[Wingstrike]

Hey guys, I've recently acquired an HD800 for an OK price. It's an amazing headphone, but right now, I feel like I'm not doing them justice by plugging it into my Practical Devices XM6. The XM6 has plenty of power to drive these phones to a loud volume, but I feel like the HD800 aren't sounding the best.
 
So I've been doing some research and people say the Lehmann BCL is a good choice for the HD800. Since i don't have the money for that, I've been looking at one of the BCL clones (Matrix M-Stage and Lovely Cube). I can get one of those for $200 used in the FS forum, and it will leave me with $350 for a DAC. The DAC I was thinking of is the Audio GD NFB 3.

Now there's also another option that keeps coming up, and that's a tube amp. I don't know much about tube amps, so I don't know if i should even go down that path.
 
So the question is, is the BCL clone + Audio GD DAC a good combo for my budget or is there something better? Could there be a nice tube amp + DAC that would work better?

PS: I listen to a lot of Japanese and Korean Pop, as well as a bit of classical, if that helps. Thanks in advance

 

[jc9394]

Spent another $50 and get this.  http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/560776/premium-amb-m3-amp-with-sigma-psu-you-wont-be-disappointed
 
 

 

[baka1969]

I'll second the M^3. It's an excellent amp. PM me if you need a recommendation for a top notch builder.

 

[Wingstrike]

Thanks for the replies guys. The M3 sounds good but I also need to get a dac with that money. Sorry, I should've been more clear. Anything else?

 

[baka1969]

A DAC and amp for $500 will not do justice to the $1200 HD800. Save up.

 

[Wingstrike]

But since the M-Stage/Lovely Cube are clones of the BCL, which costs around $1000, wouldn't it be good with the HD800? And as for a DAC, I might be able to stretch my budget a little bit.

 

[Senpai3330]

The M-Stage has been reported as having excellent synergy with the HD800. I'm not sure if you've read the M-Stage review (there's a major one floating around somewhere) but rumor has it during HD800 development the BCL was used as the companion amp in the process, hence the clones perform excellently thanks to that factor. So why not Matrix M-stage and use a Matrix Mini-I as the DAC? Both components are excellent choices and will certainly hold you over until you want a really top of the line DAC and amp.

 

[Senpai3330]

Forgot to mention it fits your price range perfectly with the leftover money. The Mini-I is around $320 off ebay without the remote or $350 with it included.

 

[skeptic]

Depending on whether or not you're interested in taking on a very beginner friendly DIY kit, the Bottlehead Crack pairs beautifully with HD800's (and most other high impedance phones) and is well within your budget.  I get hours of joy out of this combo every night =)  If you save the speedball upgrade for later on, this would leave you adequate cash to pick up a decent used entry level dac.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'd get the M^3 and worry about the DAC later. Amplification is a lot more important than a digital source with these headphones.

 

[caracara08]

i agree.  ive never heard the mstage and im sure its good for its price range, but the m3 usually is almost as good as a b22 which is about 2/3 times its price. 

 

[baka1969]

Quote:Originally Posted by caracara08 

"i agree.  ive never heard the mstage and im sure its good for its price range, but the m3 usually is almost as good as a b22 which is about 2/3 times its price."


I've heard both the M-Stage and the M^3 and prefer the M^3 by a decent margin.

 

[Wingstrike]

Thanks for the input guys, i really appreciate it! I decided to get a used Lovely Cube Premium for $150, which IMO, is very cheap. I'll save up for an M3 after this. Maybe when I saved up enough, I'll look for someone to build me a brand new m3 then