Hello nc8000 and others, I am sorry about your experiences nc8000 I agree with your decision to send the unit back and to talk about it on head-fi, i mean if the unit was meant for review in Danish magazines then why cant you review it on head-fi? I too think this thread is rather too early, who knows when some other people will actually get their units? Nonetheless I am still tinking of getting one of these, once production has stepped up and some of the early bugs and flaws are ironed out. So I subscribe to this thread in hopes of some user feedback in the future.
Maybe some of those who have received their Hifiman 801 in the last few days could help put this thread back on track with some early listening impressions?
Originally Posted by headfever /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, NC8000, what has happend with you on the review of HIFIMAN 801? I am strange that you said it's sound quality is fantastic and somebody to prevent you to say so. It is really decent or satire? compare to your H 140/D10 combo, how is the sound quality of HIFIMAN?
I am curious, if it is better than the iriver, I will vote for HIFIMAN. I hope I don't breaks some regulation to say so.
I was at the Denmark meeting and talked to nc8000. He had compared the h140-D10 combo with the HM-801. I'm very interested in trying the HM-801 now
I can testify that the 801 is definitely very good and I feel that it's better than the IMod 4G. Can't compare it A/B because my IMod was out of order before the arrival of the 801 but my memory tells me that the 801 is clearly better -- I get this conclusion by listening to the tracks that I'm very familiar with. To get the best out of the 801, do pair it with a good amp. I find that the lineout to D10 sounds better than the built-in amp and the sound of the lineout to Lisa III is definitely spectacular.
Originally Posted by GreenLeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can testify that the 801 is definitely very good and I feel that it's better than the IMod 4G. Can't compare it A/B because my IMod was out of order before the arrival of the 801 but my memory tells me that the 801 is clearly better -- I get this conclusion by listening to the tracks that I'm very familiar with. To get the best out of the 801, do pair it with a good amp. I find that the lineout to D10 sounds better than the built-in amp and the sound of the lineout to Lisa III is definitely spectacular.
Although I have not yet ordered an 801, I am considering doing so in the future, but am somewhat surprised that the 801 sounds better when ported to the D10.
It was my impression that the amplifier section was supposed to be of a much higher quality than most other portable amps. To have an additional piece of equipement to lash to the 801 seems counterproductive to the design intent, as it would make for a rather large portable package, rather than a single all-in-one piece of gear. .
You can use the HiFiMAN 801 as a DAP or DAC for a computer via USB or Coaxial. It has a deticated out line with a really great flat response. If you use the deticated out line and pair it with a really good headphone amp (not portable) the 801 sounds even better.
Think of it as replacing your computer/CD player hooked up to a headphone amp to use with headphones.
This is what I have done several times and it sounds really fantastic.
So while using it portable is better than any portable setup I can think of, using it as a DAC with a real headphone amp is just fantastic.
Originally Posted by HiFlight /img/forum/go_quote.gif Although I have not yet ordered an 801, I am considering doing so in the future, but am somewhat surprised that the 801 sounds better when ported to the D10.
It was my impression that the amplifier section was supposed to be of a much higher quality than most other portable amps. To have an additional piece of equipement to lash to the 801 seems counterproductive to the design intent, as it would make for a rather large portable package, rather than a single all-in-one piece of gear. .
I concur with your sentiments. This completely defeats the purpose of the unit, not to mention that it makes the price exorbitant if that were the case (and hope it isn't so).
Originally Posted by GreenLeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can testify that the 801 is definitely very good and I feel that it's better than the IMod 4G. Can't compare it A/B because my IMod was out of order before the arrival of the 801 but my memory tells me that the 801 is clearly better -- I get this conclusion by listening to the tracks that I'm very familiar with. To get the best out of the 801, do pair it with a good amp. I find that the lineout to D10 sounds better than the built-in amp and the sound of the lineout to Lisa III is definitely spectacular.
Just a thought, but perhaps the amp section is not fully burned in yet?
Originally Posted by HiFlight /img/forum/go_quote.gif Although I have not yet ordered an 801, I am considering doing so in the future, but am somewhat surprised that the 801 sounds better when ported to the D10.
It was my impression that the amplifier section was supposed to be of a much higher quality than most other portable amps. To have an additional piece of equipement to lash to the 801 seems counterproductive to the design intent, as it would make for a rather large portable package, rather than a single all-in-one piece of gear. .
As a matter of fact, I was both delighted and disappointed after finding the lineout to the D10 sounds better. The following could be the reasons why D10 sounds better.
1. My D10 is incidentally using one of the top kits of the D10 offerer by Ron. Hence it should sound a bit better than the stock D10.
2. My D10 must have been fully burnt in (over 1000 hours) while my 801 is just about 20-30 hours (can't do much per day because the battery runs too fast).
3. I hardly use the amp section of the 801 directly as I find the D10 sounds better. The burn-in time for the amp of the 801 should be less than 10 hours.
My finding was confirmed by my friend last night. I shared the 801 no D10 with an old friend and he wowed. Lastly he asked to try a classical music and the first track of the swan lake, K2HD version, in FLAC file was given to him. He disliked the outcome after 10-20 seconds and said the 801 wasn't good enough for classical music. Then I asked him to try the lineout to D10 and a smile came out immediately from him.
I've no intention and will not debate if the amp of D10 or the built-in amp of the 801 is better. Just want to share what I find so far.
As a matter of fact, I rather the line-out to D10 sounds worse because that means I need not to carry D10 during commuting time.
Originally Posted by rxxdoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can use the HiFiMAN 801 as a DAP or DAC for a computer via USB or Coaxial. It has a deticated out line with a really great flat response. If you use the deticated out line and pair it with a really good headphone amp (not portable) the 801 sounds even better.
Think of it as replacing your computer/CD player hooked up to a headphone amp to use with headphones.
This is what I have done several times and it sounds really fantastic.
So while using it portable is better than any portable setup I can think of, using it as a DAC with a real headphone amp is just fantastic.
Do beware that the lineout of the 801 from the SD card is better than using the 801 as a USB DAC or a coax DAC. If one is the computer as the source, it's better to put the files directly to the SD card and play it there.
Originally Posted by 1117 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I concur with your sentiments. This completely defeats the purpose of the unit, not to mention that it makes the price exorbitant if that were the case (and hope it isn't so).
The output of the 801 directly to the ES3X is already pretty good. I forgot to bring the IC for my D10 today and was using only the 801 as an all-in-one unit and the SQ was pretty pleasing. Just I know that it could sound even better because I've tried the D10 and the Lisa.
It may sound silly, but my purpose of buying the 801 is to replace my IMod 4G which is a lineout device. Even if the 801 has no built-in amp, I'll still buy it. I don't fancy taking the IMod 5.5G with the portable VCap and an amp because it would be too cumbersome for me. For anyone thinking of that route should go to a meet and try the 801 if possible.
Originally Posted by 1117 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I concur with your sentiments. This completely defeats the purpose of the unit, not to mention that it makes the price exorbitant if that were the case (and hope it isn't so).
I wish you could understand the amplifier section of HM-801 is a modular design. Modular design means: If you don't like the amp, go and get a better amp board.
We will release a hi-end amp board for HM-801 soon. In the next two or three month people will be able to buy it separately. Some other amp builders also are working on making amp board for HM-801.
In addition, I can not agree your opinion that "the price exorbitant". I am very sure you will not be able to find a decent PCM1704UK source, or even DAC, below 700usd in this planet, not to say a portable device.
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