[smodtactical]

  I don't understand the physics behind the why, but my ears dislike my Rag and 800 S. That's why I listed the solid states that I've heard in the order that I did. And I concur, based on my listening the Mk2, with the posts that it could be your best solution. You may also want to look here, where a similar conclusion was made:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/big-sound-2015-wrap-my-take-headphone-amps
 
I also did not include the Black Widow, based on your personal taste (though it sounds really good). To reiterate, I ordered from least to greatest, based on your taste:
 

1. Master 9 (or something in the family)
2. Moon NEO 430HA
3. GS-X Mk2

 
The Violectric V281 seems to have potential - I've not personally heard it.

 
Ok fair... thanks man. Sorry to hear that your not feeling the Rag 800 S combo.

 

[phonomat]

Go with Violectric. The V200 is a little warmer than the V281. Neither Hugo TT nor GS-X will help you with your problem.

 

[Jawed]

Until you have a good DAC, like Hugo TT, expensive headphone amplification is just putting lipstick on a pig. Some DACs, like the TT, are truly excellent driving headphones direct without a separate amplifier.

 

[johnjen]

snip

I hate seeing people spending dribs and drabs of money and ending up with really poor value after all that time, effort and money.

For some this is the only way to learn. 
And the experienced gained can sometimes be far more valuable than the changes in SQ.
 
Yeah it can seem like a lesson in how NOT to upgrade, but trying to tell someone what NOT to do is fraught with peril.
Unless they ask…

 
For example I know someone who is fully invested in DSD, only wants a SotA DSD Dac and doesn't want to even think of not making it the pinnacle of his system.
He will learn that choices need to be made based upon a variety of factors and that SQ alone can sometimes lead one astray.
 
 
JJ

 

[phonomat]

Until you have a good DAC, like Hugo TT, expensive headphone amplification is just putting lipstick on a pig. Some DACs, like the TT, are truly excellent driving headphones direct without a separate amplifier.

You seem to be missing the point. OP has a problem w/ brightness they're looking to remedy by adding some warmth to the sound. Do you really think the Hugo TT fits the bill?

 

[Youth]

  I recently bought an HDVA 600 which is connected to my HD800S headphones using the stock balanced cable with a Musical Fidelity MX-DAC connected via Van Damme XLR cables. While the soundstage is wide as expected with pronounced separation between voices and instruments, the bass is fulsome, the HDVA 600 seems to add a little brightness to tracks like Little L by Jamiroquai, Missing by Everything But The Girl and 'S Wonderful by Diana Krall. In 'S Wonderful 's' sounds seem to be quite strong.  
 
The equipment is connected to my PC (Tidal Hi-Fi and FLAC files), but as the cable run is about 1 metre perhaps using a balanced amplifier is overkill. I'm not entirely sure there's any substantial difference in sound quality between balanced and single ended at least as far as the HDVA 600 is concerned. The treble seems so far more pronounced than my Chord Mojo, but the HDVA 600 with the MX-DAC is seemingly able to produce subtly more detail (in minor percentage terms).
 
Would using a warmer amplifier help? I'm thinking of replacing it with either a Burson Soloist SL Mk II or Violectric V200 which apparently has a warmer sound signature. I'll give the HDVA 600 a further test, otherwise it's off to the classifieds.

 
What's your budget?

 

[Jawed]

Until you have a good DAC, like Hugo TT, expensive headphone amplification is just putting lipstick on a pig. Some DACs, like the TT, are truly excellent driving headphones direct without a separate amplifier.

You seem to be missing the point. OP has a problem w/ brightness they're looking to remedy by adding some warmth to the sound. Do you really think the Hugo TT fits the bill?

Apparently this person introduced a problem by buying some components. The DAC he bought is probably worse than Mojo. Most DACs measure "flat" but sound bright because of poor design.

It's unlikely the headphone amp introduced the brightness problem, since it's the headphone amp that was designed for the HD 800, a headphone that doesn't need help to sound bright.

Using a headphone amp to fix a fault in the DAC is literally wasting money.

Mojo was engineered to sound slightly dark, for what it's worth.

Bright is absolutely not a description of TT.

It may be that this person prefers a dark sound, not a neutral-ish sound. The HD 800 S does have some of the treble peak that the HD 800 is known for, and it may be this person doesn't like that quality at all.

It may be that the Mojo as a DAC and amp is perfect in tonal balance for him. It may be that TT is too bright.

Only he can tell.

I'm not suggesting that TT is his solution. Merely that before he goes fixing a fault that is prolly due to the DAC, he finds a DAC that's a real upgrade from the Mojo, instead of something that is probably a downgrade. The TT, because it's good at driving headphones as well as being an exceptional DAC, has a big advantage over buying a DAC and a separate amp.

A real upgrade from Mojo prolly costs enough that he's better off saving for a while and doing careful auditions before spending.

He's better off sticking with Mojo for the time being. Hi-fi forums too often give people the idea that spending a little bit of money will produce a huge upgrade.

In two years' time, say, when he's ready for an upgrade, there might be something really amazing out there for much less than the cost of the TT.

 

[martyn73]

 
The HDVA 600 if i'm not wrong was made for the original HD800 , so there are no reason that it adds  Sibilance to your 800S , i have some sibilance  with certain records ( Diana Krall and Katie Melua ), but it's tamed down a lot now ! I have a 1 month old AUDIO GD 27H and a 3 weeks old HD800S , i don't know if that's the burn in of the DacAmp or the 800S . I guess you might let somes times for break in to your equipment if they are new !  Sorry for my English i'm French !

Thanks, I guess I had very high expectations of the HDVA 600 running fully balanced with the MX-DAC and favour a warmer sound. The tracks I mentioned are pretty much torture tests for sibilance.

 

[Arniesb]

Thanks, I guess I had very high expectations of the HDVA 600 running fully balanced with the MX-DAC and favour a warmer sound. The tracks I mentioned are pretty much torture tests for sibilance.

Yeah, atleast try warmer dac bro. Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic amps have warmness and naturalness to their signature and so they work well with Brightish Tesla line and HD800, HD700 respectively. Try a bit more natural amp.

 

[martyn73]

Go with Violectric. The V200 is a little warmer than the V281. Neither Hugo TT nor GS-X will help you with your problem.

Thanks, the Hugo TT is out of my budget. I had a Hugo and found it quite bright compared to the Mojo and MX-DAC.

 

[martyn73]

Yeah, atleast try warmer dac bro. Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic amps have warmness and naturalness to their signature and so they work well with Brightish Tesla line and HD800, HD700 respectively. Try a bit more natural amp.

What amp or DAC would you recommend which is warmer which doesn't have an excessively rolled off treble?

 

[sheldaze]

  Thanks, the Hugo TT is out of my budget. I had a Hugo and found it quite bright compared to the Mojo and MX-DAC.

I found it bright for about a week, at which point I experimented and learned Hugo was highly dependent on good USB source - much more so in my case than the Mojo. I had no issue with my original USB source through the Mojo, but Hugo needed a better source. And this difference sounded like a horrible brightness. Once fixed, Hugo was no longer so bright.
 
Posting this here in case it could have been the issue. And even then, I still suggest they are comparable, Hugo and Mojo - I would not suggest the Hugo is better.

 

[pctazhp]

I know I pretty much remain a lone wolf howling in the wilderness on this thread, but I find the Feliks Audio Elise (with the right combination of reasonably priced tubes) to be a match made in heaven for the HD800S. 

 

[Arniesb]

What amp or DAC would you recommend which is warmer which doesn't have an excessively rolled off treble?

Schiit Gumby and Yggy, Teac UD 503, UD501, Rega Dac R. There are plenty of others, but they maybe will be to warm for you...

 

[Youth]

Schiit Gumby and Yggy, Teac UD 503, UD501, Rega Dac R. There are plenty of others, but they maybe will be to warm for you...

 
I don't think he's gonna like Yggdrasil at all. I would suggest either Sonic Frontiers SFD-1mk2, Audio-gd DAC-19 or Schiit Gungnir Multibit.