[protoss]

I am listening to the RH-5 with the HD800 and also the Utopia. At first I liked the HD800 more with the amp (better synergy) then the Utopia. I felt like the Utopia got too warm sounding. Then I took out the Mojo for the DAC section and put the Parasound Zdac v.2 in its place. Big difference it made and it closed the gap. The space that you get with the HD800 with this amp is excellent. The music feels like it has room to breathe and is real airy. I think thats the magic between this amp and the HD800. Listening to "Mercy" by Lorn on this combo is slamming...

Thanks for getting me to revisit this combo!

Oh btw, what is your gain setting that you like the most for the HD800?

YES!! Another Parasound ZDAC.v2 Warrior! I secretly put it #1 everywhere....

 

[Zoom25]

I would love to know some parametric settings that people are using with Roon. Thanks!

 

[mickerru]

Is it ok to drive the hd800 with parasound zdac v2 alone or do you still need an amp? How is it compared to the valhalla 2. Thinking of driving my hd800 with this.

I am listening to the RH-5 with the HD800 and also the Utopia. At first I liked the HD800 more with the amp (better synergy) then the Utopia. I felt like the Utopia got too warm sounding. Then I took out the Mojo for the DAC section and put the Parasound Zdac v.2 in its place. Big difference it made and it closed the gap. The space that you get with the HD800 with this amp is excellent. The music feels like it has room to breathe and is real airy. I think thats the magic between this amp and the HD800. Listening to "Mercy" by Lorn on this combo is slamming...

Thanks for getting me to revisit this combo!

Oh btw, what is your gain setting that you like the most for the HD800?

 

[MattTCG]

It's been a while since I've posted in this thread. Just to recap my personal desktop setup:

Mimby>jitterbug>LH Labs usb>Kimber Hero RCA>ampsandsound Kenzie w/stock tubes (the amp is my new edition just a few weeks ago). I'm in process of writing a review for the Kenzie. I came very close to purchasing the amp at the Atlanta meet over a year ago but couldn't quite raise the cash at the time. Then I got another chance to grab the Kenzie for a good price recently and didn't hesitate this time.

The Kezie is now my personal favorite amp for the hd800. I've owned, auditioned and reviewed many amps over the past several years but none have taken me to the same level of enjoyment with the hd800 as the Kenzie. My last two tube amps were the Woo wa2 and Torpedo iii. IMO the Kenzie easily bests them both (and I was a fan of both wa2 and tiii). Even with some expensive NOS tubes the wa2 gave up a bit too much resolution and came across as somewhat overly tubey at times. The tiii is the amp that I sold to purchase the Kenzie. I was hesitant to give it up as the tiii is a very good headamp and just doesn't do much wrong, especially when it comes to dynamic driver headphones. Ultimately though, it was a good decision to part with the tiii as the Kenzie improves on the tiii across the board.

Why is the Kenzie so good? Of course it will often come down to synergy and preferences. For me, the Kenzie is a tube amp that doesn't come across as overly syrupy but still captures the better qualities of tube amps. Great bass extension with just a touch of bloom, treble is crisp with good clarity with no harsh edge and then there's the mids. They are liquid and intoxicating, some of the best I've heard on any setup at any price. I believe that some of the Kenzie magic comes from the 600 ohm tap. It just seems to lite up the hd800 in a very good way, leading to the some of the best dynamics I've heard from the 800.

It's still a little early in the process but I'm pretty sure that I've found the amp that I've been looking to settle down with for the long haul. More to come...

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I'm amid a solid-state kick for the moment. LISST, with multibit sound, is quite sufficient to make HD800 an exceptionally detailed, musical listening experience. Right now I have MJ2 around 10:30 or 11 and it's plenty loud (low gain, obviously). Panache, of course, is for K1000 and HE-6, though for the first time today I heard buzz with HE-6. As an integrated amp, it could be quieter.

 

[kylev]

My HD800 is already my go to headphone for EDM .

Same here man .. its really nice.. I reached out to my HD800 more than my LCD-X nowadays.

Planning to share my impressions on HD800 SDR with some of my aftermarket cables.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

It's always the right time for a writeup!

 

[ahmadfaizadnan]

Same here man .. its really nice.. I reached out to my HD800 more than my LCD-X nowadays.

Planning to share my impressions on HD800 SDR with some of my aftermarket cables.

Me too. HD800 (SDR mod) works surprising well with EDM

 

[FLTWS]

[QUOTE="bosiemoncrieff, "Right now I have MJ2 around 10:30 or 11 and it's plenty loud (low gain, obviously)." [/QUOTE]

Same approximate volume settings here with MJ2 tubed, Jotunheim, or Ragnarok, on low gain as well. All 3 have a dead quiet background.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

I am listening to the HD800 on the RH-5 to Neil Young's "Live at Massey Hall 1971" and it's simply excellent. I put the Utopias on to hear what I liked more, but with this album I am getting more enjoyment with the HD800's. I don't know if the album benefits from more width or what, but Its perfect to my ears.

 

[FLTWS]

I am listening to the HD800 on the RH-5 to Neil Young's "Live at Massey Hall 1971" and it's simply excellent. I put the Utopias on to hear what I liked more, but with this album I am getting more enjoyment with the HD800's. I don't know if the album benefits from more width or what, but Its perfect to my ears.

I've got an RH-5 on order, looking forward to putting it thru it's paces versus my Schiit stuff.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

I've got an RH-5 on order, looking forward to putting it thru it's paces versus my Schiit stuff.

Tell us what you think when you get some head time with it. Like Yoda would say, the Synergy is strong with this one...

 

[FLTWS]

Tell us what you think when you get some head time with it. Like Yoda would say, the Synergy is strong with this one...

Will do.

 

[Shetzu]

Same here man .. its really nice.. I reached out to my HD800 more than my LCD-X nowadays.

Planning to share my impressions on HD800 SDR with some of my aftermarket cables.

I was planning to buy the LCD 2 as a compliment to my HD800. Do you think it is worthwhile.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Only for <$400