[Sorrodje]

Besides Manley,  I think there are well regarded options for dacs & amps that make a good combo with HD800 . Even in affordable budget. 

 

[Nudel]

Yeah precisely. High price doesn't mean high fidelity sound... There are a lot of great sounding equipment on the market for reasonable price.
By the way... Did anyone can tell me or explain the differences between 250ohm and 600ohm headphones like beyerdynamics for example. Is there any significant difference between those two models? Sorry for the out of topic question.
cheers

 

[LugBug1]

  Yeah precisely. High price doesn't mean high fidelity sound... There are a lot of great sounding equipment on the market for reasonable price.
By the way... Did anyone can tell me or explain the differences between 250ohm and 600ohm headphones like beyerdynamics for example. Is there any significant difference between those two models? Sorry for the out of topic question.
cheers

In a nutshell.. The lower the impedance the easier they are to drive (portable amps etc). The higher the impedance then the more resistance to the alternating current. So they require more power, and more power can give you a more stable and less distorted sound (apparently). But its all to do with matching. Most hp amps cater for loads from 32 to 600 ohm and they do this fine. However a lot of modern hp amps also have a very low impedance output. So the lower the impedance of your hp's is then better. So, The likes of HD800, T1 etc can be better matched with tube amps because these will give the required voltage swings over current.   
 
This is all theoretically. A lot of peeps are happy using solid state with high impedance phones. But not many peeps use tube amps with very low impedance hp's.  

 

[DefQon]

Not necessarily true all the time but low z need more current but require less power to get a decent volume out of and other factors such as damping to the way the transducer behaves with different input impedance. Low z headphones sound great most of the time driven by a good portable amp they sound better when driven by something with more discrete. As a starting pointing for the HD800 I'd look at the Matrix M Stage and work your way up there. I personally wasn't too impressed with the Crack + HD800 pairing but others like it and so I say keep your eyes peeled out for that amp as well as a starting point for a tube amp. Work your way up from there.

 

[Nudel]

  In a nutshell.. The lower the impedance the easier they are to drive (portable amps etc). The higher the impedance then the more resistance to the alternating current. So they require more power, and more power can give you a more stable and less distorted sound (apparently). But its all to do with matching. Most hp amps cater for loads from 32 to 600 ohm and they do this fine. However a lot of modern hp amps also have a very low impedance output. So the lower the impedance of your hp's is then better. So, The likes of HD800, T1 etc can be better matched with tube amps because these will give the required voltage swings over current.   
 
This is all theoretically. A lot of peeps are happy using solid state with high impedance phones. But not many peeps use tube amps with very low impedance hp's.  

Thx for reply. Honestly I didn't compared high impedance headphones with other lower impedance ones but I've heard an opinion that bass on high impedance units its slightly lighter, more refined and overall a bit faster but as I said this is not my personal opinion guys. Anyone can tell something about it?

 

[DefQon]

That is the damping factor I was talking about on my previous post impedance has a lot to play as well.

 

[yage]

That is the damping factor I was talking about on my previous post impedance has a lot to play as well.

 
Benchmark Media (makers of the DAC1 and DAC2) have a great article on what damping factor is and how a low damping factor can distort the output signal.
 
http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/discuss/feedback/newsletter/2011/12/2/0-ohm-headphone-amplifier-sonic-advantages-low-impedance-headphone-amp

 

[lextek]

Any thoughts on pairing the 800s with a Bottlehead Crack/Speedball?

 

[DefQon]

Any thoughts on pairing the 800s with a Bottlehead Crack/Speedball?

Some owners rate it as 1st class.

 

[vale25]

[color=rgba(29, 47, 58, 0.701961)]HI, do you know if were there any change in hd 800 earpads composition or shape? my new pair looks very different from the old one![/color]

 

[pdrm360]

  [color=rgba(29, 47, 58, 0.701961)]HI, do you know if were there any change in hd 800 earpads composition or shape? my new pair looks very different from the old one![/color]

 
Are you sure you got an HD800? 

 

[vale25]

   
Are you sure you got an HD800? 

this is written on the headband

 

[thegunner100]

  this is written on the headband

LOL +1. Nice response xD

 

[pdrm360]

  this is written on the headband

 
I see 

 

[icebear]

Hi folks,
 
newbie here to head-fi and also to the HD800.
I got mine [#26xxx] just a few days ago and obviously it is far from broken in yet.
I use the stock cable and drive it directly from my e20 DAC.
 
Have I gotten a Mk II version of the HD800 ? - ok just kiddin' here )).
 
Where is the sibilance everybody and his grandmother are complaining about, the overly bright treable ? - Nothing !
Where is the lack of bass ? This thing delivers the bass that is on the recording, nothing more but also nothing less.
 
What I noticed immediately - and the reason I am posting this in here -
the HD800 is seriously sensitive to the position of the center of the driver to the geometry of you ear canal.
I have not overly large ears and there is quite some wiggle room front to back on how I can position the HD800 on my head without the edge of the ear pads touching my ears. 5mm front or back make a serious difference.
 
Unless any measurement locates the exact center of the driver to the exact middle of the mike set up then this effect can easily result in significant differences in the frequency response charts we are seeing - and maybe also perceived differences in old vs new.
Just my $0.02.