[Mr Trev]

@peter123

Always been meaning to ask you about those A800…
Would you say they are an indication of what a possible X3 could've been? Or do you find they have enough of their own sound to stand apart from the X? lineage?

Since I'm asking stupid questions… in your comparision of the 58x and the rest of your Senns you mentioned your 700 and 800 have been modded. Any impression of how the 58x would stand up against the stock 700/800

Hello Mr T, yes it definitely has the usual issues with microphonics (that I remember you mentioning before as one of your concerns with portable tube amps).

I reckon that it might have got worse after a few weeks of use but it is not a deal breaker to me as I have got used to it and it can be dramatically reduced if you are careful with your nails and use a flexible cable.

I reckon that there is something beguiling and soothing about it but it is also pretty fast and dynamic, which is a surprise to me probably partly due to it being a hybrid tube amp?

It is heavy enough and fairly thick but well worth it!

Even with the possible issues, I have to admit that I'm still tempted to get one of those amps myself. I've been using my Vali2 almost exclusively for the past… well, a long time anyways. Switching back to my SS portables just doesn't quite scratch that itch for me anymore

 

[peter123]

@peter123

Always been meaning to ask you about those A800…
Would you say they are an indication of what a possible X3 could've been? Or do you find they have enough of their own sound to stand apart from the X? lineage?

Since I'm asking stupid questions… in your comparision of the 58x and the rest of your Senns you mentioned your 700 and 800 have been modded. Any impression of how the 58x would stand up against the stock 700/800



Even with the possible issues, I have to admit that I'm still tempted to get one of those amps myself. I've been using my Vali2 almost exclusively for the past… well, a long time anyways. Switching back to my SS portables just doesn't quite scratch that itch for me anymore

They're definitely a solid step up from the X2's imo. More balanced and more refined. I'd say the difference between the X2's and the A800 is bigger than between the X1 and X2 if that helps.

It's my HD700 and 650 that's modded and in short the HD650 would be even warmer stock while the HD700 would be even brighter. I'd say that both of them would be more different to the HD58X in stock form but for me both perform better modded, no wonder I enjoy the HD58X as prefer both of the others when they sound more similar to them

 

[Mr Trev]

They're definitely a solid step up from the X2's imo. More balanced and more refined. I'd say the difference between the X2's and the A800 is bigger than between the X1 and X2 if that helps.

It's my HD700 and 650 that's modded and in short the HD650 would be even warmer stock while the HD700 would be even brighter. I'd say that both of them would be more different to the HD58X in stock form but for me both perform better modded, no wonder I enjoy the HD58X as prefer both of the others when they sound more similar to them

Saying the difference between the A800 and X2 is bigger than between X1 and X2 does make it seem like they're deserving of their own product line. Onkyo headphones are even more scarce than Philips here in Canada, so I honestly have no idea how the models/brands are slotted into place. I'd have thought that being absorbed by Gibson would've helped out the distribution channels here, but we see how that turned out. The only model I've seen for sale locally was a used closed version - and I've heard even less about the closed models.

For me, the 58x is definitely the best Senn I own. Probably the best I have owned, but since it's been ~20 years since my last pairs (a 540II and a 59-something), it's hard to rely on memory (I do remember that the 590 was stoopid comfy. Better than anything else I've owned).
I've done the felt mod to my 58x. Not that I had any reservation about the bass being "wooly" or anything. But it was stupid cheap (the sheet of felt cost 75 cents) and easy. Initally, I thought maybe the bass was taken down a notch too much, but after sometime now I'm happy with the results. If I want more bass, that's what the X2s are for. Eventually, I'll build that inline filter too, just a matter of getting of my lazy butt and ordering the parts.
Even though I won't say that they excel at any thing particular (I still prefer the 400i for ambient, and the X2 are better suited for sludgy, doomy metal), they don't make any genre sound bad either.

 

[Mr Trev]

Hello Mr T, yes it definitely has the usual issues with microphonics (that I remember you mentioning before as one of your concerns with portable tube amps).

I reckon that it might have got worse after a few weeks of use but it is not a deal breaker to me as I have got used to it and it can be dramatically reduced if you are careful with your nails and use a flexible cable.

I reckon that there is something beguiling and soothing about it but it is also pretty fast and dynamic, which is a surprise to me probably partly due to it being a hybrid tube amp?

It is heavy enough and fairly thick but well worth it!

Just thinking. I'm not sure if you're inclined to crack your amp open, but maybe think about putting some o-rings on the tubes. Over on the Vali2 thread someone mentioned using rubber garden hose washers to help with microphonics on the 9 pin tubes. I'd have to imagine the same theory could work for those sub-minis.

 

[Light - Man]

Mr T, thanks for the tip!

At the moment I will probably just leave it as is, as I would be slightly concerned about a reduction in heat dissipation in the tubes as well as a localised hot spot under the o-ring which could reduce the lifespan of the valves.

In this age of over the top health and safety concerns, we would also need to consider the potential fire hazards as well as possible unhealthy fumes that could be caused by over heating the rubber o-rings beyond their design limits.

Got my Onkyo A800 yesterday and enjoying it so far, early days but probably the best I have heard, so absolutely no regrets for buying it.

Thanks to Peter and others on HF for recommending it and spreading the word!

 

[Mr Trev]

Mr T, thanks for the tip!

At the moment I will probably just leave it as is, as I would be slightly concerned about a reduction in heat dissipation of the tubes as well as a localised hot spot under the o-ring that could reduce the lifespan of the valves.

I this age of over the top health and safety concerns, we would also need to consider the potential fire hazards as well as possible unhealthy fumes that could be caused by over heating the rubber o-rings beyond their design limits.

Got my Onkyo A800 yesterday and enjoying it so far, probably one of the best I have heard so far, absolutely no regrets for buying it.

Thanks to Peter and others on HF for recommending it and spreading the word!

But you never know. Those fumes from an overheating o-ring could drastically improve your musical enjoyment
You have no regrets about the A800 now, but wait until Peter finds the next headphone gem!

 

[peter123]

Mr T, thanks for the tip!

At the moment I will probably just leave it as is, as I would be slightly concerned about a reduction in heat dissipation in the tubes as well as a localised hot spot under the o-ring which could reduce the lifespan of the valves.

In this age of over the top health and safety concerns, we would also need to consider the potential fire hazards as well as possible unhealthy fumes that could be caused by over heating the rubber o-rings beyond their design limits.

Got my Onkyo A800 yesterday and enjoying it so far, early days but probably the best I have heard, so absolutely no regrets for buying it.

Thanks to Peter and others on HF for recommending it and spreading the word!

I'm glad you like them so far

 

[peter123]

But you never know. Those fumes from an overheating o-ring could drastically improve your musical enjoyment
You have no regrets about the A800 now, but wait until Peter finds the next headphone gem!

It may take a while, it seems as if I've got caught up in the hamster wheel again so not much time for Head-fi these days I'm afraid

 

[Mr Trev]

It may take a while, it seems as if I've got caught up in the hamster wheel again so not much time for Head-fi these days I'm afraid

Bummer, I was expecting you to jump on those new Brainwavz headphones (not sure about the sound, but they sure look better than the HM5). If nothing else, I'm sure your bank account will be happy to get a breather - your credit card company, not so much.

 

[peter123]

Bummer, I was expecting you to jump on those new Brainwavz headphones (not sure about the sound, but they sure look better than the HM5). If nothing else, I'm sure your bank account will be happy to get a breather - your credit card company, not so much.

You're right about the bank account for sure

According to Brainwavz the HM100 "has evolved a little and is a bit more refined" over the HM5. As I own the HM5 I don't think I'm going to get it.

I did back the Advance GT-R planars but unfortunately the campaign didn't raise enough to make them reality

 

[Light - Man]

It has been a month since the last post here.

Brother Vince @Hisoundfi how are things going with your new baby?

There was a thread started a few years back (2004) called "Headphone Supremus" and ever since - we are still no wiser what it actually means?

If you have ever wondered how some of us have so many posts to our name and what we get up to in our spare time, etc. check it out.

Please keep it to yourselves guys because the last time we took over a thread posting totally random and pointless gifs, guess what happened, it got locked!

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/headphone-supremus.65820/page-15#post-14552787

 

[Light - Man]

 

[Joe Bloggs]

 

[Podster]

It has been a month since the last post here.

Brother Vince @Hisoundfi how are things going with your new baby?

There was a thread started a few years back (2004) called "Headphone Supremus" and ever since - we are still no wiser what it actually means?

If you have ever wondered how some of us have so many posts to our name and what we get up to in our spare time, etc. check it out.

Please keep it to yourselves guys because the last time we took over a thread posting totally random and pointless gifs, guess what happened, it got locked!

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/headphone-supremus.65820/page-15#post-14552787

Indeed John, seems Wokei was the only Head-Fier to ever got free passes on gif's I miss having Eric around here, been real busy taking care of his Mum

 

[Podster]

Been a long time since Pod visited the old lab, been a few modifications to his own lab since then and I don't even have Wokei enticing me with the old "Did you see that" LOL I'm not 100% positive but I may have turned the page on certifiable Of course to some I'm still just taking baby steps but then again I'm stuck in the "More the Merrier" mode Cheers Labsters