[FxTkd]

Quote:

The DAC section of HDVD800 needs alot of burn in at least 300-600 hours and the amp opens vastly up and please use the 4 pin connector it's a huge difference to 1/4 plug .The same i had with Audio Research DAC 8 you have to burn in it at least 600 hours
 
"Like all Audio Research products, the DAC 8 requires a hefty burn-in period before sounding at its best – ARC reckon on at least 600 hours."
-Digital Audio-

Hi thinker,
First of all I like to thank you and the rest of the members on this forum for you terrific insightful information with the HDVD800.
I just received my HDVD800 today(Toronto, Canada.....finally!) and will auditioning them.
It will be connect my Macbook Pro,Software(testing Audrivana Plus & Fidelia), via Cardas Clear USB cable, HDVD800, HD800 stock cable. I am still waiting for my Cardas Clear 4 pin premium balanced connector headphone cables. 
I will post my findings after some burn in period.
 
You mentioned that the DAC portion opens up after 300-600 hrs. vastly... is that through stock cables or the balanced?

 

[Mr.Sneis]

Just got the e-mail, Headroom seems to now be taking pre-orders.  I had just fired up Massive Attack - Angel right as I opened the e-mail which gave it a comedic effect. 
 
This thread needs more substance.
 
http://www.headphone.com/headphone-amps/sennheiser-hdvd-800.php?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sennheiser+HDVD+800&utm_content=Sennheiser+HDVD+800+CID_405bf3c128ce97f066f2d42d9e8a6c84&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software

 

[dleblanc343]

Quote:

Just got the e-mail, Headroom seems to now be taking pre-orders.  I had just fired up Massive Attack - Angel right as I opened the e-mail which gave it a comedic effect. 

That's funny, that was the first track I tried when I first tested out the HDVD800; not even lying! 

 

[AlanHell]

Quote:

After being unhappy with the neutral to "cold" balance of the sound when I heard the HDVA800 + HD800 combination at home last week, but simultaneously being very impressed by the resolution and detail, I went back to listening via my Lehmann Linear. Rats! It now seems almost crude in comparison - although I was perfectly happy with it before.
 
I'm glad that the seemingly universal opinion from the recent head-fi meet in London is that the balanced connection between the amp and HD800s sounds much better than the single ended one. I will wait to try that, hopefully with the HDVA600.

Is that possible for you to bring the device to the Toronto hifi meet happens on May, 4th?
 
I　am actually going to buy this amp, but before I pull the purchase, I have to make sure I like it~~~~~
Here is the link to the information of the Hifi meet.

 

[uffeolby]

A question from a newbie on this forum.
 
If you want to go the balanced path (XLR), do you have to have the whole signal chain balanced to benefit from the better sound from the Sennheiser HDVD800? In my main rig I have an unbalanced analogue signal from my Oppo BDP to my Primare AVR to the headphone amp - will i benefit from better sound if I only change the headphone cable to a balanced one?

 

[TheManko]

If you got the HDVD800 you would presumably want to use the internal dac instead of the one in the Oppo player, so maybe connect the HDVD800 via optical or coax? Then you'd get a balanced signal. Because if you're going to use analogue input instead of digital you might as well get the HDVA600 instead. Ideally you'd want the entire chain to be balanced, but I assume using a balanced connection for the headphones with an unbalanced input signal would still sound better than unbalanced in and unbalanced out.

 

[dleblanc343]

Quote:

Is that possible for you to bring the device to the Toronto hifi meet happens on May, 4th?
 
I　am actually going to buy this amp, but before I pull the purchase, I have to make sure I like it~~~~~
Here is the link to the information of the Hifi meet.

If you have an HD800 and T1's, make sure to try the HDVD800 for sure before you decide! You may be more inclined by tube amps after a demo; but maybe you like technicality over musicality (I do too sometimes). Let your ears be the judge!
 
I am fortunate to have access to not only speaker amp, but also Nuforce, HiFiMAN, Burson, Bryston and Woo amps where I work (along with Sennheiser's new stuff). It can be hard making a pick!
 
Oh and if you follow hockey and the Toronto Maple Leafs, well, Go Habs Go! 

 

[uffeolby]

Quote:

If you got the HDVD800 you would presumably want to use the internal dac instead of the one in the Oppo player, so maybe connect the HDVD800 via optical or coax? Then you'd get a balanced signal. Because if you're going to use analogue input instead of digital you might as well get the HDVA600 instead. Ideally you'd want the entire chain to be balanced, but I assume using a balanced connection for the headphones with an unbalanced input signal would still sound better than unbalanced in and unbalanced out.

So optical/coax is always a balanced signal, you mean?
 
My Oppo is a NuForce modified version with very good DAC on the stereo output so my plan is to use this. But who knows, the HDVD800 might convert to analogue even better...
 
The reason I am going for the HDVD800 rather than the HFVD600 is that I will have several sources connected, and the others are digital.

 

[CybDev]

Hm, I see quite a few people comparing the HDVD800 to the BCL, and I had a chance to do that as well, the difference was huge, in fact I was wondering if the demoroom setup with the BCL was broken/faulty.

That said I also compared both of those with a Antelope Zodiac, which IMO has a better DAC but worse amp stage, it was very comparable to the HDVD800 and miles ahead of the BCL.
(All of those tests were done with stock unbalanced cables)

NOTE: Both the HDVD800 and BCL were connected to a PC via USB for my comparison, using the HD800 and T1 and music I am familiar with in FLAC format.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[murrays]

Quote:

So optical/coax is always a balanced signal, you mean?
 

 
The optical/coax is the digital input signal to the DAC - "balanced" does not apply to this.
 
The balanced analog signal should be created internally at the output of the DAC (or sometimes dual DACs are used to provide the 2 opposing balanced signals).
 
Unbalanced analog inputs are "upgraded" to balanced by using an inverting amplifier to create an equal but opposite image as the other component of the balanced signal.
 
Hopefully Sennheiser use a true differential DAC architecture to create the balanced signal at its source.

 

[kazsud]

Quote:

If you have an HD800 and T1's, make sure to try the HDVD800 for sure before you decide! You may be more inclined by tube amps after a demo; but maybe you like technicality over musicality (I do too sometimes). Let your ears be the judge!
 
I am fortunate to have access to not only speaker amp, but also Nuforce, HiFiMAN, Burson, Bryston and Woo amps where I work (along with Sennheiser's new stuff). It can be hard making a pick!
 
Oh and if you follow hockey and the Toronto Maple Leafs, well, Go Habs Go! 

Have you tried the Dac-100 and the Dac-9 w/ the hd800s?

 

[AlanHell]

If you have an HD800 and T1's, make sure to try the HDVD800 for sure before you decide! You may be more inclined by tube amps after a demo; but maybe you like technicality over musicality (I do too sometimes). Let your ears be the judge!

I am fortunate to have access to not only speaker amp, but also Nuforce, HiFiMAN, Burson, Bryston and Woo amps where I work (along with Sennheiser's new stuff). It can be hard making a pick!

Oh and if you follow hockey and the Toronto Maple Leafs, well, Go Habs Go! 

Well, I only have heard few try of the tube amp. One from hifiman. I think compare to SSamp, they tend to have more roll offs on both ends. I typically want an linear dac and amp and use the headphone to tune the sound. It is easy to roll off an linear thing, but hard to make a distorded linear. Hence, I will prefer Solid satate for now....

p.s.
I am from vancouver, so, even if i am really into hokey, it will be the canucks ∩_∩

 

[LifeAspect]

What's the main difference between the HDVD600 and 800 besides the other amp being digital? Will they sound identical? I really want to buy either the hdvd800 or 600 if the sound is much better than my V200 but I don't want to sell my V800 because I need it to connect to my speaker gear. Would the HDVD600+V800 sound good with eachother or will the HDVD800 produce the better sound? I reckon nobody tested and compared the HDVD600 with the HDVD800. The HDVD600 is probably not in stock yet right?

 

[Frank I]

Quote:

What's the main difference between the HDVD600 and 800 besides the other amp being digital? Will they sound identical? I really want to buy either the hdvd800 or 600 if the sound is much better than my V200 but I don't want to sell my V800 because I need it to connect to my speaker gear. Would the HDVD600+V800 sound good with eachother or will the HDVD800 produce the better sound? I reckon nobody tested and compared the HDVD600 with the HDVD800. The HDVD600 is probably not in stock yet right?

one has the dac the other does not.

 

[TheManko]

Quote:

Would the HDVD600+V800 sound good with eachother or will the HDVD800 produce the better sound? 

As far as I know the amp section is identical between the HDVD800 and HDVA600. I have a V800, so I might be able to do a comparison this weekend or early next week between the HDVD800 dac and V800 using the HDVD800 amp section as it has both balanced and unbalanced inputs for when you want to bypass the internal dac.