[dadracer2]

My feeling is that sometimes that better. Less is more. Or they can focus on more quality components i think balanced needs double components on everything also, i might be wrong. And maybe theres to much Hype with balanced. One of the best SS amps right now is single ended also (Enelum 23R). Anyway i prefer SE at the moment.

You can make a balanced output signal from a single ended amp. Several companies do it including Cayin. I believe they use a transformer in the path. Having said that I think sometimes you are correct and SE sounds at least as good and the HD800 often sounds better in SE. On the other hand the HD800S does seem to scale better when balanced. This is just a personal opinion so may have no basis in reality!

 

[mpty1]

This is really a ‘thank you’ to all the contributors on this, and other treads that have enabled me to conduct my research, and luckily for me achieve my holy grail at a reasonable cost overall.

Let me start by admitting my brand bias in favour of Sennheiser historically, having owned 540/580 from the 90’s, superb headphones in their own right and still going strong today. They still look brand new and I can get spare parts still today. Some say the 535/540 have never been surpassed…

So forgive me that I took the view of considering Sennheiser product first and foremost, auditioning the 800S I was staggered by the soundstage and detail, and so for me I it became a natural upgrade into modern audiophile equipment.

Then the issue of driving these picky headphones, many folk were advocating tube amps, but with Covid and the difficulty in arranging listening it was by pure chance I came across the HDVD800 with decent USB cable in pristine condition. As in reality I required a combined amp/dac due to space constraints I took the chance and whilst I found it beautifully engineered, and genuine eye candy, in reality it is the sound rather than the looks, and somehow it was lacking an overall ‘emotion’ in the sound. Technically beautiful but did not fully get my ear juices going or fully utilise the abilities of the headphone. Close but no cigar was my feeling.

It was this tread that got me to audition the HDV820 prior to moving down the separate dac and tube amp route and I am so glad I did. To my ear it was ‘night and day’ the 820 was a warmer amp/dac combination that suited the 800S perfectly, to my ear near perfection. There is a significant uplift in the micro detail, and the depth is enhanced, and most importantly to me the music source was touching my soul. I would give it a solid 15% upgrade over the HDVD800 but I accept it’s all subjective. I paired this with an aftermarket xlr 4pin Ricable 8 core pure silver cable and fortunately for me I have reached my nivana.

I chose to keep the HDVD800 to pair with the PC as it was too beautifully engineered to let it go…

My particular thanks to iDesign who really made me think before I charged down an ever increasing rabbit hole.

 

[-HaVoC-Tzu-]

Is cayin-ha-300 that good that it can even compete with other high end Headphone amps? And will work with other HP as well like Susvara or TOTL HP ? If i decide to buy another HP in the future.

Lets say niimbus and the likes SS ones.

No

 

[dadracer2]

No

Since this is supposed to be a thread about best amp and dac for the HD800S then I'd say yes it is for the HD800S. The other headphones I am less familiar with and am not interested by.

 

[-HaVoC-Tzu-]

Since this is supposed to be a thread about best amp and dac for the HD800S then I'd say yes it is for the HD800S. The other headphones I am less familiar with and am not interested by.

since the question was about not only hd800s, but also Susvara or other TOTL headphones, then I will still say no.

 

[dadracer2]

since the question was about not only hd800s, but also Susvara or other TOTL headphones, then I will still say no.

As you wish...are you saying no for the HD800S as well?

 

[-HaVoC-Tzu-]

As you wish...are you saying no for the HD800S as well?

I didn’t try hd800s on ha-300 so can’t confirm (even though I had it with me). Was trying about 40 different cans and 4 different amps and mostly focused on TOTL cans.

 

[dadracer2]

Oh well you have missed out on a highly synergistic pairing. The HA300 is the best amp for the HD800S I have yet to hear. The HD800S also brings out the very best of the HA300. I have heard a lot of headphones with a lot of amps but this combination is special. Maybe not Sennheiser HE1 special but certainly not far away and maybe even better on soundstage.

 

[-HaVoC-Tzu-]

Oh well you have missed out on a highly synergistic pairing. The HA300 is the best amp for the HD800S I have yet to hear. The HD800S also brings out the very best of the HA300. I have heard a lot of headphones with a lot of amps but this combination is special. Maybe not Sennheiser HE1 special but certainly not far away and maybe even better on soundstage.

My buddy has an ha-300 so I can listen whenever.
Shang-sr on 3es elite +Dave+Mscaler is currently the best I’ve heard.
Voce on bhse +Dave+Mscaler has impressive stage as well.
I don’t think it will be possible for hd800s to compete but I’ll try.

 

[bagwell359]

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...d-crack-headphone-amplifier-kit-review.15714/

While the BottleHead Crack is a one trick pony that can yield good results, if you enjoy how it colours the sound of a high impedance headphone, great. I owned the HD800S and had a very nice La Figaro 339 with amazing tubes and it was a euphoric sound, but using the speaker tap cable and driving the HD800S from the speaker terminals of my NAD M3 which is a solid state amp was everybit as good as the OTL 339 could ever be. Better if you consider that I could also drive a 16ohm headphone equally well.

Really, just get an affordable and well designed SS headphone amp, of which there are several excellent candidates now, and if you love the coloured sound tubes provide you can just use an equalizer to add the colour. OTL amps can sound lovely with the right headphone, not saying they can't, but they are very limited in terms of what they play well with.

Still, I get the magic of the tube glow, they are seductive little things.

Yup. I have a hot rodded BHCs that sounds more SS than the 2 others I've heard. It does a much better job with the 600 (slightly damped bass to hold down the chubbs) and it lays waste to the my Rag 1, Bryston BHC, and the v281 (the best of the 3) with the 600.

It has a sound stage which the others don't however - it's not correctly sized, and it doesn't vary as it should - although to me it's well better to the nebulous stage it has on SS amps. With no EQ you actually get real bass to about 37 Hz - using test tones to verify. On the 3 SS it starts the dip at 85 Hz and it's a ghost at 55 Hz. Obviously the harmonic distortion warms them up a lot. There was a great technical description on this pairing and why it's seductive in either the 600 or Crack main threads about 18-24 months ago. It's a guilty pleasure - but I always liked building kits and the last amp was the Hafler DH-200 - so a long time. Of course it's useless with ortho dynamics.

Most days the 6se v1 is the choice. I have a loaner HD-800 not modded and outside of the ice pick in the treble it's quite tasty on the BHCs. The spike is unbearable on the Rag on about 85% of the cuts I tried. I will make a bid on these and if I score them I'll be reading up on mods to get rid of that.

 

[bagwell359]

My buddy has an ha-300 so I can listen whenever.
Shang-sr on 3es elite +Dave+Mscaler is currently the best I’ve heard.
Voce on bhse +Dave+Mscaler has impressive stage as well.
I don’t think it will be possible for hd800s to compete but I’ll try.

The Voce is IMO well better than the 800 or 800S.

 

[-HaVoC-Tzu-]

The Voce is IMO well better than the 800 or 800S.

On the right energizer it certainly is. However it is scales more than any headphone I’ve heard.. so on a weaker energizer it is really bad, but on a great energizer it’s very good.

 

[bagwell359]

On the right energizer it certainly is. However it is scales more than any headphone I’ve heard.. so on a weaker energizer it is really bad, but on a great energizer it’s very good.

I've heard it first on the HFM Jr for two hours and that was all I needed. Best can I've ever heard.

 

[dadracer2]

On the right energizer it certainly is. However it is scales more than any headphone I’ve heard.. so on a weaker energizer it is really bad, but on a great energizer it’s very good.

I find the Voce to sound quite dull for an E stat. I much prefer the Warwick Bravura.

 

[bagwell359]

I find the Voce to sound quite dull for an E stat. I much prefer the Warwick Bravura.

I disagree. It's the striking treble (over) detail that makes the 007 and 009 so notable - but compared to high quality recordings of non amplified performers is the tell. Crystalline and understated sibelance - or if you like they emphasize S's. Not as immediately notable like so many pieces, but over time it aggregates, and you realize it's not correct.

The Voce is more neutral - all of a piece, plus it has the best bass of any stat headphone I have heard.

The Warwick reviews certainly indicate it is a top notch performer. Not heard it.