Sennheiser HD800 Appreciation Thread
Jan 13, 2012 at 6:54 PM Post #2,596 of 6,607


Quote:
I too do not consider the BCL to synergize very well with the HD800. Neutral + neutral is cake on cake which is a bad thing (In my opinion of course). HD 800 needs a bit of warmth  and smoothness to work well for long, "musical" listening IMO... 
 



 Sat down with a chap the other day who loves the BCL with his HD800 and T1, thing is he was under no illusion
 that whilst the BCL is not a dynamics ruler, it does have a very 'HiFi' sounding signature for the lack of better word.
 
 He went on to describe the V200's signature as very 'Pro Audio' sounding with a touch of warmth given the product's
 intent for headfiles, of course the big difference is the dynamics - the Prat and punch of the V200 walks all over the
 BCL but if you like the BCL's general signature then perhaps nothing else will do for solid state implementation with
 the HD800.
 
 
Jan 14, 2012 at 5:06 AM Post #2,597 of 6,607

 
Quote:
 Sat down with a chap the other day who loves the BCL with his HD800 and T1, thing is he was under no illusion
 that whilst the BCL is not a dynamics ruler, it does have a very 'HiFi' sounding signature for the lack of better word.
 
 He went on to describe the V200's signature as very 'Pro Audio' sounding with a touch of warmth given the product's
 intent for headfiles, of course the big difference is the dynamics - the Prat and punch of the V200 walks all over the
 BCL but if you like the BCL's general signature then perhaps nothing else will do for solid state implementation with
 the HD800.
 


True
 
 
Jan 14, 2012 at 5:55 AM Post #2,598 of 6,607


Quote:
 There's your problem right there 
smile.gif

 
 No offense to BCL owners but Sennheiser's 'strategic alliance' with Lehmann is just a nice business move,
 it does not translate into ultimate synergy for listening - the Woo 6 for example is a nicer listen in my mind ~
 the Violectric V200 destroys the BCL.


Personally I use the Grace m902b with my HD 800 and plan to change it for the new m903 this year - they work very well together.
 
And the Grace should be much cheaper in the US than it is in the UK
frown.gif

 
 
Jan 14, 2012 at 6:25 AM Post #2,599 of 6,607


Quote:
Personally I use the Grace m902b with my HD 800 and plan to change it for the new m903 this year - they work very well together.
 
And the Grace should be much cheaper in the US than it is in the UK
frown.gif

 



 Just a personal recommendation but assuming you have a HD800 serial number well past #10,000 then 
 have you considered staying local and picking up a Sugden Masterclass HA-4?
 
 That Class A Brit rules ~ it is dead set neutral, the closest I've heard next to a Phonitor, built
 like a tank to boot. Balanced Neutriks out back if you need them too.
 
Jan 14, 2012 at 8:21 AM Post #2,600 of 6,607
What volume level are you people playing the HD800 on? I just loaned a pair of HD800's from a shop. They sound AMAZING if I have the volume on a relatively high level, around 9:30 AM on BCL. If I have the volume on a lower level than this they sound boring and dull.
 
Jan 14, 2012 at 8:22 AM Post #2,601 of 6,607


Quote:
What volume level are you people playing the HD800 on? I just loaned a pair of HD800's from a shop. They sound AMAZING if I have the volume on a relatively high level, around 9:30 AM on BCL. If I have the volume on a lower level than this they sound boring and dull.



 Flip the BCL over ~ what gain are you using on the Lehmann? 0, 10 or 20dB?
 
Jan 14, 2012 at 9:24 AM Post #2,603 of 6,607


Quote:
I'm using 0dB. My dac is dacmagic if that matters.



 Give it a go set to '10' ~ that's what I use with the HD800 and BCL, you might dig it, you might not.
 
Jan 14, 2012 at 9:34 AM Post #2,604 of 6,607
Thanks for the tips guys, sounds like a different amp is required. At the moment I have a HA5000 and Kasuga KA-10SH (tube) that I primarily use and they both work well with my 495s. It's so hard to buy 'phones like the HD800s because of this requirement and being unsure if you will need to splash out on an amp at the same time. Being of about the same vintage there has been plenty written about the HD650s and the HA5000, and I listened to some on a KA-10SH as a demo so know that works well too.
 
Maybe when I'm feeling like a new amp too then... The TU-882 kit I'm making doesn't count >_<
 
Jan 14, 2012 at 11:24 PM Post #2,606 of 6,607
Well... I just bought an HD800 from the classifieds here :D. I'm sure it won't sound at its best with my NFB12, but this is at least one step towards a nice HD800 rig I'll be eventually building.
 
Jan 14, 2012 at 11:30 PM Post #2,608 of 6,607
I definitely will when it arrives. Might not be extraordinarily useful since I'll have no reference for comparison as to what the HD800 should sound like, but I suspect it will still sound pretty good. I guess I'll find out in a week or so.
 
Jan 16, 2012 at 12:49 AM Post #2,609 of 6,607
Question: Why is it that FR graphs from both innerfidelity.com and headphone.com show the HD800 having more bass than the HD650? Is this true? I always got the impression that people said the HD800 has less bass. (Mine won't arrive for a week or so probably so I'm still waiting)
 
I guess I should know better than to trust FR graphs though, since it shows the DT880 being similar, and I definitely remember that sounding less bassy than my HD650s.
 
Jan 16, 2012 at 1:32 AM Post #2,610 of 6,607
It's a difference in bass quality. The 800's bass has a very quick decay where as the 650's lingers and sounds boomier. FWIW, I've always felt that the 800 bass prowess has been underrated on the forum.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top