[keithhr1]

So I have Sennheiser 600 and 650's and from reading reviews here and especially 6moons discussing the synergy between the 702's and Burson made it an irresistible must have. So I purchased both and have had them a couple of days now and I did a somewhat hurried comparison between the 600 series and I was really surprised at the result. The 702's were more refined and detailed with enough bass to think the 600's were kind of bass heavy, muddy sounding and closed in. I didn't use the greatest source yet but what I heard convinced me that the phone to recable with some very special wire that is my design( I don't think I'm supposed to talk about it even though I just received a patent, but maybe the near future) I found the 702's are more elegant , spacious, open, more resolving etc than I was really expecting. I was really surprised at how bad they made my favorite headphones sound. I am really looking forward to the Burson burn in with the 702's. Now I am in the middle of the next consideration. From what you have all read and heard, would the hd-800's offer a substantial improvement over the really inexpensive AKG phones? I do plan on buying a second Burson amp and possibly the 800's. At this point in my life I am willing to spend larger amount of money than I thought I would be willing to spend. Any educated opinions would be really welcome now. I will have to take it on faith and the enormously talented group that have assembled on Head-fi.
So, is there a consensus on the 800's for a dynamic phone? My one deal breaker is a phone that cannot be re-cabled, for the reasons I stated above. At this moment in time my hand built main system with speakers is more detailed and spacious than any of my headphones, the main difference being that I was in control of my wire being totally in the signal path in my speaker system. I am trying to just state what is and nothing more. I have a distributor that is almost ready to bring this stuff to market and I do not plan on trying to promote this in any way, because that is NOT what this forum is for.
So is the 800 the must have can to go to to make my dreams come true?

 

[Junliang]

HD800 ?
Its k70x with steriods...

From experience, although the hd 6x0 are slightly different from the k70x, i quite consider it an upgrade though the slight difference(stock comparison).

The hd800 is a totally different league from the k70x and hd6x0

Get it if you have the moo lah and stop worring about your headphones

Get a strong amp( sorry no recommendations for you) and call it a day

 

[keithhr1]

the Burson HA-160 amp has gotten some very good reviews , especially form 6 moons describing clearly besting such as the RedWine Isabellina , and when I used it to compare the 600 series with the 702 and I can say this that the 650 sounded not very good in comparison. It was the kind of difference that takes only a few moments to hear. The 650's were congested, dark, lacking of air and space with little sound staging. I can't tell you how surprised I was, I had to do a triple take. At first I thought of the possible weaknesses the 650's exposed in the 702's , but it became the exact opposite of my first prejudicial thought, the first impressions
of 702 weakness were actually strengths. Precise, open, detailed more controlled with bass pitch without the boominess of the sennheisers. they were ethereal. The Sennheisers were actually surprising in how they sounded in comparison.
So, I wondering just what the 800's actually bring to the plate. Do they sound more like a better version of the the AKG's, surely they are distanced from the 600 series because I can't imagine they being a better version. The first great headphones I ever heard were the Stax Lambda pros in the mid 80's, I was shocked at how much better than speakers they were. I have achieved a high level of sound with speakers but headphones theoretically should sound better because of the amazingly small fast drivers they employ. So do any of the other headphone options handily beat the 800's? I can't bear the thought of a headphone with someone else's version of what the wire should be to connect it to the amp. I just ordered about 15 mini xlr connectors to try to fabricate my own cables with. So I guess I qualify as your typical obsessive audio nut.

 

[Xan7hos]

IMO the Burson HA-160 seems like an adequate amp for the HD800, I'm actually considering purchasing one myself. What exactly is the dealbreaker with the HD800? That you can or can't recable them?

Also, what is your source? If you don't have the greatest source, I think you should focus some $$ into that first

 

[keithhr1]

I'm having a custom dac just being finished by the original founder and designer of original MSB technology. The dac should be tremendous, I've heard a first prototype and yes I can recable them, but my wire design is not for recabling but a cable that includes the entire signal path including inside electronics including speaker systems and 75ohm digital cable, it has the same type of effect on virtually anything it is hooked up to including AC. Kind of like a magical cable. The headphones have to be able to be recabled which is not my specialty but necessary for any headphone that I use. My speaker system is the match of probably any headphone and certainly more image specific and transparent. I've had many people over to listen and nobody has ever said they were disappointed.,including musicians who said they could hear more in my living room than the studio when it was first monitored, and they said it wasn't close. It has almost the same sonic signature only more transparent than headphones, just as fast with all of he embellishments of real music playing, so I'm looking for the best that I can afford to see where this all can go. Of cours Xan7hos I've already emailed you a private message and I've made a few similar posts and you are pretty much the first person curious enough to write. What I've designed is real and soon other people will hear what I hear.
Just think, if everything I've said is true, then most people are listening to huge amounts of distortion that colors and totally degrades the sound of everything they hear. I believe that I have been able to prove that there is more distortion in the cable than virtually any other part of the system. It's that shocking in a way. You could extrapolate that every review by every reviewer ever made was based on them choosing the coloration and distortion of their choice. Most people choose components simply to create something that is listenable to them regardless of how inaccurate it is. That is why many people prefer tubes, it's just a way for their brain to tell them it's ok for a while till its time to move on to the next piece of audio gear that will fool their brain for a bit. I just stopped by a high end audio store in San Francisco two weeks ago and listened to $30,000 speakers, the new bel canto dac, bel canto mono blocks and probaly $15,000 worth of cable and it sounded like smeared, dark, unmusical with no specificity of image etc , that totally filled with colorations and distortions that were embarrassing to listen to. Highs were lopped off, bass was smeared and there was no bass pitch definition, so that it was pretty much unlistenable and it was a $60,000 system that I wouldn't want to listen to if it was given to me, so I'm jaded and find it difficult to fit into any portion of the audio community. But I believe what I'm saying is true and so does everyone that has a like experience with this.
But, this like in the past will probably be read by very few and will go totally unnoticed as it has before when I mentioned anything, thus until it finally becomes public.

 

[keithhr1]

I forgot to mention that I also have a custom build dual mono passive volume control made with the best shallco switches , so in the end will be a Mark Brasfield Dac (that is a name from the past and we are friends and so it goes) he is the founder of MSB technology and one of the designers in audio for national semi conductor high end audio designing custom op amps used by many of the top companies today.
dual mono passive volume with mostly vishay resistors etc
custom 20 watt class a amplifier build by Michael yee
custom speakers with a Bandor 4 array 50mm drivers per side with a Bandor 150mm matching woofer with no crossover in the top, naturally rolling off around 100hz, with unparalelled transparency and speed, the holy grail is getting nearer it seems, or at least I'm trying

 

[MacedonianHero]

I would save your money and subsequent upgrades down the road and just jump on the HD800s.

They do everything better than the K701/2 and HD650/600.

 

[Xan7hos]

^ x2 +they can be recabled.

 

[tdogzthmn]

I had a very similar experience to the OP regarding the sound differences with the HD600 and the K702. It was enough to justify getting rid of my HD600. I still am curious about the HD800 although it really is in a different league than the K702. For its price I put the K702 at the top of the heap.

 

[David.M]

save up for the 800's and never look back

 

[tdogzthmn]

Also possible OP made thread to brag about his kit.

 

[AmanGeorge]

I think the HD800 will sound like a noticeable improvement over the K702, especially if you ever feel that the bass quantity in the K702 is unsatisfying.