[flipper2gv]

I listened to the HD 800 on an amp designed for it (Sennheiser HDVD 800) and the MOON Neo 430HA. The headphone is extremely bright and harsh in the first place.

Posted this elsewhere...


It did sound excellent with some acoustic music, but that's the easiest thing for a headphone to do.

The only time I tried the hd800 it was with a tube speaker amp (McIntosh iirc) and it was with some Patrick Watson and it was heavenly. Wouldn't listen to death metal though, not enough impact. They would be great movies headphones.

 

[heart banger-97]

 
I can't stand the HD 800's bright, harsh treble. (And I heard it from the Simaudio MOON Neo 430HA and Sennheiser HDVD 800 amp/DAC units.)
 
Should sound a heck of a lot better if you tamed that with EQ. Try using a parametric equalizer and these guides:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/413900/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial
http://www.head-fi.org/t/587703/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial-part-2
http://www.head-fi.org/t/615417/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-advanced-tutorial-in-progress
 
You could also pursue modifications like rug liner and so on. Just look it up.
 
Oh, and I hope you don't mean it wasn't bright enough when you said it lacked clarity...because it's the brightest headphone I have ever heard. lol

 
 

That setup is probably going to limit the headphone pretty severely.

 


I think that my problem is with the way that they present music especially in the mid and upper mid (in comparison of my westone 4r+75ohm resistance). I feel there is a layer between me and the guitar or cymbals. Music is not as aggressive as I like. Maybe it's the hd800 that I'm listening to is defective (its SN is 8XXX) or maybe I accustomed to inear's sound too much.

 

[socks mk2]

[redacted]

 

[Music Alchemist]

I think that my problem is with the way that they present music especially in the mid and upper mid (in comparison of my westone 4r+75ohm resistance). I feel there is a layer between me and the guitar or cymbals. Music is not as aggressive as I like. Maybe it's the hd800 that I'm listening to is defective (its SN is 8XXX) or maybe I accustomed to inear's sound too much.

 
My main problem with the HD 800 was that it sounded like someone turned the treble up so high that it became physically painful to listen to when there any high frequencies in the music. This was especially apparent with cymbals. Aside from that, it was acceptable. If I could modify it, equalize it, and so on, I may even love it, but I would still never buy it until after I have much better headphones.

 

[heart banger-97]

My main problem with the HD 800 was that it sounded like someone turned the treble up so high that it became physically painful to listen to when there any high frequencies in the music. This was especially apparent with cymbals. Aside from that, it was acceptable. If I could modify it, equalize it, and so on, I may even love it, but I would still never buy it until after I have much better headphones.

I think that I will go the beyer route (t1 or t90) if not going hifiman's (he-6)

 

[Music Alchemist]

I think that I will go the beyer route (t1 or t90) if not going hifiman's (he-6)

 
I liked the HE-6 when I heard it right next to the HD 800, HE1000, and Abyss. It was only slightly bright, which is not a problem at all since the HD 800 was painfully bright for me. But I'm surprised you did not think the cymbals were aggressive enough on the HD 800. The cymbals I heard were many times brighter and harsher than cymbals ever are in real life. I used to own the beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (aka Premium) 600 Ω. It was a good headphone, but too gentle and polite, in my opinion. Never heard the higher-end ones.

 

[theblueprint]

I used to own the beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (aka Premium) 600 Ω. It was a good headphone, but too gentle and polite, in my opinion. Never heard the higher-end ones.

What did you use to drive the 880? Especially with the 600 impedance, it sounds sublime out of an OTL amp, ie Valhalla 2. Sound was extremely textured and full, simply breathtaking.

 

[Music Alchemist]

What did you use to drive the 880? Especially with the 600 impedance, it sounds sublime out of an OTL amp, ie Valhalla 2. Sound was extremely textured and full, simply breathtaking.

 
Only a Schiit Fulla. (Had a Magni 2 Uber before that, but sold it.) I'm sure it would sound much better out of a Valhalla 2. Does it have good dynamics and impact from that amp? That's the main thing I found lacking in the DT 880 from the Fulla. The sound was very well controlled, but just didn't jump out at you like it should, so it felt too gentle and polite.

 

[theblueprint]

Definitely felt that the Valhalla 2 was made for it (as it is for all high impedance headphones). Impact and dynamics left nothing left to be desired, slam was definately there, and dynamics were great... extremely quick. I found the whole experience to be engrossing as I found myself immersed in its richness. The fulla might be holding you back, it's a good amp/DAC but is clearly lacking for headphones such as the high impedance Beyers and the Senn 6xx, which require the goodness an OTL amp provides. The only thing that keeps me from getting one is that it won't pair too with my other power hungry planars.

 

[Music Alchemist]

So I've been thinking...from the short time I auditioned it, I did not have any noticeable problems with the sound of the Abyss. (This is a rare phenomenon for me. I'm usually extremely critical of even my favorite headphones.) It didn't blow me away either, but I wasn't able to properly hear it much due to the very tricky fit. When I first put it on, the gigantic pads dug down on my ears. It did not feel heavy on my head at all, though. Very relieved about that, because some people complained about it being too heavy. Anyway, the fit was a disaster for me. Could not get it to stay high enough on my head. I then rotated the pads every which way and found that having it so the thicker part was on top resulted in an acceptable fit vertically, though it was more or less hanging off the top of my ears. But that was only the beginning of my problems. I found that when the gap of the asymmetrical pads was too large, without having a proper seal, the sound was extremely distorted. Sadly, that large gap was always there. I had to push the pads closer to my head to get it to sound right. We also tried adjusting the headband width, but that didn't help much either. So the entire time, I had to hold my hands up to even listen to it. However, according to various Abyss owners, they are actually willing to create customized solutions, to help it fit your head better. Once my budget is much higher and I've taken care of the electrostatic side of things, I see myself buying an Abyss in the future, as long as they can either tweak it to fit me or show me how to get it to fit my head.
 

Definitely felt that the Valhalla 2 was made for it (as it is for all high impedance headphones). Impact and dynamics left nothing left to be desired, slam was definately there, and dynamics were great... extremely quick. I found the whole experience to be engrossing as I found myself immersed in its richness. The fulla might be holding you back, it's a good amp/DAC but is clearly lacking for headphones such as the high impedance Beyers and the Senn 6xx, which require the goodness an OTL amp provides. The only thing that keeps me from getting one is that it won't pair too with my other power hungry planars.

 
Thanks very much for the info. I may get the DT 880 again (later on) based on the improvements you experienced. I liked the HD 650 and want to get the HD 600 sometime as well. Since the Valhalla 2 is somewhat affordable, I may experiment with it. Do you perchance have any experience with the Lyr 2? I know it plays nice with more types of headphones, but don't know if it would sound better or worse than the Valhalla 2 with high impedance headphones.

 

[theblueprint]

  Thanks very much for the info. I may get the DT 880 again (later on) based on the improvements you experienced. I liked the HD 650 and want to get the HD 600 sometime as well. Since the Valhalla 2 is somewhat affordable, I may experiment with it. Do you perchance have any experience with the Lyr 2? I know it plays nice with more types of headphones, but don't know if it would sound better or worse than the Valhalla 2 with high impedance headphones.

 
I actually didn't like the Lyr 2 as much with the 650/880. To be honest, I feel that its hybrid tube nature made it a bit confusing for my ears. It was a bit too dry with it, really nothing special at all. Or it might just be the tubes that were inside the Lyr at the moment. OTL amps (Valhalla) hands down are what I want for high impedance cans, it's why you keep hearing about the Crack + Senn 6xx pairing... you simply can't beat it. Once you try it, I'm sure you'll be hooked too! Add a high end DAC and you got end game sound! Any reason you want both the 600 and 650? 
 
I was also fortunate enough to try the Abyss on Woo's monoblocks a couple weeks ago and, for me, it was a complete letdown. Granted, it may have been the Sony DAC/player upstream, but the experience was extremely undewhelming. The seal and fit was horrible and the bass impact was nothing to write home about. I hope to give these another try one day and properly evaluate them.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I actually didn't like the Lyr 2 as much with the 650/880. To be honest, I feel that its hybrid tube nature made it a bit confusing for my ears. It was a bit too dry with it, really nothing special at all. Or it might just be the tubes that were inside the Lyr at the moment. OTL amps (Valhalla) hands down are what I want for high impedance cans, it's why you keep hearing about the Crack + Senn 6xx pairing... you simply can't beat it. Once you try it, I'm sure you'll be hooked too! Add a high end DAC and you got end game sound! Any reason you want both the 600 and 650? 
 
I was also fortunate enough to try the Abyss on Woo's monoblocks a couple weeks ago and, for me, it was a complete letdown. Granted, it may have been the Sony DAC/player upstream, but the experience was extremely undewhelming. The seal and fit was horrible and the bass impact was nothing to write home about. I hope to give these another try one day and properly evaluate them.

 
You are helping me out a lot! Now I know to avoid the Lyr 2 for the beyer and Senn.
 
See my profile. I go through headphones rather quickly. This also lets me hear more of them in short periods. I no longer own the HD 650. The HD 600 is so affordable on the used market that I might get it in the near future, but I dunno. I kind of wanted to just save up for a STAX system. I also wanted to get the Audio-Technica ATH-AD2000 first, especially since it's so rare.
 
Yeah, I wasn't all that impressed by any of the four figure headphones I heard, but the Abyss had the least problems to my ears. Oddly enough, I did not experience anything noteworthy in terms of bass with any of those headphones (Abyss, HE1000, HD 800, HE-6) when I heard them, and I was using some seriously high-end gear.

 

[Music Alchemist]

@theblueprint
 
Okay, another question. How do the Valhalla 2 and Bottlehead Crack compare with the HD 600 and DT 880? Does one amp sound much better than the other amp with both headphones? Are there any other amps you've heard that sound even better than the first two amps with those two headphones? Feel free to mention any other gear that sounds even better to you...but note that I am going after accuracy, not excessive warmth and lushness.

 

[theblueprint]

I'm sure there are better pairings, but those will probably cost you an arm and leg. And sorry man, those are the most enjoyable I've heard with those headphones. Regarding the difference between the two amps, I'm going to need someone back me up on that since it was too close for me (need to directly b2b the two setups to make a call). I with you too, excessive lushness kills it for me, not a big fan... just need a sprinkle or two of it.

Bass... I've tried most of the summitfi headphones, and LCD3 has the most impact. The 009 did surprise me though, it has way more slam than I thought it would (from reading impressions that it was missing it). The HE1000 could use some more as well... it's quick as hell, but impact leaves some to be desired. I actually like the HE6 more, to me, it felt like it had more body... still the bass is a little on the light side, but great textures all across the spectrum.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I'm sure there are better pairings, but those will probably cost you an arm and leg. And sorry man, those are the most enjoyable I've heard with those headphones. Regarding the difference between the two amps, I'm going to need someone back me up on that since it was too close for me (need to directly b2b the two setups to make a call). I with you too, excessive lushness kills it for me, not a big fan... just need a sprinkle or two of it.

Bass... I've tried most of the summitfi headphones, and LCD3 has the most impact. The 009 did surprise me though, it has way more slam than I thought it would (from reading impressions that it was missing it). The HE1000 could use some more as well... it's quick as hell, but impact leaves some to be desired. I actually like the HE6 more, to me, it felt like it had more body... still the bass is a little on the light side, but great textures all across the spectrum.

 
If you get to hear the HE1000 again, try this: hold the pads and move them away from your head while listening to songs with heavy bass. Worn normally, the bass isn't strong, but when you move the pads away, it becomes gigantic and thunderous! (Although holding them away from your head isn't what you're supposed to do.)
 
The SR-009 is #1 on my wish list. Once I get it, I would just get a STAX SRM-323S amp for it, then, if I like it enough, I would save up for the legendary DIY T2!