Whazzzup
Headphoneus Supremus
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.
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.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 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.
Yepe!! The SA is more meaty and low end than the regular 800S and at the compromises of some soundstagesShanling 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!
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.@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.