[DavidMahler]

Quote:

What a great job!!! The best, most detailed and most complete headphones review I've ever read. Can I ask a question? Maybe someone asked here before - but haven't time to read everything. You said HD800 require very careful choice of amp. What do you suggest and what worked best for you? I've just bought Sennheiser a couple days ago and now try them at my old Perreaux sxh2 on my desktop. But thinking for upgrade for another room in the future. What would be the best choice? I have the very close mucis preferences with you.  

Thanks! So you're saying you bought an HD800?  It depends what you want to spend and if you like the sound (and don't mind the hassle) of tubes.  For me the best pairing I've yet to hear is the Manley Labs Classic Neo 300.  It really rounds out the sound and gives the HD800 a bit more soul.  The SPL Auditor is a very good under $1000 solid state choice I think.  It depends what you are looking to achieve.  If you want to warm them up, you may want to look into tube amp which can do well with medium-high impedance headphones.  I personally enjoy the romanticism added by transformers, so that is something I enjoy with the HD800.

 

[woodie]

I've decided to move up from the HD650, and found it very difficult to pick between the LCD-2 and HD800...
 
So I went with both. The LCD-2 for the musicality that people often express, the HD800 for the detail and soundstaging...
 
I guess I'll have to sell one when I decide which works better for me! They're awfully expensive to have both as a grad student.
 
Thanks for the review, David! But it did make my choice that much harder....

 

[dan.gheorghe]

Quote:

I've decided to move up from the HD650, and found it very difficult to pick between the LCD-2 and HD800...
 
So I went with both. The LCD-2 for the musicality that people often express, the HD800 for the detail and soundstaging...
 
I guess I'll have to sell one when I decide which works better for me! They're awfully expensive to have both as a grad student.
 
Thanks for the review, David! But it did make my choice that much harder....

If you liked the HD650 sound signature a lot, I think the LCD2 would be the sound you are looking for. For that money you could have bought the LCD3 which has a very good soundstage and a lot of details and the musicality of lcd2.

I am curios of your decision after you listen more to both. I faced the same decision one year ago. I had the hd650 and did not know  which to upgrade to.
I loved the HD650 and its sound signature, but I wanted more.
DarKu kindly lend me each for a week. I decided in favour of the LCD2. I see you already have a powerful amp for LCD2, so they will be given a fair chance . 

 

[EDWARIS]

Quote:

Thanks! So you're saying you bought an HD800?  It depends what you want to spend and if you like the sound (and don't mind the hassle) of tubes.  For me the best pairing I've yet to hear is the Manley Labs Classic Neo 300.  It really rounds out the sound and gives the HD800 a bit more soul.  The SPL Auditor is a very good under $1000 solid state choice I think.  It depends what you are looking to achieve.  If you want to warm them up, you may want to look into tube amp which can do well with medium-high impedance headphones.  I personally enjoy the romanticism added by transformers, so that is something I enjoy with the HD800.

 
Thank you for answer! I think I can spend 1-3k - depends on time when to buy. My problem is I can't find anything you mention or often mentioned at this web site in my country. Nothing is available here - no SPL, no Manley, no Ray, no DNA, Headroom or Woo ect! I think I can order something from US up 1,3k USD - it's a custom waterline - more expensive package can lead to a lot of custom problems.  Maybe it's better to order amp and tubes separately. When I chose headphones - HD800 was the only choice for me becouse I can't buy or try Grado or Audiz (nobody even heard about the last here and for the first I need to wait a month and pay 60 % more than for HD800 right now). So choce here is quite limited or just abcent.
 
To be honest I've never try tubes yet. All 3 amp I have and all I tried before in shops was standard. But maybe I should try now. I like this idea generally. Unfortunatelly if I want to order something from US I can't try it in advance, so I must rely on others opinions. You looks like the best expert in this field - so what may be the best option for me if I decided to try tubes?
 
And what about balanced scheme? Do it really worth extra costs?

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

 
Thank you for answer! I think I can spend 1-3k - depends on time when to buy. My problem is I can't find anything you mention or often mentioned at this web site in my country. Nothing is available here - no SPL, no Manley, no Ray, no DNA, Headroom or Woo ect! I think I can order something from US up 1,3k USD - it's a custom waterline - more expensive package can lead to a lot of custom problems.  Maybe it's better to order amp and tubes separately. When I chose headphones - HD800 was the only choice for me becouse I can't buy or try Grado or Audiz (nobody even heard about the last here and for the first I need to wait a month and pay 60 % more than for HD800 right now). So choce here is quite limited or just abcent.
 
To be honest I've never try tubes yet. All 3 amp I have and all I tried before in shops was standard. But maybe I should try now. I like this idea generally. Unfortunatelly if I want to order something from US I can't try it in advance, so I must rely on others opinions. You looks like the best expert in this field - so what may be the best option for me if I decided to try tubes?
 
And what about balanced scheme? Do it really worth extra costs?

I think the HD800 scales well in balanced mode, but note that my favorite amp for them (the Classic Neo 300b) is not a balanced amp.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

Thanks! So you're saying you bought an HD800?  It depends what you want to spend and if you like the sound (and don't mind the hassle) of tubes.  For me the best pairing I've yet to hear is the Manley Labs Classic Neo 300.  It really rounds out the sound and gives the HD800 a bit more soul.  The SPL Auditor is a very good under $1000 solid state choice I think.  It depends what you are looking to achieve.  If you want to warm them up, you may want to look into tube amp which can do well with medium-high impedance headphones.  I personally enjoy the romanticism added by transformers, so that is something I enjoy with the HD800.

 
 
+1

 

[Bilgates]

" EUPHONIC KING " MDR-R10..love the read, wish i could find a pair of cans that has this great "EUPHONIC" quality without paying that kind of money.
you know afordable.
looking for some MUSICAL souding cans...that dont cost so much. I'll never own those Sony R10s becouse I just can't aford them. Wish i could find some eqivalent.
love the Review, Great Job!!

 

[Bilgates]

I have two places for listening (WORK): FOH live mix engineer for big church venue every sunday. Headphones= HD580 (do not like them for this)
                                       (PLAY): Home enjoyment relaxing with good ol Funk / R & B. Headphones= ATH M50 ( Like them alot but looking for something more musical. In this application I don't care about accuracy.. just looking for some thing that will suck you into the music a Good Musical sounding Can!!!!!!
 
I don't have the oportunity to test listen to any cans anywhere in my location.
 
Any help would be apreciated..Thanks for your expertise!

 

[pelli]

Quote:

I have two places for listening (WORK): FOH live mix engineer for big church venue every sunday. Headphones= HD580 (do not like them for this)
                                       (PLAY): Home enjoyment relaxing with good ol Funk / R & B. Headphones= ATH M50 ( Like them alot but looking for something more musical. In this application I don't care about accuracy.. just looking for some thing that will suck you into the music a Good Musical sounding Can!!!!!!
 
I don't have the oportunity to test listen to any cans anywhere in my location.
 
Any help would be apreciated..Thanks for your expertise!

You will probably get the best results asking this over here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/529144/recommendations-thread-i-e-dont-start-a-new-thread-ask-for-advice-here-please-read-op/16095
 
It will also help to include your budget
 
Cheers!

 

[bbophead]

Quote:

 
 
I don't have the oportunity to test listen to any cans anywhere in my location.
 
 

Sure you do.  amazon.com

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

" EUPHONIC KING " MDR-R10..love the read, wish i could find a pair of cans that has this great "EUPHONIC" quality without paying that kind of money.
you know afordable.
looking for some MUSICAL souding cans...that dont cost so much. I'll never own those Sony R10s becouse I just can't aford them. Wish i could find some eqivalent.
love the Review, Great Job!!

Thanks! If you're looking for something with a similar vibe, consider the TH900 by Fostex (though by all means its not an "affordable" can)...... Another headphone worth considering is the HD600/650 but as you have already commented, the HD580 was not your thing, so maybe skip the HD600-650 as these are very similar.

 

[rgs9200m]

Quote:

" EUPHONIC KING " MDR-R10..love the read, wish i could find a pair of cans that has this great "EUPHONIC" quality without paying that kind of money.
you know afordable.
looking for some MUSICAL souding cans...that dont cost so much. I'll never own those Sony R10s becouse I just can't aford them. Wish i could find some eqivalent.
love the Review, Great Job!!

IMHO, HE500s and AT W3000ANVs are euphonic and great at the same time.
They smooth the rough edges and have zero grain or aggressive highs,
and I guess it's a coloration but it's done so well I just don't care and
relax and enjoy it. I don't say to myself: "something's missing here" or
"the music is behind a curtain or obviously equalized"
(like I feel about Harbeth speakers, which seem to hide things in a clumsy fashion, hitting the sound with a sledgehammer to my ears and caused me to sell them).

 

[rgs9200m]

R10s euphonic? Nah, not for when I owned them (bass lights, a couple of pairs). I'd hear every frigging thing, too much actually.

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

R10s euphonic? Nah, not for when I owned them (bass lights, a couple of pairs). I'd hear every frigging thing, too much actually.

Does euphonic mean "not being able to hear things" haha

 

[EDWARIS]

Quote:

I think the HD800 scales well in balanced mode, but note that my favorite amp for them (the Classic Neo 300b) is not a balanced amp.

 
Neo is out of my budget - but I'm thinking about balanced WA22 and single WA5-LE. Do the last would be significantly better for the extra costs for HD800? You wrote you have WA5 - how do you feel it with Sennheiser? And how is importante to upgrade to better tubes - or the installed ones are good enough?