[Me x3]

  Bass light?  You need to try the HD800 with the Dangerous Music Source and they will compete with TH900s in terms of bass.  Yes, that's right I said TH900!  Absolutely stunning combo!  That amp/dac doesn't get mentioned around here very much and I'm amazed that it doesn't, but it will destroy many DACs/Amps I see recommended here.  In fact it blows my Oppo HA-1 out of the water when it comes to powering the HD800.  If people feel like bass is light on the HD800, they should give Dangerous Music Source a try.  It is so good, I am selling the OPPO and keeping the DMS.
 
I wouldn't recommended for low impedance headphones, but for high impedance headphones DMS will power anything! In fact I never go above the 8+ o'clock position with HD800s on the DMS.  It is that powerful and the bass is beautiful on the HD800.
 
No, I don't work for DMS, I'm just a hobbyist like everyone else here, and not trying to hijack the thread with a recommendation.
 
Back on the topic...from what I can see that looks beautiful and love the HD800 colors.  I wish I could get mine colored.

 
Hey!
I don't find the HD800 bass-light, but many people do. That's my point.
 
The HD800 are pretty easy to drive.
If an amplifier makes the HD800 a bassy headphone then that's probably a quite coloured amplifier.
Even the T1 has more bass than HD800.

 

[Rhamnetin]

 
The HD800 are pretty easy to drive.

 
That's the first time I've seen anyone say that.

 

[kenman345]

   
That's the first time I've seen anyone say that.

You can drive them with any amp thats over $50 I think, but driving it well obviously take a little finesse. 

 

[complin]

Yes the original Orpheus is immediately recognisable by any headphone enthusiast, quite a unique design as befits such a statement piece.
 
If marble was the desired material for the new version and reference has been made to Michael Angelo, then he was famous for sculpted marble and really beautiful shapes, not nondescript square boxes 

 
It should give you something of a WOW factor, but if this is the final production unit IMO its more a MEH factor. I was really anticipating much much more than whats been presented so far, as in high end audio where this is destined to sit there is so much imaginatively designed equipment out there now that really relegates this to the somewhat ordinary?
 
Quote:

  Love the idea, LOVE IT!!!! But why did they have to make it look so ugly?!?!? Hopefully they'll change the chassis to be something more elegant than just another damn box. The original Orpheus was beautiful in both sight and sound. Please, if ANYONE from Sennheiser is reading this, keep the electrical design, etc yet dump the typical box offering for something far more visually stylish. We have more than enough boring boxes in the CE industry as it is. 

 

[complin]

I have no doubt technically, engineering and sound wise its its undoubtedly superb BUT as far as the aesthetics of the amplifier design Its an utter disappointment.
I just think they have a specific type of client in mind (probably not a music/headphone lover) that has influenced them to come up with such a design 
 
 
Quote:

  The thingy is obviously a showpiece and you have to hand it to them it has gotten all the attention

.
 
The tubes on top and the front knobs are flush with the amp body and pop up/out when starting it up.
How gimicky can you go?! LOL

 

[Hisoundfi]

I have just the place for it.

It would match nicely, plus if it sounds so amazing you schiit yourself, you would be in a convenient location to do so.

 

[JaZZ]

 

 
The HD800 are pretty easy to drive.

 
That's the first time I've seen anyone say that.

 
Then you must have overlooked my posts. It is easy to drive – the opposite is an unfounded myth, based on the «need» to pair it with a bassy amp.

 

[raypin]

mmm.....but if it were priced, say, USD 2,500.00 for the whole system, none of you would be b_____ about the design?, Huh? Honestly.

 

[JaZZ]

I have just the place for it.

 
Well, electrostatics in a bathroom... Could be a short-lived pleasure.

 

[complin]

Personally I disagree irrespective of price you should expect a product to be well designed. The compromises should come in the materials used and quality of the components etc.
So for something like this you would expect top notch materials both in the engineering and the construction. (i.e.real leather, choice wood, precious or semi precious metals, and dare i say even marble!)
 
Quote:

  mmm.....but if it were priced, say, USD 2,500.00 for the whole system, none of you would be b_____ about the design?, Huh? Honestly.

 

[raypin]

mmmm......and all that for a product that you have not even seen, touch, or use? Right? Unless I am mistaken but only a few have even been a few feet from that mighty, fine beast. And fewer still have actually listened to it. I'm sorry but that is a bit ridiculous and I am being nice. Let's just enjoy this ULTRA RARE product. Very few of us will ever own one regardless of how fat one's wallet is  (probably a very limited edition run, just like the Orpheus 300). For me, it is worthy of praise, respect and a source of inspiration.

 

[mindbomb]

   
That's the first time I've seen anyone say that.

I can honestly imagine people being content powering an hd800 with an iphone, since music nowadays has such little dynamic range.

 

[Hisoundfi]

I can honestly imagine people being content powering an hd800 with an iphone, since music nowadays has such little dynamic range.

A rockboxed Clip Zip works best lol

 

[Lornecherry]

Re: Price...Too many people are caught in what Kevin Gilmore gave as an estimate early in the thread. ($40K)
 
When Kevin speaks about circuitry and design, we all stop to listen (I have one his designs a KGSSHV with 009s and it is superb)...but I think in this case he was just giving us a (very) educated guestimate, difficult at best without knowing what's inside, and whether or not this is for limited mass production, or indeed a very limited hand-built and numbered statement piece. (unless Dr. Gilmore was commissioned by Sennheiser for the design process and he's teasing us with a little inside info...please say it ain't so).
 
That said, $40K is what many well-heeled audiophiles will pay for the very best speakers (literally dozens of speakers at any high-end show), or even a limited production, handcrafted turntable. So not out of line in today's market (though I might question releasing this on the week of the latest stock market turmoil).
 
In the Spring, I witnessed a consumer install of $350,000 Genesis's flagship speaker. The room wasn't treated and was more for home theatre, so the speakers did not live up to what they are capable of, but they were mind-blowing nevertheless....and Genesis does sell a few pairs of these each year...so there is a market for this "outrageously" priced stuff. Just try to order a La Ferrari or whatever its successor is...all 400 are sold out almost the day it was revealed. 
 
If Sennheiser does a limited run of a few hundred (to hold the value), they WILL sell them...if they are better than the original Orpheus...and, a big if,...the amp is step up from the current SOTA designs by Dr. Gilmore, and in particular, the BHSE that Justin builds, Woo's statement piece (no one batted an eyelash when he introduced his $15K amps last year), and the superb sounding new Cavalli amps. That is a big "IF" though, yet if anyone besides Stax could pull this off, I would put my money with Sennheiser's R&D + the work that has done in this community by the best builders and designers (Woo, Headamp, Cavalli, Dr. Gilmore, etc.).
 
I would bet Dr. Gilmore a T2 that it's around $19,995 to $24,995 USD for this system. But I must say, that compared to the original Orpheus, the Jason's BHSE or any Woo design, the amp is ugly.

 

[mscott58]

  Re: Price...Too many people are caught in what Kevin Gilmore gave as an estimate early in the thread. ($40K)
 
When Kevin speaks about circuitry and design, we all stop to listen (I have one his designs a KGSSHV with 009s and it is superb)...but I think in this case he was just giving us a (very) educated guestimate, difficult at best without knowing what's inside, and whether or not this is for limited mass production, or indeed a very limited hand-built and numbered statement piece. (unless Dr. Gilmore was commissioned by Sennheiser for the design process and he's teasing us with a little inside info...please say it ain't so).
 
That said, $40K is what many well-heeled audiophiles will pay for the very best speakers (literally dozens of speakers at any high-end show), or even a limited production, handcrafted turntable. So not out of line in today's market (though I might question releasing this on the week of the latest stock market turmoil).
 
In the Spring, I witnessed a consumer install of $350,000 Genesis's flagship speaker. The room wasn't treated and was more for home theatre, so the speakers did not live up to what they are capable of, but they were mind-blowing nevertheless....and Genesis does sell a few pairs of these each year...so there is a market for this "outrageously" priced stuff. Just try to order a La Ferrari or whatever its successor is...all 400 are sold out almost the day it was revealed. 
 
If Sennheiser does a limited run of a few hundred (to hold the value), they WILL sell them...if they are better than the original Orpheus...and, a big if,...the amp is step up from the current SOTA designs by Dr. Gilmore, and in particular, the BHSE that Jason builds, Woo's statement piece (no one batted an eyelash when he introduced his $15K amps last year), and the superb sounding new Cavalli amps. That is a big if, though if anyone besides Stax could pull this off, I would put my money with Sennheiser's R&D + the work that has done in this community by the best builders and designers (Woo, Headamp, Cavalli, Dr. Gilmore, etc.)
 
I would bet Dr. Gilmore a T2 that it's around $19,995 to $24,995 USD for this system. But I must say, that compared to the original Orpheus, or even the BHSE and any Woo design, the amp is ugly.

+1. Very well put. 
 
And it's always amusing to watch threads like this and how fast they build with almost zero data, but infinite opinions! 

 
(PS - Kind of agree with the ugly part, but would want to see it in person first. Maybe it will be at RMAF?)