Got my HD 800S a few days ago. Been listening to HiRez on Cavalli LC 2/Cord 2Qute Apple Mini system. It was very nice, so I tried them on my main Ragg/Yiggy system. I was surprised at the better sound quality, but some female singers are a bit sylabint. More and better bass, soundstage and detail from the upgrade system. Beginning the long wait for a Stratus.
Got my HD 800S a few days ago. Been listening to HiRez on Cavalli LC 2/Cord 2Qute Apple Mini system. It was very nice, so I tried them on my main Ragg/Yiggy system. I was surprised at the better sound quality, but some female singers are a bit sylabint. More and better bass, soundstage and detail from the upgrade system. Beginning the long wait for a Stratus.
When I got my HD800S I had a little bit of sibilance as you describe for the first few days. Seems that after about 20-30 hours of break-in it was gone. Was using a Bimby and Asgard 2. I now have a Ragnarok and Bimby and still no issues. And yes I am wanting a Yggy next. I think your HD800S will just keep getting better. I wanted the HD800S for orchestral music due to its open soundstage and detail. And they have not disappointed at all with orchestral music but have delivered as anticipated. However I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that I love them with Progressive Rock. The way they so clearly layer and delineate music lines without loosing any holistic cohesion is remarkable and deeply insightful.
Wywires Platinum headphone cable for HD800S coming. When it arrives will do a 100 hour break-in on them both. The HD 800S just sounded so good right out of the box. Sounded better last night on Rickie Lee Jones. Might have been a bad recording of Woong San that sounded sibilant.
I can assure you the Platinum Headphone cable is well worth while, it's really elevated my setup.
I'm considering picking up a Ragnarok and replacing my WA22 then getting some KEF LS50s to switch back and forth between headphones and bookshelfs. I'm not sure if it's better to get a dedicated amp for the bookshelfs or not however.
I can assure you the Platinum Headphone cable is well worth while, it's really elevated my setup.
I'm considering picking up a Ragnarok and replacing my WA22 then getting some KEF LS50s to switch back and forth between headphones and bookshelfs. I'm not sure if it's better to get a dedicated amp for the bookshelfs or not however.
The Ragnarok is no different than a dedicated integrated amp for speakers. The Ragnarok is an excellent integrated amp for speakers regardless of price. The balanced headphone jack (not the SE jack) of the Ragnarok it tapped directly from the speaker amp just like the speaker binding posts and thus it puts its full power into headphones. If you put low impedance headphones into the balanced jack and use on high gain you could simply destroy them despite the power being clean and undistorted. Jason Stoddard has addressed at length that there are no compromises to either the amp or headphone side of things with the Ragnarok. I was planning on using my Ragnarok just for headphones until I tried it in place of my NAD separates (preamp and 225 wpc amp). I found that the Ragnarok drove my speakers just as well as the NAD separates and sounded significantly better. The NAD separates do have more power so they may do better with speakers like Magnepans. However the Ragnarok has better bass definition and overall transparency. The Ragnarok is more refined in sound with significantly better tone and timbre than the NAD separates.
The Ragnarok is no different than a dedicated integrated amp for speakers. The Ragnarok is an excellent integrated amp for speakers regardless of price. The balanced headphone jack (not the SE jack) of the Ragnarok it tapped directly from the speaker amp just like the speaker binding posts and thus it puts its full power into headphones. If you put low impedance headphones into the balanced jack and use on high gain you could simply destroy them despite the power being clean and undistorted. Jason Stoddard has addressed at length that there are no compromises to either the amp or headphone side of things with the Ragnarok. I was planning on using my Ragnarok just for headphones until I tried it in place of my NAD separates (preamp and 225 wpc amp). I found that the Ragnarok drove my speakers just as well as the NAD separates and sounded significantly better. The NAD separates do have more power so they may do better with speakers like Magnepans. However the Ragnarok has better bass definition and overall transparency. The Ragnarok is more refined in sound with significantly better tone and timbre than the NAD separates.
By the way my speakers are Paradigm Studio 100v2's. Their sensitivily is 88db anechoic and 91db room. Others have recommended that your speakers be at least this sensitive for best results with the Ragnarok. That said less sensitive speakers like the KEF LS50s are said by many to be a great match with the Ragnarok so there may be exceptions. Just keep in mind that while the Ragnarok is conservatively rated at 60wpc at 8 ohms with high current, some speakers are very power Hungary and need more power. That said there are a many very good speakers out there that the Ragnarok has plenty of power to drive very well.
By the way my speakers are Paradigm Studio 100v2's. Their sensitivily is 88db anechoic and 91db room. Others have recommended that your speakers be at least this sensitive for best results with the Ragnarok. That said less sensitive speakers like the KEF LS50s are said by many to be a great match with the Ragnarok so there may be exceptions. Just keep in mind that while the Ragnarok is conservatively rated at 60wpc at 8 ohms with high current, some speakers are very power Hungary and need more power. That said there are a many very good speakers out there that the Ragnarok has plenty of power to drive very well.
Currently I am powering my LS50s with a 125 wpc class d amp and have no complaints on how it drives the KEFs. I do have a Rag in storage and maybe sometime during the holidays will drop it in to give a listen. I too was under the impression that the Rag wasn't worth the time with inefficient speakers. I have a 30 year old pair of Klipsch Forte II that sound wonderful powered by Rag, but they are 98db sensitivity not mid 80s.
will be an interesting experiment at the very least
Currently I am powering my LS50s with a 125 wpc class d amp and have no complaints on how it drives the KEFs. I do have a Rag in storage and maybe sometime during the holidays will drop it in to give a listen. I too was under the impression that the Rag wasn't worth the time with inefficient speakers. I have a 30 year old pair of Klipsch Forte II that sound wonderful powered by Rag, but they are 98db sensitivity not mid 80s.
will be an interesting experiment at the very least
Well at least I am as old as the two reviewers, but that is where I would end the comparison. I did drop Rag in last night while the children were nestled all snug in their beds. After a good warm up and listen I put her back in the box. Now I don't know if it was a fair fight. Everything in the setup was identical except for the amps. The Rag is at a power disadvantage, but I wasn't listening at loud levels so I don't know if that had an effect.
Bottom line is that the amp I currently have in my system (Class D Audio SDS-250C) is a better sonic match with the KEF LS50 than Rag. I could go into details, but that doesn't change the fact that as a speaker amp for the LS50 class d wins over a/b.
Now obviously my ears hear things differently than others, but I am pretty certain that the difference is significant enough that you could tell there is a difference. So for now Rag goes back in storage till I find another use for her (or sell her off). Now don't get me wrong as an speaker / head amp the Rag has its place, but in my #1 system for now that is no longer the place.
Well at least I am as old as the two reviewers, but that is where I would end the comparison. I did drop Rag in last night while the children were nestled all snug in their beds. After a good warm up and listen I put her back in the box. Now I don't know if it was a fair fight. Everything in the setup was identical except for the amps. The Rag is at a power disadvantage, but I wasn't listening at loud levels so I don't know if that had an effect.
Bottom line is that the amp I currently have in my system (Class D Audio SDS-250C) is a better sonic match with the KEF LS50 than Rag. I could go into details, but that doesn't change the fact that as a speaker amp for the LS50 class d wins over a/b.
Now obviously my ears hear things differently than others, but I am pretty certain that the difference is significant enough that you could tell there is a difference. So for now Rag goes back in storage till I find another use for her (or sell her off). Now don't get me wrong as an speaker / head amp the Rag has its place, but in my #1 system for now that is no longer the place.
Good confirmation of what you like. I have personally found that while class D amps sound powerful and good at first over time one desires more refinement and better tone. I have found that they ultimately do not sound as natural as a high class A bias class A/B amp. I would personally choose quality over quantity.
Well at least I am as old as the two reviewers, but that is where I would end the comparison. I did drop Rag in last night while the children were nestled all snug in their beds. After a good warm up and listen I put her back in the box. Now I don't know if it was a fair fight. Everything in the setup was identical except for the amps. The Rag is at a power disadvantage, but I wasn't listening at loud levels so I don't know if that had an effect.
Bottom line is that the amp I currently have in my system (Class D Audio SDS-250C) is a better sonic match with the KEF LS50 than Rag. I could go into details, but that doesn't change the fact that as a speaker amp for the LS50 class d wins over a/b.
Now obviously my ears hear things differently than others, but I am pretty certain that the difference is significant enough that you could tell there is a difference. So for now Rag goes back in storage till I find another use for her (or sell her off). Now don't get me wrong as an speaker / head amp the Rag has its place, but in my #1 system for now that is no longer the place.
my DAPs are class A and I do appreciate the sound they produce, but in this instance the more realistic sound was produced by the class d amp and not Rag. The top end had too much glare and the bottom end not enough slam
...And as always it is according to my hearing and how my brain processes sound
my DAPs are class A and I do appreciate the sound they produce, but in this instance the more realistic sound was produced by the class d amp and not Rag. The top end had too much glare and the bottom end not enough slam
...And as always it is according to my hearing and how my brain processes sound
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
