[Liu Junyuan]

Alright, this is why you buy quality head-fi gear for real musical enjoyment. This is like Thailand's karaoke bar. Enough said....

I'm returning to Yggy and Euforia before my hearing gets damage.

What about the T1 and the Euforia? Do you still have the T1? How does it compare to the HD800, from your perspective?

 

[UntilThen]

What about the T1 and the Euforia? Do you still have the T1? How does it compare to the HD800, from your perspective?

I do. I have swap both headphones many times using Yggy and Euforia for one month and 25 days now. Let me listen one more time and I will post my impressions of both headphones.

 

[UntilThen]

Sennheiser HD800 vs Beyerdynamic T1

I will start by stating that this is strictly my opinion based on my gear, my ears and my preference. I have no affiliation with Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic - I wish I had !!! Also I am by no means a dedicated reviewer. I'm just an audio enthusiast. So take this with a grain of salt and a large bottle of Coca Cola.

This is a short summary of my impressions of the 2 headphones above. Both are the original versions. My HD800 is stock and was bought new almost 2 months ago while the T1 is 2nd hand but still in good condition. The T1 has an after market 1.5m 7N OCC Litz copper cable installed in place of the original cable. It was already installed when I bought it but I was also given the original cable.

Gear used for listening are Yggdrasil and Euforia tube amp. Tubes used in Euforia are Tung Sol 6sn7gtb black base 1960s and GEC 6080. Source includes my CD player and Roon accessing Tidal HiFi on my one year old Windows 10 PC.

Songs listened to include a selection of classical, jazz, rock, blues.

Beyerdynamic T1

• 1st thought that comes to my mind is that this headphone sounded brighter and sharper. Literally. 2nd thought is that it has more bite. Literally. It's like a doberman whereas the HD800 feels like a German Shepherd.
• Headstage is perceptibly less wide. Mid bass has more impact but doesn't extend as low.
• Mid-range is more recessed compared to HD800.
• 
  
• Treble is clearer - definitely. I've never felt it fatiguing before but after getting used to HD800, T1's treble kind of gets to me.... too much of a good thing.
• 
  
• It sounds more clinical than HD800. Less layers and textures. It's not necessary bad. It's a different presentation.

Sennheiser HD800

• Once I put on this headphone and listening to the same songs, treble is immediately less forward and sharp. Mid-range is fuller and not recessed like the T1. Note T1's mid is only very slightly more recessed. It's still a very enjoyable mid. It's just in comparison with the Sennheiser here.
• 
  
• HD800 mid-bass is less pronounced than T1 but sub-bass extends lower. Bass sounded more spread out. T1's bass is tighter and more compact.
• 
  
• HD800 has more layers and texture compared to T1. It's more soothing on the ears. It's a comforting tone, especially after listening to the T1 for a while.

Summary
Without doubt, I much prefer Sennheiser HD800. From comfort, fit to tonal preference, I will take the Senns anytime, anyday and walk down the aisle, with or without rings.

T1 is a close second. I'd probably walk down the aisle with both if I could. Both headphones work wonderfully with Euforia. T1 needs a full 1 click more on the volume than HD800.

However if I were to walk down the aisle with both the HD800 and T1, what about the HD650......

I think the aisle isn't wide enough to walk down with 3 headphones !!!!

Plus I have in mind another rich mid-range and stronk bass headphone like the HE-6. Walking down the aisle with 4 headphones?

I don't even want to think about it !

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Sennheiser HD800 vs Beyerdynamic T1

I will start by stating that this is strictly my opinion based on my gear, my ears and my preference. I have no affiliation with Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic - I wish I had !!! Also I am by no means a dedicated reviewer. I'm just an audio enthusiast. So take this with a grain of salt and a large bottle of Coca Cola.

This is a short summary of my impressions of the 2 headphones above. Both are the original versions. My HD800 is stock and was bought new almost 2 months ago while the T1 is 2nd hand but still in good condition. The T1 has an after market 1.5m 7N OCC Litz copper cable installed in place of the original cable. It was already installed when I bought it but I was also given the original cable.

Gear used for listening are Yggdrasil and Euforia tube amp. Tubes used in Euforia are Tung Sol 6sn7gtb black base 1960s and GEC 6080. Source includes my CD player and Roon accessing Tidal HiFi on my one year old Windows 10 PC.

Songs listened to include a selection of classical, jazz, rock, blues.

Beyerdynamic T1

• 1st thought that comes to my mind is that this headphone sounded brighter and sharper. Literally. 2nd thought is that it has more bite. Literally. It's like a doberman whereas the HD800 feels like a German Shepherd.
• Headstage is perceptibly less wide. Mid bass has more impact but doesn't extend as low.
• Mid-range is more recessed compared to HD800.
• 
  
• Treble is clearer - definitely. I've never felt it fatiguing before but after getting used to HD800, T1's treble kind of gets to me.... too much of a good thing.
• 
  
• It sounds more clinical than HD800. Less layers and textures. It's not necessary bad. It's a different presentation.

Sennheiser HD800

• Once I put on this headphone and listening to the same songs, treble is immediately less forward and sharp. Mid-range is fuller and not recessed like the T1. Note T1's mid is only very slightly more recessed. It's still a very enjoyable mid. It's just in comparison with the Sennheiser here.
• 
  
• HD800 mid-bass is less pronounced than T1 but sub-bass extends lower. Bass sounded more spread out. T1's bass is tighter and more compact.
• 
  
• HD800 has more layers and texture compared to T1. It's more soothing on the ears. It's a comforting tone, especially after listening to the T1 for a while.

Summary
Without doubt, I much prefer Sennheiser HD800. From comfort, fit to tonal preference, I will take the Senns anytime, anyday and walk down the aisle, with or without rings.

T1 is a close second. I'd probably walk down the aisle with both if I could. Both headphones work wonderfully with Euforia. T1 needs a full 1 click more on the volume than HD800.

However if I were to walk down the aisle with both the HD800 and T1, what about the HD650......

I think the aisle isn't wide enough to walk down with 3 headphones !!!!

Plus I have in mind another rich mid-range and stronk bass headphone like the HE-6. Walking down the aisle with 4 headphones?

I don't even want to think about it !

Well done, and this is as expected. I still would love to hear a T1 with my two OTL amps some day.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I suppose one further observation is that it seems to be that when you have the Yggy you prefer the HD800. Perhaps the relatively highly resolving and detailed Yggy doesn't jive well with the T1, yet when you were using the NAD, the T1 was less offensive.

 

[UntilThen]

I suppose one further observation is that it seems to be that when you have the Yggy you prefer the HD800. Perhaps the relatively highly resolving and detailed Yggy doesn't jive well with the T1, yet when you were using the NAD, the T1 was less offensive.

There's a perfectly legitimate explanation for this and I think you observed correctly.

NAD d1050 is warmer in tone and less detailed than Yggy ... a lot less details. A warm NAD and a slightly warm Elise or Euforia goes very well with the more clinical T1.

Once I had Yggy and HD800, I find myself looking for tubes that would add more warm, lushness and textures to the chain. I had to balance out the sound. I had to find the synergy that is right for my ears. It was not difficult to do that because I have a lot of very good tubes. Yggy is neutral, fast and dynamic while still sounding very natural without fatigue. It's a strange phenomenon. I like the agile and feet tapping ability of Yggy. HD800 is no slouch. Hence a tube amp such as Euforia fits the bill nicely.

However Yggy and Ragnarok with HD800 is a combination that surprised me literally. It's less warm and lush than with Euforia but the tonal presentation is very neutral and revealing. This is going to show up bad recordings badly. With good recordings, you will hear the headphone for what it is. Somehow, Yggy and Rag with HD800 tone is very 'musical'. I find nothing digital about it. It sounded very natural to me. So much so at A2A, I wanted to buy all 3 of the components that day. However I left with Yggy and HD800. Now a month later, I have placed my order for Rggy. You have no idea how much I am looking forward to Ragnarok !!!

 

[Liu Junyuan]

There's a perfectly legitimate explanation for this and I think you observed correctly.

NAD d1050 is warmer in tone and less detailed than Yggy ... a lot less details. A warm NAD and a slightly warm Elise or Euforia goes very well with the more clinical T1.

Once I had Yggy and HD800, I find myself looking for tubes that would add more warm, lushness and textures to the chain. I had to balance out the sound. I had to find the synergy that is right for my ears. It was not difficult to do that because I have a lot of very good tubes. Yggy is neutral, fast and dynamic while still sounding very natural without fatigue. It's a strange phenomenon. I like the agile and feet tapping ability of Yggy. HD800 is no slouch. Hence a tube amp such as Euforia fits the bill nicely.

However Yggy and Ragnarok with HD800 is a combination that surprised me literally. It's less warm and lush than with Euforia but the tonal presentation is very neutral and revealing. This is going to show up bad recordings badly. With good recordings, you will hear the headphone for what it is. Somehow, Yggy and Rag with HD800 tone is very 'musical'. I find nothing digital about it. It sounded very natural to me. So much so at A2A, I wanted to buy all 3 of the components that day. However I left with Yggy and HD800. Now a month later, I have placed my order for Rggy. You have no idea how much I am looking forward to Ragnarok !!!

As I suspected. The Yggy is honestly like the HD800 of DACs. It is incredibly revealing; paired with something like a T1, and you may be in trouble, at least from what I can gather based on second-hand impressions.

In terms of solid state, I have read the Rag is a great amplifier for the HD800, but I have no experience whatsoever. I think that and perhaps DNA Stratus/Stellaris are end-game HD800 amps.

The Utopia I own does really well with the ZDS and the Yggy; it is pretty much perfect synergy.

 

[UntilThen]

As I suspected. The Yggy is honestly like the HD800 of DACs. It is incredibly revealing; paired with something like a T1, and you may be in trouble, at least from what I can gather based on second-hand impressions.

In terms of solid state, I have read the Rag is a great amplifier for the HD800, but I have no experience whatsoever. I think that and perhaps DNA Stratus/Stellaris are end-game HD800 amps.

The Utopia I own does really well with the ZDS and the Yggy; it is pretty much perfect synergy.

I am starting to know a few people on Head-Fi well, whose system I admired and like. Yours is one of them and @whirlwind 's another.

Yggy's analogy with HD800 is only true in terms of resolution and details. Yggy on the other hand, sounds very analogue to me. It's approaching vinyl sound - incredible. Yggy's strong controlled bass is another very infectious attributes that wins me over completely. I wouldn't trade Yggy's tone for something warmer and more relax now. I actually like it how it is. If anything, I'll work my other components around it.

I read so much good things about DNA Stratus with HD800, I almost ordered the Stratus instead of Ragnarok. In the end, I don't want to drown with too much tubes and Rag has the added bonus of pairing very well with KEF LS50..... something I will keep in mind...

If anything LJ, I would very much like to listen to your Yggy > ZDS > Utopia setup. If that is not end game, I don't know what is.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I would very much like to listen to your Yggy > ZDS > Utopia setup. If that is not end game, I don't know what is.

Yep. End game.

 

[UntilThen]

6AS7 / 6080 power tubes review

This is an on going review that will be added over days.... I'll be editing this post and add on as I go along.

This is my write up of power tubes that are recommended for Elise and Euforia. These are my own impressions and does not mirror anyone else. There could be consistencies with some other write ups. In which case, it just shows that we agree on certain aspects of these tubes.

The gear that I use for these reviews are as follows:-

Source :- CD player and Roon accessing Tidal HiFi on a Windows 10 PC.
DAC :- Yggdrasil
Amp :- Euforia by Feliks Audio

Songs included a selection classical, jazz, rock and blues.

Premier tubes

GEC 6AS7G
This is the best power tube - period. Call it holy grail, king's nuggets, US treasury bonds, anything. Their sound quality are as good as the price they command. There is a smoothness to the tone that is not present in the lesser tubes. Tone signature include slight warmth and lushness. Great layering and textures. It's like a delicately woven fabric. It is exceeding clear and revealing of your music nuances. It's the epitome of tube goodness.

Bendix 6080wb
This tube has unique sound qualities that place them at the 2nd in line of my tube hierarchy. Sound qualities include a solid full body tone, great bass weight, wide headstage and a 3 dimensional audio presentation. The physical construction are as solid as their sound qualities. These tubes are designed for missile applications. Just holding it in your hands will reveal their over built qualities. Use as an audio power tube in Euforia, it is a tone to die for.

Tung Sol 5998
5998 have long been admired for it's special qualities. It has a higher transconductance compared to 6as7 or 6080 tubes. Irrespective of their higher gain, this tube sound exciting, full of energy and dynamic punch. If you need to liven up your music, this is the tube. Treble is clear cut, midrange is prominent and bass is impactful and extends low.

GEC 6080
This tube has similar qualities to the GEC 6as7g but has a lighter tone. It is more airy and breezy. There's sufficient warm and lushness to make it a fine, quality tube. Tone is very clear and fresh. It is highly desirable.

Interval

 

[UntilThen]

@Liu Junyuan I'm reading this article. Might give me some perspective on the headphone I'm looking for.

http://earphiles.org/2017/04/totl-closed-headphone-shoot-out/

 

[connieflyer]

I was surprised they recommend a slow blow myslef. The ones I bought are fast blow. If they are using slow blow they must encounter reaching limit occasionally, without damage. Electronics I have always used fast blow, fuses are cheap. UT here is a review of Elear and lcd3 http://www.audioholics.com/headphone-reviews/focal-elear-headphone-review, the Elear gives up some on the mid-range compared to the LCD3, and that to me is the sweet spot.

 

[UntilThen]

Slow blow, fast blow, hahaha... we're still at it.... it's really funny.

CF have a read of that link I post of the totl closed headphone shootout. Might be good that I aim for a closed phone now since all my 3 headphones are open.

Thanks for the link on Elear. It's an open slate now for me. I'm at the research phase. I know what I want.... (or do I? ) and will search for it.

 

[UntilThen]

A conversation I had with Zach from ZMF Atticus and Eikon headphones. He thinks that Euforia is fantastic with Atticus and Eikon. I'm real happy. You hear that Lukasz? I hope you are tuning into my new thread.

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/a...phones-from-zmf.821782/page-263#post-13601470

 

[whirlwind]

A conversation I had with Zach from ZMF Atticus and Eikon headphones. He thinks that Euforia is fantastic with Atticus and Eikon. I'm real happy. You hear that Lukasz? I hope you are tuning into my new thread.

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/a...phones-from-zmf.821782/page-263#post-13601470

Oh man, did you order...I am jealous

300 ohm dynamics, should work well with both of your amps.

My wallet says I must wait until Christmas for any new cans.