[Trancefreak]

When it launched, I too was disappointed in the absence of a optical/coaxial in and lack of USB-C.
It would make it even more versatile.

@Mad Lust Envy Could you explain why you use a v-moda boom mic on your Mobius? Are you not content with the standard Mobius boom mic?
I'm asking because I have the Mobius and having a clear mic is important to me ( idealistically ).
Next headphone would be a LCD-GX which uses the same boom mic as far as I can tell.

Thanks!

 

[TeeReQs]

Not sure if I'm late to the party, but did anybody see the new Magni 3+ and Magni Heresy?

 

[San Man]

@Mad Lust Envy Question for you: If using either for purely video play back on your desktop, do/did you experience any delay in audio from the accompanying video? TIA

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Can microphone still be used if input is over analog and not usb (both plugged in but usb used only for mic) ?

Yes, as long as on pc you set the mic device to the Hel or Fulla, you can still use another dac for regular audio. I probably should've added that. That's how I was testing volume differences. Had my tv as the audio ouput, while switching between the Fulla and Hel as the mic output.

As for delay, never noticed any. Everything syncs just fine.

 

[SierraMadre]

Sony’s next PS will have their house 3D binauralisation solution and Xbox already offers Windows spatial, DTS headphone X and Dolby Atmos for Headphone so the lack of surround decoding/VSS shouldn’t deter too many from the HEL but for a small form factor portable solution the need for a wall wart instead of running off USB is a dealbreaker for me.

It’s a shame they didn’t make it an either / or proposition (i.e. can run off USB but plug in for more juice, if that’s practically possible in such a scenario). The HD800S’s are by far the most power hungry set of cans I own but even the usb power-only G6 and SXFI AMP have gallons of juice to spare when powering them directly. I can barely get into double digits volume with the G6 before it gets way too loud and even on the SXFI Amp I reach the ceiling of my tolerance before getting anywhere near high figures.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Volume =\= being driven well.

There's a difference. HD800 has like 800ohm spikes where an amp not driving them well will lead into the impact and dynamics will be lacking if and when those types of spikes happen. Will it make it sound weak in comparison to a well driven HD800.

An underdriven speaker can also distort in high volumes compared to then being supplied enough power.

 

[Lay.]

Volume =\= being driven well.

There's a difference. HD800 has like 800ohm spikes where an amp not driving them well will lead into the impact and dynamics will be lacking if and when those types of spikes happen. Will it make it sound weak in comparison to a well driven HD800.

An underdriven speaker can also distort in high volumes compared to then being supplied enough power.

+1

I can get my HD800S's loud enough with my Galaxy S10+ phone and Sound BlasterX G6 but it does not sound that good IMHO.

 

[Yethal]

Not sure if I'm late to the party, but did anybody see the new Magni 3+ and Magni Heresy?

Magni was a #1 recommendation for an amp here ever since they added variable out and a gain switch

Sony’s next PS will have their house 3D binauralisation solution and Xbox already offers Windows spatial, DTS headphone X and Dolby Atmos for Headphone so the lack of surround decoding/VSS shouldn’t deter too many from the HEL but for a small form factor portable solution the need for a wall wart instead of running off USB is a dealbreaker for me.

It’s a shame they didn’t make it an either / or proposition (i.e. can run off USB but plug in for more juice, if that’s practically possible in such a scenario). The HD800S’s are by far the most power hungry set of cans I own but even the usb power-only G6 and SXFI AMP have gallons of juice to spare when powering them directly. I can barely get into double digits volume with the G6 before it gets way too loud and even on the SXFI Amp I reach the ceiling of my tolerance before getting anywhere near high figures.

You can always connect the second usb port to a second usb port of your source device.

Also, the fact that they are loud enough doesn't mean they are properly driven. Power is so much more than just how loud headphones get

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Think of it like a 100hp car going 100mph vs a 400hp car going 100mph. The quality of the ride and how its being stressed under the hood are not the same. They can both do it, but it's night and day.

 

[SierraMadre]

Volume =\= being driven well.

There's a difference. HD800 has like 800ohm spikes where an amp not driving them well will lead into the impact and dynamics will be lacking if and when those types of spikes happen. Will it make it sound weak in comparison to a well driven HD800.

An underdriven speaker can also distort in high volumes compared to then being supplied enough power.

Already aware of all that but from a rhetorical perspective, at best all that means is the HEL might be a bit better for the HD800S’s than the G6. It does not automatically mean that the HD800S’s are underdriven by the G6 or that the HD800s will sound weak on the G6.

FWIW, my primary home setup includes a THX 789 (fed by SMSL SU8) so it’s not like I have zero experience of pairing the HD800s with an amplifier of decent power.

Also, I have very sensitive ears (I don’t mean in the “golden ears” sense, rather that my idea of high volume is far lower than most people I have ever met’s), so my idea of “sufficient volume”, let alone “loud” may be nowhere near the kind of levels you have in mind where distortion might occur.

In any case, haven’t noticed any distortion or negative impact on performance at the volumes I listen to thus far.

Magni was a #1 recommendation for an amp here ever since they added variable out and a gain switch

You can always connect the second usb port to a second usb port of your source device.

Also, the fact that they are loud enough doesn't mean they are properly driven. Power is so much more than just how loud headphones get

Doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t though either, does it? I am well aware volume is not the whole story but the fact that I can reach my volume tolerance at 13/100 on the HD800s with the G6 with no noticeable forms of distortion and without thinking, “gosh, this really lacks punch / dynamics / body / richness etc.”, tells me that it’s enough power for me personally not to spend another couple of hundred on the Schiit just because it might sound a bit better.

As for second USB, I don’t follow? I was lamenting the necessity of a wall wart rather than just a single cable usb power connection from the audio source device.

 

[SierraMadre]

+1

I can get my HD800S's loud enough with my Galaxy S10+ phone and Sound BlasterX G6 but it does not sound that good IMHO.

Running them off my phone, tablet or portable media devices does sound lacking even if and when I can get loud enough. But my experience with the G6 is different from yours. My point is not only can I get loud enough but it’s not remotely a struggle and I’ve never felt “ah, distortion there” or “this thing could definitely do with more juice”, at least not with any of the content I have tried.
That’s not to say the G6 / HD800S combo sounds as good as when paired with my THX 789 (of course it doesn’t), it’s not even saying that they wouldn’t sound better with the HEL than on the G6, it just says that I’m not convinced it would sound sufficiently better for me personally to ditch the G6, SXFI AMP etc. as my go to portable solution in favour of dropping another couple of hundred or so on the HEL particularly when a wall wart is required. Were it not for that particular factor though, I might well have bought one anyway out of curiosity and because I’ve never tried anything Schiit before and have always been intrigued.

 

[Lay.]

Running them off my phone, tablet or portable media devices does sound lacking even if and when I can get loud enough. But my experience with the G6 is different from yours. My point is not only can I get loud enough but it’s not remotely a struggle and I’ve never felt “ah, distortion there” or “this thing could definitely do with more juice”, at least not with any of the content I have tried.
That’s not to say the G6 / HD800S combo sounds as good as when paired with my THX 789 (of course it doesn’t), it’s not even saying that they wouldn’t sound better with the HEL than on the G6, it just says that I’m not convinced it would sound sufficiently better for me personally to ditch the G6, SXFI AMP etc. as my go to portable solution in favour of dropping another couple of hundred or so on the HEL particularly when a wall wart is required. Were it not for that particular factor though, I might well have bought one anyway out of curiosity and because I’ve never tried anything Schiit before and have always been intrigued.

I feel that the HD800S with G6 sounds lean/dry, lackin dynamics, body and bass compared to the HDV820. Don't know how much of it is lack of power, pairing etc. I still use the G6 while gaming. G6 Optical out --> HDV820 --> HD800S

 

[SierraMadre]

I feel that the HD800S with G6 sounds lean/dry, lackin dynamics, body and bass compared to the HDV820. Don't know how much of it is lack of power, pairing etc. I still use the G6 while gaming. G6 Optical out --> HDV820 --> HD800S

And I don’t doubt that whatsoever. Of course it would, because it’s not a remotely equivalent comparison. The HDV is a high end, arguably luxury, amp costing £2k+ that was not designed for portability and moreover was specifically made to complement the HD800 and HD800S . . . - versus the G6, a portable gaming dac/amp not designed around any specific headphone and costing around 1/20th of that price and probably less than 1/20th of the size.

Like I said, I don’t expect my G6 to match the performance of my THX when paired with the HD800S and I certainly wouldn’t expect it to come anywhere close to a pairing with HDV820 because they are totally different classes of amp and that is reflected not only in its specs but obviously also in the vastly different price ranges they occupy. That doesn’t necessarily mean however that the HD800S’s are being underdriven by my G6, that I am experiencing and making do with sub-par performance or that I personally would perceive a night and day difference if I upgraded to a HEL.

 

[Yethal]

Doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t though either, does it? I am well aware volume is not the whole story but the fact that I can reach my volume tolerance at 13/100 on the HD800s with the G6 with no noticeable forms of distortion and without thinking, “gosh, this really lacks punch / dynamics / body / richness etc.”, tells me that it’s enough power for me personally not to spend another couple of hundred on the Schiit just because it might sound a bit better.

As for second USB, I don’t follow? I was lamenting the necessity of a wall wart rather than just a single cable usb power connection from the audio source device.

Well if they sound good to you then keep on enjoying them. But know there is an untapped potential hiding in there.
As for Hel, you can plug both usb cables into your source device, with one used only to provide power to Hel, it doesn't necessarily have to be a wallwart (as long as the usb port provides required power for Hel to operate).

 

[mindbomb]

You guys have fell for some headphone amp hype. Power is literally about loudness; there is an efficiency spec in decibels/milliwatt that tells you the ratio for a given headphone. You also have to worry about output impedance, noise and distortion, but I highly doubt these are significant factors with any of the devices mentioned so far.