[Snowpuppy77]

Neither the HD800/S nor the Bryston BHA-1 will go out of their way to flatter a recording, they’ve been designed so as to pass a the original signal as purely as possible… so if you’re one who likes their Scotch served “neat” they’ll work quite well together..... you’ll have a sense of having an unimpeded view of the original recording....... if you prefer to be romanticized or having a bad recording made palatable they may not be ones cup of tea but good recordings will shine. : )

That is just the way I like it

 

[vlach]

3 months with mine,they are amazing but still looking to improve my chain and i've found a good deal on Bryston BHA-1,somebody who has it can share some impressionsb,thanks.

I have the HD800 (not the S version) and the BHA-1 and i prefer listening to the HD800 through my vintage Yamaha receiver. The BHA-1 has better clarity and articulation in the midrange and is my choice for vocal tracks. For everything else the Yamaha has more weight, gravity and mass which is perfect for the leanish HD800.

 

[Rob80b]

I have the HD800 (not the S version) and the BHA-1 and i prefer listening to the HD800 through my vintage Yamaha receiver. .........

I used to enjoy my vintage Marantz 1070 for the same reasons, vintage amps are similar to my Bryston 2BLP pro as the headphone out is actually off the speaker outputs but with a resistor in series to lower the output, current receivers from last 30 years just have a dedicated chip on the pre-amp section.

 

[Swiftfalcon]

3 months with mine,they are amazing but still looking to improve my chain and i've found a good deal on Bryston BHA-1,somebody who has it can share some impressionsb,thanks.

Grab it, bryston bha 1 makes the 800S take to the skies. Fast, spacious and detailed sound.

 

[Campari]

Got my self brand new 800S. Driving them now by Schiit Bifrost Über & Lyr 2 with stock tubes. Sounds great compared to my Grado Rs1. Maybe next step would be Gumby+MJ2 combo, thou i m not sure if it would be worth of the bucks upgrade. Maybe first i need shorter cable. Stock 3m is way too long for my need. Any recommendations?

 

[Snowpuppy77]

Got my self brand new 800S. Driving them now by Schiit Bifrost Über & Lyr 2 with stock tubes. Sounds great compared to my Grado Rs1. Maybe next step would be Gumby+MJ2 combo, thou i m not sure if it would be worth of the bucks upgrade. Maybe first i need shorter cable. Stock 3m is way too long for my need. Any recommendations?

You could do that and it would be excellent. Another very good and less expensive option would be to upgrade your Bifrost to Multibit and then get a Schiit Valhalla 2. I have read several others who say the HD800 sounds better with the Valhalla 2 than it does on the Lyr 2. Higher output impedance amps like the Valhalla 2 do a great job with high impedance headphones. I heard the regular HD800 with a Valhalla 2 at the last RMAF Canjam and it was an incredible match. I have the HD800S and I am sure it would be a great match for that as well. I personally went with the Ragnarok six months ago to go with my Bimby and HD800S with the goal of getting the Yggdrasil later. Could not be happier with the combination. I like having more than one input as I use a nice turntable with it as well. Quality vinyl sounds great on the HD800S. And yes I drive speakers. A pair of Paradigm Studio 100v.2 that are also a good match.

By the way I also have a pair of RS1s and yes the HD800S are way better overall. When I get the Yggdrasil I plan to start pairing my Bimby with my Asgard 2 again in a 2nd headphone system and using it for the RS1 and perhaps a new pair of Grados down the road. I personally think the Asgard 2 and Grados are a great pairing. I actually prefer it to the also very good Mapletree Ear+ HD that I have. I still enjoy small ensemble acoustic music with my RS1s. They do remarkably well in a unique way that is a nice change of pace from the HD800S for that type of music. The RS1s are a more intimate headphone than the HD800S with some music.

 

[Arniesb]

I suggest you to upgrade to V280 or Auralic taurus with Qutest rather than gumby with mjolnir. I know schiit stack looks good, but you dont chase desing 1st and go for sound afterwards? Both dac and my suggest amps should be superior. Amps i know for certain that are clearly better than Mjolnir and i think Qutest whould beat Gumby easily, cause even old 2qute was close to Gumby.

 

[exdmd]

Also second the suggestion you upgrade your Bifrost to Multibit Gen 5 but get a well regarded custom tube amp like Kenzie or Zana Deux S not Valhalla 2. If you can't afford a great tube amp right now just save until you can and keep the Lyr. A TOTL tube amp used with an upgraded Bifrost will make more of a difference in sound quality than buying a new DAC.

 

[joseph69]

Anyone else driving their 800S with a GS-X mk2?
If so, what gain setting do you prefer?

 

[MacedonianHero]

^ I mostly use my DAVE, but when I do use the GS-X MK2 I use Medium gain.

 

[joseph69]

I also use Med gain, but I switched to hi just to hear if I heard any differences. I think the 800S may sounds quicker, clearer and more defined as well as more dynamic and punchy. Not too sure yet because I'm trying my best to match the volume levels between Med/Hi.

 

[MacedonianHero]

I also use Med gain, but I switched to hi just to hear if I heard any differences. I think the 800S may sounds quicker, clearer and more defined as well as more dynamic and punchy. Not too sure yet because I'm trying my best to match the volume levels between Med/Hi.

I think the added gain can tip it in that direction as well.

 

[joseph69]

I think the added gain can tip it in that direction as well.

I'm thinking so myself.

 

[Metrops]

I did post this question but it was long ago and I wondered if anyone else had any advice, I'm looking to get new tubes for my Valhalla 2 and I'm running the HD 800S with Modi Multibit, there any tubes people would recommend to get that are not too expensive (like under £50) and the website would be good, if you could link it that supplies them

 

[Swiftfalcon]

Recently got the LCD 2C. Very nice complement to 800S. I ve got a few hours of casual listen on lcd2c. Comparing the 2

800S: Wide, open, airy sound. It is clear Sennheiser strives for neutrality and accuracy with these.

LCD2C: Rich, thick and focused sound. I feel they compete with 800S in detail. Audeze was targetting musicality and fun above accuracy I feel.