[DMck2000]

Has anybody tried both the DNA Stratus, the Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold, and the Cavalli Audio Liquid Glass? I'm looking for a warmer sounding amp that will also keep the detail and the soundstage that the HD800 is known for.

 

[Greggo]

  Thanks..i will start looking for the amps you have suggested....

 
I have the Liquid Carbon 2, it is fantastic and changed my expectations of what an amp can do for your system overall. I bought it because I was looking at the HD800S very closely but have not yet heard either version of HD800 on the Liquid Carbon myself... I was one of the few with a volume pot that proved defective so it is in Austin TX as I type this getting fixed up by the good folks at Cavalli. Sure, I was a bit disappointed to have to send it in after only having it running for a few weeks, but the sound was so good I was determined to move up the range and as luck would have it I am getting a used Liquid Crimson next week. I have not set a price and a for sale ad as of yet, but I will be soon. Anyone interested in the Liquid Carbon (v1 or v2 from anyone else....) should be ready with balanced cables for their best headphones IMHO even though single ended output sounds quite nice also. A balanced DAC is not needed, but for any high ohm headphone I would definitely want to be running balanced off the amp.

 

[Dvdlucena]

Anyone have tryied the following amp with the hd800?
What are your impressions?

1. Schiit lyr 2
2. Schiit Mjolnir 2
3. Violectric V281/280

Thanks

 

[stec74]

I recently Tried the v281 (unbalanced) and it is a very nice amp, I like it a lot!
But it fall agaist the EstroArmonico.
The EA amp is one another planet, my friend...

 

[deserat]

Anyone have tryied the following amp with the hd800?
What are your impressions?

1. Schiit lyr 2
2. Schiit Mjolnir 2
3. Violectric V281/280

Thanks

I'm not a fan of the Lyr 2 with the HD800.  I own both. The Lyr 2 is wonderful for my HE-560 but with the HD800 all the flaws that people talk about being part of the HD800 are present, treble spike, weak bass. So I drive them with either the HDVA 600 or a Crack. As I've looked around most people seem to prefer the Vahalla 2 over he Lyr 2 for HD800, 600, and 650, but I've not heard it.

Can't speak to the other two amps. But am interested in the replies.

 

[theconquerer]

I recently responded to another Head-fi'er regarding the comparison between the Schiit Valhalla 2 and Bottlehead Crack w/Speedball upgrade. I thought I'd share that here.

The Bottlehead Crack and the Valhalla 2 are both arguably the best under $1K-1.5K amps for the HD800.

Do keep in mind, both of these amplifiers are OTL (output transformerless headphone amps).

Let's assume that the Bottlehead Crack was preassembled, as I think you already know it is a DIY amp that must be assembled by you. There is no question that the Speedball upgrade is necessary and crucial for pairing with the HD650 or HD800.

The Bottlehead Crack is as stereotypical as a tube amp gets: It gives a warm, smooth tone to the HD800. To my ears, the warmth was too much for the dark sound of HD650, but still a great pairing. The crack has an output impedance of 120 ohms, which is massive. This is an amp only meant to be used with 150ohm and above headphones, no questions. Compared to higher priced options, it is not as resolving and controlled enough to take full advantage of the HD800 capabilities, but almost there. The choice of tubes in this amp, given it is entire tube driven, plays an important role in how your sound is coloured.

The Valhalla 2 is a whole other story. This is not a typical fully tube driven amp. It is very resolving, even for HD800. It has fast, neutral sound, and the clarity is astonishing at this tier of amps. The Crack is definitely a few notches warmer. I prefer the HD800 with Valhalla 2, as it takes advantage of all the capabilities of the HD800. The output impedance is 3.5 ohm on low, and 14 ohm on high setting, so it pairs a lot better with other headphones, though I do not recommend this with low impedance orthodynamic headphones, as it does not deliver enough power for orthodynamics. Lyr 2 or Asgard 2 would be a better pairing if you want to use Audeze, MrSpeakers or Hifiman products (they are far more versatile).

At the end of the day, I vastly prefer the Valhalla 2 with both HD800 and HD650. You really won't find a better fully tube driven output transformerless amp until you seriously increase your budget by three to four times. However, I also own the Bottlehead Crack for two reasons. It is easier to listen to when I am tired and do not want to be attentive to my music (kind of hard to explain). And also, I love to DIY electronics (physicist by practice, work in a quantum computing lab, so electronics are kind of my life), and the Bottlehead Crack allows me to tweak parts as I see fit, and observe if there are any changes to the sound (usually only tubes and capacitors make a small but noticeable difference).

Which of them have a bigger soundstage?

 

[skhan007]

Guys, I'll have to take some time to review the 30+ pages of responses, but I'm curious about the opinions of the HD800 and the Woo Audio WA2 or the MicroZotl2. These are two amps that really have my attention at the moment and I'm curious if there are any thoughts. 

 

[nephilim32]

Well, this is just me chiming in randomly to share my thoughts about my ARCAM irDAC-Burson Soloist SL and HD 800 (classic) pairing.
It's now been nearly 4 years since I've had this sound chain. Obviously I am still very impressed by it. The Burson Soloist SL is one heck of a great amp with a well designed, shortened signal pathway and really clean power supply. It also uses FET design for the transistors. The SL is an extremely clean and neutral sounding amp. It is by no means a warm amp and paired with the 800's it is a very clinical listen. Anyhow, throwing a great, punchy warm DAC like the ARCAM into the chain really balances and smooths things out where listening sessions can go on for hrs on end without feeling burnt out.
My 2 cents added. I highly recommend the Burson Soloist for those who really dig the extremely neutral and accurate listening sessions. I know it's not for everyone, especially since this sound chain listed above really exposes bad sources or poorly mixed recordings.

Enjoy the music everyone. The HD 800's are still in my opinion a World beater headphone!

 

[mickerru]

Im planning on buying the hd800 and wondering if the matrix hpa 3b can do the hd800 justice. I would be using the mojo as dac and my budget can accomodate a $400 amp thats why im looking at the matrix. Using a SE input and balanced output.

Thanks

 

[widgets]

Currently using an HDVD800. Plenty of drive power thought PERSONALLY I like a little warmth.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Has anybody tried both the DNA Stratus, the Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold, and the Cavalli Audio Liquid Glass? I'm looking for a warmer sounding amp that will also keep the detail and the soundstage that the HD800 is known for.

Yeah I heard HD800 with the liquid gold back in July. Nice pairing. Not worth 4k though. If you want a warmer sound with the same detail and soundstage I'd say get sonar works and Ragnarok

tee hee

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Has anybody tried both the DNA Stratus, the Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold, and the Cavalli Audio Liquid Glass? I'm looking for a warmer sounding amp that will also keep the detail and the soundstage that the HD800 is known for.

Yes. All three. If you are looking for a warmer amp, don't get the LAu of those three.

The LG probably could be a warmer sound amp with tubes but the one I heard was fairly neutral, but warmer than the LAu.

IF you are considering a Stratus, look for an older one (I would guess < 35/40 SN) that hasn't been upgraded recently. The Stratus has been through 2 revisions (three versions). The first two were similar tonally the third one shifted more towards the way the Stellaris sounds, which, again, is more neutral. The Stratus, however, is not really a 'warm' amp at a.l. You could use something like Sophia mesh plates or SG Nature's to warm it up, however.

If you are looking for a warmer or lush sounding amp, consider a Zana Deux perhaps.

At this level most of the offerings are quite good. The ZD is the least resolving of the lot and the LAu the most.

 

[deserat]

Recently finished a Bottlehead Mainline. Added a set of Mundorf Supremes to it. The amp is mindbogglingly good with the HD800. I've not heard some of the other amps mentioned in this forum, the ZD, DNA etc... but against the amps I have heard, it sings so much more sweetly to my ears ( whole Schiit line, WA7, WA8, WA22 ). It's almost strange to think of it in the same phrase as the Crack, which I greatly enjoyed before building the Mainline. There was a time when I thought the HD800 was just a very technical headphone with exceptional resolution, imaging, soundstage... the Mainline has turned all of that up a notch and added dynamics and air like I've never heard. And the bass, ohhhhhh the bass. The HDVA 600 I had before it has been boxed up. Ya I'm a new convert so I'm a bit gushy...

 

[Dr. Roberts]

From my own extensive research on the subject along with my own personal evaluation comparing the Leben CS600 Integrated with NOS RCA Black Plates & NOS Sylvanias, the Bakoon AMP-11R and the EAR HP4 with NOS RCA's the best match for the HD800S is the EAR Yoshino.

 

[ahmadfaizadnan]

I have the Liquid Carbon 2, it is fantastic and changed my expectations of what an amp can do for your system overall. I bought it because I was looking at the HD800S very closely but have not yet heard either version of HD800 on the Liquid Carbon myself... I was one of the few with a volume pot that proved defective so it is in Austin TX as I type this getting fixed up by the good folks at Cavalli. Sure, I was a bit disappointed to have to send it in after only having it running for a few weeks, but the sound was so good I was determined to move up the range and as luck would have it I am getting a used Liquid Crimson next week. I have not set a price and a for sale ad as of yet, but I will be soon. Anyone interested in the Liquid Carbon (v1 or v2 from anyone else....) should be ready with balanced cables for their best headphones IMHO even though single ended output sounds quite nice also. A balanced DAC is not needed, but for any high ohm headphone I would definitely want to be running balanced off the amp.

I second this. It pairs well with LC. I still need to wait for my balanced cable to arrive soon but as for now, love the combo!