[Thenewguy007]

What an exciting evening!

I spent about two hours listening to my HD800S and two new amps: the Eddie Current Aficionado and the Apex Pinnacle. Wow!

Impressions?

 

[Thenewguy007]

I'll probably be able to afford the Sennheiser HDVA 600 by the end of next week if all goes according to plan. I hope that they're still available for that price on Amazon by next Friday or Saturday.

There are a few comparisons articles/threads with that amp.

This is a big shootout that was done
http://www.headphoneer.com/hd800-amplifier-review/

There was another thread that had a nice round up of amps & how they paired with the HD800.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mat...rder-than-it-should-be-very-long-post.729976/

 

[Justin_Time]

Impressions?

Too early for me to pick and choose. I will have more to say in a few months.

For now, all I can say is that the HD800S produced the clearest, purest sound with the Pinnacle that I ever heard. With the Aficionado, there is a tad more energy. But I can live happily with either amp.

I need to roll the tubes to find out what these amps are truly capable of.

 

[VocaloidDude]

I’m confused. I thought you didn’t think it was worth it to get anything other then a $80 amp for the HD800?

Well, I changed between my two amplifiers and I realized how much of a difference there is between just the Magni 2 and the Vali. Usually I don't really notice a difference, but that was was pretty obvious. I also notice that these headphones do feel like they need to be powered by a more powerful amplifier, which is what the Magni 3 would do, but I have been wanting to try a really expensive amplifier for my headphones a lot. I do feel like these headphones sound a little under powered on these two amplifiers, even though even with these amplifiers the imaging is much better than the HD650. The HD650 has a fuller sound compared to the HD800 on these headphones, the HD800 sounds thin, and I suspect it's because of the amps I'm using not having a lot of wattage at 300ohms.

 

[VocaloidDude]

Oh my god Schiit shipped my Magni 3. I thought it would be on 3 week back order

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

But they (should) have a nice return policy?

Oh my god Schiit shipped my Magni 3. I thought it would be on 3 week back order

 

[VocaloidDude]

But they (should) have a nice return policy?

I still want it, this is a good thing. It's only 100 dollars. It will make for a nice backup amp.

 

[Evshrug]

This album in flac on the HD800

(The youtube video is obviously not in flac, but this is just an example of what I'm listening to).

Wow, yeah that is a choice recording! Love it when a composition really lets the violins flutter and dance about, do you get those pleasant shivers at the nape of your neck too?

I'll probably be able to afford the Sennheiser HDVA 600 by the end of next week if all goes according to plan. I hope that they're still available for that price on Amazon by next Friday or Saturday.

Amazon Warehouse deals? Well, if you miss the deal, another probably will come along at some point.
I’m usually a Middle of the Road guy... I’ve got a $19k car (VW Golf hatchback), a townhouse just big enough for two people to live and work from home, a PS4 instead of updating my gaming PC (which had an i5 CPU and $200 graphics card), and at one point I thought reeeeally hard before buying a $200 Headphone (to use with my $50 amp that I only bought so I could control the volume from my Xbox 360’s RCA outputs... which, by the way, volume control is the purpose of a pre-amp, usually for speakers). BUT, After enjoying music for a long time and joining head-fi in 2009, I finally got an HD 800 two years ago and an HDV 820 last year, and I have a bunch of different “out of your head” surround DSPs including a Smyth Realizer A16 on the way from Kickstarter (early bird), and a bunch of other expensive accessories. At this point, I’ve put more relative money and value in audio than any other hobby, it’s my one splurge and pursuit of new heights. All because of experience gained along the way.

I can understand you thinking there’s not much point in amps (or DACs) beyond Schiit’s entry-level gear. If it’s loud enough, and I still hear the same notes in the music, who cares right? Well, there hasn’t been 80+ years of development and today’s huge variety of options at all different prices and sizes for no reason! It’s actually really difficult to describe what gets better with better gear to someone who hasn’t experienced it for themself. Most people are most sensitive to pitch and midrange volume, and if they’re a bit experienced they can hear the differences from different frequency response graphs. Volume is only part of it... and you have already experienced some of the difference yourself just by picking up the HD 800 compared to what you had before. Details are more crisp, notes are more separated from each other, percussions and dynamic “blasts” have more impact... better amping (and digital conversion) also contribute to those factors, as well as the sense of depth and layering, bass that is tighter and more detailed, treble that is more controlled and less brittle, more dynamic difference between peak loudness and rests, etc. We can make all the analogies to drinking soda without the fizz that we want, and talk about how some gear helps the sound be “magical” and “lively” while others sound “dull” and “lifeless,” but the fact is, it’s difficult to describe the changes that aren’t attributed to “more bass” or “recessed mids.”

Others, like @PinkyPowers , @MTMECraig , and @bearFNF might be better at explaining this, either because of practice or breadth of experience. It’s almost like they’re professionals, or something.

lol. As an illustrator, all I can see is her butt is in the wrong place.

she does look like a rubber lady doesn't she. LOL My, what long arms you have...

It’s a pretty famous painting, hailed for its treatment of lighting and 3D treatment of form back in it’s day, but I also can’t help but notice that she has way too many bones in her spine, a gravity defying boob growing out from her armpit, etc etc

Yes, I agree. The Dekoni earpads look great on the HD800 and HD800S.

And BTW, you are not crazy. That is the artifact of headphone sound. The center image appears to come out of your forehead, or your brain if you prefer.

If you have binaural recording or DSP manipulation of the sound, then you can have it image closer to what you would hear from a pair of speakers.

I like the sound coming from my brain: it is more intimate than live music or speakers.

I’m a huge fan of binaural recordings and carefully applied DSP effects! Ok, I know you just said you prefer the intimacy of the brain-stage, and sometimes I like that presentation and sometimes with bands being recorded as separate tracks with each instrument performed directly in front of a microphone and then mixed up later on an acoustic engineer’s board the head stage makes the most sense, but more and more I’m preferring the more human sound of binaural and binaural-like sound that externalizes the soundstage.

Also, funny you should mention @DekoniAudio pads; just yesterday, I hit the motherlode!

 

[Evshrug]

I still want it, this is a good thing. It's only 100 dollars. It will make for a nice backup amp.

Maybe make for a nice bedside/office rig!

 

[PinkyPowers]

I can understand you thinking there’s not much point in amps (or DACs) beyond Schiit’s entry-level gear. If it’s loud enough, and I still hear the same notes in the music, who cares right? Well, there hasn’t been 80+ years of development and today’s huge variety of options at all different prices and sizes for no reason! It’s actually really difficult to describe what gets better with better gear to someone who hasn’t experienced it for themself. Most people are most sensitive to pitch and midrange volume, and if they’re a bit experienced they can hear the differences from different frequency response graphs. Volume is only part of it... and you have already experienced some of the difference yourself just by picking up the HD 800 compared to what you had before. Details are more crisp, notes are more separated from each other, percussions and dynamic “blasts” have more impact... better amping (and digital conversion) also contribute to those factors, as well as the sense of depth and layering, bass that is tighter and more detailed, treble that is more controlled and less brittle, more dynamic difference between peak loudness and rests, etc. We can make all the analogies to drinking soda without the fizz that we want, and talk about how some gear helps the sound be “magical” and “lively” while others sound “dull” and “lifeless,” but the fact is, it’s difficult to describe the changes that aren’t attributed to “more bass” or “recessed mids.”

Others, like @PinkyPowers , @MTMECraig , and @bearFNF might be better at explaining this, either because of practice or breadth of experience. It’s almost like they’re professionals, or something.

Yeah, it's difficult to explain why higher-end source gear makes as much of a difference as it does. But when you hear an amazing headphone, like the HD800, driven by a better amp, and fed by a robust DAC, you realize what you've been missing.

My first desktop DAC/Amp was the Maverick Audio TubeMagic D1 Plus. A fine choice to start off with. A real fine choice. But my NFB-28 delivers a significantly fuller, richer, and smoother sound. Better dynamics and much better depth. My LCD-2 opened up in a big way.

 

[Underthebed]

What is the consensus on the Deakoni Pads? I'm interested in grabbing a set for my HD800 but i'm curious how they affect the sound signature?

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

I can understand you thinking there’s not much point in amps (or DACs) beyond Schiit’s entry-level gear. If it’s loud enough, and I still hear the same notes in the music, who cares right?

This sums up my experiences with the HD800 nicely. I was thinking to myself “Well this is the iFi retro, if it can’t make the HD800 sounds amazing, what can? Is the HD800 ‘bad’?” The Hugo kinda reinforces that impression. I stuck with cheap amps for so long until I found out that the HD800 is actually amazing. It just need an amp with better synergy

 

[480126]

What is the consensus on the Deakoni Pads? I'm interested in grabbing a set for my HD800 but i'm curious how they affect the sound signature?

I got dekoni fenestrated Pads. I cut the dust cover from dekoni and use the original HD800s dust cover. SQ is equal. I think that I hear a Little bit more Details and the bass is a Little bit tighter! But: Comfort is much better and the dekoni pads Looks sexy! For me it was a good choice!

 

[johnjen]

What is the consensus on the Deakoni Pads? I'm interested in grabbing a set for my HD800 but i'm curious how they affect the sound signature?

There are some who like what the dekoni pads do, while others find they come up a bit short from the stock pads.

In my case I've only tried the fenestrated sheepskin version and found it wanting.

JJ

 

[omniweltall]

There are some who like what the dekoni pads do, while others find they come up a bit short from the stock pads.

In my case I've only tried the fenestrated sheepskin version and found it wanting.

JJ

Wanting in what sort of way, JJ?