[ChookJones1987]

A good source is important. Something liike the Oppo HA-2 and Chord Mojo works as an all in one so no deperate amp and dac needed. 
 
A Chord Mojo plus HD650, AKG K612 Pro or K712 would be good. 

 

[OmidelF]

  Denon D2000 doesn't an amp, it's 25 ohms, whoever told you it "needs" an amp was mistaken. 
 
HD800 is 300 ohms and it actually "needs" an amp. 

can you expalin to me what is this ohms and why 300 ohms needs amp but not 25 , considering i'm a newbee ? 
i don't wanna google it cause i know i will find some technical stuff that i don't get
just explain it in a simple way that i would understand , is it because it has a low volume and i need more ? because if that's the case then i can just get the hd800 , and if it was not loud enough THEN i would buy amp
but if it effects the quality of MUSIC A LOT , then i really have to get an amp ( not just a small amount of change , like if i listen a part of music 3 time then be like uhh i didn't hear that small sound without amp! cuz i dont care i just want the sound quality )

 

[OmidelF]

  A good source is important. Something liike the Oppo HA-2 and Chord Mojo works as an all in one so no deperate amp and dac needed. 
 
A Chord Mojo plus HD650, AKG K612 Pro or K712 would be good. 

you say good source is important and i agree, but isnt my own sound card good enough ? its this : Reinvented SupremeFX 2015

 

[peterb123]

   
thanks for the replay , but the problem is i can only go as far as 1200$  so i can't buy any amps if i wanna buy hd800 , so its either hd700 with amps or hd800 without amps
 
 
but considering that my motherboard is high end( asus maximus VIII hero) , will the onboard sound card be enough for a person that just wants to listen to normal type of music ? ( i'm not a music producer or a musician ) , how much difference will it make if i use it with amp ? more than 10 or 20% ?! ( i just want to listen to music and have a great experience , nothing professional )

HD700 is definitely playing in a different (lower) league. That does not mean you might not be satisfied. The only way to find out is to try.
 
It could be that HD800 hooked up to your mainboard would ok for you.
But - I don't think there is any mainboard regardless of price which has an audio output of a similar quality as even a cheap amp like O2 or Schiit's entry products.
Also, keep in mind that HD800 is certainly in the top class. You wouldn't buy a Ferrari with cheap tires, would you?
 
Since the HD800S has been released, at least where I come from (Germany), prices for used HD800's are dropping.
You should be able to get a used HD800/amp combo for 1200$ easily here - might be different in places where the HD800S is not in stock yet.
 
My recommendation would be:
a) test
b) seriously consider a HD700 / HD600 / HD650, Beyerdynamic T90... connected to a nice amp/dac combo.
 
 
Peter

 

[OmidelF]

 
HD700 is definitely playing in a different (lower) league. That does not mean you might not be satisfied. The only way to find out is to try.
 
It could be that HD800 hooked up to your mainboard would ok for you.
But - I don't think there is any mainboard regardless of price which has an audio output of a similar quality as even a cheap amp like O2 or Schiit's entry products.
Also, keep in mind that HD800 is certainly in the top class. You wouldn't buy a Ferrari with cheap tires, would you?
 
Since the HD800S has been released, at least where I come from (Germany), prices for used HD800's are dropping.
You should be able to get a used HD800/amp combo for 1200$ easily here - might be different in places where the HD800S is not in stock yet.
 
My recommendation would be:
a) test
b) seriously consider a HD700 / HD600 / HD650, Beyerdynamic T90... connected to a nice amp/dac combo.
 
 
Peter

i already have a amp its called E10 , is it enough ? will it damage my headphone ? because i remember having trouble with it when i used it with my denon d2000 , like sometimes the right ear pad had more sound ?! and when i changed the volume with e10 then it got fixed , should i just buy another amp or e10 is good enough ?

 

[ChookJones1987]

The E10 is an entry level amp. The D2000 is quite easy to drive because it's sensitive. There's no point getting the HD800 as you may not even like it. and it's not very musical without mods. If you want something more natural then the LCD-2 or HD650 with something like the Schiit Vali amp would be good enough. 
 
If you want something more coloured the Nighthawk or Philips X2 would fit the gap as a more entry level headphone with a more bass heavy signature. 

 

[brat]

  i wanted to buy the best headphone for music and the most comfortable one , so i was wondering considering the fact that this headphone is like 4-5 years old and a lot of newer headphones came after HD800 , is it still the best headphone for music ? if not the what is ? ( max price : 1200$)
 
 
also is there a big difference between this headphone and HD 700 ? 
 
 
 
 
and my last question is should i just buy this headphone alone for just listening to music and stuff ? my motherboard is asus maximus VIII hero , is the onboard soundcard enough for this ? or should i get a another soundcard or amp ? ( sorry i'm kinda newbee in these stuff i just want to buy the best headphone for music with max price of 1200$ considering my mainboard )

I've had the chance to try HD800 and HD700 side by side. The problem was that the next in the row was... Sennheiser Orpheus.
My rating:
Sennheiser Orpheus>...>...>....>HD800>HD700
I found HD700 muddy and less precise, with not as good instrument separation compared to HD800. HD700 are very good cans maybe, but the competition was smashing.
I've listened to HD800 for prolonged periods in my systems. They definitely deserve much better amplification than an asus soundcard. If you want just decent sound, you can have it with much cheaper headphones. But HD800 are what they are with more powerful amps.

 

[OmidelF]

  I've had the chance to try HD800 and HD700 side by side. The problem was that the next in the row was... Sennheiser Orpheus.
My rating:
Sennheiser Orpheus>...>...>....>HD800>HD700
I found HD700 muddy and less precise, with not as good instrument separation compared to HD800. HD700 are very good cans maybe, but the competition was smashing.
I've listened to HD800 for prolonged periods in my systems. They definitely deserve much better amplification than an asus soundcard. If you want just decent sound, you can have it with much cheaper headphones. But HD800 are what they are with more powerful amps.

so what amp you suggest me to buy ? 

 

[u2u2]

  The E10 is an entry level amp. The D2000 is quite easy to drive because it's sensitive. There's no point getting the HD800 as you may not even like it. and it's not very musical without mods. If you want something more natural then the LCD-2 or HD650 with something like the Schiit Vali amp would be good enough. 
 
If you want something more coloured the Nighthawk or Philips X2 would fit the gap as a more entry level headphone with a more bass heavy signature. 

Surprised the HD800 are not very musical without mods. Thought they were considered TOTL and they even have a long time active thread in Summit-Fi. Can you expand on this thought for a relative newbie? Many challenges learning about Head-Fi.

 

[wooo headphones]

This thread is pretty comical right now. Here we have a self-described newbie that knows almost nothing about headphones/audio and we're all just spouting terms as if he understood all of them.
 
OmidelF:

1. Without getting technical, you can think of "300 ohm" meaning "the headphone is a lot more quiet than you would have expected". Does that make sense? Headphones like these need 'power' so that you can get the correct volume. When people say that HD800 is hard to drive, part of what they mean is that it is a 300ohm headphone
2. Let's say that you don't really "care" about volume and are OK with listening at low volumes. This is OK...a lot of people listen to their music at medium/low volumes. You might think that because of this you don't need to buy an amp. But amps making headphones louder are only half the story: amps can also change the type of sounds that the headphone is making. You'll be able to hear things in your music that you otherwise would not have heard. Maybe a little more bass. Maybe an instrument in the background that you had never heard before despite listening to that song hundreds of times before. These small changes are what people in this community strive for, so many would frown upon buying a very high end headphone and not letting it "do its magic". Does that make sense?
3. I think a good analogy of buying a $1,000+ headphone and connecting it straight to your computer with no amp would be buying a Ferrari but only letting it ever drive at 20 miles per hour. Here you have a car that can do so much. It can go so fast. It can accelerate so fast. It can turn corners at high speed so well. But you never go above 20mph? That doesn't mean you no longer have a good car, but it does mean that you are not using it for what it is designed for.
4. Big caveat: it is likely that even without an amp, the HD800 will still feel like a substantial upgrade. But just know that it has so much more to offer than what you're allowing it to give you.

 
 
Don't marry the idea of "needing" an HD800 though. I think you can find other cheaper options that will also blow you away and you will be very happy with. And it'll be a better all-around buy for $1,200 than an HD800 connected straight to your motherboard.
 
Here is what I would recommend for that budget:

1. Try to find a used HiFiMan HE-500. These are very good headphones that are very fun to listen to. Hiphop and pop music will sound good on them. They can play anything well. Here is a link to someone on these forums selling a pair for $550.
2. Get a Project Polaris amplifier for $250. I have never used one, but I hear it pairs very well with an HE-500
3. Get a Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC for $399. You can think of a DAC as something that translates computer code into audio signals. A bad DAC would be like watching a foreign film with poor subtitles. You can learn more about them here.

 
Total: $1,199. Almost 1,200! If you need to budget for shipping costs then you could get a cheaper DAC.
 
I hope this helped.

 

[inthere]

I have an HE500 and actually preferred it to my HD800 so much that I sold the HD800.........it has a more full sound. Not a fan of the cables though, very thin and get tangled easily.

 

[riverlethe]

The HE560 is another good option.  It's a little closer to the HD800 sound than the HE500, and the price has come down to $700, so you have enough money to get a capable amp, like a Magni or Objective2.  Contrary to opinions on this thread, the HD800 are not particularly hard to drive, though they won't work well out of an iPhone.  People just don't like the their bright tonality and try to change it.  I believe the HE560 is the closest I've heard to a truly neutral headphone, without the harsh upper-end of the HD800.  HD800 might be a little better at imaging/soundstage, but it's like comparing a 60" television to a 65." 
 
I had the HD700 briefly and I really don't recommend them at all.  Around that price point, you might be better off with an AKG K712.

 

[thecrow]

If you're listening to hip hop and pop I'd strongly recommend the hd800 would not be the best sound/option

Hifimans would be worth looking at. He560, he400i, he500.

The he560 is another headphone that does get better with better Amps. The soloist amps go very well with those and you can quite often get them in the classifieds here. There's the soloist and the soloist sl.

I always thought the hd800 and he560 were similar in quality but different in sound. The hd800 more analytical with large soundstage, the 560 has a good soundstage but great warmth and timbre with fantastic mids and draws me in so easily.

 

[thecrow]

If you have heard the hd800 and you like them there is also the beyerdynamic dt880 (not the 32ohm though) that are quite similar, though not as big on the soundstage and they would fit easily your budget with good room for an amp/dac

 

[ChookJones1987]

The HE560 is far from being neutral it's upper ranges are a mess and I found the LCD-2 and HD650 and even the Nighthawk to be superior. There's nothing wrong with the HD800 for hip hop it's bass is well extended and has good clean lunch with low distortion. It's issues are the upper mids and treble it's enhanced to bring out subtle details. It can get a little painful on the ears.