audeze ones. The HiFiman ones are just plain bad and I can't believe they're sticking with them on the HE-560.

Maybe they've got a warehouse full of them.

 

[obsidyen]

I hate harsh treble, my ears are very sensitive. I'm going to be using Meridian Explorer as dac/amp. It's known as a smooth, liquid sounding, warm dac/amp. My favourite headphones are Sennheiser Momentums and Sennheiser IE800. I also have AKG Q 701 but I don't like them much, it sounds really harsh after 30 minutes. Do you think Sennheiser HD800 would be good for my tastes? I like Sennheiser sound more than others. You know that detailed, also somewhat laid back and a bit dark sound. I want detail but I don't want to hurt my ears for it. I'm not going to buy a new amp, Meridian Explorer's headphone out sounds great to me. Would you recommend HD 800?

 

[kugino]

That being said I do think these connectors still are superior to the HifiMan and Audeze ones. The HiFiman ones are just plain bad and I can't believe they're sticking with them on the HE-560. Maybe they've got a warehouse full of them.

the only problem is that they're expensive and proprietary. would be nice if they all had the same connectors so it was easier to "roll cables".

 

[TwoEars]

  I hate harsh treble, my ears are very sensitive. I'm going to be using Meridian Explorer as dac/amp. It's known as a smooth, liquid sounding, warm dac/amp. My favourite headphones are Sennheiser Momentums and Sennheiser IE800. I also have AKG Q 701 but I don't like them much, it sounds really harsh after 30 minutes. Do you think Sennheiser HD800 would be good for my tastes? I like Sennheiser sound more than others. You know that detailed, also somewhat laid back and a bit dark sound. I want detail but I don't want to hurt my ears for it. I'm not going to buy a new amp, Meridian Explorer's headphone out sounds great to me. Would you recommend HD 800?

 
Have you heard the HD650? They are detailed and 100% non-fatiguing, not sure if the meridian will be able to power them properly.
 
Actually... let me check.... I have both...

 
 
 
EDIT: Oh yes, that will definitely work. Very impressive PRAT, drive and bass definition for such a puny device! Sounds great! Get the HD650, you should definitely like those with the Meridian Explorer! I think I will have to give this combo some more listening time!

 

[obsidyen]

   
Have you heard the HD650? They are detailed and 100% non-fatiguing, not sure if the meridian will be able to power them properly.
 
Actually... let me check.... I have both...

 
 
 
EDIT: Oh yes, that will definitely work. Very impressive PRAT, drive and bass definition for such a puny device! Sounds great! Get the HD650, you should definitely like those with the Meridian Explorer!

 
Many people like HD 650 and 600 with just Explorer, apparently it can drive them well. I haven't heard the HD 650 but HD 800 seems so cool, and people say it sounds amazing so they kind of seemed like the king of all headphones to me. I'd better take the Meridian Explorer with me, go to the Sennheiser dealer and try both of them. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[amham]

  I hate harsh treble, my ears are very sensitive. I'm going to be using Meridian Explorer as dac/amp. It's known as a smooth, liquid sounding, warm dac/amp. My favourite headphones are Sennheiser Momentums and Sennheiser IE800. I also have AKG Q 701 but I don't like them much, it sounds really harsh after 30 minutes. Do you think Sennheiser HD800 would be good for my tastes? I like Sennheiser sound more than others. You know that detailed, also somewhat laid back and a bit dark sound. I want detail but I don't want to hurt my ears for it. I'm not going to buy a new amp, Meridian Explorer's headphone out sounds great to me. Would you recommend HD 800?

I share your sensitivity and have unloaded several HP's with irritating, harsh treble (Grado 325, Koss 950).  I did not expect to like the 800's given the general reviews here BUT they are now my favorite.  Yes, they are detailed but never harsh.  I find them the most natural sounding of several high end phones such as Audeze (LCD-3/LCD-X).  They are the most comfortable phones I own and I can wear them for long listening sessions without fatigue and, of course, they sound holographic compared to all others. Match them well with the proper DAC and amp and you will be very pleased.  

 

[frankrondaniel]

  I hate harsh treble, my ears are very sensitive. I'm going to be using Meridian Explorer as dac/amp. It's known as a smooth, liquid sounding, warm dac/amp. My favourite headphones are Sennheiser Momentums and Sennheiser IE800. I also have AKG Q 701 but I don't like them much, it sounds really harsh after 30 minutes. Do you think Sennheiser HD800 would be good for my tastes? I like Sennheiser sound more than others. You know that detailed, also somewhat laid back and a bit dark sound. I want detail but I don't want to hurt my ears for it. I'm not going to buy a new amp, Meridian Explorer's headphone out sounds great to me. Would you recommend HD 800?

 
I haven't used my Explorer in a while - your question prompted me to dust it off and try it with the HD800's.  It does remarkably well - certainly drives them to ear bleeding volumes.  I'm not sure the combination will give you a laid back and dark sound that you're looking for though.  The mellowness of the Meridian sound didn't counter the bright detailed sound of the HD800's to the degree that I expected.

 

[obsidyen]

   
I haven't used my Explorer in a while - your question prompted me to dust it off and try it with the HD800's.  It does remarkably well - certainly drives them to ear bleeding volumes.  I'm not sure the combination will give you a laid back and dark sound that you're looking for though.  The mellowness of the Meridian sound didn't counter the bright detailed sound of the HD800's to the degree that I expected.

I bought the Explorer because people said it was musical and non-clinical. I don't think it's that warm. It has a very crisp, clean analog/vinyl-like sound that is non-fatiguing but that doesn't mean it's not neutral. People mistake neutral with dry, analytical studio monitoring sound. Unless you're a mastering engineer, that's not the ideal way to listen to music. The Explorer actually sounds very real. When you listen to classical music, jazz etc. live, nothing sounds dry or clinical. Everything sounds lively and heartwarming.
 
By ear bleeding volumes, do you mean the sound gets really loud or that the treble/sound becomes harsh and unlistenable?
 
I'm not necessarily looking for a dark sound. For instance, IE800 are very easy to listen to. They're extremely revealing but they're also such a pleasure for my ears. They're not that dark, a bit warm perhaps. But smooth, liquid, lively sound would be good.

 

[frankrondaniel]

 
I bought the Explorer because people said it was musical and non-clinical. I don't think it's that warm. It has a very crisp, clean analog/vinyl-like sound that is non-fatiguing but that doesn't mean it's not neutral. People mistake neutral with dry, analytical studio monitoring sound. Unless you're a mastering engineer, that's not the ideal way to listen to music. The Explorer actually sounds very real. When you listen to classical music, jazz etc. live, nothing sounds dry or clinical. Everything sounds lively and heartwarming.
 
By ear bleeding volumes, do you mean the sound gets really loud or that the treble/sound becomes harsh and unlistenable?
 
I'm not necessarily looking for a dark sound. For instance, IE800 are very easy to listen to. They're extremely revealing but they're also such a pleasure for my ears. They're not that dark, a bit warm perhaps. But smooth, liquid, lively sound would be good.

 
By "ear bleeding volumes", I simply mean that it get's loud.  Certainly not harsh or unlistenable.  The smooth, liquid, lively sound that you describe still applies I think.

 

[obsidyen]

   
By "ear bleeding volumes", I simply mean that it get's loud.  Certainly not harsh or unlistenable.  The smooth, liquid, lively sound that you describe still applies I think.

Thanks, I guess HD800 is the one for me. Cause I don't want very dark, muddy sound either. I'll try them soon. It'll be quite an investment but at least I won't regret paying for them the way I do for Q701s. Cheap but bad.
 
Some people say HD800s were slightly changed by Sennheiser, removing any harsh treble and also increasing bass quantity... Is that true? Does a 2010 HD800 sound different to an 2014 one?

 

[Canadian411]

Thanks, I guess HD800 is the one for me. Cause I don't want very dark, muddy sound either. I'll try them soon. It'll be quite an investment but at least I won't regret paying for them the way I do for Q701s. Cheap but bad.

Some people say HD800s were slightly changed by Sennheiser, removing any harsh treble and also increasing bass quantity... Is that true? Does a 2010 HD800 sound different to an 2014 one?

I had 2 hd800 earlier one eith 19xxx serial and didn't like it that much. Now my new hd800 with 24xxx has better bass and smooth trebles.

People say it hasn't changed so I can be wrong. But I like the newer one better

 

[obsidyen]

I had 2 hd800 earlier one eith 19xxx serial and didn't like it that much. Now my new hd800 with 24xxx has better bass and smooth trebles.

People say it hasn't changed so I can be wrong. But I like the newer one better

Hmm... I'm sure they must have changed something then. HD 650 sound changed over the years.

 

[Zoom25]

 
I bought the Explorer because people said it was musical and non-clinical. I don't think it's that warm. It has a very crisp, clean analog/vinyl-like sound that is non-fatiguing but that doesn't mean it's not neutral. People mistake neutral with dry, analytical studio monitoring sound. Unless you're a mastering engineer, that's not the ideal way to listen to music. The Explorer actually sounds very real. When you listen to classical music, jazz etc. live, nothing sounds dry or clinical. Everything sounds lively and heartwarming.
 
By ear bleeding volumes, do you mean the sound gets really loud or that the treble/sound becomes harsh and unlistenable?
 
I'm not necessarily looking for a dark sound. For instance, IE800 are very easy to listen to. They're extremely revealing but they're also such a pleasure for my ears. They're not that dark, a bit warm perhaps. But smooth, liquid, lively sound would be good.

Are you saying that neutral, like in a studio, isn't the ideal way to listen to music?