[A2029]

If I had the budget I'd get some oil caps, but they're huge and expensive for 10uF. The Auricaps are an excellent option - very neutral sound, but I'm tempted at the moment to maybe try some obbligatos (waiting on a shipping quote from parts connexion). I'm not doing this because there's anything wrong with the Auricaps - I'm just curious to experiment.

 
Let me know what you hear if you do end up putting a pair of obbligatos in your Mainline. My ears are extremely sensitive to any problems in the really high frequencies (i.e. harshness in frequencies greater than 12 kHz). I'm not sure if oil caps have a bit more roll off in the really high frequencies, but from anecdotes they seem to. Although I don't really mind the 5-10 kHz bump in HD800's frequency response, I find their really high frequency response to be really annoying at times (I can hear up to 20 kHz still; I'm in my 20's).

 

[Loquah]

   
Let me know what you hear if you do end up putting a pair of obbligatos in your Mainline. My ears are extremely sensitive to any problems in the really high frequencies (i.e. harshness in frequencies greater than 12 kHz). I'm not sure if oil caps have a bit more roll off in the really high frequencies, but from anecdotes they seem to. Although I don't really mind the 5-10 kHz bump in HD800's frequency response, I find their really high frequency response to be really annoying at times (I can hear up to 20 kHz still; I'm in my 20's).

 
I've been listening exclusively to the HD800s with my Mainline (with Auricaps for the output caps) the last few days and am reluctant to change anything right now - the combination is just magical. The treble is articulate and detailed, but never harsh or edgy and I'm extremely sensitive to harsh treble too.
 
It looks like you've got Silver / Oils in yours - is that right?

 

[A2029]

The Mundorf silver-in-oil are only 1uF and are bypassing 10uF Mundorf Supreme that I have in there.

 

[Loquah]

  The Mundorf silver-in-oil are only 1uF and are bypassing 10uF Mundorf Supreme that I have in there.

 
Oh, I wondered that because 10uF Silver / Oils are SO expensive!!
 
So, do you find your current setup is a bit edgy with the HD800s?

 

[A2029]

 
So, do you find your current setup is a bit edgy with the HD800s?

 
Hmmm, it's a good question. My current setup is Acer laptop -> Schiit Wyrd -> Schiit Gungnir -> Mainline (with the 10uf Supremes and 1uF silver-in-oil).

I have a love-hate relationship with my HD800's; Some days running the setup I find it to sound absolutely beautiful. Other days, there is a certain edginess to it that causes some listening fatigue over long periods of listening time. I tried Audeze LCD-2's, but found their treble way too recessed for my liking. The Mainline was great for smoothing out the treble to a small degree.

If there was a headphone with a frequency response which was the average of the HD800's and the LCD-3, and with the comfort of the HD800, I think it could be my perfect headphone...

 

[Loquah]

   
Hmmm, it's a good question. My current setup is Acer laptop -> Schiit Wyrd -> Schiit Gungnir -> Mainline (with the 10uf Supremes and 1uF silver-in-oil).

I have a love-hate relationship with my HD800's; Some days running the setup I find it to sound absolutely beautiful. Other days, there is a certain edginess to it that causes some listening fatigue over long periods of listening time. I tried Audeze LCD-2's, but found their treble way too recessed for my liking. The Mainline was great for smoothing out the treble to a small degree.

If there was a headphone with a frequency response which was the average of the HD800's and the LCD-3, and with the comfort of the HD800, I think it could be my perfect headphone...

 
I don't know the Gungnir or Wyrd, but it might be that you need a slightly smoother / warmer DAC (and/or USB cable) to smooth out the treble. I was really worried that I'd find the HD800 dry and sterile, but I'm loving it with the X-Sabre connected via a Chord SilverPlus USB and then the Mainline (via Tara Labs RCAs)

 

[flying baboon]

Thank you for your answers !
sorry for that question but, how to bypass a capacitor ? (And what does it do on the sound ?)

 

[Doc B.]

You might want to try the Anax mod on your HD800s. Works for me.

 

[Loquah]

How to bypass depends on the application, but most comments here are for output caps, directly in the signal path (as opposed to power supply caps). To bypass a signs path cap you wire the second, smaller cap in parallel - you can just attach the smaller cap's leads directly to the bigger cap's leads.

What it does to the sound varies based on the cap, but to my understanding it influences the treble reproduction mostly and can help add extension or sparkle to a warm / rolled-off output cap (for example)

 

[JamieMcC]

My Cristmas present arrived early so having my very own Sex cap shoot out over the festive holidays!
 

 

 

[flying baboon]

Thanks Loquah!
Auricaps ordered (and Duelund Alexander for bypass

)
 
Nice JamieMcC! How does it sound? 

 

[Loquah]

That's great, Baboon. Any chance you can install the Auricaps first and Duelunds later to comment on the impact they have?

 

[flying baboon]

Of course!

 

[JamieMcC]

 
Nice JamieMcC! How does it sound? 

They are still settling in at  the moment and I plan to put a couple of hundred hours on them before making any decisions. I really did like the Ampohms in wax which I reinstall later so I  have a chance to compare going back the other way.
 
At any rate its going to be fun to compare the two different types

 

[JamieMcC]

Happy new year all.
 
Finally got round to replacing the resistors for two chokes in the Sex power supply as detailed by Mark (mcandmar) in his "Mcandmars ramblings"  thread over on the bhf and it is a really nice modification the effects of which are instantly noticeable. I used a small bracket mounted off of the stepped attenuator fixings.