[Whazzzup]

You pretty much have made the case for hd800S. There plenty of bass if you have a good music server, they give all that’s offered, but not more.

 

[smodtactical]

I have been wanting to warm up the 800S and add some richness. I got an elekit tu8600 on the way in a few days. Gonna run the 800S off it. Will let you guys know how it goes.

 

[Death_Block]

tried a few times but comes up with some 'server error' in posting in classifieds. A couple of IE800 & IE800s cases giving away. Postage at your own cost. If a mod sees this feel free to create a post in classifieds.

 

[111MilesToGo]

I would like to use my HD 800S on balanced out from the Cayin C9 headphone amp. It is a 4.4 mm TRRRS output. However, I own only the original Sennheiser XLR-4 (male plug) stock cable that came with my 800S (some years old).

There are two options now:
1. Buy the original Sennheiser Pentaconn cable, which is a hefty 300€ (German price incl. VAT).
2. Get a custom-made pigtail adapter with a 4.4 mm TRRRS plug at the source and an XLR-4 female socket at the headphone side. To be used with the Sennheiser XLR-4 stock cable I have. Price unknown yet, could be made e.g. by Forza Audio Works or Silent Wire.

Option 2 offers easiest handling, as I would like to use the 800S both with the Cayin C9 (4.4 output socket) and my Violectric HPA V281 (XLR-4 output socket). However, there is one more interconnect as compared to option 1.

Option 1 has no unnecessary interconnect. However, I would need to switch between my XLR-4 cable and the Pentaconn cable when switching amps.

Any recommendations, please?

I am especially concerned about plugging in and unplugging the cables at the headphone end quite often with option 1. They do sit very firmly. Any experience please how sturdy and long-lived the sockets are on the headphone?

Thanks in advance.

 

[helljudgement]

I have been listening to audiophile headphones for about 15 years. At first, I wanted the darkest sounding ones as I found neutral headphones bright.

Slowly, my tastes have changed and I less and less enjoy the Audeze style I once loved. I prefer more neutrality and do not find brightness bothers me. In fact I usually want more brightness As long as it is smoothe). I think my age has something to do with this. When I was 38,- brightness was death. Now I am 54 and brightness is life. I don't enjoy the Audeze I once loved nearly as much, and I love my Susvara much more- a much much brighter headphone.

I bet that those who consider the 800 or 800s bright are younger and those that like it are older...... I also find I am less demanding for bass quantity than earlier in life. I still like bass slam a lot, but it is less important for sure at my age than it was 10 years ago.

I may give the 800s a shot. It may be perfect for me.... I am considering the new dan clark stealth also, but I already own the TC and Susvara and I am looking for a non planer technology for a change.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I've been using my hd800 since 2012. If you like a bright-ish sounding headphone definitely give this a go. It still have the widest soundstage of any headphone I've heard though some may find it a bit too diffuse sounding and lacking a bit of weight. Pair it with a decent SET amp and it will bring out the bass. Like fine wine, this has age very well for me. Though my taste has changed over the years, this has always been a staple in my collection.

Another option would be to try the Focal Utopia. It doesn't sound nearly as bright nor as wide but it has a more balance signature and to my ears has way better imaging and is slightly more resolving. Probably my choice for the top dynamic driver headphone at the moment.

 

[phthora]

I would like to use my HD 800S on balanced out from the Cayin C9 headphone amp. It is a 4.4 mm TRRRS output. However, I own only the original Sennheiser XLR-4 (male plug) stock cable that came with my 800S (some years old).

There are two options now:
1. Buy the original Sennheiser Pentaconn cable, which is a hefty 300€ (German price incl. VAT).
2. Get a custom-made pigtail adapter with a 4.4 mm TRRRS plug at the source and an XLR-4 female socket at the headphone side. To be used with the Sennheiser XLR-4 stock cable I have. Price unknown yet, could be made e.g. by Forza Audio Works or Silent Wire.

Option 2 offers easiest handling, as I would like to use the 800S both with the Cayin C9 (4.4 output socket) and my Violectric HPA V281 (XLR-4 output socket). However, there is one more interconnect as compared to option 1.

Option 1 has no unnecessary interconnect. However, I would need to switch between my XLR-4 cable and the Pentaconn cable when switching amps.

Any recommendations, please?

I am especially concerned about plugging in and unplugging the cables at the headphone end quite often with option 1. They do sit very firmly. Any experience please how sturdy and long-lived the sockets are on the headphone?

Thanks in advance.

It sounds like Hart Audio cables are exactly what you need. They use a modular system, so you can change the jack-end very easily between 4.4mm and XLR (or any other connector) without unplugging the cable from the cups. This is what I use to run my HD800S off of my desktop amp and my DAP without wearing out the headphones. The cables themselves are also very supple, pretty thin, and affordably priced. If not Hart, then I'd look for something similar from another company or even go with the adapter option as the jacks on the cups are not designed for frequent switching and require some precision when you do switch.

 

[Fantasiaheim]

@111MilesToGo I have been hearing a lot of positive things about Cayin C9. How does its sound on HD800s? Especially when compared to your V281.

 

[bigbeans]

Shanling M30 with HD800S Anniversary, holy moly. So good! 25/100, Turbo Gain, SS, Dual DAC enabled and it’s already super loud with STRONG bass!

 

[Whitigir]

Shanling M30 with HD800S Anniversary, holy moly. So good! 25/100, Turbo Gain, SS, Dual DAC enabled and it’s already super loud with STRONG bass!

Yepe!! The SA is more meaty and low end than the regular 800S and at the compromises of some soundstages

 

[111MilesToGo]

@111MilesToGo I have been hearing a lot of positive things about Cayin C9. How does its sound on HD800s? Especially when compared to your V281.

Sorry, I don‘t have enough experience with the HD 800S on the Cayin C9 yet. But I think comparing the transportable C9 to the desktop V281 is a bit unfair, as the 800S is a 300 Ohm beast. The C9 works quite well for the 800S, but it is not a gamechanger for it. For sure the C9 is just not made for 600 Ohm monsters like the Beyerdynamics (e.g. T1.2); these are reserved for desktop territory.

Running the 800S off the V281 powerhouse is just great. Technical criteria as well as ”musicality“ are delivered in spades. In particular when using the balanced headphone output.

The main story behind using the Cayin C9 for the 800S is in the various sound signatures. The V281 is a very good solid state amp, neutral, with a very slight tendency towards the warm side. I like to bring the C9 in to offer more (four) flavors of sound signatures, Nutube versus solid state and class A versus AB, all based on the Cayin house sound which I like - slightly warm, sort of analogue, transparent. (Remark: That Cayin house sound is due more to their DAPs with particular DAC/AMP combinations than due to the C9.)

Up to now I could hear the 800S only with the single-ended output of the Cayin C9. A pleasant experience, no disappointment. I do hope the balanced output will prove to be even better, not only in power, but also a bit in sound quality. As posted above, I am in need of a suitable cable or adapter.

 

[smodtactical]

http://sonicvisions.org/forum/index.php?threads/elekit-tu8600s-impressions.118/

I got the elekit TU8600S in with most all upgrades in (only thing missing is VCAP CUTF, has odam instead). Tubes are: COSSOR Black Plate 300B, Western Electric ECC83/B759, RCA 12AU7 X 2 (clear Top).

Intro
If I have to summarize the amp's sound with 1 word it would be captivating. I wanted to warm up HD800S and inject some musicality into it... the Elekit... well lets just say I am lifting my jaw off the floor after hearing it.

Setup
I had some issues initially with a bit of noise and static. I fixed this by doing 2 things. First I took the XLRs out of my denafrips terminator that were connected to my he9, second I added to the tube cage. After doing this the elekit is insanely quiet with a cosmic void like blackground. I honestly think it sounds as quiet as the he9 and possibly even quieter than my pass speaker amp.

Tone
The first thing that hits you is this supremely musical tonality throughout the frequency band. Now I know what the word 'effortless' means. Everything flows in such an utterly liquid way its truly amazing. Especially on hd800S where at times it can just have too much bite or glare with certain music and now it sounds like its utterly relaxed and music just flows... but... it is somehow more detailed than my he9 ?!

Detail
The next shocking thing is the detail. I am getting low level microdetail I never even heard in tracks. Trailing edges you never heard before seem to go on so long and perfectly disappear into the blackground. Cymbals shimmer in the air and whispers become obvious in their seductive nuance. Female vocals sound utterly natural, real and I feel transported to the venue with the singer performing for me.

Sound stage
What also is amazing is the spatial + layering capability of elekit. The soundstage sounds bigger in all dimensions but there is real separation and layers to the music.. air around instruments... and imaging definition that I simply have not heard before in my headphones. Instruments and voices are clearly delineated that makes things very defined and placed yet it again is supremely musically cohesive. This adds to the sense of being truly immersed in the music which to me is my #1 quality that I look for in gear.

Dynamics
This thing slams like a truck! EDM sounds fast, detailed, incredible punchy and impactful. The first time I put on Harvey McKay - Hard to See (Original Mix) I wanted to immediately get up and start dancing (but i controlled myself since I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of my wife lol). Elekit sounds just as powerful and brings the bass like he9 does but i think with more bass detail, texture and spaciousness... its simply less compressed sounding. Its more open, reverb is better appreciated as is the entire room of the recording.

Comparisons
I think the audio gd he9 is a great headphone amp. Its detailed, fast, big sounding but there is no comparison to elekit. Elekit is several tiers above. It does everything better. Detail, precision, 3d spaciousness while bringing a harmonic richness and flowing timbre that he9 just cannot even come close to. The sense of resolution married to a natural emotional sound has left me for the first time brought to tears by headphones. The only time this has ever happened to me before was listening to great speakers (including when i paired NS5000 with my pass labs amp). It has never previously happened with any headphones including (Susvara, TC, SR1a and all the head phones). This is a new stratosphere of performance that I've never even dreamed of.

Pairings
Everything I have sounds amazing on elekit. My favorite pairing so far is probably the hd800S... it just seems to love the tonal richness elekit adds. You get immense detail, speed, dynamic impact with a beautiful warmth that makes it SO EASY to listen to music... but you miss nothing compared to the HE9 and in fact there is significantly more detail. The legendary soundstage of the 800S is enhanced further.

HD650 has always been a headphone that I considered a more 'whatever youtube/gaming' headphone. It sounded fine with music but I didn't take it seriously. That changed with elekit. Detail is taken up 2 notches, again more of a big 3d soundstage... but with this combination you are utterly bathing in beautiful rich tonality... it sounds so natural and beautiful and once I put the headphone on my head... and listened for some period of time.. I said ok now its time to switch to HD800S or Atticus... but.. my hands would simply not move to the headphones to take them off my head. In fact they are still on my head as type this LOL.

ZMF Atticus is the supreme king of darkness. I love that headphone. When I directly compared it to abyss TC on my pass labs speaker amp I found it had more overall bass quantity, impact and slam to the point that abyss tc sounded bass light (and yes I had TC fit right.. and TC bass is still awesome for sure). Pairing with the elekit is fantastic. Again there is more detail, more space and even warmer tonality. Now here i think its possible the pass amp may be a bit better of pairing because i think its a brighter sound that balances the darkness of atticus better... but honestly.. its like drowning in dark chocolate and you just have a big dumb goofy smile on your face when you listen to it. The atticus is the most fun headphone I have ever heard in my life period and sounds just fantastic on the elekit. The thunderous bass is maintained... there is added detail, 3d space, richness in spades... again possibly a bit TOO dark but I honestly still love the pairing.

You may notice a lack of comparisons with my pass labs amp throughout my review. I only have 1 speaker tap cable which I am using on elekit so switching over to the pass amp is a bit hard. I will wait till i get another speaker tap cable from ted allen so the comparison is a bit easier but from memory elekit is AT LEAST at the same level as the pass speaker amp and possibly above... its just that good.

Summary
Wow. My first introduction to tubes. I was previously obsessed with SS and wanted to get TOTL planars. I have lost all interest in that right now. I just want to close my eyes and bathe in the beautiful harmonies that emanate from this incredible amp with my relatively humble dynamic headphones. I still cannot comprehend how an amp can sound this musical, rich but also incredibly detailed, fast with this much dynamic impact. I cannot recommend Elekit tu8600S more highly. A huge thanks to my bros in the SV discord for #1 getting me into tube world and to the elekit and helping me trouble shoot especially the genius Baseonmars and also Famish, Sina, driftingbunnies, Jsim, Lana, MShenay, Parker, Eaglewings, Audio noodle, dnceclectic, Xecuter, Tron, Fishcommander, voxkey, Aman, ho lee ***, Jonah, Tommytakis, Vanilla hoon (if I missed someone so sorry thank you too).

 

[524744]

My HD800S is connected to Chord Hugo TT2 and it gives me very warm sound. I was one of those who found the original HD800 to be extremely fatiguing and informed Sennheiser about it. The sound staging from the TT2 is wide and individual instruments are well placed. The HD800S is probably the end game headphone for me as I get very transparent and balance SQ for all the music I listen to.

 

[Remusz911]

Looks good on my monitor, sounds good on my Sennheisers.

 

[anaheim85]

Can somebody recommend a good aftermarket cable company to get a 1.5m 4.4mm balanced cable for the 800S? I really like the stock cable but the 3m lenght makes it not really usable away from my desktop (if I dont want to wrap it around my neck that is ). I´m looking at arctic cables right now as they seem to look quite legit. Prices are through the roof though for anything besides the first 1-3 available options. I don´t really believe in a cable improving the sound (don´t flame me if you happen to believe in it - to each their own) so I´d think their core series should be more than enough for my needs.

Also found Apos cable which look quite good but dont ship to Europe. It´s important the cable is not microphonic as I´m planning to use it with my DAP to move about in the house or maybe outside. Wouldn´t want to spend more than 150 € on a cable. Thanks in advance!

 

[ZappaMan]

We don’t get out of bed for €150 cables….