[monkeeboi]

Hello there!
 
Being a new member, I was not exactly sure where to post this. I was recently given the most pristine gift of my existence, the Sennheiser 800HD. I was appalled, awestruck, and illuminated with much joy and happiness. I feel that I've finally transitioned into proper quality of audio. More to the point though, I had read reviews that not many amps are very compatible with the 800's, and also, I have no previous knowledge of amps altogether. Is there a forum where I can find amps that work splendidly with the 800's? And as a side question? Where can I begin my journey as an audiophile?
 
Thank you guys!
Tristen

 

[Dubstep Girl]

well youve come to the right place 

 
whats your budget for an amp for them, and what kind of sound are you looking for? its not common for someone to begin their audiophile journey  with the HD 800, certainly one of the best headphones around. 
 
you should look into tube amps for the Hd 800

 

[monkeeboi]

I dont have any specific budget right now. I believe im looking for a warm and open sound, im not very educated with terms. You can say it started early with my Razer headphones hehe, but I wouldn't consider that a beginning. It was a surreal gift indeed

 

[Dubstep Girl]

you should look at some OTL tube amps or similar.

 

[monkeeboi]

Well i guess my budget would be under a grand

 

[Dubstep Girl]

under a grand, you should look into the Woo Audio 3 or 6 for tubes or if you can stretch your budget to 1090, you can just buy a Woo Audio 2 

 
theres other tube amps out there though, i just find woo audio amps to sound great and be good first choice tube amps with amazing build quality.
 
you can also look into solid state amps which don't have tubes, but they tend to be not as warm and can sound bright and fatiguing with the HD 800 

 

[monkeeboi]

With tube amps, is there the possibility of overheating and thus ruining the quality just a bit?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

no. tube amps are meant to run hot. most only get lightly warm to the touch and overheating is rare and isn't really an issue.
 
only downside to tube amps is that like light bulbs, the tubes don't last forever and have to be changed, and sometimes you can have a tube that can fail, but tubes generally last for many years. tube amps are nice because they sound sweeter and more musical than solid state amps do. if you don't want to deal with tubes, you can always get a nice solid state amp. 

 

[monkeeboi]

What would you suggest for a SS amp?

Edit:
Ive been reading through forums and realized that a uDAC or a DAC is essential. I spend most my time collecting lossless files for all my music. With my cd collection very minimal, it seems that this would be key.