[rogue]

Ditto on what A.Thorsen said regarding the build feel. Although plasticky, all of the pieces are solid and thick, and feel like they are well put-together. Like I had said earlier, they actually feel a good bit heaver than you expect, which is probably a good thing in terms of build quality.

My DX1000's, on the other hand, are lighter but contain substantially thinner plastics, especially for the head-band and earcup mounts, and as such feel much more brittle and prone to breakage as a result.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizkid /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... Most people on head-fi are looking for coloration in their amplification, especially for headphones in the broad "neutral" category. So tube amps, amps with output transformers and balanced amps are very popular. I guess that Prof Sennheiser likes to listen to his headphone and not his amp, so he likes the Black Cube Linear.

I tend to agree with that statement. On the other hand, I wouldn't list balanced amps under coloring amps. Their merit is in increased detail resolution.


Quote:

...i would be surprised if the HD800 sounds much different on any of the uncolored solid-state amps (Black Cube, Symphony, Lake People G100, SPL Phonitor etc).

Well, in fact none of them is really uncolored. They may be relatively neutral compared to others, though.



Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why are people surprised that a headphone like the HD800 would be demanding with respect to upstream components?

Because technically there's no reason to assume it. A decently powerful amp should drive it properly. That's not to say amps don't make a difference. But in this state of the auditioned HD 800s, it could very well be that certain amps are able to compensate for flaws related to lack of break-in by introducing specific colorations. A hint for this may be the reported preference for the Symphony's 120-ohm output – which, electrically spoken, leads to an increase of the frequency area around 110 Hz.

So my speculation is that fresh out of the box the HD 800 may sound thin, hence will benefit from a little added warmth. .
.

 

[A.Thorsen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donlin /img/forum/go_quote.gif There is one area that seems pretty fragile and that is the exposed diaphragm around each of the drivers. Typically this is enclosed, but on the 800's is exposed on the outside. It feels like a very thin plastic that could easily be creased or punctured which I'm sure would affect the sound.

I think someone would have to go to some very deliberate and arguably even extreme measures to do that kind of damage IMO at least.

 

[SleepyOne]

A. Thorsen - Good to know that it is tougher than it looks!

 

[KevinR70]

Off topic, but wanted to let everyone know that HeadRoom received their 800's this morning and will be shipping out to customers today. I'll will be adding an impression with my Zana Deux amp once they arrive.

 

[A.Thorsen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SleepyOne /img/forum/go_quote.gif A. Thorsen - Good to know that it is tougher than it looks!

It really is. Some of the pictures really don't tell the tale or do the cans justice at all. The're VERY sturdy and rock solid. EXCELLENT build quality all the way around as far as I'm concerned.

 

[pearljam5000]

Come on people,more impressions please

 

[rogue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SleepyOne /img/forum/go_quote.gif rogue on the DX1000, do you mean the piece that held the cups or the ring around the wood? I know the 'C' shape mounting piece that looks like plastic is actually metal, I scratched it a little....

Yeah, I was referring to the 'C' shape piece. Good to know that it is indeed metal - it certainly looks like very thin plastic otherwise!

 

[KevinR70]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pearljam5000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Come on people,more impressions please

There are some more over in the CanJam impressions thread.

 

[subtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif Aesthetics aside, I would be interested in some more nuts & bolts observations regarding the build quality of these phones. Specifically, I'd like to know how durable they feel. Do they seem fragile? Are you terrified to bump them into something? Does it seem like they could survive a drop?

Monkey, they feel rock solid IMO. The construction is so many levels above the HD600 and HD650 that it's hard for me to accurately describe. From the headband to the earcups to the earpads, simply superior in every aspect. They have a nice solid weight to them, but by no means are they heavy.

I can't wait for you to experience them for yourself. I think they will exceed your expectations in all areas.

 

[Richter Di]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinR70 /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are some more over in the CanJam impressions thread.

Might be hard to find. Would appreciate a lot some copy pasting or links

 

[SleepyOne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, I was referring to the 'C' shape piece. Good to know that it is indeed metal - it certainly looks like very thin plastic otherwise!

[size=medium]
Correction[/size]

Sorry rogue my bad, after looking at the scratches really carefully, it seems to be greyish colour so it could be either plastic or metal, not 100% certain as the scratches are too small... But chances are you are probably correct that it is plastic. Sorry about it.

 

[oqvist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, I was referring to the 'C' shape piece. Good to know that it is indeed metal - it certainly looks like very thin plastic otherwise!

metal is not necessarily more durable then plastic. Depends on what metal and what plastic and how it´s constructed

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarmel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Larry if you could post the differences between the Zana and the Balancing Act it would be much appreciated. Like why did you prefer the Zana? Thanks

The Zana seemed to have more slam and punch and speed, like a sports car, while the the BA was more refined and laid back like a Mercedes. I like the raw and powerful cars more.

Both were good, and I wouldn't turn down either one.

I only listened to amps I had never tried before, so I didn't listen to the HD800 on a Woo WA6 or Amphora because I could do that at home. I only got home 12 hours ago, and had to eat and sleep and take my kid to golf lessons, so I still haven't tried my balanced HD800 at home yet. My favorite amps at CanJam with the HD800 were the TTVJ307A, the Woo WA22, the Zana Deux special edition, and the B-52 - not necessarily in that order. I only had about 60 seconds with the DNA amp, and maybe 5 minutes with the Balancing Act, and both were also very nice. I didn't like them on the Manley in the TTVJ room as much, and the FET-A seemed to be decent but not stunning as well. I also didn't like the HD800 or my K1000 on the Woo WA5 as much as I thought I would have. I would prefer the Woo WA22 over all the other Woo amps, but wonder what affect on the sound a change from 12AU7 to 6SN7 will have on the sound (I already have a great pair of Sylvania VT-231 for the final WA22 if I got one). I didn't think the HD800 sounded bad on any amp, but only those few made them sound outstanding.

I will try listening to the HD800 on my amps at home soon, but still have to ferry kids to Taekwondo and Boy Scouts today as well. No rest for the weary...

 

[Jarmel]

So you would say that the HD800's aren't being driven by the Balancing Act or it was just a different sound signature? I'm going to be highly annoyed if I pay more for the BA and it sounds worse than the ZD. A different sound signature is fine but if it's not being properly driven than that is another story altogether.