[Carrot Nose]

Hey guys,

I've never been satisfied while listening to music with cheap headphones, I always thought that i needed to hear each and every sound clearly to enjoy it more. The most i have ever spent on headphones is $200 for some BOSE cans that i thought sounded okay, But still i couldn't hear all the sounds clearly. So i was wondering, If i buy some really great headphones like the HD800's, And an amp...Will i be able to hear every sound clearly?, And will i be able to hear all the instruments separately in there own spaces?

That is all i truly want for my listening experience, I want to properly listen to music

. One thing, Is that i don't know what amp to buy for the HD800's, I was thinking about the Ultra Desktop Amp at headroom, I guessing it will make the can sound much better... I have one more question folks, What is the difference between a balanced HD800 and unbalanced?, Would you think it's worth to go for the balanced?

Thanks for reading

 

[beamthegreat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey guys, I have discussed this in the HD800 appreciation thread as well as others. I spent most of CanJam trying out approximately 40 amps with these phones. The HD800 balanced are in a different league than single ended. There were very few I felt excelled with this headphone and they are as follows in the order of preference: 1) Donald North Audio Sonett (single ended or balanced version) Tube Amp: $1200 (or $1000 for all CanJam attendees). I only heard the single ended version of this amp and I felt the single ended version was on par with the balanced versions of other amps below, so you can only imagine how good the balanced Sonett must sound. Incredible bass control and smooth extended treble. Very large left to right soundstage. (Hooked up to Naim CD5x or CD5i, not sure which one) 2) Ray Samuels Audio B-52 Tube amp, balanced. Slightly warm presentation. $5500 3) Ray Samuels Audio Apache solid state, balanced. Slightly warm presentation. $2995 4) Woo Audio WA22, tube amp, balanced (but I think I only listened to single ended). $1800. Very nice soundstage left to right and front to back. Excels in the midrange. 5) Woo Audio WA 6 SE tube amp, single ended. Excels in the midrange. $1050 6/7 Tied) Rudistor RPX-300 solid state, balanced (but I only listened single ended. This amp has a very smooth and laid back presentation, very different from the other amps. $2500 6/7 Tied) ALO Audio Amphora, solid state, single ended. Very neutral presentation, no particular area stood out more than any other. $995 I know a lot of people are mentioning the Eddie Current line up. I did not get to hear the Balancing Act, but I did hear the Zana Deux and HD-2 and I did not care for either with the HD800. All sources were different and yes, that will factor into it, but all were high end sources. I've listened to the same amp with various high-end sources and the differences are not as great as the variations in amps with the HD800. I would say it's split somewhere between a 20%-35% source / 80%-65% amp factor, so long as your source is in the $1,300+ range. __________________ Thanks for reading

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f113/b...00-amp-427946/

 

[Carrot Nose]

Bump , someone please help me with my questions.

 

[Justice Strike]

well if you want to hear everything. The MDR-SA5000 is probably what you are looking for. They are extremely fast and let's you hear every detail... you might want to test them though, as they really only let you hear what is there.

However, de hd800 isn't a bad choice if you want one. I do think you need a very good amp for the headphone.

 

[TheWuss]

I might be the first to say this, but i'm sure a lot of folks would agree.
You may feel that you've tried hifi phones before when you bought Bose, but that's really not the case.

So, you shouldn't assume that you have to jack your price and expectations up to the 1400 dollar range to get any improvement over those.
Many headphones in the 400 dollar range, and even slightly under, will give you great instrumental separation. Try the Senn HD650, the AKG K701, the Beyer DT880 (600 ohm version). All very well regarded around these parts. And all a third of the asking price for HD800s.
And, spending 400 on cans, that leaves you a grand to spend on a fabulous amp. Honestly that will make more difference.

 

[swbf2cheater]

just make sure your audio files are lossless and not junk mp3s or else it doesnt matter what headphones you use, they will sound like pewp

 

[Drubbing]

Plenty of great phones with clarity and separation for a lot, lot less than what you're thinking of.

THe more you spend on phones, the more important the other links in the chain become to get the best from them, so that means a good source and amp, if needed as well.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking amps add SQ, they don't. They provide power to phones that need it, to sound like they were meant to.

 

[Carrot Nose]

thanks alot for the responses guys, im gonna take your advice.

 

[clarinetman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWuss /img/forum/go_quote.gif I might be the first to say this, but i'm sure a lot of folks would agree. You may feel that you've tried hifi phones before when you bought Bose, but that's really not the case. So, you shouldn't assume that you have to jack your price and expectations up to the 1400 dollar range to get any improvement over those. Many headphones in the 400 dollar range, and even slightly under, will give you great instrumental separation. Try the Senn HD650, the AKG K701, the Beyer DT880 (600 ohm version). All very well regarded around these parts. And all a third of the asking price for HD800s. And, spending 400 on cans, that leaves you a grand to spend on a fabulous amp. Honestly that will make more difference.

x2

I think going from Bose to a pair of HD800 is very extreme. Part of the fun in hi-fi is finding your perfect pair. You may not even like the sound of the HD800 anyway, I personally didn't when I heard them.

 

[Carrot Nose]

I was doing some research on the Sony MDR-SA5000s, And they seem like everything i ever wanted for my listening enjoyment, Only i read that the sound stage isn't very big, I guess i can say that i am looking for a good overall image of the instruments and sounds being played. I want to listen to any instrument in it's own space clearly, While i can hear all the other sounds clearly. What im really trying to say is that i want a headphone that will give me the best picture or imaging of what i am listening to.

Sorry i cant really explain well what i want to say.

 

[Justice Strike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carrot Nose /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was doing some research on the Sony MDR-SA5000s, And they seem like everything i ever wanted for my listening enjoyment, Only i read that the sound stage isn't very big, I guess i can say that i am looking for a good overall image of the instruments and sounds being played. I want to listen to any instrument in it's own space clearly, While i can hear all the other sounds clearly. What im really trying to say is that i want a headphone that will give me the best picture or imaging of what i am listening to. Sorry i cant really explain well what i want to say.

The mdr-sa5000 is a really great headphone... if it suits your needs (again you really should go to a shop and try them).

If you miss soundstage and don't mind looking like a geek than perhaps you should have a look at the pfr-v1. Basicly Sony's answer to people claiming that headphones and soundstage don't go togheter.

I hope to get the pfr-v1 tomorrow or the day after, i can tell you more about it then.

 

[clarinetman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justice Strike /img/forum/go_quote.gif The mdr-sa5000 is a really great headphone... if it suits your needs (again you really should go to a shop and try them). If you miss soundstage and don't mind looking like a geek than perhaps you should have a look at the pfr-v1. Basicly Sony's answer to people claiming that headphones and soundstage don't go togheter. I hope to get the pfr-v1 tomorrow or the day after, i can tell you more about it then.

I agree, the V1 does have a big soundstage, but I was personally disappointed in their sound. Wouldn't recommend buying them.

The SA5000 is the way to go.

 

[Justice Strike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by clarinetman /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree, the V1 does have a big soundstage, but I was personally disappointed in their sound. Wouldn't recommend buying them. The SA5000 is the way to go.

i'll know when i have them. They are a cheap way of heaving a portable "speaker" setup for my laptop, i hope they life up to that task.

 

[clarinetman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justice Strike /img/forum/go_quote.gif i'll know when i have them. They are a cheap way of heaving a portable "speaker" setup for my laptop, i hope they life up to that task.

They will do well for that.

However, because they are personal field speakers, they obviously leak A LOT of sound. Just a warning.

 

[Justice Strike]

That's ok. I don't mind anyone listening in on my pr0n movie viewing.

I'm really really curious to the sound though. For 500 dollars retail price (around the price of the mdr-sa5000) they do need to perform relatively well though.