[dleblanc343]

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I'm in quite the dilemma. I really like the HD800 and HE6 setup I have but I've been itching for Stax lately. I think I like the HE6 setup a little bit more than the HD800 for pure enjoyment although I feel the HD800 has a slight edge on a technical level. I do want to get a Stax setup and since I can't afford the 009 the 007 and a good amp is something that is tempting me right now. I'm thinking I could sell my HD800, AD2k (I never use them anyway. They are on loan right now and didn't notice a difference) and my Mjolnir and could get a good amount of the cost of the setup depending on the amp. I'm guessing around 2k net for those would buy the 007 if I can find one used. Tax season is coming up soon and I suspect a good amount would be added to that 2k figure so I think I would have a good majority of the amp without any money from my bank..decisions decision
 
 
As for the mod I have no idea. I have only heard the mod on my HD800 and no one elses. Some people have issues with the treble and some don't so it could be some variance with the HD800 or personal preference.

If you use the HE-6 almost exclusively, you may as well sell the HD800's. Although, with the Sennheiser stats that seem to be coming in the not-so-distant future; you may want to hang on to your current rig until the Senn stats are out. I currently have the HE6/HD800/LCD3 myself, but if the Sennheiser stats turn out to be amazing (and released soon enough); I'm selling all of my headphones and ending my journey I think.. 

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OK,but recently I read a thread about another head-fier,who spent thousands on a stax set-up,only to find out...it wasn't what he'd expected,and,he was  extremly unhappy with the sound.
 
 
I was tempted to get the hd800,or,the lcd-3's,but after more listening to the he-6's ,with my mj/gung setup,..I not so sure how much better the sq can be??..{especially now,  with the new silver cable I'm using }

Hmm, if you really enjoy your HE-6 ever since putting a silver cable; I think it's safe to say you won't like the LCD-3's very much. The HD800s may be interesting; but again, I use my HE6 more than my HD800 which in turn gets more head time than my LCD3.
 
I'm also running all these headphones off the mojo/gung (among other things), so it seems to me that you're a bit of a treble head 

 

[Cante Ista]

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I honestly think the 009 is the sensible progression to the HD800. A few may disagree but they were better in every way to me. While the soundstage is smaller I feel it's much more natural, thus better than the HD800. 

I agree 100%! I am really big into imagining, which is why I love the HD800. But if I could swing it, I would move on to the 009 in an instance. What it does not do in sound stage, it makes up for in spades in every other parameter

 

[Cante Ista]

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Hmm, if you really enjoy your HE-6 ever since putting a silver cable; I think it's safe to say you won't like the LCD-3's very much. The HD800s may be interesting; but again, I use my HE6 more than my HD800 which in turn gets more head time than my LCD3.

 
 

I agree with dleblanc here. I am an hd800 fan, and last weekend I was ABing HE-6 and LCD-3 and while both are good, I walked away with HE-6 purchase. I preferred the sound sig. And while I was ready to drop the cash on either can, I could not get over the nearly 2000 USD price tag for the performance I was getting from the 3s. For me HE-6 was slightly better but also way less expensive. And To put it in perspective for you, I would pay 5000 for the 009, if/when I save up for them. I am happy to pay more if I think the performance is there -- i.e. I am just cheep.  

 

[Cante Ista]

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IMHO you have hit the nail squarely on the head.  Criticisms of the HD800 reflect on bad input IMHO.  They are truly revealing & GIGO applies with a vengeance.
 
So, for me, the DAC is the critical factor.  Poor algorithms in the digital filter or poor jitter control and you will hear it in those Sennies. I'm not trying to say all amps sound the same but the amp will just pass on deficiencies spewed out by the DAC & maybe add a couple as well.

Totally, although good amp is also needed. Still, when I moved on from my DLIII to the m51 and installed Amarra, I immediately could tell the difference. It is all about the source. 

 

[olor1n]

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Quote:

IMHO you have hit the nail squarely on the head.  Criticisms of the HD800 reflect on bad input IMHO.  They are truly revealing & GIGO applies with a vengeance.
 
So, for me, the DAC is the critical factor.  Poor algorithms in the digital filter or poor jitter control and you will hear it in those Sennies. I'm not trying to say all amps sound the same but the amp will just pass on deficiencies spewed out by the DAC & maybe add a couple as well.

Totally, although good amp is also needed. Still, when I moved on from my DLIII to the m51 and installed Amarra, I immediately could tell the difference. It is all about the source. 

 
My M51 should be here tomorrow. Going from the Bifrost (with the Mjolnir doing amp duties) to the Gungnir was a significant improvement. It was especially apparent through the HD800. Not expecting as big a jump going to the NAD from the Gungnir, but what ever improvement is presented should be magnified by the HD800. Can't wait to hear it.

 

[Cante Ista]

Quote:

 
My M51 should be here tomorrow. Going from the Bifrost (with the Mjolnir doing amp duties) to the Gungnir was a significant improvement. It was especially apparent through the HD800. Not expecting as big a jump going to the NAD from the Gungnir, but what ever improvement is presented should be magnified by the HD800. Can't wait to hear it.

exactly 

 

[midoo1990]

hmm.i should pay my local dealer tomorrow to place my order since its a special order and im the first one in my country to get the hd800 so it will take a few weeks to arrive. if i bought it used i will pay about $250 taxes so it will be the same as buying a new one. But im still having second thoughts.
i had the k701 couple of years ago and thought it was crap with metallic treble,but loved the open sound. i sold it because of soundstage depth and "artificial" treble. i had the lcd2 r2 and hd650, loved the latter and didnt like the former. lcd2 problems were again soundstage depth,imaging and treble way too dark for me.not to mention the impossible to forget weight.
i loved the hd650 but detail retrieval wasnt good and it was a bit muddy with some materials. i had the d5000 and d7000 and they where both crap,although i liked the comfort and airness.
 
i listen to vocal/psychedelic trance,ambient,classical,jazz,soundtracks and some light rock. basically i am worried about treble. if it is as artificial and splashy as the 701, then i dont think it will be a wise choice for me to get the hd800. im pretty sensitive to any "peaks" in those regions.
 
any input will be much appreciated.

 

[max pl]

how on earth would you know that youre the first one in your country to order a product that is now 3 or 4 years old?

 

[Lan647]

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hmm.i should pay my local dealer tomorrow to place my order since its a special order and im the first one in my country to get the hd800 so it will take a few weeks to arrive. if i bought it used i will pay about $250 taxes so it will be the same as buying a new one. But im still having second thoughts.
i had the k701 couple of years ago and thought it was crap with metallic treble,but loved the open sound. i sold it because of soundstage depth and "artificial" treble. i had the lcd2 r2 and hd650, loved the latter and didnt like the former. lcd2 problems were again soundstage depth,imaging and treble way too dark for me.not to mention the impossible to forget weight.
i loved the hd650 but detail retrieval wasnt good and it was a bit muddy with some materials. i had the d5000 and d7000 and they where both crap,although i liked the comfort and airness.
 
i listen to vocal/psychedelic trance,ambient,classical,jazz,soundtracks and some light rock. basically i am worried about treble. if it is as artificial and splashy as the 701, then i dont think it will be a wise choice for me to get the hd800. im pretty sensitive to any "peaks" in those regions.
 
any input will be much appreciated.

 
The HD 800 is less artificial than the K701. But there is one peak in the treble that, though slight, can be bothersome depending on how you like your treble, how good your recordings are and how the rest of your equipment chain sounds. They are very sensitive in that regard and will sound bright if especially the recording is of sub-par quality. 

 

[TheMiddleSky]

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hmm.i should pay my local dealer tomorrow to place my order since its a special order and im the first one in my country to get the hd800 so it will take a few weeks to arrive. if i bought it used i will pay about $250 taxes so it will be the same as buying a new one. But im still having second thoughts.
i had the k701 couple of years ago and thought it was crap with metallic treble,but loved the open sound. i sold it because of soundstage depth and "artificial" treble. i had the lcd2 r2 and hd650, loved the latter and didnt like the former. lcd2 problems were again soundstage depth,imaging and treble way too dark for me.not to mention the impossible to forget weight.
i loved the hd650 but detail retrieval wasnt good and it was a bit muddy with some materials. i had the d5000 and d7000 and they where both crap,although i liked the comfort and airness.
 
i listen to vocal/psychedelic trance,ambient,classical,jazz,soundtracks and some light rock. basically i am worried about treble. if it is as artificial and splashy as the 701, then i dont think it will be a wise choice for me to get the hd800. im pretty sensitive to any "peaks" in those regions.
 
any input will be much appreciated.

I'm more afraid HD800 will show the artificial sound that your music or your set-up produce 

 
Well, seriously, this happen a lot when we talk about high end set-up.

 

[Cante Ista]

HD800, does not have treble like the K701 or 702. However, you really need a decent source because, just like everyone here says, anything bad up stream from the HD800 will become readily apparent. 128 kpbs downloads will really sound thin. The sound stage on the HD800 really is amazing. That is why I love these cans. ALso you can get the Anax mod which tames the treble.
 Or if you like deeper bass, HE-6 is a good buy, but you will need good speaker amp to really make them shine, or at least super powerful and expensive HP amp. And the sound stage, while way better than LCD-2 or LCD-3 on HE-6, is not as good as HD-800.
BTW, I also did not like the Audeze's, for the same reasons you did not like them.
 
Good luck!

 

[dukeskd]

Quote:

hmm.i should pay my local dealer tomorrow to place my order since its a special order and im the first one in my country to get the hd800 so it will take a few weeks to arrive. if i bought it used i will pay about $250 taxes so it will be the same as buying a new one. But im still having second thoughts.
i had the k701 couple of years ago and thought it was crap with metallic treble,but loved the open sound. i sold it because of soundstage depth and "artificial" treble. i had the lcd2 r2 and hd650, loved the latter and didnt like the former. lcd2 problems were again soundstage depth,imaging and treble way too dark for me.not to mention the impossible to forget weight.
i loved the hd650 but detail retrieval wasnt good and it was a bit muddy with some materials. i had the d5000 and d7000 and they where both crap,although i liked the comfort and airness.
 
i listen to vocal/psychedelic trance,ambient,classical,jazz,soundtracks and some light rock. basically i am worried about treble. if it is as artificial and splashy as the 701, then i dont think it will be a wise choice for me to get the hd800. im pretty sensitive to any "peaks" in those regions.
 
any input will be much appreciated.

You should enjoy it, its better than all the headphones you mentioned.

 

[MorbidToaster]

I agree 100%! I am really big into imagining, which is why I love the HD800. But if I could swing it, I would move on to the 009 in an instance. What it does not do in sound stage, it makes up for in spades in every other parameter

I honestly prefer the 009's staging too. It's not as wide but an issue I had with the HD800s was that the soundstage felt 'fake'. I also had issues with certain things in recordings sounding distant. Non issue with the 009.

 

[preproman]

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Totally, although good amp is also needed. Still, when I moved on from my DLIII to the m51 and installed Amarra, I immediately could tell the difference. It is all about the source. 

 
 
Viktor,
 
I'm looking at the M51 and the DSD Mytek.  I read and hear good things on both.  I've seen the Mytek compared to more of the big boys.  I've seen where the m51 has won a few awards.  I guess either one will be good.

 

[zalbard]

Out of more affordable amps, what would work better: Little Dot MK IV SE, or Matrix M-Stage? Or maybe O2 amp?
Has anyone owned both to compare?
 
These look like the best amps at sub 300 USD price point to couple with HD 800, but maybe I missed something. I am willing to look at alternatives.
 
Thanks!