[Nitemare3219]

  i think the rule of thumb is 4x output impedance, so you're pretty much there.  also, iirc, it really would only be an issue at very high volumes.  and 3rd, you can try them with what you've got and see how it sounds - the ultimate but most subjective test.  or are you looking for an excuse to buy another new toy? 

I thought I read somewhere it was like 8x or so. And I assume the high volume issue would be mitigated with the amp? I'm still a loss for understanding all this stuff. From what I gathered the high impedance of the output coupled with the low impedance of the headphone would result in potentially altering the frequency response of the headphone and/or loss of detail. But then I thought that would be fixed by an amp - but I never saw that mentioned so it's probably not the case. Also the concern of the amount of electrical noise inside the case.
 
I don't want to spend more money if I don't have to. But I also don't want to be disappointed, or live in the land of "ignorance is bliss" thinking that my cans sound great when in reality they aren't nearly what they could be.

 

[jk47]

 

  i think the rule of thumb is 4x output impedance, so you're pretty much there.  also, iirc, it really would only be an issue at very high volumes.  and 3rd, you can try them with what you've got and see how it sounds - the ultimate but most subjective test.  or are you looking for an excuse to buy another new toy? 

I thought I read somewhere it was like 8x or so. And I assume the high volume issue would be mitigated with the amp? I'm still a loss for understanding all this stuff. From what I gathered the high impedance of the output coupled with the low impedance of the headphone would result in potentially altering the frequency response of the headphone and/or loss of detail. But then I thought that would be fixed by an amp - but I never saw that mentioned so it's probably not the case. Also the concern of the amount of electrical noise inside the case.
 
I don't want to spend more money if I don't have to. But I also don't want to be disappointed, or live in the land of "ignorance is bliss" thinking that my cans sound great when in reality they aren't nearly what they could be.

before i got a dedicated headphone amp i was listening to my k812 plugged into the "headphone out" on my integrated amp- that has a 75ohm output.  i inquired in some thread here [maybe even an earlier page of this thread] and was told it was only an issue at HIGH [loud] volume.  

 

[Nitemare3219]

  before i got a dedicated headphone amp i was listening to my k812 plugged into the "headphone out" on my integrated amp- that has a 75ohm output.  i inquired in some thread here [maybe even an earlier page of this thread] and was told it was only an issue at HIGH [loud] volume.  

I see. I was considering the Modi 2 (75 ohm output). If I were to go that route, I'd need to consider the Magni 2 as well or something along those lines?
 
If I buy anything, I want to stay within $300.

 

[fuzzybaffy]

The Modi 2 is a DAC, so I don't think you need to worry about the output impedance there (but someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Where you need to worry about the output impedance is the amp, and the Magni 2 has an output impedance of 0.2, which is far below the 1/8th of your headphones, and therefore is a good match. 
 
And yea... I read it was 1/8th, not 1/4th: http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html 
 
Since your Xonar STX already has a DAC, you could just buy a standalone amp, like the Magni 2, and connect it with the Xonar, which should be easier on your budget. 

 

[Nitemare3219]

I'm about 1 minute into listening to the first song I've heard on these... and dear god, they're like nothing I've ever heard before.

 

[trappedintime]

  I'm about 1 minute into listening to the first song I've heard on these... and dear god, they're like nothing I've ever heard before.

Jealous. Mine don't arrive until Wednesday and I'm eagerly awaiting my first listen (with my Oppo HA-1... followed by Sony UDA-1 and Creative X7). I have a feeling it's going to be a lot of fun upgrading from the K7XX to these, especially with how much I already love the AKG house sound.

 

[Nitemare3219]

Well, I went ahead and ordered the Schiit Uber stack. I figure I might as well avoid any potential issues of having a sound card, and one with mismatched impedance. Ridiculous how much they inflate the prices on Amazon though (wanted fastest delivery possible) - I'll just match it with my credit card I guess. Picked the Ubers just in case I needed the extra functionality, plus I'm a performance junkie. $100 extra for something I might keep until they die didn't seem too bad.

 

[macbob713]

I bought my K 812 in January 2014, and I'm happy to report that I still love these cans, and have had no desire to chase the audio bunny for something marginally better. My earliest posts and impressions still hold true to me.

 

[Nitemare3219]

I have to say, they do exactly what I wanted them to do... sound exceptional with trance/EDM genre. I don't know if those producers just put that much more effort into their music or what, but they sound phenomenal. My other genres I've tried so far... country, rap/hip-hop, a little pop, sound decent. But nowhere near as enveloping as the electronic scene - female vocals in particular! Haven't tried games much yet either, but the accurate sound will be a change for sure compared to the booming blasts I'm using to from my speakers - might keep gaming with those just for the sake of fun.
 
I've only been listening to Google Play All Access (somewhere in the neighborhood of 320 kbps .mp3's - some reviews have debated for better or worse). Some songs there are definitely noticeable production or compression artifacts. And some songs just sound phenomenal, so I'm better on the former.
 
The bass sometimes seem very lacking. Maybe it's just extremely accurate, or maybe my sound card mismatch is causing issues. We'll see later this week when I get a proper DAC/Amp setup. 

 

 

[trappedintime]

Yeah, I don't think you can give a very fair assessment of these fulfilling their potential if you aren't using a decent DAC and amp. Really any decent headphone for that matter.

 

[Rhamnetin]

Wow, I didn't realize this headphone went all the way down to $800 on Massdrop.  I hope that happens again in the future.

 

[Nitemare3219]

So I got my Schiit Uber stack today... doing a few quick back-to-back comparisons against my Asus Xonar Essence STX (just plugging between the two), I really was hard pressed to tell any difference. Almost makes me feel like I wasted my money. I'm sure the difference is there, but maybe I'm having trouble hearing it with Google Play .mp3's? Either way, I know my audio processing is being handled a lot better than before on both my headphones and speakers. I set the amp to high-gain even though these cans probably don't need it, but I saw some people mention they got better results from their headphones doing that. Any insights?

 

[Rhamnetin]

  So I got my Schiit Uber stack today... doing a few quick back-to-back comparisons against my Asus Xonar Essence STX (just plugging between the two), I really was hard pressed to tell any difference. Almost makes me feel like I wasted my money. I'm sure the difference is there, but maybe I'm having trouble hearing it with Google Play .mp3's? Either way, I know my audio processing is being handled a lot better than before on both my headphones and speakers. I set the amp to high-gain even though these cans probably don't need it, but I saw some people mention they got better results from their headphones doing that. Any insights?

 
Perhaps it has to do with the music files you're listening to, or some settings in your operating system?  As for gain, I'd let my ears be the judge, although the K812 has low impedance so I wouldn't expect it to need high gain.

 

[fuzzybaffy]

Well, I just got a chance to audition the K812, thanks to Hiyono (thanks Hiyono!), and I gotta say... I'm mighty impressed with the headphones. I can't say if I got the most accurate audition, because there were a few people in the room who were talking and playing video games, but it definitely seems to be a mid-focussed headphone. The mids are just so crystal clear and clean, which make it a great headphone for vocal songs and tracks. 
 
I can't say that it will be replacing my TH-900, because I really do think I need the TH-900 for the kind of music I listen to - modern pop, hip-hop, elctronica, all of which focus on a mix of vocals and instrumentals. But I would definitely agree that the K812 is a technically superior headphone, and would be an awesome complement to the TH-900, for tracks where the TH-900 is a little lacking in vocals. 
 
They are definitely on my "to buy" list. It will take a while to get through it, but yea... definitely on the "to buy" list. 

 

[trappedintime]

I've found them great for live music in the few days I've had them. The airy nature of these just really presents a natural and accurate image of exactly what was happening at those shows (referring to matrix 24-bit recordings that I've been listening to from shows I attended). I feel like the bass is pretty solid, but certainly not going to overwhelm anyone.