[ALRAINBOW]

I am glad you posted. I thnk the amp in there is great with there headphones but it really does not get the word it should. We buy all the boutique stuff first .
Al

 

[Canadian411]

Apologies if this should go elsewhere but I am about to pull the trigger on the HD 800's and the Oppo PM-1's. My decision is whether to pair them with the HDVD800 or the Oppo HA-1. I am looking for a combination DAC/AMP for reasons of cost and convenience but am prepared to get a separate DAC later down the line if I feel it necessary.

I appreciate the HA-1 and HDVD800 may perform better in different areas with one DAC preferable and the other AMP. I also get they are very different phones and are likely to pair with their corresponding Amp/DAC and I expect the HD800's to get about 60% of my listening time. I do have the Oppo 103 BR player that I use for CD's and I expect to be good with the same dac implemented in the HA-1.

Any thoughts and or advice most welcome. Cheers

Did you get oppo ha1 or hdvd800?

 

[King of Pangaea]

  Apologies if this should go elsewhere but I am about to pull the trigger on the HD 800's and the Oppo PM-1's. My decision is whether to pair them with the HDVD800 or the Oppo HA-1. I am looking for a combination DAC/AMP for reasons of cost and convenience but am prepared to get a separate DAC later down the line if I feel it necessary.
 
I appreciate the HA-1 and HDVD800 may perform better in different areas with one DAC preferable and the other AMP. I also get they are very different phones and are likely to pair with their corresponding Amp/DAC and I expect the HD800's to get about 60% of my listening time. I do have the Oppo 103 BR player that I use for CD's and I expect to be good with the same dac implemented in the HA-1.
 
Any thoughts and or advice most welcome. Cheers

OK, I did it.  I have an HDVD 800 coming in so I am committed.  Have an XLR cable coming in too to connect with my Oppo 95.  I plan on getting a long XLR4 cable from the amp to the HD800s soon too.  I don't know what you are going to get with an Oppo 103, it seems to me you need the 95 or 105 with their audio upgrade to get the full benefit of the HD800s no matter what amp you are using.  My Oppo 95 is a bit bass-shy so for most can listening I use my Denon player which is based on a Burr brown 1796 chip, an improvement I believe on the 1792 in the HDVD800.  I have no experience with the Oppo amp.  The only way to know anything for sure in this game is to hook this stuff, slap the cans on your ears and listen.  There is no HDVD800 dealer locally but I did manage to audition a Burson Conductor which convinced me there was a definite benefit to be had by paying more bucks to get better than what I was getting from my Creek: so I bought the Sennheiser which is what I really had my eye on all along.    Others have amply commented on the HD800/HDVD800 combination here before and in a few days I will find our for myself.  Good luck with whatever you wind up with. 
 
AS for the DAC in the HDVD 800, if I don't think it is that great or want something better than what the ones in my players can deliver, I can always get some third party unit and throw it in the line later on.  But that is for another day.  Bye

 

[phatman]

Did you get oppo ha1 or hdvd800?

I'm still deciding, though I'm committed to the HD800's I'm considering the LCD XC for my planars instead of the OPPO PM-1. I'm still not sure whether to go with the HDDVD or HA-1 or possibly the Burson Conductor though that keeps me single ended. I'm trying to get an audition sorted but that wont have the LCD's or the Burson only the OPPO and Senn phones and amp/dac's

 

[phatman]

Hey King I'm really interested in how the HDDVD works out for you be sure to keep us posted. Cheers

 

[King of Pangaea]

I got the HDVD 800 to go with my HD800.  I don't know how it would do with Oppo phones.  Perhaps Oppo phones might work better with an Oppo amp, keeping everything in the same camp like I did.  I know the previous Burson, the HA160D did not work especially well with my HD 800s or my 600s either.  As I see it, it's all about synergy; What things work well with each other.  The only way to really find out is to put stuff together, put the phones to your ears, and let 'er rip.  Your ears will not lie.  May take a while, but you eventually will find your own truth. 
 
My only comment before concerning the Oppo 103 was that now that one has great phones and great amp, you now will be limited by the quality of your source.  You may well get what you want canwise, and ampwise, and pursue the quest even further for a better DAC, or other source.
 
Good luck in the never-ending quest.

 

[King of Pangaea]

LCD XC are low impedance cans, so they may sound better with some other amp than the Sennheiser.  Many Burson owners say the Conductior works well with LCD2, LCD3,, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT LCDX but probably in the same camp.  Conductor also works well with HD800 but no telling if reverse logic is true.  Look at other threads, see what people are saying about whatever you're interested in.  The Senns, being high impedance cans definitely don't sound all that well with all amps.   Good luck.

 

[phatman]

Cheers King, I suspected that I'll be better buying the amp for the HD800's given their impedance and that they'll be the more difficult to drive. The LCD XC being low impedence should be fine with the conductor and if not will probably pair with a cheaper amp/dac.
 
Thanks again

 

[Priidik]

Does anyone know about the amps operating logic? I saw picture of its innards but it was too low res to make anything out of it.
Its definently not class A, its cold even maxed out. 

 

[thomascrown]

Here I've seen some nice pics:
 
http://soundnews.ro/2013/07/18/sennheiser-hdvd800-review/
 
I hope this may help

 

[ALRAINBOW]

It looks discrete and op amp maybe. Can someone who knows better way in.
Instill think what ever it is
If sounds fantasist ic as an amp.
It's all one needs for the hd800. They are not a warm and fuzzy headphone
Making the hd800 warm takes away there anamotical ability of details
I had the he 6 and the hd800 together using the same DAC my lampi B7
Into the hdvd 800 and hd800. And the he 6 out if a F1J pass amp.
Gotta say they both sound very nice and the details is more with the hd800
But warmth and smooth goiws to HE6.
it's about mood birth the hd800 is just more precise in making me feel I am there
Al

 

[King of Pangaea]

  Cheers King, I suspected that I'll be better buying the amp for the HD800's given their impedance and that they'll be the more difficult to drive. The LCD XC being low impedence should be fine with the conductor and if not will probably pair with a cheaper amp/dac.
 
Thanks again

If you are looking for something cheaper you might want to consider the Asus Xonar Essence One Muses Edition. Some people have had success with Sennheiser pairing and it's a little over US$ 1K.  No analog in though, for digital feeds only.  I don't know what impedance it operates best with.  I encountered a video link about it I think on the Grace website awhile back.  Stereophile magazine did a somewhat lukewarm review on it a few months ago.  For anyone interested, see if you can track it down and read.
 
As for Thomas Crown's link about the HDVD800, it would be of greater interest to more people if it were in some language other than Romanian.  I'm sure he meant well.

 

[thomascrown]

 
If you are looking for something cheaper you might want to consider the Asus Xonar Essence One Muses Edition. Some people have had success with Sennheiser pairing and it's a little over US$ 1K.  No analog in though, for digital feeds only.  I don't know what impedance it operates best with.  I encountered a video link about it I think on the Grace website awhile back.  Stereophile magazine did a somewhat lukewarm review on it a few months ago.  For anyone interested, see if you can track it down and read.
 
As for Thomas Crown's link about the HDVD800, it would be of greater interest to more people if it were in some language other than Romanian.  I'm sure he meant well.

Hi,
The link was about the pictures, not the review, anyway, I'm pretty sure the reviewer is a head-fi member, I want to try to reach him and ask him for a translation.
 
Edit:
Actually Darku is named in this post (beautiful story btw), http://www.head-fi.org/t/634988/audeze-lcd2-bamboo-impressions,

 

[King of Pangaea]

Yes, he's a Headfier and I have read some of his excellent posts in the past.  I think he was mainly commenting on the Conductor.  Darku has posted some reviews in Romanian here in the past, then translated them.  Oh well, ears are ears, worldwide.

 

[phatman]

Hey King cheers I'll look that up. I've got a chance to audition the lot the burson the hdvd and the oppo with both phones in a couple of weeks so looking forward to that.