[Lan647]

I keep posting new threads about reasonal priced amplifiers for the Sennheiser HD 800 headphones, but I just love these cans, they are beautiful and solid headphones with superb comfort and awesome soundstage. I want to be able to bring plenty of sound quality out of them without spending all of my money. 
 
Portable amplification of decent quality is one thing, but I also need a good starter amp for home use. I was looking into the E9 and it seems to be a very powerful and neutral sounding amp for it's ridiculous price. 
 
The question: will this amp bring the goodies out of the HD 800's? 
 
The HD 800's are not that power hungry, but one thing that seems to be VERY depending on good amplification is the bass. So obviously the E9 must have enough power to bring the bass to life, since I will also use the HD 800's for movies. I mostly listen to soundtracks, classical and rock, but not heavy rock, more like Queen and such. This means the bass don't have to be very punchy, though the depth and strength simply has to be there IMO.
 
Since they make a good combo, I was considering buying the E7 with the E9, for those few times i'm listening to my music in portable mode. I bet I won't be happy with the E7 as an amp compared to it's big brother, but at least it is said to make a pretty good dac, so the money won't be wasted. 
 
I value serious, detailed answers here. I would also very much like to hear from those with experience in the E9 paired with high-end, high impedance headphones... 

 

[Lan647]

No one?

 

[Jack C]

The product is still relatively new. Due to its price point, not many people who own really high end headphones have decided to give them a try yet.
 
Certainly the E9 has no lack of power, and by many accounts it provided good results driving headphones that have a reputation for being tough to drive, such as the K70x.
 
Jack

 

[Lan647]

A good starter then? 

 

[Lan647]

Ehm... I was thinking, maybe the HD 800 will sound way too bright with this amp. I mean according to what people are saying, the E9 is very true to every headphone you plug into it. I don't know how the HD 800's "true", original sound is like. Anyone? 

 

[Uncle Erik]

Any thought to going with tubes? That's where I find the HD-800 to sound its best.

 

[Lan647]

Quote:

Any thought to going with tubes? That's where I find the HD-800 to sound its best.

 
Yes I have been looking into tube amps, that mostly lead me to Woo audio. The bad: can't afford Jack's products (not for now). If you can recommend a good tube amp with the price of the E7 (300$ at most) that would be great.  

 

[Lan647]

Can anyone with experience tell me how the HD 800 would sound with an amp that is true to the original sound of the headphones? 

 

[Oddworld]

Can't help you there mate, but I can say that $300 is a low low budget for anything tube.
For that price range you're looking at little dot MK III, which is decent, but I have no idea how it pairs with your phones
SS tends to give greater value at low budgets, you might want to head that direction until you can afford a decent tube ~$600
 
Can't comment on the HD800 + E9, but I really like my AKG K702 + E9

 

[Lan647]

Good, cause the K702 are even harder to drive. 
 
And yeah, that was the plan. Start off with valuable SS and upgrade to heavy duty tube amp in the future. I mean what do I got to lose?

 

[Riku540]

Quote:

Ehm... I was thinking, maybe the HD 800 will sound way too bright with this amp. I mean according to what people are saying, the E9 is very true to every headphone you plug into it. I don't know how the HD 800's "true", original sound is like. Anyone? 

 
What have you paired your HD800's with? If it has sounded bright to you in the past; chances are it will sound bright with the E9 (probably less harsh and more crisp). If not, the E9 isn't going to add any kind of brightness.

 

[Lan647]

And by the way, how does your k701 sound with the E9? Is it a bright sound? A balanced sound (well, balanced meaning as close to balanced as you can get without... well - going balanced. ) How is the bass, most importantly?

 

[Lan647]

Quote:

 
What have you paired your HD800's with? If it has sounded bright to you in the past; chances are it will sound bright with the E9. If not, the E9 isn't going to add any kind of brightness.

I do not own the HD 800, but I have given them a decent listening. The amp I tried them out with was the NAIM Headline-2, connected to it's powersource, the NAPSC, and for MUSIC, I didn't find the HD 800's to bright. The sound itself wasn't very bright IMO, but the bass in the lower sections could have been just a little bit stronger. 

 

[Lan647]

But I will go and listen to them again. I'll take some hours to listen to my OWN music, connected to different amps and even connected to a receiver to see how they hold up with Transformers: revenge of the fallen.

 

[Riku540]

You will probably be ok then. The E9 will add depth, tightness and control to the bass. I'm listening to my DT 880/32's + E7/E9 as I type this. I want to upgrade to 600 ohms but I've also been wanting to try the Ultrasone Pro 900's. So I'm torn between playing it safe or trying something new. >.<