USB -> V-Link 192 -> Audio Research DAC 7  

Quote: An NAD PP-2i. Nothing fancy, but it definitely gets the job done. What are your experiences with phono stages and this cartridge?  

Brand new, and I'm loving it! VPI Scout II with a Grado Sonata Reference cartridge. The cartridge is played in from my previous turntable, so the whole thing is just humming along.  

Quote: A tube-like amp, but SS, is the Luxman P-1u. I didn't really know what my HD 800s could do until I got the P-1u. It's expensive, and I'll bet you get similar sound from the P-200 model at half the price of the P-1u.  

Dr. Dre Beats, definitely. They were an impulse buy when I had to retire a pair of beloved Senn HD 600s. Then I wised up and got Senn 800s instead. The Beats are just sitting around these days; I really should sell them or something.

1. Sennheiser HD 800: audio glory, paired with the right amp 2. Sennheiser HD 600: mainstay for years and years 3. Denon AH-D7000: fun for earthier music 4. B&W P5: great portable/travel phones, even if the sound's a bit obviously colored. 5. Grado SR80: amazing sound for the very modest...

It seems to me that value is very much in the eye (ear) of the beholder. Considering that a headphone rig consists of more than just the cans alone -- amps, and DACs, and quite possibly phono amps -- a fancy setup can amount to a hefty amount of change. I see little point in drawing an arbitrary...

Quote: Synergy seems to be the critical issue here. The HD800 had a somewhat dry-ish edge to it when I powered it with a Benchmark DAC1 USB. Not unpleasant by any means. But imperfect. Amps really make an extraordinary difference; with a more sympathetic amp it becomes almost a different...

Quote: I haven't tried any tubes for this as yet, although I was considering a Woo amplifier for a while. A quality tube amp would no doubt sound very fine with the 800s.  

Quote: My HD 800s really woke up with the right amp, for me a Luxman P-1u. It's the overall warmth of the Luxman, I think, that works so well with the 800s. Amp and phone together are just plain astonishing, IMHO.

Quote: Apogee Duet indeed -- terrific piece of gear. I've been transferring a bunch of reel-to-reel tapes as well as cassettes to digital. The Apogee is quite an adept ADC, and a pretty good little DAC/headphone amp in its own right, although it barely has the punch to drive Sennheiser...

Quote: I think it's much better now:  

Quote: The Luxman is definitely powerful -- it can kick my Senn 800, a hard-to-drive phone, although nothing like a K1000. From what I can tell, the Luxman doesn't change its sound significantly at different volume levels, including the loudest I could tolerate (for a short time).  ...

Quote: Good question on the Orthos -- I don't know. The Luxman is a warm-sounding amp, but not smushy at all. (I really don't like smush.) I haven't tried it yet with a few of my other headphones here at home, although I will be doing so in the near future. I'm just so blown away by its...

Quote: Thanks! I'm loving all this glorious sound.