[ardilla]

That's a huge list of amps you tested & compared. Was it done cumulatively or did you have all that gear at the same time?

Had them at the same time with just a few exceptions. All the comparisons are of direct, of course .)

 

[RCBinTN]

I recently posted a review where I compare a range of amplifiers with the HD800:

THE BEST AMP FOR SENNHEISER HD800?
A BIG AMPLIFIER COMPARISON REVIEW

Hope someone finds it useful - and am curious if others share my observations =)

Wow, that was a great ride through potential amps for the HD800. Seems like a lot of (fun) work.

I owned the Asgard2, it didn't work with the HD800 at all. Too bright, agree w/ your comments.
I owned the HDVA600, didn't care for it - seemed thin (a surprise, as it's made to drive the HD800).
I also owned the Mjolnir1 and didn't care for it w/ the HD800 either - powerful enough but too bright.
I've heard better comments about the Mjolnir2, but haven't personally listened to it.

I never heard the V281 personally, but know folks who love it. There are many good reviews of that amp out there.
I almost bought the Auralic Taurus mkII then changed my mind.

Decided to go with the Bryston BHA-1 instead...an amp that I still own and love.
I wanted dual balanced outputs. The BHA-1 is one of the few amps that offers it.
Plus - I'm a SS amp person who knows nothing about tubes...and a 20-year warranty is nice.

I also noticed a significant SQ improvement to the HD800 when I upgraded my Schiit Gungnir DAC to their multi-bit technology.
Especially with well-recorded and/or mastered music.
The GMB + BHA-1 is a fine upstream rig for the HD800, IMO.

I have two other data points, heard at a Nashville meet a couple years ago.
Dan Price (of Mr. Speakers) was there with his personal rigs.
Yggy + Ragnarok - a punchy and sublime sound. Plenty of power to make the HD800 feel smooth. Not overly bright.
Yggy + WA5 - the best I've ever heard, better than the Rag. The HP's just disappeared. I would go this way, if I had the space and $$ for the WA5.
All above comments are based on my own HD800 that are not modded in any way.

Thanks for the fine review, @ardilla.

Cheers,
RCB

 

[thecrow]

I recently posted a review where I compare a range of amplifiers with the HD800:

THE BEST AMP FOR SENNHEISER HD800?
A BIG AMPLIFIER COMPARISON REVIEW

Hope someone finds it useful - and am curious if others share my observations =)

Thats a great write up thats answers a lot of questions people might have. Its a great selection of amps at a good price point to have this conversation

I have the wa2 and our preferences are pretty much in line with each other. I too enjoy the silky smooth nature of it, including the impact it has with the lcd2 where some people (like myself) enjoy the combo and some don't

 

[PinkyPowers]

I recently posted a review where I compare a range of amplifiers with the HD800:

THE BEST AMP FOR SENNHEISER HD800?
A BIG AMPLIFIER COMPARISON REVIEW

Hope someone finds it useful - and am curious if others share my observations =)

Yikes! That is one impressive work! Well done!

 

[Hansotek]

Speaking of amps for the HD800, I just got done reviewing the Rogue RH-5, and I thought it sounded absolutely wonderful with the HD800. Super spacious and clean, with just a nice touch of tubey forgiveness to tame the top end without over-editorializing the sound. For those who don't know, Rogue Audio is a well-known name in the two-channel world, but this is the first dip into the headphone realm for them.

Anyway, I made a note to share the review on this thread once it posted, so here's a link:
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazi...5_Headphone_Amplifier_Preamplifier_Review.htm

Enjoy!

 

[whirlwind]

Speaking of amps for the HD800, I just got done reviewing the Rogue RH-5, and I thought it sounded absolutely wonderful with the HD800. Super spacious and clean, with just a nice touch of tubey forgiveness to tame the top end without over-editorializing the sound. For those who don't know, Rogue Audio is a well-known name in the two-channel world, but this is the first dip into the headphone realm for them.

Anyway, I made a note to share the review on this thread once it posted, so here's a link:
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazi...5_Headphone_Amplifier_Preamplifier_Review.htm

Enjoy!

Hansotek...I have a couple of questions for you.

Do you still own the OTL amp built by Glenn.
If so have you heard it with the HD800 and a pair of 5998 power tubes and some nice driver tubes

I see you have the ZMF Ori & Atticus.......Is the bass on the Atticus as much fun as the Ori and does it have as much weight to the bass as the Ori

Thanks for any info.

 

[ardilla]

Wow, that was a great ride through potential amps for the HD800. Seems like a lot of (fun) work.

I owned the Asgard2, it didn't work with the HD800 at all. Too bright, agree w/ your comments.
I owned the HDVA600, didn't care for it - seemed thin (a surprise, as it's made to drive the HD800).
I also owned the Mjolnir1 and didn't care for it w/ the HD800 either - powerful enough but too bright.
I've heard better comments about the Mjolnir2, but haven't personally listened to it.

I never heard the V281 personally, but know folks who love it. There are many good reviews of that amp out there.
I almost bought the Auralic Taurus mkII then changed my mind.

Decided to go with the Bryston BHA-1 instead...an amp that I still own and love.
I wanted dual balanced outputs. The BHA-1 is one of the few amps that offers it.
Plus - I'm a SS amp person who knows nothing about tubes...and a 20-year warranty is nice.

I also noticed a significant SQ improvement to the HD800 when I upgraded my Schiit Gungnir DAC to their multi-bit technology.
Especially with well-recorded and/or mastered music.
The GMB + BHA-1 is a fine upstream rig for the HD800, IMO.

I have two other data points, heard at a Nashville meet a couple years ago.
Dan Price (of Mr. Speakers) was there with his personal rigs.
Yggy + Ragnarok - a punchy and sublime sound. Plenty of power to make the HD800 feel smooth. Not overly bright.
Yggy + WA5 - the best I've ever heard, better than the Rag. The HP's just disappeared. I would go this way, if I had the space and $$ for the WA5.
All above comments are based on my own HD800 that are not modded in any way.

Thanks for the fine review, @ardilla.


Cheers,
RCB

Totally agree - the Asgard2 was good for the money - until my ears started hurting.. That might be subjective, people are different. ¨

I have heard the Bryston many times - but never with the HD800. I always liked it and imagine it would be a great match - I'll take that as a reminder - I'll try to get a BHA1-review up in the not too distant future. Any product wihth a 20 year warranty deserves a review

WA5 - Ahhh. Someday..

Thats a great write up thats answers a lot of questions people might have. Its a great selection of amps at a good price point to have this conversation

I have the wa2 and our preferences are pretty much in line with each other. I too enjoy the silky smooth nature of it, including the impact it has with the lcd2 where some people (like myself) enjoy the combo and some don't

Wa2 ftw! If you like the LCD-2 (or 3) on the WA2, you are really into dark and silky.. I too can appreciate that combo sometimes

Yikes! That is one impressive work! Well done!

Thanks - Yup - too much work! I have sworn to never do that again..

 

[thecrow]

Wa2 ftw! If you like the LCD-2 (or 3) on the WA2, you are really into dark and silky.. I too can appreciate that combo sometimes

my system was built around my main headphones of the hd800 - hence the wa2 and a lot of tube exploration

after to-ing and fro-ing re getting a complementing (but different) headphone but not wanting to fork out a lot for a new or second amp the lcd2 delivered nicely - i discovered the combo when initially looking at the zmf atticus and eikon (being high impedance) but the lcd2 just had a better balance for me and managed to work with the lcd2 (2016 version) in a way that brought out lush mids and managed to fall short in the bottom end bloating as sometimes happened on the wa2 with low/mid impedance headphones

i almost went to seriously buy an amp like the master 9 for the lcd2 but bought AND SOLD the lehmann bcl and was happy enough to stop with my wa2 and pour money into other audio options (ie cables and portable gear)

in a nutshell the lcd2 (for me) works with the wa2 as a SECONDARY and complementing headphone to the hd800

 

[ardilla]

my system was built around my main headphones of the hd800 - hence the wa2 and a lot of tube exploration

after to-ing and fro-ing re getting a complementing (but different) headphone but not wanting to fork out a lot for a new or second amp the lcd2 delivered nicely - i discovered the combo when initially looking at the zmf atticus and eikon (being high impedance) but the lcd2 just had a better balance for me and managed to work with the lcd2 (2016 version) in a way that brought out lush mids and managed to fall short in the bottom end bloating as sometimes happened on the wa2 with low/mid impedance headphones

i almost went to seriously buy an amp like the master 9 for the lcd2 but bought AND SOLD the lehmann bcl and was happy enough to stop with my wa2 and pour money into other audio options (ie cables and portable gear)

in a nutshell the lcd2 (for me) works with the wa2 as a SECONDARY and complementing headphone to the hd800

Totally get that way of prioritizing. Only thing that puzzles me is that you don't have a HD650 too! It is soooo yummy with the wa2. They are meant to be together.

 

[thecrow]

Totally get that way of prioritizing. Only thing that puzzles me is that you don't have a HD650 too! It is soooo yummy with the wa2. They are meant to be together.

I only demoed that once with my amp at a meet and thought that the hd650 woukd never get used v my hd800. In fact i enjoyed the he500 better at that meet - again not a perfect combo or most natural/neutral sound but the mids were delicious there too

Perhaps i might demo the hd650 again

I do find the hd800 with various tube options (holland, siemens, tele, amperex usa with the gec 6as7g) give so many great tweaking options to play with

 

[Hansotek]

Hansotek...I have a couple of questions for you.

Do you still own the OTL amp built by Glenn.
If so have you heard it with the HD800 and a pair of 5998 power tubes and some nice driver tubes

I see you have the ZMF Ori & Atticus.......Is the bass on the Atticus as much fun as the Ori and does it have as much weight to the bass as the Ori

Thanks for any info.

I do still have the Glenn OTL. I am a huge fan of that amp. I usually listen to the HD800 a little more on the Milo, but it is great on the Glenn too. Most of my personal listening (non-review, input or production listening) of late has been with the Atticus and the Glenn OTL. Don't expect neutrality, but as far as musicality goes, it is tough to beat, IMO. Tubes (especially OTLs, in my experience) give Atticus a really sweet midrange bloom that makes it super sweet and musical.

To answer your other question Atticus has more midbass than Ori but not as much subbass extension. Atticus definitely has more bass weight than Ori. I also pair it with the DanaCable Lazuli ($549 (which I know isn't for everybody)), which is a super meaty and thick sounding cable, and it makes Atticus the thickest, meatiest headphone I have heard. Like a significantly better version of the pre-fazor LCD-2, in some ways (better stage and imaging, but less bass extension). Great 1, 2 punch with my HD800 because they are such different approaches.

 

[CoLdAsSauLt]

Marvelous job! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

Disclaimer: I own a Taurus Mk2 myself.

Allow me however to nitpick a bit - without taking away from the well deserved credit for this undertaking.

I can't help but wonder if a better source would have allowed you to dig deeper in the differences of the amps. It's my impression - maybe a completely false one - that your main focus was the tonality, vocal character, soundstaging, imaging, separation, and maybe just a bit to a lesser extent, dynamics. I'm not sure though that the V800 is the last word in dynamics, detail retrieval, texture and resolution. Maybe you wrote less about texture, microdynamics and resolution because the V800 didn't feed the amps the most subtle nuances. I have never had the privilege of hearing any Violectric gear myself, but a lot of reviews tend not to regard the V800 as just good, not in the premier leage of (humanly priced) DACs, whereas most of the amps you reviewed are fairly established and at the top of their class.
I read reviews saying the V281 doesn't have the best resolution and microdynamis. Maybe you didn't really go deeper into those properties because in lack of much nuance and differences, your attention simply wasn't drawn to those...

Could be I'm just seeing things and my blabber is nothing but a self fulfilling prophecy based on a shitload of hearsay I just can't be sure now whether the source wasn't holding back the best among those amplifiers for said technical competences.

Another thing I can't help: I would have loved to see some other big cannons in your comparison - but that will always be the case I guess See this as a big compliment - your impressions are simply very helpful and a fun read. I would e.g. be very interested in Taurus vs Ragnarok, Taurus vs something Cavalli, ... (maybe Headamp GS-X, Moon 430HA, thinking Innerfidelity's big sound-ish I guess). You wouldn't have any impressions already by coincidence ardilla?

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I wonder how the wa22 stacks up against the wa5le v2

 

[whirlwind]

I do still have the Glenn OTL. I am a huge fan of that amp. I usually listen to the HD800 a little more on the Milo, but it is great on the Glenn too. Most of my personal listening (non-review, input or production listening) of late has been with the Atticus and the Glenn OTL. Don't expect neutrality, but as far as musicality goes, it is tough to beat, IMO. Tubes (especially OTLs, in my experience) give Atticus a really sweet midrange bloom that makes it super sweet and musical.

To answer your other question Atticus has more midbass than Ori but not as much subbass extension. Atticus definitely has more bass weight than Ori. I also pair it with the DanaCable Lazuli ($549 (which I know isn't for everybody)), which is a super meaty and thick sounding cable, and it makes Atticus the thickest, meatiest headphone I have heard. Like a significantly better version of the pre-fazor LCD-2, in some ways (better stage and imaging, but less bass extension). Great 1, 2 punch with my HD800 because they are such different approaches.

Sounds like what I am looking for...thanks for the response.

My son is listening to my HD800 and the Glenn OTL this morning.

When he leaves this evening, maybe I will go in an listen to HD800 with the OTL

 

[ardilla]

Marvelous job! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

Disclaimer: I own a Taurus Mk2 myself.

Allow me however to nitpick a bit - without taking away from the well deserved credit for this undertaking.

I can't help but wonder if a better source would have allowed you to dig deeper in the differences of the amps. It's my impression - maybe a completely false one - that your main focus was the tonality, vocal character, soundstaging, imaging, separation, and maybe just a bit to a lesser extent, dynamics. I'm not sure though that the V800 is the last word in dynamics, detail retrieval, texture and resolution. Maybe you wrote less about texture, microdynamics and resolution because the V800 didn't feed the amps the most subtle nuances. I have never had the privilege of hearing any Violectric gear myself, but a lot of reviews tend not to regard the V800 as just good, not in the premier leage of (humanly priced) DACs, whereas most of the amps you reviewed are fairly established and at the top of their class.
I read reviews saying the V281 doesn't have the best resolution and microdynamis. Maybe you didn't really go deeper into those properties because in lack of much nuance and differences, your attention simply wasn't drawn to those...

Could be I'm just seeing things and my blabber is nothing but a self fulfilling prophecy based on a ****load of hearsay I just can't be sure now whether the source wasn't holding back the best among those amplifiers for said technical competences.

Another thing I can't help: I would have loved to see some other big cannons in your comparison - but that will always be the case I guess See this as a big compliment - your impressions are simply very helpful and a fun read. I would e.g. be very interested in Taurus vs Ragnarok, Taurus vs something Cavalli, ... (maybe Headamp GS-X, Moon 430HA, thinking Innerfidelity's big sound-ish I guess). You wouldn't have any impressions already by coincidence ardilla?

Thanks for your praise and thoughts, and you certainly have a point - the source will play a role. I actually used three DACs, the V800, the Hegel HD25 and the Audio-gd Master 7 - which is clearly the better of the three. The V800 is good, but not marvelous.The reason I ended up using the V800 the most was because it is good enough, and the ability to easily adjust volume made comparison easier, because during the process of comparing it is essential to make sure you are comparing quality and not volume. I see now that I have neglected to specify what sources I used where in full extent in the review and will update that information soon, thanks for pointing that out But I can assure you that when comparing the top amps - like HP4 and V281 - I made sure to use the Master 7 (at least some of the time). I generally tried to use multiple sources with the amps too - to get a general feeling - but all of my listening session are of course not logged.

You write:
"It's my impression - maybe a completely false one - that your main focus was the tonality, vocal character, soundstaging, imaging, separation, and maybe just a bit to a lesser extent, dynamics….. Maybe you wrote less about texture, microdynamics and resolution because the V800 didn't feed the amps the most subtle nuances. "

My wording maybe makes it seem that way, but that was not my intention, nor did I actively try to avoid describing dynamics or other traits by purpose. The answer lies not as much in the shortcomings of the DAC, as in my limited "working vocabulary" for this review. I kept to the same words to keep it simpler for myself, I guess. Keep in mind that comparing this many amps in a consistent way is not easy. I wish I could have been more elaborate, but to be honest, it just became too much and too complicated and took too much time. This review was tedious work..

But even if I didn't write equally much about those traits you mention, doesn't mean I didn't listen for them. I did, I always do (as we all do, I would believe ,). But I tried to write shortly about the differences. Another point is that if I didn't comment on it, it wasn't something that I regarded a significant difference. If both amps have great texture, micro dynamics and resolution, I didn't always write "….. both amps have great texture, micro dynamics and resolution.." if you get my point Further, many of those traits are overlapping. For instance, the term "detail" will in a broad way cover both micro-dynamics, texture and resolution.

With regards to your request for more high end amps, I will not do a full round of comparisons again - but will add comments to the review whenever I review a relevant amp. I hope to review the big Schiit and the 430HA sometime soon - and since I own the Taurus, it will be compared ,)