[formula1]

Teetering on the brink of doing so...

 
And i started this hobby with tubes, and now a solid state guy mainly. How crazy 

 

 

[Maxx134]

Tips to achieve end game sound out of the h800..

1- Do the anax2.0 mod but leave out all creatology foam except for the ring around the driver...
This is because we want to keep the signature without loosing soundstage and just tame the ringing..

2-Use a true balanced amp with balanced XLR output of at least 2watts max...
The hd800 love voltage over current but need reserve power to give true bass weight...

3-Use newest cable designs that have the most surface to conductor ratio...
That means a litz type braided cable..
Stock cable is garbage and a contributor to problems as the hd800 is the most sensitive headphones to cable change that I ever tried.

There you have the "clues" to maximum performance..

Now all you need to do is find the match of components that gives you the right "flavor" you desire, which is another story altogether and will take you on a road of your choice of SS or tube route..

 

[complin]

Really!
Not my experience at all
Headphone foo is really over-rated IMO
 
Quote:

Tips to achieve end game sound out of the h800..

1- Do the anax2.0 mod but leave out all creatology foam except for the ring around the driver...
This is because we want to keep the signature without loosing soundstage and just tame the ringing..

2-Use a true balanced amp with balanced XLR output of at least 2watts max...
The hd800 love voltage over current but need reserve power to give true bass weight...

3-Use newest cable designs that have the most surface to conductor ratio...
That means a litz type braided cable..
Stock cable is garbage and a contributor to problems as the hd800 is the most sensitive headphones to cable change that I ever tried.

There you have the "clues" to maximum performance..

Now all you need to do is find the match of components that gives you the right "flavor" you desire, which is another story altogether and will take you on a road of your choice of SS or tube route..

 

[xxxfbsxxx]

i have been always a hd800 hater from the 1st day i bought it, upgraded to norne draug pure cable did not help, preferred the he500 on most gears
untill i got the csp2+ then made a lot of tube experiment for the 800, got some good results with lorenz gz32 rectifier and genalex 6922 driver, but not totally satisfied since still got weird feeling everytime i put the 800 on my head, it like someone is trying to read a formal report to you =.=
 
recently got the master9 and have to admit that this is the 1st time i can understand why ppl like this cans, for the 1st time it sings, or i could say i can see/feel the singer is singing in front of me and audience is warping around me , the M9 should be the same cost with csp3+the same tube upgrade, and it dust csp amp in every aspect

 

[hennessys]

Look guys, let’s admit
 
If you  are expecting a perfect all-arouner, the HD800 won’t stand a chance with any amp you find.
 
I suggest to have one or two other cans beside it, if you get the chance. I was dissapointed at the first time too, but after a while i realized this Senn is simply not for all the music. I’m happy to have it on my head at any given time.

 

[maro73]

Hello
I have the 13 pages in this thread and found the same things as in other :
1. Loads of advice to offload the HD800 because of it's detailed and sometimes harsh presentation
2. Moving to valve / tube amps seems to be advisable to tame the beast
3.The Bryston BHA 1 has 50 % haters and 50 % overwhelmed , but is it the 50 % haters who don't accept the signature  or ?
 
Few people really stayed with one amp .. with the HD800 (but upgrading is our hobby)
That said , I'm confused still , and have decided to keep my HD800
Amps choice is for solid state : in the run are : bryston BHA1 , violectric V220 , V281 .. and Schitt Mojnir
..
Waiting and reading other threads
Cheers

 

[nigeljames]

The HD800's do not intrinsically have a harsh treble. But they can show what else in your chain does.
 
Tube amps can improve that situation by giving less, or less emphasis, on the treble than many SS amps do.
 
Any high quality SS amp which is not itself bright and has smooth hf's would do well.
 
The new Schitt Ragnorak ( so it seems but have not heard it) and Audio-gd amps do an excellent job with the HD800's if you decide to go the SS route.

 

[ubs28]

Guess the Chord Hugo is better than I thought when I read all these posts here. The HD800 sounds very smooth over here and is an excellent all-rounder.

 

[b0ssMax]

ive tried to like the hd800 for 1.5y but havent been ableto until last week.

There was a local hifi show that my hp dealer attended with the set-up: chord dac via digital connection-> hdvd800 xlr bal put-> alo cables xlr out -> hd800. I use dmy ak240 optical out as source to the dac.

I found the hd800 enjoyable. Details, soundstage, coherence. I didnt have exclusive use but easily spent at least 30 mins dedicated use.

I'm not sure if its the dac or the amp but i can say this set-up made me change my mind about the hd800s. I didn't have my he500 to compare but i think i found why people like the hd800. It just took me a while to find a good set-up. Whether i'll buy it is another matter.

 

[buson160man]

 I am not familiar with the hd800 but I did hear it briefly at a local high end show a couple of years ago. I thought the balance of sound somewhat similar to my akg 701s. I have had my 701s for a long time and I have found them to be picky of headphone amps that drive them as well . I have recently within the last maybe 5 or 6 months discovered after reading about them for a bit that vintage receivers can make excellent headphone amps. I bought a recapped late 1970s vintage monster receiver and after it broke in it has turned out to be one fine sounding headphone. In fact it sounds a lot better than most every headphone amp I have listened to. Some of them top drawer units like the cavallis among others. The power delivered by monster vintage receiver just about blows away most if not all the dedicated headphone amps that I have listened to. The receiver just plays with an authority and grip like no headphone amp that I have heard . The clarity is also exceptional as well . There is also a sense of space as well .
   You might want to check out one of the monster vintage (recapped , cleaned and restored of course) receivers. I think you would be a little more than surprised  at their ability to wrest the best from even hard to drive headphones. At least that is what I have found ,

 

[zilch0md]

After 10 months of trying to find a solid state solution that was "clean enough" for the very revealing HD800, I'm now very satisfied (one month and counting) with the following chain:
 
 
     FiiO X5 coaxial out > Metrum Octave MkII > NuForce HA-200 > modded HD800
 
 
The $350 FiiO X5 is just a convenient transport with coaxial out and is essentially not in the equation in regards to satisfying the HD800's analog signal requirements, but I find the X5 to be much less cumbersome when listening to music in my recliner, than fumbling with a laptop in my lap for USB output.
 
The $999 Octave MkII brought about the greatest improvement for the HD800, relative to the various oversampling, ESS9023 and ESS9018 implementations I currently own or have heard with the HD800. 
 
The $350 Nuforce HA-200's low-feedback, single-ended Class A design was the next most critical actor, doing a much better job than the multi-stage, high-feedback OPPO HA-1's amp section at eliminating the last bit of brittle edginess that causes fatigue with the HD800, while not affecting resolution in the least.  I'm convinced that it's the zero-feedback design of Audio-gd's Master 9 that makes it so popular with HD800 owners and remains on my horizon as a possible improvement to the HA-200 - but I question the need to even experiment with that purchase, because I'm really very satisfied with the HA-200.
 
Lastly, my HD800 mod is subtle, bringing down that 6kHz crispness a bit, without hurting sound stage or imaging, just by covering the flat metal ring that surrounds the driver, with a thin layer of self-adhesive felt.
 

 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/650510/the-new-hd800-impressions-thread/14535#post_10957399
 
In the end, this mod requires less effort than the Anax 2.0 mod, with much less impact on the desirable traits that the HD800 brings to the table.
 






Inside a side table, next to the recliner, wooden spools - improving air flow - are BluTack'd to the feet of the components above, with self-adhesive felt on the bottom of each spool.

Mike

 

[Golliwog]

Tried the HD800s through a WA22 with balanced Cardas cables today. For someone coming from laptop-fi it was a transcendental experience. 

 

[remilio]

Sennheser's own HDVA600 and HDVD800 do very good job amping HD800s. Loving mine! BUT these amps need balanced connection!

 

[Golliwog]

  Sennheser's own HDVA600 and HDVD800 do very good job amping HD800s. Loving mine! BUT these amps need balanced connection!

I tried this combo and didn't like it but everything is so opinion driven in the audio world. I also didn't like the GSX so i guess tubes are for me.

 

[soundsbetter]

  Sennheser's own HDVA600 and HDVD800 do very good job amping HD800s. Loving mine! BUT these amps need balanced connection!

Yes, agree.
 
I am in the market for 'better' headphones and Dac/Amp. I liked the sound of the HD800 when playing Oscar Peterson through the HDVD800, but found it to be 'shrill' [not sure if that is the appropriate technical term, but that's my word!] when playing rock. The team then replaced the headphone cable with the 'Ch 800 S' and the quality improved noticeably. The fun was back with rock.
 
I do, though, feel a little reticent to buy such an expensive amp with the headphones and then also need to pay out for an expensive replacement cable. Especially as that cable will only work with those Sennheiser amps.
 
I have also recently heard the Oppo HA-1 and liked its sound. I haven't heard the HD800 through them - yet.