Onkyo A800 – "MASTER CLASS"

[protoss]

Mod attack.
I would not recommend unless you have 3+ A800
But I highly recommend

Remove the back plate and foam
And the interior remove the fabric, need to cut
I only cut the middle circle.

 

[protoss]

The bass was reduced, the warmth stay the same and soundstage and air increased.

This is pretty much the best mod you can do.

The og pads are the best with this headphone, you must bend "loosen up" the headband to make it more comfortable, not recommend to change pads unless you found the exact sound frequency pads.

Overall, the new mod and same pads are the best the A800 can get.

 

[protoss]

And if you don't want to cut your A800 LOL!

The pads below will reduce like 50% of bass (A800 has killer bass, almost too much for mere mortals LOL!) and keep the rest of the frequency.
amazing cheap pads.
This mod is pretty darn good too. only a simple pad change and they are really comfortable.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2X3R7JZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[paradoxper]

Update on my “endgame Onkyo A800 setup LOL”. I added the LOL at the end because with the Onkyo A800, there is no limit, thus no endgame. The only endgame with the Onkyo A800 is your imagination and resources. If you got a lot of imagination and resources, you can easily take the Onkyo A800 to the next galaxy and beyond.

I know my previous post, I said I pretty much quit headphones because the Onkyo A800 + Allnic HPA-5000XL is all I need. That is true so far, but I found some new magic on the Onkyo A800. So I basically quit collecting headphones to focus more on my 2 channel speaker setup. I bought a Supratek Cabernet DHT with EML 45 Mesh Tubes and a Schiit Vidar 2 for my Polk Reserve R200. Sounded amazing as I knew it will be. Obviously going to upgrade the Vidar 2 to a Tyr when I got more funds and either upgrade the Polk R200 to a L200 or something else. But enough of this speaker talk, back to the Onkyo A800.



So, back in November 2022, I had a gut feeling with 45 tubes + Onkyo A800. Gotta say, it feels good to be right on my gut feeling . Through sheer curiosity, after using the Supratek Cabernet DHT on my speaker setup, just did some quick connecting to the Allnic HPA-5000XL. Then proceeded to connect my Onkyo A800, turn the volume up and press play… I am glad I moved on from headphones, because the Onkyo A800 is truly 1 of a kind. And this 1 of a kind headphone will always be my favorite experience in headphones. The Onkyo A800 is already known for its natural timbre and it’s ability to replicate the artist tone. We all know that. But imagine, with the power of 45 tubes and just any 45 tubes, but the EML 45 Mesh Tubes and what you know with the Onkyo A800 natural timbre and it’s ability to replicate the artist tone, the just DOUBLE IT! Oh my god, it sounded so real, it just feel so unreal. Does that make sense? I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. What I thought I knew about acoustic/electric guitar, vocals, snare drums, and bass guitars, the 45 tubes + Onkyo A800 will give you a reminder of this is what it’s suppose to sound like. It’s just so authentic and natural, it actually spoil me with my other headphones. Onkyo A800 and speakers is all I need. I knew the 45 tubes was going to be good, but I didn’t think it would be this good. It’s so shocking how magical the 45 tubes are in the midrange and how crazy good voices sound on these. Not to mention clarity gets another buff and clarity on my setup right now is just too insane, I think anything will sound clear on my setup. Bass hasn’t been affected negatively, I believe I got a good buff on it as well as I feel the bass tighten up a bit thanks to the Supratek Cabernet DHT. It could be all placebo, I’ll still take it because I am one happy camper. The Supratek Cabernet DHT + Allnic HPA-5000XL + Onkyo A800 is a fantastic combo. Supratek Cabernet DHT preamp for its magical 45 tubes and huge buff in timbre, Allnic HPA-5000XL for the minimum distortion thanks to its all nickel core transformer for a more clean sound output, but still has a little more musical sauce with its tubes, and then the Onkyo A800 being the main star of the show with its one of kind experience that you will not find in any other headphone with its natural sounding beauty.

This might be the last update since I move onto speakers, trying to search for the Onkyo A800 of speakers AKA a speaker that sounds natural and can perfectly capture the tone of the artist. If I found anything cool with the Onkyo A800, I will try to post something here. But I doubt it, this might be the last post for real this time. Just in case you do not here back from me, a little bit of parting words. To me Onkyo A800 is THE headphone for realism and it’s ability to replicate sounds to sound naturally. There will a better headphone for bass (which will be hard against the Onkyo A800), clarity, soundstage, and whatever is your cup of tea. BUT, if you are looking for Natural sounding headphone for your acoustic instrument music or a headphone that shreds in rock music or a headphone that perfectly capture the beauty of the human voice. Look no further, the Onkyo A800 cannot be beaten. And if you own a Onkyo A800, you owe yourself a favor and trying the Onkyo A800 out with 45 tubes in a DHT preamp or amp if you could find one

My updated “Endgame setup for the Onkyo A800”:
ROON Rock - Intel NUC 7i7 > EMM Labs NS1 > [AES] Mojo Audio Mystique EVO Basic > Supratek Cabernet DHT (EML 45 Mesh Tubes) > Allnic HPA-5000XL > Onkyo A800

You discovered something special.

Try the EML Globe mesh 45. Then hunt the Perryman and you are off to the stratosphere.

 

[Saberpunch]

You discovered something special.

Try the EML Globe mesh 45. Then hunt the Perryman and you are off to the stratosphere.

Yeah, the EML 45 mesh is blowing my mind in my speaker and headphone setup. I heard the EML Globe 45 is the best 45 tubes, but it was limited, so it will be hard to hunt. I haven't tried the 6SN7 tubes yet since I have been busy, but a lot of people in the speaker's forum have high praise for that tube as well. I think I want to try them out this weekend. Currently have the RCA 6SN7GT, but will look for Ken Rad 6SN7 and Shuguang WE6SN7 just to add to the collection. But overall so far, I'm really happy with the EML 45 Mesh tubes, I am in no rush to try the other tubes right now.

 

[paradoxper]

Yeah, the EML 45 mesh is blowing my mind in my speaker and headphone setup. I heard the EML Globe 45 is the best 45 tubes, but it was limited, so it will be hard to hunt. I haven't tried the 6SN7 tubes yet since I have been busy, but a lot of people in the speaker's forum have high praise for that tube as well. I think I want to try them out this weekend. Currently have the RCA 6SN7GT, but will look for Ken Rad 6SN7 and Shuguang WE6SN7 just to add to the collection. But overall so far, I'm really happy with the EML 45 Mesh tubes, I am in no rush to try the other tubes right now.

They are pretty available if searching. The Perryman is much more difficult to find. Then you must begin 300B and come to Elrog.

For 6SN7 the MELZ 1578 are very good with RFT, VT as solid choice. Either GZ34 metal or Elrog 5U4g for rectification.

Lots of incredible pairings to match with.

Have a blast.

 

[Saberpunch]

And if you don't want to cut your A800 LOL!

The pads below will reduce like 50% of bass (A800 has killer bass, almost too much for mere mortals LOL!) and keep the rest of the frequency.
amazing cheap pads.
This mod is pretty darn good too. only a simple pad change and they are really comfortable.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2X3R7JZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Protoss you genius! I recently bought the DowiTech pads because Protoss never misses on a recommendation. $13 bucks, why not. They were a little struggle putting them onto the Onkyo A800. The harder you work, the more satisfying the reward will be. When I finally got the DowiTech pads on and started listening to the Onkyo A800, first word that came out of my mouth, "woah". Oh my ... I was not expecting to hear this. As Protoss stated, 50% or pretty much 80% in my exaggerated language, the Subbass has been subdued and tamed! I wouldn't exactly say bass as a whole, mostly just the subbass category which is the rumbling and physical part of the music have been tamed. When the subbass has been tamed and is now on good behavior making physical contact delicately instead of punching your guts with its visceral kicks, midrange is veeeeeeeeeeeery sweet. I mean, this is the sweet spot of midrange. It hits all the good spots and man it feels good! The song I was first testing it out with was "Windy Spring" by WoongSan and I wanted to test vocals. Of course, the vocals melt in my ears, but man the piano sounded extra good. I think the reason why midrange was in the sweet spot is probably because subbass wasn't there overpowering the midrange. The music was able to focus more on the piano and my brain was able to 100% focus on the piano to appreciate its sweet melody. I still could hear the bass guitar, accoustic guitar, and of course WoongSan lovely voice. As Protoss said, only the subbass was tone down, but the Onkyo A800 still have the rest of the range and it is freaking magical. The only downside is that it loses excitement which is one of my favorite features on the Onkyo A800. The Onkyo A800 is easily one of the most exciting headphones no matter what the price range if you use leather pads. And excitement is what I am looking for on some genres like Pop and Rock.

Quick review:​

I honestly think the thin pads did everything better than the suede. At 1st, I really enjoy the suede pads because they were very comfy and vocals seem to shine a little more from my previous pads. When I switch to the thin pads, I instantly realize that the suede pads have been decreasing the sub-bass slam. I never really notice because a lot of the songs I listen to don't really have a slam and I've been using the Caldera for like the past 2 weeks while switching to the L3000 and A800 (suede pads). Electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums sound soooooooo much better on the thin pads. For the thin pads, the guitars have a more lasting effect (I guess a more echoing effect), especially noticeable in the first 2 minutes of Shadowbringers. Vocals sounded less veiled to me on the thin pads, that might be because vocals sounded way closer on the thin pads. With the suede pads, the vocals seem like the middle rows to me. Thin pads felt way closer, maybe the second front row. The A800 soundstage was never too impressive to me, so I like its more intimate soundstage with thin pads.

The A800 vocals, which I care about the most, shine the most using the thin pads. Going forward, I will probably use the thin pads for the Onkyo A800. I'll probably compare the thin pads with the cowhide (slim) perforated pads when my ZMF solid pads come in for my L3000.

Back in December 2022, I said I prefer the Caldera thin pads on the Onkyo A800 because the electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums sounded better to me. I standby it 50% now because of the DowiTech pads. The Caldera thin pads are still for someone like me where it can shine the Onkyo A800 exciting trait like its subbass, especially for my pop and rock songs. 1 example is one of my flavor song of the season, "無窮プラトニック" (Mukyu Platonic) by Valis. For some songs, I just want bass to beat me near death making my body feel the music rather than just listening to it. I think it gives a more "Movie Theater" presentation in music rather than a concert hall feel. Where I want to experience the music rather than just listening to it, does that make sense? If I want a more analytical approach and experience and appreciate all that midrange goodness, I will go with the DowiTech pads. If I want something with more excitement and go to the movie theaters, I use the Caldera Thin Pads. Thank goodness I have 2 Onkyo A800, now I can have both without all that swapping pads hassle

^DowiTech Pads

^Caldera thin pads

 

[ruhian]

Just joined the club - in essence amazing value, and will now be my go-to for metal,

 

[boodi]

I use it for metal and prog - no competitor in this genre still . .

 

[Saberpunch]

Just joined the club - in essence amazing value, and will now be my go-to for metal,

Welcome new pillar of the Onkyo A800 community! Very clean looking Onkyo A800 headphone you got there. I hope the Onkyo A800 bring you many months of enjoyment because it does for me. What's your current chain for it?

 

[ruhian]

Welcome new pillar of the Onkyo A800 community! Very clean looking Onkyo A800 headphone you got there. I hope the Onkyo A800 bring you many months of enjoyment because it does for me. What's your current chain for it?

Thank you sir! I'm running it off Laptop -> Xduoo ta-10r dac/amp (grey box on the silver box at top right corner). Could potentially try something like your setup as I'm eyeing a used pair of Apogees, which could be my first speakers.

 

[Saberpunch]

Thank you sir! I'm running it off Laptop -> Xduoo ta-10r dac/amp (grey box on the silver box at top right corner). Could potentially try something like your setup as I'm eyeing a used pair of Apogees, which could be my first speakers.

Heck yeah! Onkyo A800 and speakers are the greatest joy for me in this hobby. If you want to do speakers and headphones, it's a lot cheaper to go for a preamp/headphone amp instead of my crazy setup. The problem with a lot of the preamp/headphone amp is that it could get noisy with the Onkyo A800 since it is a sensitive headphone. 1 Preamp/Headphone amp that was pretty clean and still retain a black background from memory with the Onkyo A800 was the Schiit Folkvangr, but that might be a little too hard if you are outside of America. A cheaper option would be the Nitsch Magni Piety since that one is also a preamp/headphone amp that drives the Onkyo A800 well with a black background. The Nitsch Magni Piety also has its famous "tube-like" sound quality and it's less than $200 USD. Again, don't know how obtainable it is outside of the US. I also would recommend you get a DDC if you still want to continue using your Laptop for the source of music or maybe experiment with a dedicated music server/network streamer. Trust me, getting a DDC for a laptop will clean up the music making it sound really clean vs just using a laptop.

Of course, you could always get really crazy like me and just get 2 separate setups and use a DHT 45-tube preamp with an Allnic OTL/OCL tube amp with 15 tubes in the setup. The DHRT preamp is supposed to be only for my speaker setup, but I wanted to get my money's worth and make it work overtime by connecting it to my headphone setup as well
Whatever path you choose, the Onkyo A800 will get crazy better the more you perfected your setup for it. There is no limit to the Onkyo A800, it could scale up to the next galaxy and beyond, it scales very much the higher you go in the food chain. So always take a minute to enjoy each new setup you try on the Onkyo A800!

 

[ruhian]

Heck yeah! Onkyo A800 and speakers are the greatest joy for me in this hobby. If you want to do speakers and headphones, it's a lot cheaper to go for a preamp/headphone amp instead of my crazy setup. The problem with a lot of the preamp/headphone amp is that it could get noisy with the Onkyo A800 since it is a sensitive headphone. 1 Preamp/Headphone amp that was pretty clean and still retain a black background from memory with the Onkyo A800 was the Schiit Folkvangr, but that might be a little too hard if you are outside of America. A cheaper option would be the Nitsch Magni Piety since that one is also a preamp/headphone amp that drives the Onkyo A800 well with a black background. The Nitsch Magni Piety also has its famous "tube-like" sound quality and it's less than $200 USD. Again, don't know how obtainable it is outside of the US. I also would recommend you get a DDC if you still want to continue using your Laptop for the source of music or maybe experiment with a dedicated music server/network streamer. Trust me, getting a DDC for a laptop will clean up the music making it sound really clean vs just using a laptop.

Of course, you could always get really crazy like me and just get 2 separate setups and use a DHT 45-tube preamp with an Allnic OTL/OCL tube amp with 15 tubes in the setup. The DHRT preamp is supposed to be only for my speaker setup, but I wanted to get my money's worth and make it work overtime by connecting it to my headphone setup as well
Whatever path you choose, the Onkyo A800 will get crazy better the more you perfected your setup for it. There is no limit to the Onkyo A800, it could scale up to the next galaxy and beyond, it scales very much the higher you go in the food chain. So always take a minute to enjoy each new setup you try on the Onkyo A800!

Hahaha your set up is insane, really itching to try out different amps to see how this guy scales. Thanks for sharing! will consider all of the above as I upgrade......by the way, how does the L3000 compare to the A800? Cheers!

 

[Saberpunch]

Hahaha your set up is insane, really itching to try out different amps to see how this guy scales. Thanks for sharing! will consider all of the above as I upgrade......by the way, how does the L3000 compare to the A800? Cheers!

The L3000 and Onkyo A800 are different-sounding headphones. They both give an entirely different presentation and sound very different. the L3000 is a closed back and the A800 is a semi-open back (not that it matters anyway since the Onkyo A800 soundstage was always recording dependent), I don't think they have anything similarities. But that is why I always keep the ATH-L3000 around because it gives me such a different presentation and experience from the Onkyo A800. Now, if you are asking me which headphones I like more, Onkyo A800 >> ATH-L3000 > My collection except AKGs and my ex D8000 Pro LE >> AKGs/All the other headphones I tried and sold in the past.

If you point a gun to my head and I had to make a comparison with the Onkyo A800. I would say the Onkyo A800 is easily the most natural sounding headphone period. Vocals sounds right and accoustic instruments sound right. Heck, even electric instruments like the electric guitar sounds super satisfying on the Onkyo A800. The L3000, like most headphones, sounds pretty artificial to my ears. When I listen to a song, I know I am listening to a recording. With the Onyko A800, I become more immersive with the music that sometimes I do forget I am actually listening to a digital recording. ATH-L3000 has a faster bass and is probably more of an "audiophile" bass where it's cleaner and quick. The Onkyo A800 bass has more impact in the subbass region and the bass decay is slower than the ATH-L3000, but I like it since that helps with reverb. Female vocals sound good on both, but Onkyo A800 just sounds more natural. On low-level equipment, the ATH-L3000 has more clarity than the Onkyo A800. With my current gear, I don't know why, the Onkyo A800 clarity may be on par or greater than the ATH-L3000, but I may have to check that again as the Onkyo A800 just sounds more natural so I might be confusing the clarity sound with its natural sound. People liked the W5000 because it has really good clarity and detail, but it just sounded too artificial for me. That may be the same case with the L3000 and the Onkyo A800 where the L3000 has more clarity, but I don't really care since it just sounds artificial to me.

Electric Guitar sounds pretty dang different from the Onkyo A800 and the ATH-L3000, heck even the ATH-AD2000 sounds pretty dang different from each other even though it's the same recording. Now, is the difference bad? Nope, all 3 (Onkyo A800, ATH-L3000, and ATH-AD2000) are all smiles with the electric guitar. They all bring a very unique flavor that no other headphone really brings with the electric guitar. I link a video below some of the different tones of the electric guitar. It's been a while since I actually pay attention to what the ATH-L3000 sounds like, but I want to say the "creamy sound" goes perfectly with the ATH-L3000. I want to say I prefer the "Throaty", "Brown", "Grunge", and "Clean" sound on the Onkyo A800 just because the Onkyo A800 has more impact and "Crunchiness" for the guitar sound. Now, what do I prefer on the ATH-AD2000? Easy, the "Brown" and "Clean", but on really fast pace songs. I think the AD2000 is really fun for fast pace rock songs and electric music, but that is a story for a different post and a different time... Basically, for brighter guitar sounds, I like the ATH-L3000. For more crunch and impact, I like the Onkyo A800. For speed and fast pace guitar licks, I like the ATH-AD2000.



For drums, Onkyo A800 has no competition. Listen to the below youtube video with the Onkyo A800, it's epic. I think the AD2000 maybe can give the Onkyo A800 a run for its money, but only for fast pace music. If the music is very fast, but it's unnaturally fast, I would use the ATH-AD2000 for it. No matter how fast the music is, the ATH-AD2000 will keep the flow like water. Keep in mind the ATH-AD2000 is very picky on the amp to unleash its potential for speed.



I am not too sure what pads you are using, but pad rolling matters a lot on the Onkyo A800. Leather pads bring the full potential for their impact and excitement in music. The pads Protoss mention earlier in the thread and pads made of suede and Alcantara will tone down the excitement, but let you fully enjoy the midrange on the Onkyo A800 which is really nice for violins and similar instruments. For electric guitar, I say give some leather pads a chance to see if you can handle it's bass impact.

Edit: I forgot to mention the soundstage. The ATH-L3000 soundstage is one of my favorite things on the ATH-L3000 with the way it presents music to me. The imaging is also next level. Because the ATH-L3000 is an angle driver design, the way music blasts to my ears will get behind me. So, depending on the recording of course, but a lot of times I would get the electric guitar playing behind my ear which is really cool. And on some songs, the music just straight up feels like its playing behind my head center stage. It's a really amazing experience and probably one of my favorite features on the ATH-L3000 besides its tone on the guitar. Even though the AD2000 is faster, the ATH-L3000 is also a speed demon. Music will easily flow like water, but not as flow easily as the AD2000 when it comes to face pace music.

The bottom line is that the Onkyo A800 and ATH-L3000 are really good headphones that complement each other very well. That is why the Onkyo A800 and ATH-L3000 is my favorite headphones of all time.

 

[boodi]

it's interesting how "clarity" and "natural sound" can be different values or fuse in a coincident character of a system

he1000se has the best clarity I've ever hard in any system / speaker / headphones
but a800 have the most analoguish natural sound of the two - in particular for full set of drums ( or : proximal to the real thing ) they have the most natural sound of anything heapdhones related ; all you have named ( crunchiness , bass decay , impact ) are definitely peculiar characters of a800 ,

so , if I want general clarity , if I want to understand particulars about the mix and production , the most clear way , then I get the he1000se

if I want to read drums parts/partiture or even train on it , or just be excited about it : I reach for the a800 . in this case I'd have to admit that drums are
"more natural" and generally definitely "clearer" ; the total sum that goes in the sound impression that my ears pass to my brain is better or even much better in this case and gives a flahsed , vivid and solid impression , more similar to the real live sound wave thing, coming from the instrument on live performance

there's a lot of variables involved in hearing gratification , music appreciation , understanding .. and mental activation if I may use the term ; our brain answers differently ( or ot releases different signals and chemistry comibination ) to different sound and music characters , depending on our expectation , training , experience and anatomy .

i feel that "natural" and "clear" are different attributes and ultimate long satisfaction for audiophiles has something to do with the presence of both .