[AlphaChicken]

I feel that I should spend some money on headphones. My q701s are a lot better and very enjoyable now that I have an amp that powers them well. I love the comfort they offer. I want to upgrade my cans though...still not in love with the 701s.
 
Would the hd800s sound good with my DAC/Amp? I had a hard time finding specific info on this topic, which leads me to think that no ones pairs these much. What are y'all's opinions?

 

[vvanrij]

I am a new HD800 user, love them. Need to EQ a bit off the top, gonna 'Anax' mod them as soon as I'm sure I got all the right materials and don't screw it up. I'm also thinking of pairing it with the Gungnir, which should be a good pairing. The Lyr should be ok with it, I think its a bit on the light side compared to the Gungnir and HD800? The Mjolnir was also on my list, but since you can only use it balanced, its a bit too limited for me. Eddie Current Super 7 is now on top of my list.

 

[AlphaChicken]

Thank you for your response. I read somewhere that for being unbalanced, and considering the price, the lyr paired almost magically with the HD800s. Obviously an amp like the WA22 in balanced mode would blow the Lyr out of the water.
 
Mainly just need to know if the gungnir is one of those DACs that the HD800s are picky with. 

 

[AlphaChicken]

Anyone have any input on the HD-800s with the Gungnir? I know it is pretty equipment-picky.

 

[Amictus]

AlphaChicken never did get a reply on this question! Does anyone have an opinion on the Schiit Lyr/Gungnir combination, particularly with the HD800s? I also would like to hear something about this combination before selling the family silver.

 

[Jd007]

I had the Bifrost uber + Lyr stack for my hd800 for a bit. Not really the best IMO. I think otl amps or some SS amps drive the hd800 much better. I felt like on the Lyr the bass impact was a bit lacking, maybe even the extension. At the time I directly compared it to the Little Dot mk3 (a cheap Chinese otl) and the violectric v200 (German SS). Out of these three I liked the LD best (the cheapest one haha), the v200 second, and Lyr last, for my hd800. Of course for orthos it's a different story, on my he500 my preference order is reversed.

 

[Amictus]

I had the Bifrost uber + Lyr stack for my hd800 for a bit. Not really the best IMO. I think otl amps or some SS amps drive the hd800 much better. I felt like on the Lyr the bass impact was a bit lacking, maybe even the extension. At the time I directly compared it to the Little Dot mk3 (a cheap Chinese otl) and the violectric v200 (German SS). Out of these three I liked the LD best (the cheapest one haha), the v200 second, and Lyr last, for my hd800. Of course for orthos it's a different story, on my he500 my preference order is reversed.

Thanks - that's really helpful. I am very happy with the Lyr/HD800 combination for the music that I listen to, but it needs the best tubes to sound good. My 1970ish Orange Globes don't really let it shine, whereas the Telefunken or Siemens E88CCs do wonders. I have dropped a line to Schiit to ask them the Bifrost or Gungnir question - they'll probably answer Gungnir...AND Mjolnir! You know how it goes.
 
Your remarks about OTL and SS are interesting and food for thought. I have tried the HD800 with my modest Lovely Cube SS amp and found a meatiness to the sound which surpassed the Lyr - it was deficient in most other areas, but it made me dream SS for a while...

 

[bagwell359]

The latest Lyr would probably handle the 800's. The Gungnir is a total delight and has a certain rounded sweetness that can only help the 800.