[Brooko]

So I will use this for an example of what I did and my take away from it. So the units I used were the AK SP1k and the WM1Z and the AK380CE, I had my music on an SD card so i could just easily pop over the card from player to player. Now I have the Z1R and the HD800S as what I used for testing. So I was using 3 certain songs from Vivaldi 4 seasons and 1 song from Suantrai Adam Agee & Jon Sousa, 1 song from Stevie Ray Vaugh Texas Flood, 1 song from Muddy Waters My home is in the delta. Now with all these I played the songs all the way through. Now heres my issue, I had the HD800S on max volume for all 3 players for all the songs, it was not loud to me, the bass was non-exsistant, there was no "impact" going from highs to lows at certain points. Now I put the Z1R's on and had it turned up 145 on the AK's and 110 on the 1Z, and it was loud, there was bass, there was impact it was like "omg theres the music". Then I walked over to a Bryston with HD800S, I freaked out not going to lie it was like heaven on my ears, at it was at that very point I understood why people loved these headphones so much. So I may not go by numbers but when I have a headset plugged into a source and the volume is maxed and I an completely underwhelmed then plug it into a powerful amp then its everything I was hoping for is good enough for me to make a decision.

Might help if we know what your normal listening volume is as well. Mine is usually 65-75 dB. I had hearing damage which resulted in permanent tinnitus about 15 years ago, so I trained myself to keep the volume down. The Sony you have has a weak output anyway, so doesn't surprise me you struggled with volume on that. I looked at the AK's and couldn't find power output specs, so hard to tell what their output is like. I know there were a few people at the NZ Meet I referenced earlier who ran their HD800s at levels that were to me deafening (I'd estimate 90dB +). I guess thats the main deciding factor in this discussion - how loud is each of our "normal"?

Oh - and the LP5 Gold I mentioned earlier can put the HD800S into 100dB + territory. Its massively powerful

 

[Brooko]

Hey guys! I've been thinking of getting a pair of HD800s recently and been wanting to do some financial research about what a good combination for it might be.
So far, im planning to run them through my Mojo as a DAC and im still kind of at a question mark state for the amplifier.
I have heard from several users that Mojo runs the 800s well and some said that the full potential of 800s are sort of wasted with just Mojos alone. So I was kind of wondering what are your opinions on these? I know that some of the previous posts here state about pairing mojo alone isnt sufficent, yet others have said otherwise.
Also what would be a good amp for this device if i do get one? I have a budget of about 500USD and would be more than happy to buy a cheaper amp if the results arent too significantly different
Thanks for your help!

I run mine with an iDSD. Should come in at your price level. Good DAC, very good amp. As far as your Mojo goes - depends on your listening level.

 

[Rob80b]

Tricky territory amps…amp/daps…and what’s best with what …seeing how much gear has improved over the years it's subtle at best sometimes …. the HD800S with the very affordable ($70) SMSL sApII sounds fine, noise free with volume to spare but for what ever reason my much pricier Bryston BHA-1 ($1995.00) does take me that little bit further from subjectively feeling like I’m listening to an electronic device. So what makes the difference...heftier power supplies, lower noise floor, better components, purer signal.....I would assume so.....…and then there is "placebo".... who knows? ..... Mind you an amp is only as good as the source that it is amplifying and down the rabbit hole we go ….might take some folks years to recognize the differences/improvements...if ever....still a steep price discrepancy to pay for differences few will appreciate. At least there is always pride of ownership.

On the other hand the AKG K7XXs have IMHO an ideal synergy with the SMSL sApII/ FIIO X3II $270 combo ($470 with headphones), maybe a slight improvement with the Bryston BHA1/BCD-1 $5,000 combo but the cheaper combo could keep me happy, the Bryston/ HD800S combo hands down but now we're at over $7,000 …..but still the plethora of amps, solid state and tubes.... DAPs, smartphones even and source combinations currently available is mind boggling, not to mention listening habits, music preferences , etc, etc, etc…exciting journey for some maybe…daunting for many. .... lol

 

[Swiftfalcon]

Hey guys! I've been thinking of getting a pair of HD800s recently and been wanting to do some financial research about what a good combination for it might be.
So far, im planning to run them through my Mojo as a DAC and im still kind of at a question mark state for the amplifier.
I have heard from several users that Mojo runs the 800s well and some said that the full potential of 800s are sort of wasted with just Mojos alone. So I was kind of wondering what are your opinions on these? I know that some of the previous posts here state about pairing mojo alone isnt sufficent, yet others have said otherwise.
Also what would be a good amp for this device if i do get one? I have a budget of about 500USD and would be more than happy to buy a cheaper amp if the results arent too significantly different
Thanks for your help!

Schiit jotunheim seems right up your budget. It's fairly powerful and has balanced output. I use it to drive my 800S and I love it.
I have also tried the ifi micro Ican se, which is half your budget, to drive 800S. Its xbass works well for the bass neutral 800S. I feel the jotunheim's balanced output edges out the Ican se for openness and spatial layering of sound.

 

[windcar]

I sold my Jotunheim because of it's treble glare. I was pairing it with modi multibit as DAC. IMO, it does not pair well with 800S since 800S is already a bright headphone. I prefer a neutral to darker amp with plenty of bass. YMMV.

 

[Zomgnoob]

I run mine with an iDSD. Should come in at your price level. Good DAC, very good amp. As far as your Mojo goes - depends on your listening level.

Schiit jotunheim seems right up your budget. It's fairly powerful and has balanced output. I use it to drive my 800S and I love it.
I have also tried the ifi micro Ican se, which is half your budget, to drive 800S. Its xbass works well for the bass neutral 800S. I feel the jotunheim's balanced output edges out the Ican se for openness and spatial layering of sound.

Thanks for your recommendations guys! I'll look into these when i have some time over the weekend. On a side note, has anyone paired their HD800S with burson conductor V2+ before? I might have a dealer whos getting rid of a second hand one!

 

[peter123]

Thanks for your recommendations guys! I'll look into these when i have some time over the weekend. On a side note, has anyone paired their HD800S with burson conductor V2+ before? I might have a dealer whos getting rid of a second hand one!

In a perfect world I would've been able to tell you since my HD800S could have arrived with my parents today but it reached their place an hour after they left so now I won't be able to get them until Christmas. The V2+ I've got though

 

[groovyd]

Just ordered a Sonarworks calibrated HD800s... can't wait to see if it bumps my LCD-X from the top position in my desktop setup. Will be driving it from a PrimaLuna DiaLogue HP amp which should have plenty of power to make them sing.

 

[Zomgnoob]

In a perfect world I would've been able to tell you since my HD800S could have arrived with my parents today but it reached their place an hour after they left so now I won't be able to get them until Christmas. The V2+ I've got though

Thats a real shame. My deal didnt go through though so im stuck as ampless..

Been looking at some other higher priced amps that are second hand atm.. The taurus mk2 and woo audio amps have popped up quite a bit at the ~700-800 price range. Anyone have experiences comparing tube and solid state amps? Im ashamed to say that tube amps looks so much better (they're so magical!) but its great to have the advice of more experienced HD800s users!

 

[Slim1970]

Thats a real shame. My deal didnt go through though so im stuck as ampless..

Been looking at some other higher priced amps that are second hand atm.. The taurus mk2 and woo audio amps have popped up quite a bit at the ~700-800 price range. Anyone have experiences comparing tube and solid state amps? Im ashamed to say that tube amps looks so much better (they're so magical!) but its great to have the advice of more experienced HD800s users!

I had a Woo Audio WA6-SE with the original HD800's I had and I loved the combination. The HD800S's responds very well to solid state amps. It doesn't seem to be as amp picky as its predecessor. I can drive them pretty good from my iDSD BL but the Pro iCan absolutely makes them sing. With both iFi amps you can add a little bass boost to them with the XBass+ if you desired. Plus, the Pro iCan has two tube modes built-in if you like the tube sound. Both work great with the HD800S's. The HD800S's scale very well with upper end gear.

 

[Zomgnoob]

I had a Woo Audio WA6-SE with the original HD800's I had and I loved the combination. The HD800S's responds very well to solid state amps. It doesn't seem to be as amp picky as its predecessor. I can drive them pretty good from my iDSD BL but the Pro iCan absolutely makes them sing. With both iFi amps you can add a little bass boost to them with the XBass+ if you desired. Plus, the Pro iCan has two tube modes built-in if you like the tube sound. Both work great with the HD800S's. The HD800S's scale very well with upper end gear.

Yeah, i've been looking at the WA6 quite a bit and its a real beaut! Sadly, most of woo audio amps are outside of my country (and individually owned) whereas the taurus is local and owned by a company which makes shipping load more easier.. Not sure if i'll just bite the bullet and buy the taurus ~800

 

[Slim1970]

Yeah, i've been looking at the WA6 quite a bit and its a real beaut! Sadly, most of woo audio amps are outside of my country (and individually owned) whereas the taurus is local and owned by a company which makes shipping load more easier.. Not sure if i'll just bite the bullet and buy the taurus ~800

Oh man don't settle. It'll just feed the upgrade bug and leave you wondering "what if" and wanting more. I've sold off a lot good gear to get great gear and better sound reproduction. Honestly it's a never ending pursuit but you can get to a happy point.

 

[Zomgnoob]

Oh man don't settle. It'll just feed the upgrade bug and leave you wondering "what if" and wanting more. I've sold off a lot good gear to get great gear and better sound reproduction. Honestly it's a never ending pursuit but you can get to a happy point.

Thats what im really afraid of! The audiophile journey sure is endless . Maybe i should just settle with a mojo + hd800s now and wait for a opportunity for a second hand amp that is willing to ship to aus! hopefully instant gratification would not kick in too soon leading to a impulse purchase!

 

[FaezFarhan]

Hi, I'm planing to buy the HD800S soon after selling all my audio related stuff. Right now I only have the Grace M9XX with me. Thinking of getting an amp to compensate the HD800S.

Right now I'm thinking of two amps, one is the Bottlehead Crack (maybe with the speedball), and the other is the Schiit Jotunheim. My budget is around $700. Would appreciate your help. I prefer it being warm than bright. Does it (the HD800S) have more treble / is brighter than the HD600?

I also bought the Massdrop x Alex Cavalli tube hybrid amp (cth) but that'll only arrive in March 2018.

 

[windcar]

Hi, I'm planing to buy the HD800S soon after selling all my audio related stuff. Right now I only have the Grace M9XX with me. Thinking of getting an amp to compensate the HD800S.

Right now I'm thinking of two amps, one is the Bottlehead Crack (maybe with the speedball), and the other is the Schiit Jotunheim. My budget is around $700. Would appreciate your help. I prefer it being warm than bright. Does it (the HD800S) have more treble / is brighter than the HD600?

I also bought the Massdrop x Alex Cavalli tube hybrid amp (cth) but that'll only arrive in March 2018.

I keep hearing about Jotunheimen and this shows how good marketing Schiit is at. I sold mine (with DAC) at $465 used, which is crazy considering it's not far off from new price.
I have been telling people that amp does not pair well with HD800/S because of it's bright treble nature.

I would recommend NFB-1AMP, and this will be an amp you probably only need for the rest of your life, it sounds neutral, is truly balanced, class A, and plenty of power to drive any phone. The price is not far off from Jotunheim is well under your budget and Audio-GD is reputable for not cutting corners. The only concern is perhaps, its resale value not as good as Schiit.