[Nipper]

@ crumpler
How well do you think the Icon HDP drives the HD800's.  I have one on order (the Nuforce that is), and I was also wondering if it had enough detail to really do the Senns justice.  I mean I'm sure it will do fine with my humble k271mkiis but I have a bad case of upgraditus........ 

 

[Mayzei]

Quote:

@ crumpler
How well do you think the Icon HDP drives the HD800's.  I have one on order (the Nuforce that is), and I was also wondering if it had enough detail to really do the Senns justice.  I mean I'm sure it will do fine with my humble k271mkiis but I have a bad case of upgraditus........ 

:O 
 
Here is the PM i sent to him eariler last week:
 
 
 
Quote:

Hi there mate, awesome setup, i'm really interested in getting an HDP. What are you thoughts on it (especially driving HD800's)? I would be pairing it with HD600's, which are quite similar. Does the HDP do the Sennheiser sound any justice?

 

Regards, Tom.

 
Here is what he PM'ed me back (I hope he's okay with me publicating this):
 
 
 
Quote:

Hi Tom,

 

Thanks for the kind words and it's always nice to meet a fellow audiophile who share the same interest! Anyways, my primary reason for choosing to buy the HDP is because i'll be moving around quite a bit and need a transportable rig (DAC/AMP combo) but still wanna retain some decent audio quality.

 

My initial concern was whether the HDP would have enough juice to sufficiently power the HDP since to me, synergy is a matter better left to more seasoned head-fiers with deeper pockets. And my answer in short is, yes, the HDP definitely have enough juice to power the HD800s (300ohms) to deafening levels. I'm pretty sure the HDP can drive the highly inefficient Hifiman HE-5 as well since i'm using foobar with the volume attenuated to -20dB and the volume pot just slightly below the half-way point.

 

To be honest, i've yet to own any other difficult to drive phones and the only other proper headphones i've owned are the SA5000s and the SRH840s. Both pretty easy to drive and the HDP does drive them with ease.

 

The HDP is a really neutral sounding SS amp and since i've yet to compare it to a tube amp, i wouldn't go so far as to say it sounds cold/analytical since i can't really tell. It just sounds clean and transparent to my ears. So as far as preserving the Sennheiser sound, i think the HDP will definitely do a more than decent job, especially for new head-fiers like myself since it is really neutral and doesn't impart any of it's own sound characteristics into the music.

 

Cheers!

Jeremy

 
Hope this helps, what a coincidence!
 
Thanks again Jeremy.
 
Tom.
 

 

[rarebear]

I have some old Boston Acoustics Speakers with this custom case custom computer I designed and made with Asus P5Q Pro with  X-Hi sound onboard..
 
You can see images of how I made it here
http://wizkidz.home.comcast.net/~wizkidz/rarebearcomputer/
 
 

 

[Nipper]

Tom,
         Thank you so much!  That told me everything I needed to know.  This reassures me that I made the right choice.  It should be here within the week and I would be more than happy to share my impressions as well via p.m. when it arrives.
 
Thanks again,
Grant

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

I have some old Boston Acoustics Speakers with this custom case custom computer I designed and made with Asus P5Q Pro with  X-Hi sound onboard..
 
You can see images of how I made it here
http://wizkidz.home.comcast.net/~wizkidz/rarebearcomputer/

Should have water cooled it 

 

[rarebear]

Hey Head,
Lot of folks are getting away from water cooling as the new coolers are so good..
I have a 2.8 dual core running stable for months at 3.5 and its all very quite..
 
I spend the extra money on new video cards and hard drives
 
But It would look cooler with Blue UV coloring in the water lines under the black light..
I have added more Blue UV cables than the one you see in the pic

 

[Aynjell]

 
Quote:

Hey Head,
Lot of folks are getting away from water cooling as the new coolers are so good..
I have a 2.8 dual core running stable for months at 3.5 and its all very quite..
 
I spend the extra money on new video cards and hard drives
 
But It would look cooler with Blue UV coloring in the water lines under the black light..
I have added more Blue UV cables than the one you see in the pic

Water cooling is lovely. I have an i5 running at 4ghz myself (Under water, of course).

 

[gorb]

 

[jjsoviet]

Mudkipz!

 

[gorb]

 

[Nipper]

Please disregard the big, silly Sony speakers, I am in the process of upgrading them. (They don't really sound horrible, but they don't do the rest of the system justice.)
 
The good stuff:
-Nuforce Icon HDP
-AKG K271mkii's
Woo Audio headphone stand with the rare "Washcloth Mod"
 

 

[Tiltman]

 

[mrarroyo]

gorb, what stands are under your speakers? Thanks.

 

[cyberspyder]

Quote:

gorb, what stands are under your speakers? Thanks.

Auralex Mopads.
 

 

[cellison]

I moved my A5s to a different desk with my music equipment and went back to the A2s. Obviously they don't have as much bass as the A5s but they still amaze me with how good they sound. When i want to get more volume and quality I use either my Grado 325s or Sennheiser HD600s through the headphone out of the Apogee Duet. The computer is an 8 core Mac Pro and all of my music is played through iTunes in Apple Lossless format.