[donlin]

I'm not a big believer in sonic differences, but I still love reading cable posts 

I know what you mean. I really do like that cable a lot but part of the reason I posted it is to watch the usual run of comments. Not as vicious this time as others though which was nice. There was an especially mean group on the HD650 thread.

 

[samandhi]

Wa3 & wa6 are otl but no issues with 700s or my ie80s.

  I know the WA3 is OTL, but isn't the WA6 transformer coupled? I am not familiar with the impedance of the IE80s. Are they lower impedance?
 
Edit: I guess I'm curious to know if an the WA3 would push my momentum wireless (in wired mode) poorly, which are only 28ohms, or most of my other HPs, which are also very low impedance compared to the 700s.

 

[donlin]

I've read that OTL is ideal for higher impedance phones and also read that OTL should be avoided. Any consensus on that? Years ago I had a Ray Samuels Raptor that was OTL and sounded pretty good with HD650's. It had some functional issues though so didn't keep it very long.

 

[3083joe]

I've read that OTL is ideal for higher impedance phones and also read that OTL should be avoided. Any consensus on that? Years ago I had a Ray Samuels Raptor that was OTL and sounded pretty good with HD650's. It had some functional issues though so didn't keep it very long.

Otl is ideal for 650s normally I'd say not to 700s but I have been using them with wa6 and they are sounding very nice. Could just be my ears.

 

[PETEREK]

I've read that OTL is ideal for higher impedance phones and also read that OTL should be avoided. Any consensus on that? Years ago I had a Ray Samuels Raptor that was OTL and sounded pretty good with HD650's. It had some functional issues though so didn't keep it very long.

I have a Bottlehead Crack with Speedball (OTL) and it is really great with the HD700, very good synergy. It is accurate with a slight bass tilt, but it doesn't affect the clarity of the rest of the sound. OTL is great with dynamic phones, not so much orthos in my limited experience. 
 
 
 
Woo Audio has a WA6SE on the way for me to review, which will be used with my HD700, TH600, and my T50RP variants, but primarily the HD700. I will link that when I finish the review, which is out quite a bit. It's a 60 day loaner.

 

[3083joe]

I have a Bottlehead Crack with Speedball (OTL) and it is really great with the HD700, very good synergy. It is accurate with a slight bass tilt, but it doesn't affect the clarity of the rest of the sound. OTL is great with dynamic phones, not so much orthos in my limited experience. 



Woo Audio has a WA6SE on the way for me to review, which will be used with my HD700, TH600, and my T50RP variants, but primarily the HD700. I will link that when I finish the review, which is out quite a bit. It's a 60 day loaner.

Awesome. Look forward to your review.
Crack is also a great amp and for the price can't go wrong. Curious to hear the differences on wa6 vs wa6se

 

[3083joe]

  I know the WA3 is OTL, but isn't the WA6 transformer coupled? I am not familiar with the impedance of the IE80s. Are they lower impedance?

Edit: I guess I'm curious to know if an the WA3 would push my momentum wireless (in wired mode) poorly, which are only 28ohms, or most of my other HPs, which are also very low impedance compared to the 700s.

Yeah otl is more for high impredance but really sounds good with 700s my ie 80 are 16 ohms and it's fine. There is a high / low impedance setting on the wa6. But the tubes I have now are really part of it also I feel.

 

[PETEREK]

Awesome. Look forward to your review.
Crack is also a great amp and for the price can't go wrong. Curious to hear the differences on wa6 vs wa6se

Putting mine for sale now in the classifieds as we speak. Not because it's bad, but because I only have room for one amp in my inventory (my wallet can only handle one). My price is just as much as the kit costs.
 
*self plug*

 

[DavidA]

The BH Crack is really great with the HD-650, HD-800 and DT-990, with the HD-700 I still like the Ember better, seems to have a more dynamic sound.  The HD-700 on the BH Crack is like the Ember with the output impedance set to high which I think is too high for them since they are only 150 Ohm vs 300 like the HD-650/800 or 250 for DT-990.
For movies I think the Lyr2 is better due to the wider sound stage that it gives vs the Ember or Crack.
Just my opinions, YMMV

 

[Krutsch]

  I know the WA3 is OTL, but isn't the WA6 transformer coupled?
 
Edit: I guess I'm curious to know if an the WA3 would push my momentum wireless (in wired mode) poorly, which are only 28ohms, or most of my other HPs, which are also very low impedance compared to the 700s.

 
Yes.
 
Yes (poorly). I have a Grado RS2i (32 ohm) and while it sounds fine at low volume levels, it quickly goes into clipping at higher volume. The WA3 is not a match for low impedance headphones.
 
It *is*, however, a great match for the HD-700, and an even better match with the HD-650.

 

[donlin]

Don't dismiss the WA3 for the HD-700... listening to it right now, with some Jazz, using a fast power tube (Tung-Sol 7236) and warm drivers (Philips E88CC) - really does a great job with the treble on the HD-700s.

That said, while the 700s are all there technically: soundstage, detail, separation, imaging... I am struggling to connect emotionally with these cans with anything except ambient electronica and classical strings (where, especially the latter, they kill anything else I've ever personally auditioned).

Do you get more of the emotional connection from your HD650's? If so I can definitely understand. I go back and forth between the 700 and 650 constantly.

 

[samandhi]

Yes.

Yes (poorly). I have a Grado RS2i (32 ohm) and while it sounds fine at low volume levels, it quickly goes into clipping at higher volume. The WA3 is not a match for low impedance headphones.

It *is*, however, a great match for the HD-700, and an even better match with the HD-650.

OK. That's what I thought, but wasn't sure. I think I am leaning towards the Project Ember, for the versatility. This way I can also use my other headphones if I so choose (that, and the cost is pretty decent, it would seem).

 

[Krutsch]

Do you get more of the emotional connection from your HD650's? If so I can definitely understand. I go back and forth between the 700 and 650 constantly.

 
I do and I suspect there's something in the FR curve that would explain why that is, with my playback chain, but I wouldn't be able to articulate the reason.
 
It may be the amount of time I've spent with the 650s, relative to the 700s ... don't know. I am trying to spend more time with the 700s to see if that's it. But I was listening to the new Florence + the Machine album the other night with the 700s and felt like something was missing; switched to the 650s and went... aaahhhh... nice!

 

[3083joe]

    I know the WA3 is OTL, but isn't the WA6 transformer coupled? I am not familiar with the impedance of the IE80s. Are they lower impedance?
 
Edit: I guess I'm curious to know if an the WA3 would push my momentum wireless (in wired mode) poorly, which are only 28ohms, or most of my other HPs, which are also very low impedance compared to the 700s.

Correct my mistake on the quote 

 

[jstps]

I have bought the Sennheiser hd 700 last week. In the beginning it sounded sharp and thin, but after some burn-in, (20 hours) they sound great. I use them with my Myryad mi 240. It's a speaker amp but better than the hp amps that I've tried (only tried under 500 euros). I also have a couple of dap's.

Now comes the problem: I get terrible listening fatigue with the hd 700. If I use them past the fatigue, my ears even become painful. This is even with low volume. I've visited a hifi store where they have the hdvd 800, and I still have the fatigue with that 2000 euro hp amp.

This problem is not due to peaky highs or something like that. It's the whole sound. There is something in the sound that can't be heard, that's causing this. The only other headphones I had this with are the Fad Heaven IV.

I thought maybe the cable is to blame, but there is no different cable to order here in the Netherlands under 250 euros.

The fatigue is as if you've been exposed to too much sound for too long.
It has to be mentioned that I have listening fatigue very fast, but with most earphones and headphones I have no problem.