[Priidik]

Has anyone done the Anax mod and gone back to stock? I mean I find it weird that a headphone that has been designed for 7 years can be improved by a simple mod.

It has been said her before that this mod is easy to get wrong. I have tried at least five different materials for the driver ring alone. Only one worked favorably. Even then it is a bit of a compromize, less air, better defined image.

 

[icebear]

.... I mean I find it weird that a headphone that has been designed for 7 years can be improved by a simple mod.

"improved" is subject for debate I'd think

.
If people don't like the naked truth of the recording, they start putting up cloth

.

 

[zilch0md]

Has anyone done the Anax mod and gone back to stock? I mean I find it weird that a headphone that has been designed for 7 years can be improved by a simple mod.

Well, I've never did that mod on my pair.  However, I've heard two different pair with that mod.  I will never use that mod on mines.  IMO, it takes away from the soundstage, has less air, also had a veil compared to stock or the pair I have.  I have mine Hardwired with an SAA cable.

While using the ESS99018 DAC and amp of the OPPO HA-1, before getting the Metrum Octave MkII and, later, the Metrum Aurix, I tried the Anax mod, as documented in Tyll Hertsens video, then tried several other incarnations, and for the same reasons stated by prepoman, I went with a "less is more" mod, following Currawong's lead, to end up with nothing more than a thin layer of self-adhesive felt covering only the flat, metal ring surrounding the driver. This brings down the brightness just a little bit, allowing the HD800 to sound stock, otherwise. But the "Currawong mod" is not a solution in and of itself for using the HD800 with "incompatible" DACs or amps.



http://tinyurl.com/qhoscrw

In my opinion, the HD800 "needs" an NOS DAC and a zero-feedback amp. I say this, admittedly, with very little experience with other solutions that could be just as viable for allowing the HD800 to retain its best characteristics, especially those that distinguish it from other headphones, while also eliminating the signal traits that "irritate" the HD800. I'm not interested in a "fix" that reduces brightness or brittle edginess or fatigue with any accompanying reduction of desirable traits like sound stage, imaging, air, and resolution.

Tube DACs, tube buffers, or inexpensive tube amps can "fix" the undesirable traits of the HD800 while degrading resolution or distancing the sound stage (i.e. Schiit Valhalla 2) and/or homogenizing the timbre of instruments and/or coloring the frequency response (i.e. Schitt Vali). I believe that only the higher quality tube amps (i.e. Cavalli, DNA, Eddie Current, and maybe a well-appointd Woo WA6SE) can retain a resolution, transparency and neutrality worthy of the HD800. A zero- or at least low-feedback solid state amp, like the Metrum Aurix or even the amazingly affordable, Class A, truly single-ended and thus, inherently low-feedback, NuForce HA-200, in combination with an NOS DAC that retains detail without treble rolloff (i.e. Octave MkII), with none of the digititis, sterility, or glare of an ESS9018 DAC, is for me, a less expensive sure thing than going with the best tube amps - with only the minimalist Currawong mod preserving the uniqueness of the HD800.

Mike

 

[deuter]

I don't have problem with the treble spikes etc.

And one does not need a tube dac or anything specific.

 

[gevorg]

Don't be afraid of quality EQ to tame down HD800 highs, like FabFilter Pro-Q.

 

[knowhatimean]

Has anyone done the Anax mod and gone back to stock? I mean I find it weird that a headphone that has been designed for 7 years can be improved by a simple mod.

You guys need to give these type of statements a rest !
 
How these headphones perform is directly to the type of music you listen to , how resolved the music is or needs to be & how
resolving all the equipment you're using with these headphones is ! It's all relative to how "perfect" you & other people seem to think these headphones are !
 
A simple mod works , simply works because Sennheiser 'didn't' voice these headphones to work as great for ALL types of recorded
music. A large majority of music does sound great.....but.....not....all (People put the Anax & other mods in , because the HD 800
"can" work better if you 'get rid of some of the "colorations" Sennheiser "specifically" designed into them ! If you don't hear these
colorations in what you listen to it's pretty obvious you don't "have to" mod them; They're not being put in for "fashion reasons" at least not by anyone who is capable of thought !)
 
If you have no desire to change how the 800s sound just enjoy them ! (Do ya think ya just might be insulting some people who
do think the mods improved things for them...think about it a second !)
 
On a calmer note I can attest to Jonjen's suggestions several postings back as having very beneficial results !
 
I know I will be going into JRMC & doing this to my entire music library ! this is just a really nice enhancement to the music

 

[skeptic]

  Well, I've been listening to the HD800 on a Crack+SB (Tung-Sol 5998 & Tungsram E80CC) for the past few days, but I find the sound quite thin, without much weight, and missing bass impact. Did you guys experience the same thing with this combo?

 
Have you had a chance to try different tube combos Kyno?  They really will change the sound quite a bit.  To my ears, hd650's are great with a 5998 and most decent 12au7s, but when I was still running my hd800's with my crack, I found I generally preferred, in terms of the power tube, standard, higher impedance 6080's and 6as7g's to my various lower impedance, higher gain 5998's, 7236's and 7802.  You sacrifice a little deep bass tightness for a little added fullness in midbass.  GEC 6as7g is quite nice if you happen to have one, but not worth breaking the bank for in my opinion.  I have a couple of $5 JAN chatham 6080's that I probably ran just as often as my GEC.  Sampling and selecting the right 12au7 is also significant.  FWIW, I like Tung Sol's (which are cheap) and Amperex with hd800's, but do not like the mullard or clear tops I have on hand quite as well.  Never did the e80cc mod so I can't comment on Tungsram.   
 

Has anyone done the Anax mod and gone back to stock? I mean I find it weird that a headphone that has been designed for 7 years can be improved by a simple mod.

 
Sure.  Lots of people report this in the mod thread, and it depends on your amp and source as well.  I generally preferred my anax mod in place when pairing my hd800's with my crack, but found it wasn't necessary, and was more of a sonic detriment than a benefit, when I completed my mainline build (which has more refined trebles, cleaner transients and presumably, lower high order distortion.) 

 

[johnjen]

Has anyone done the Anax mod and gone back to stock? I mean I find it weird that a headphone that has been designed for 7 years can be improved by a simple mod.

As I wrote elsewhere, what I noticed with the entire series of anax inspired and recommended mods was a significant reduction in what I call Listener Fatigue Factor (LFF). This allowed 2 things to happen at the same time.
#1 I could crank up the volume (increase the low level details) without discomfort over the long term.
#2 This meant the bass along with all inner details rose together.
 
This was a decidely good thing!
 
And I tried 3 different types of anax mods with v.2 being the last (and best of them IMO)
 
Each had its strengths and weaknesses but they all helped improve the LFF, which was, at least for me, the real gain.
 
JJ

 

[Sorrodje]

 

 

 
 
Colorware Job on my HD800. All matte jet black except screens in Matte Steel grey.

 

[whirlwind]

^^  SEXY ^^
 
Congrats  

 

[Blackmore]

Beautiful, congrats Sorrodje!
 
What cable are you using?

 

[lextek]

Nice!

 

[Sorrodje]

Thks mate. Colorware really does a nice job
 
@Blackmore : I'm using this cable : http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Sennheiser-HD800-Headphone-Cable-Balanced-or-Furutech-1-4-/171704394976 . Cheap, extremely well built and nice look & feel. One of my best purchase.

 

[preproman]

 
 

 

 
 
Colorware Job on my HD800. All matte jet black except screens in Matte Steel grey.

 
Really nice camera work....

 

[reddog]

Really nice camera work....

+1 What he said.