[KC2020]

Oh I guess I should add that for my home use I bought a second Crane Song Solaris D/A because it's my tracking reference and what my mastering engineer in L.A. uses. The one significant difference at home is I use the wonderful Quicksilver Audio Headphone Amp. This amp is simply amazing, Class A, pure tube and it sounds wonderful with the HD800s. Interconnects are Audioquest Viper.

 

[340519]

Oh I guess I should add that for my home use I bought a second Crane Song Solaris D/A because it's my tracking reference and what my mastering engineer in L.A. uses. The one significant difference at home is I use the wonderful Quicksilver Audio Headphone Amp. This amp is simply amazing, Class A, pure tube and it sounds wonderful with the HD800s. Interconnects are Audioquest Viper.

Very nice setup. I'm intrigued by your da converter and tube amp. I've never heard of quicksilver, but I love the aesthetic and the price! 998 usd for it? Looks like a steal. I paid 2k cad for the icon audio hp8, and the the quicksilver looks like a great alternative.

 

[KC2020]

Very nice setup. I'm intrigued by your da converter and tube amp. I've never heard of quicksilver, but I love the aesthetic and the price! 998 usd for it? Looks like a steal. I paid 2k cad for the icon audio hp8, and the the quicksilver looks like a great alternative.

The Crane Song Solaris is designed by David Hill and hand built in Superior, Wisconsin. There's a 4 to 6 month wait to get one because each one is checked by David Hill before it ships and they've become a reference in recording and mastering studios. In the recording industry David is a bit of a legend having designed several components for Summit Audio in the early 80s that are still a reference to this day.

To pull a quote from the Solaris review I linked above "In short, this is the most transparent-sounding and yet also musical-sounding D-A converter I’ve used yet, and I’ve used quite a few." That's absolutely been my experience and I've been an audiophile for 40+ years and a recording engineer for 30+. It's a total steal at just under $2K.

Mike Sanders started Quicksilver Audio nearly 40 years ago and is a brilliant designer. I called Mike and ordered this amp directly from him, though he does have dealers all over the world. This amp has more power, amazing control and most natural sound of any HP amp I've ever used. I also own a pair of his Silver 60 Monoblock amps that I bought in 2000 and they are a joy to listen to.

 

[340519]

The Crane Song Solaris is designed by David Hill and hand built in Superior, Wisconsin. There's a 4 to 6 month wait to get one because each one is checked by David Hill before it ships and they've become a reference in recording and mastering studios. In the recording industry David is a bit of a legend having designed several components for Summit Audio in the early 80s that are still a reference to this day.

To pull a quote from the Solaris review I linked above "In short, this is the most transparent-sounding and yet also musical-sounding D-A converter I’ve used yet, and I’ve used quite a few." That's absolutely been my experience and I've been an audiophile for 40+ years and a recording engineer for 30+. It's a total steal at just under $2K.

Mike Sanders started Quicksilver Audio nearly 40 years ago and is a brilliant designer. I called Mike and ordered this amp directly from him, though he does have dealers all over the world. This amp has more power, amazing control and most natural sound of any HP amp I've ever used. I also own a pair of his Silver 60 Monoblock amps that I bought in 2000 and they are a joy to listen to.

Thanks for the info. I have also been an audiophile for over 30 years and it's a pity I'm only hearing about these companies now. They both sound incredible and it's a shame they are not discussed here more.

 

[D P C]

Been reading some off the posts and decided today to get on board, so new hd800s ordered and with me tomorrow, if i am lucky.
Will be using them with a naim headline and teddycap for now, but i may look to improve on that as i have better cans now and looking at whats available, it looks like a mine field

 

[GoldenSound]

I've had my HD800S for a couple years now and I adore them. They're a fantastic headphone, though they do have a few quirks and wouldn't necessarily be ideal for a "daily driver" or "main" headphone, unless you have a forgiving tube amp driving them. But they do make a fantastic addition to a collection of headphones, and fit their chosen role nicely.

The HD800S is essentially the "Official" SDR modded version of the original 800, and retains many qualities of the original. Some would argue that the lowend is slightly more 'bloomy' compared to the original, and i'd agree, but its a small margin and for the tamed high end and vastly improved overall enjoyment I get from the S revision, its definitely worth it.

The 800S detail is just as good as the original, no doubt about it. The original at first listen might sound as though it may edge it out, but I'm convinced this is simply due to the upper end of the frequency range being more aggressive in comparison, and not due to any ACTUAL additional detail resolution.
This detail is both the defining feature of the 800/800S, and also its main drawback.

For tracks that are mastered really well, or laid back, the 800 sounds simply incredible. Every little nuance of the music is displayed with fantastic transparency. And with the addition of its incredible soundstage, this makes it truly sublime for orchestral music.

Where this incredible detail can be a drawback though is on tracks that are poorly mastered. If there are flaws in the mastering, if the track is sibilant, or if there is anything about the track that isn't perfect, YOU WILL KNOW ABOUT IT!
Listening to "More than you know" by axwell ingrosso is a track I use to test sibilance on headphones, as apparently no one who worked on this track at any point has even heard of a de-esser. On the 800S it is quite frankly PAINFUL and I can't make it more than 30 seconds into the song at a normal volume.
This is an extreme example of course, the 800S would be considered a sibilant headphone by some, but with the right dac/amp choice it can be tamed immensely, and is mostly a result of the incredible detail retrieval.


Overall, what I like most about the 800S is that it isn't trying to be the "ultimate headphone", or to do everything the best, it does detail, and soundstage, and it does those well. It's a headphone that has been designed to excel at certain genres. And whilst this means that its not ideal for "general" listening in my opinion, in genres like orchestral, it really is hard to beat unless you're willing to spend several times the price on something such as a STAX setup, and even then, the HD800 ABSOLUTELY holds its own.

If you're thinking about the 800S as your main headphone, i'd say probably don't, unless you have a warm tube amp driving them. Something such as the Hifiman Aryas are MUCH more enjoyable for most genres. But if you want something that has unrivalled detail, and are ok to spend some time experimenting with sources for these very source-picky headphones, they will reward you for it.

 

[D P C]

Just to add i picked them mainly because they are good headphones that i hope sound great, but also they fit nice over my ears, and as i had an opp on one ear, i found my grado that i have,,i could no longer use for any lenght off time as they just sit on my ear and put pressure on where i have been cut open, so they had to be changed.

 

[Sonic Defender]

I still miss my 800S and agree with the many compliments people are heaping on them. I had the good fortune of being able to pair the 800S with a nice OTL amp with stellar tubes (La Figaro 339) and great solid state amplification via my NAD M3. Of all the headphones that I have sold the 800S and the Z1R I easily miss the most.

 

[D P C]

I think i will have to try a tube amp at some point, but know nothing about them at all and wouldn't now where to start

 

[Sonic Defender]

I think i will have to try a tube amp at some point, but know nothing about them at all and wouldn't now where to start

This community is the right place to learn that is for sure. I think with 800S a tube amp experience is very worthwhile and there is no need to break the bank either, unless you have lots of money anyway.

 

[340519]

I agree. I use the S with a tube amp primarily.

Oh, and it's my primary video game headphone through a denon atmos receiver.

 

[Womaz]

I think i will have to try a tube amp at some point, but know nothing about them at all and wouldn't now where to start

What amp do you have at present ?

 

[D P C]

Have the naim headline2, but i feel it deserves better, but might be wrong?
So guys what amp would you pair them with

 

[CaptainFantastic]

EU and UK Head-Fi-ers, what are some good online shops to track for sales of the 800S brand new? The Sennheiser.[EU Country Name] always has it at full price. It seems silly that the U.S. crowd gets it for cheaper than we do in Europe given Sennheiser is a German brand.

Thanks!

 

[Womaz]

Have the naim headline2, but i feel it deserves better, but might be wrong?
So guys what amp would you pair them with

If I was you I would just enjoy them with the Naim amp at first . Also have a look back at this thread , there are a lot of good amps mentioned on here . I don’t have tube amp myself but this is always mentioned with regards to getting the best out of the HD800S