[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeymad /img/forum/go_quote.gif Cheers j2kei The 800's do sound nice, but they failed for me in one important aspect. Impact. When there is an orchestra hit or a drum hit. The h800 sounded good (made the right sound), but did not have the impact that the L3000's or the O2's have for the same passage.

Your Marantz SA7S1-ES1 setup was sweet, one of the electrostat highlights at the show and made me ask how the BHSE would have done with the Marantz source.

What SP upgrades does your ES1 have?

 

[vcoheda]

the bass/impact of the HD800 on my setup is tremendous. seems to be right up there with the L3000 and PS1.

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif the bass/impact of the HD800 on my setup is tremendous. seems to be right up there with the L3000 and PS1.

- the PS-1s have the most impact of almost any headphone (L3K up there too)... that's not a comment I expected from a credible member at all.....now I'm clueless to what these things actually sound like. So now the HD800s are bass head phones? FOTM must be in full effect

 

[number1sixerfan]

They(hd800) do a lot of things right, but they definitely lack impact and bass to an extent.

Comparing directly to the L3000, it was an absolute landslide(side by side). In it's own merit, it isn't too bad. But in direct comparison, impact and bass is definitely it's only downfall imho.

I will revaluate when the WA5 gets here, but no other headphone(hi or lo impedance) I've had to date with my dac/amp has had a "bass issue", so I definitely think it is the headphone.

*edit* and I think to date there has yet to be a "neutral/transparent" can that is a bass monster. The two qualities just don't go together. Most bassy cans lack detail in comparison to the more neutral cans, and most neutral cans lack bass in comparison to the bassy cans. Look at the K1000, HE60, K501/701, HD600(not as nuetral as the others, but still a good comparison), ATH-W5000, etc. I think people will have to understand that these are not going to have as much bass as some of the other cans out there, but they do pretty much do everything else better than anything else I've heard(except the HE60, I'll have to hear both side by side as they are very close sigs).

 

[mikeymad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon L /img/forum/go_quote.gif Your Marantz SA7S1-ES1 setup was sweet, one of the electrostat highlights at the show and made me ask how the BHSE would have done with the Marantz source. What SP upgrades does your ES1 have?

Cheers Jon...

Almost none. It came pretty standard (got it second hand). I have replaced a resistor myself (old thread), and recently I replaced the bias pots (old ones were crap). Other than that it was all tube selection. The real stars being the Mullard EL34 xf2's. I have found that it isn't always the ultimate tube that counts, but the right tube.

I did a round at the show taking my O2mk1's - My ES-1, Blue Hawaii, Woo WES, and then BHWE. Right after each other and with the same track (Yes - Hearts). I left the ES-2's off (I know they sound better). I know the sources were different, would have liked them all on my Marantz as well. I really like my ES-1, but the WES was the winner of the others. It is not done yet according to Jack, but the resolution and speed of the WES was intoxicating and engaging for me, can't wait for production unit with more power and hope cleans up the low bass.

 

[mikeymad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Comparing directly to the L3000, it was an absolute landslide(side by side). In it's own merit, it isn't too bad. But in direct comparison, impact and bass is definitely it's only downfall imho.

Agreed... for me I thought that Hd800's had really nice bass. It was all about level of impact that fell short.

Cheers,

 

[atothex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeymad /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agreed... for me I thought that Hd800's had really nice bass. It was all about level of impact that fell short. Cheers,

Did you hear the balanced ones in the HR room? I thought the bass impact was excellent, even if they weren't super bassy. For instance, they hit harder than the PS1000s. My memories of Canjam are already fading...

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif They(hd800) do a lot of things right, but they definitely lack impact and bass to an extent. Comparing directly to the L3000, it was an absolute landslide(side by side). In it's own merit, it isn't too bad. But in direct comparison, impact and bass is definitely it's only downfall imho.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeymad /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agreed... for me I thought that Hd800's had really nice bass. It was all about level of impact that fell short.

unfortunately, i don't have an L3000 or PS1 anymore so i can't do direct comparisons. i owned both long enough to know how they sound though. i can definitely say that the bass on the HD800 is excellent - at least when paired with my B52. whether it is truly on par with either of the above, i suppose i will have to wait until i can compare directly.

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeymad /img/forum/go_quote.gif I really like my ES-1, but the WES was the winner of the others. It is not done yet according to Jack, but the resolution and speed of the WES was intoxicating and engaging for me,

Then you might be amused to learn that Jack's WES at the show was using the AmpOhm paper-in-oil caps, PIO's in general not being considered resolution or speed monsters. I love the AmpOhm PIO's myself, but the very low bass prowess would not be its forte.

I would really be excited to listen to the final WES version with higher voltage swing and possibly different capacitors. Jack was talking about VCap teflon upgrade path, but IMO, one can achieve better results at MUCH lower price by using Russian K72 "nude" caps with Russian FT-1 teflon bypass. If Jack monitors these threads, just go try it and see

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f21/or...3/index12.html

 

[mikeymad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atothex /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you hear the balanced ones in the HR room? I thought the bass impact was excellent, even if they weren't super bassy. For instance, they hit harder than the PS1000s. My memories of Canjam are already fading...

I did get to listen to the Balanced HD800 on Voltron's Monster Rig. And they really did sound good. I was not listening for impact at that point in time. My comments are just based on my rig.. the system that counts for me.

Only my memory of the evenings are fading....

Cheers,

 

[greggf]

We have the O2Mk.II/007tII and the HD800 in the house. The latter is stone cold unburned-in and being used with a friend's Akido-style tube amp and a CIA VHP-2/VAC-1 combo.

Warning! Warning! Amps not optimal! And Stax amp not Spritzer-approved!

That said, what a fascinating pair. The Senn errs a quarter inch on the thin/sharp side of perfect, the O2 a quarter inch on the easy-listening side.

I won't be able to keep both........................and both are great, the Senn right off the truck.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greggf /img/forum/go_quote.gif We have the O2Mk.II/007tII and the HD800 in the house. The latter is stone cold unburned-in and being used with a friend's Akido-style tube amp and a CIA VHP-2/VAC-1 combo. Warning! Warning! Amps not optimal! And Stax amp not Spritzer-approved! That said, what a fascinating pair. The Senn errs a quarter inch on the thin/sharp side of perfect, the O2 a quarter inch on the easy-listening side. I won't be able to keep both........................and both are great, the Senn right off the truck.

The HD800 is really maturing with 200 hours on them - that "quarter inch on the thin/sharp side" is gone and the HD800/WA6 are now closer to my burned-in O2 Mk1/GES, but with better bass impact. I'm not sure I'll need to keep my Stax rig once I re-cable the HD800 and my Eddie Current ZDT arrives...

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The HD800 is really maturing with 200 hours on them - that "quarter inch on the thin/sharp side" is gone and the HD800/WA6 are now closer to my burned-in O2 Mk1/GES, but with better bass impact. I'm not sure I'll need to keep my Stax rig once I re-cable the HD800 and my Eddie Current ZDT arrives...

Thought I read somewhere that they only need 24 hours of burn in on those drivers?

 

[shirtaspants]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thought I read somewhere that they only need 24 hours of burn in on those drivers?

Maybe just brain acclimation?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I've had them running 24/7 since early Monday morning on the 1st, but I only listen for about an hour each night to see what is up. I suppose I could still acclimate when listening that infrequently, but the rest of the time I am listening to the HF-2 and my ES3X customs.

I've been perfectly happy with the HD800 even during the first 24 hours (all done at CanJam), and if they hadn't warmed up/smoothed out slightly over their first 10 days I would have still been happy with them. They do not need a lot of burn-in, as much as they need a good amp. The sound isn't all that different from how they sounded Saturday and Sunday in the TTVJ CanJam room. It's just that "quarter inch" better, as mentioned above.

I noticed the same thing with the HD600 that I have right now, that were pretty new when I got them and had only very small changes with burn-in to become slightly more detailed and refined - but with no major changes in sound signature (unlike all my Ultrasones, IE8 or my SR-325i when burning them in). I'd guess that most people who don't like them when new wont like them much that much more after 200 hours. I do plan to stop burn-in by Friday.