[King of Pangaea]

The DAC in the HDVD 800 is Ok but I feel it is the weak point.  My HD800s sound better using the DACs in my CD players, Denon DVD 3930 and Marantz SA8005.  Or you could eventually get another separate DAC of even higher grade to place between your digital source and the HDVD800.  As far as balanced cables go I am quite happy with my Chinese Zy  Cable XLR4 for about $159 with an XLR4 extension from Blue Jeans Cable for another $45.  See no reason to spend more for Sennheiser or Cardas.  Happy listening.

 

[EvenR]

Hey vrln.
 
The HDVD 800 changes completely with the balanced cable. It's definitely made to be used with it. Sound stage improves a lot and the resolution is just superb. You really have something to look forward to.
 
I also enjoy how the HDVD 800 drives the HD 800. It's just gets out of the way basically, giving a direct connection to the music. Nothing is forced. It's just smooth all the way.
 
One thing i can recommend for the dac of the HDVD 800 is a usb-spdif converter. I use Audiophilleo 2 + Purepower and it's a huge upgrade for the HDVD 800. It adds a depth, fullness and immersion to the sound that is hard to achieve with the HD 800's.
 
My setup currently looks like this, and i'm not looking for an upgrade.
 
PC>WW Ultraviolet usb cable>Purepower>Supra usb cable>Audiophilleo2>HDVD800 with Supra power cable>CH800S>HD800.
 
Happy listening!

 

[joshk4]

   
Thanks! I´m loving it I sold my first HD 800 as I couldn´t manage to get it sound as I wanted - it´s so hard to get right. Changes completely with different DACs/Amps. Glad Sennheiser voiced an amp around it! I haven´t received the balanced cable yet, but even single ended it´s sounding superb. The XMOS USB receiver in the HDVD800 is doing magic. I´m quite surprised at the DAC section actually. I expected it to be something basic like a DacMagic, but I´m happy so far using it as an all in one unit.
 
HDVD-800 is sounding very neutral, but in an elegant way. It´s not as brutal as the Lehmann Linear for example, but the resolution is clearly there. Also either newer HD 800´s have more bass or the amps output impedance has been tuned to make the HD 800 bassier (which I really like). Movies sound really good with this too, you can really appreciate the work that´s gone into the soundtracks.

 
Yeah to me the DAC is good enough with the Amp, and yes the headphones potential really depends on the DAC/Amp. I tried the HD 800 out of the Oppo HA-1 and did not like it at all (sound was not detailed and felt muddy).
 
The CH 800 is not a big jump (as I've heard) to the stock single ended cable in my opinion. Definitely there is an increase in volume and with certain songs, the guitar plucks are more forward, the base "maybe" abit more pronounced, but other than that, not a big difference.
 
Again, sound is a very subjective topic, but thats my own personal views on the balanced cable.

 

[King of Pangaea]

True, the improvement is not a chartbuster, but every little bit helps.  When you are floating around in the top tier of headphones amd their drivers it is only natural to try for further improvement.  I reached a level I am satisfied with by adding XLR to HDVD 800 and the Chinese Zy Cable XLR4. I didn't buy the most expensive examples of the connections, but am happy with what I get with $200 on the cable from amp to HD800 and about $71 on XLR from player to HDVD800.  To hell with CH800 and Cardas and their prices.  I have the same physical idea for quite a bit less money, am happy with what I have, and I'll leave it at that.  Let others spend their last dollar trying for the last micro bit of clarity or improvement.  There comes a time when one must stop and be happy with what you have which sounds great.

 

[defbear]

With my hdvd800, I always seem to like the sound of balanced better than single ended. It is not just a volume bump. I find this true of both my hd800's and audeze lcd2f's. A bigger soundstage and better seperation. I like the built in dac in the hdvd800 but. I have an Emotive Stealth DAC-1. It has balanced output. Using the balanced connections between the two, the Emotive sounds fuller and more open. Its not a huge differenc but it is noticible.

 

[joshk4]

With my hdvd800, I always seem to like the sound of balanced better than single ended. It is not just a volume bump. I find this true of both my hd800's and audeze lcd2f's. A bigger soundstage and better seperation. I like the built in dac in the hdvd800 but. I have an Emotive Stealth DAC-1. It has balanced output. Using the balanced connections between the two, the Emotive sounds fuller and more open. Its not a huge differenc but it is noticible.

For me, I don't think I would be able to tell if I did a blind test, unless it was a specific song I was playing and a certain part of it.

It just makes me glad that I'm using the hdvd 800 full circuits

 

[defbear]

For me, I don't think I would be able to tell if I did a blind test, unless it was a specific song I was playing and a certain part of it.

It just makes me glad that I'm using the hdvd 800 full circuits

I might not tell the difference either. I enjoy the full circuit also. The dac In the HDVD800 in sounds nearly identical to my Bifrost uber.

 

[joshk4]

With my hdvd800, I always seem to like the sound of balanced better than single ended. It is not just a volume bump. I find this true of both my hd800's and audeze lcd2f's. A bigger soundstage and better seperation.

 
Oh ok, just this part makes it sound like you can tell the difference pretty easy.
 
Anyways I love the HD 800 with the HDVD 800.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Has anyone used the Apple Camera Connection Kit (30 pin version) to connect their iPad to the USB port of their HDVD 800?  You need to have a powered USB connection, using a hub.  Unlike using a USB from a PC, there is no downloadable driver that I know of that would go into the iPad.
 
I can make it work for the USB port on my Schiit Bifrost Uber USB2, but not my HDVD USB connection.
 
Any tips on how to make this work are appreciated.  Thanks!

 

[defbear]

Has anyone used the Apple Camera Connection Kit (30 pin version) to connect their iPad to the USB port of their HDVD 800?  You need to have a powered USB connection, using a hub.  Unlike using a USB from a PC, there is no downloadable driver that I know of that would go into the iPad.

I can make it work for the USB port on my Schiit Bifrost Uber USB2, but not my HDVD USB connection.

Any tips on how to make this work are appreciated.  Thanks!

I have all the ingredients. I connected things thus: iPad3> 30 pin Acc kit> PYST usb 2.0 cable> hdvd800> Audeze lcd 2 headphones. I powered on the hdvd800. Logged into the Ipad. I then connected the amp, via the apple camera kit and PYST usb 2.0 cable, to the ipad . Last I started Music and chose a tune. Music played through the amp and headphone fine. I started over and repeated my steps and chose vlc. Again it played no problem. If I unplugged the acc kit while music was playing, the ipad would revert to the built in speaker. When I plugged the acc kit back in, sound would revert to the hdvd800. Note, I did not have to use a powered USB hub.
Make sure the volume on the ipad is turned all the way up. Easy to miss. I also had to choose usb on the hdvd 800 amp. I did not add any special driver. Everything worked right out of the box. I hope this is of help.

 

[BirdManOfCT]

  [...]
 
Others worry that the HD 800 is rather weak in the bass, at least compared to something like the Audeze LCD2, 2.2, 3, X, ...  I have found the HD-HDVD 800 pairing to be ACCURATE in bass representation, presenting a natural source such as an orchestra with the same amount of bass you would expect in a live concert.  It is of course hard to comment on amplified sources, as their bass level seems to depend upon the tastes of the engineer with that particular knob in his hand.
 
[...]

Exactly!

 

[BirdManOfCT]

Has anyone noticed a difference between the HDVA600 and using the amp-only portion of the HDVD800? Theoretically, there shouldn't be any difference, since it's supposedly the same amp, but I'm wondering if there's anything noticeably different. I don't know, like maybe having the DAC portion alters the signal electrically or interference wise, even though it shouldn't.

 

[Thousand1000]

Recently got the HDVD 800 to pair with my HD 800. Tried both the 6.3mm jack and the balanced 4-pin XLR. My impression was that the balanced output noticeably outperforms the single ended output.

 

[Dionysus]

I've mentioned this observation on this thread earlier. If you are using this setup with your HD800 you really owe it to yourself to use the balanced out. They definitely outperform the single ended its very noticeable.

 

[WilCox]

Has anyone noticed a difference between the HDVA600 and using the amp-only portion of the HDVD800? Theoretically, there shouldn't be any difference, since it's supposedly the same amp, but I'm wondering if there's anything noticeably different. I don't know, like maybe having the DAC portion alters the signal electrically or interference wise, even though it shouldn't.

They sounded identical to me. I purchased an HDVD800 and was't happy with the DAC, so I purchased the HDVA600 to use with my Bel Canto DAC 3. Compared them both before returning the HDVD800 and could not detect any difference.