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Mambosenior
500+ Head-Fier
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Sorry again!
The (new) HD800 Impressions Thread
- Thread starter ValentinHogea
- Start date
Sure you will get sound with the HD800s out of anything. Whether one is expecting more than that is anyone's option. I've not found any inexpensive gear that does them justice. I agree with one of the above posters that 1k is about where the real joy starts.
preproman
Headphoneus Supremus
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Amp wise - I'm at $2.5K for them to sound the best I've heard thus far. I still think I can get more goodness out of them. Next year, looking at a "GOOD" tube amp.. DNA Stratus, EC 2A3, EC BA, or something...
MelvinV
100+ Head-Fier
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You just need an amp with no distortion, a lot of voltage swing and high voltage and a high current. You don't need balanced XLR custom hand-crafted in Chinese sweatshops ultra long crystal vaporized silver plated solid gold conductions with ultra high purity copper core cables or ultra exclusive hand-crafted wooden outer shell made from the last tropical tree type X on the planet which is only found in the secret oasis' hidden in ocean volcanoes.
Dubstep Girl
Headphoneus Supremus
Quote:
+1
i will probably get a better amp next year as well, but i think i'll keep my woos
+1
i will probably get a better amp next year as well, but i think i'll keep my woos
palmfish
Headphoneus Supremus
The Violectric V90 and Lake People G109-S both cost less than $500 and have plenty of power to drive the HD800 (or almost any headphone).
If I was shopping for a headphone amp, they would be at the top of my list.
If I was shopping for a headphone amp, they would be at the top of my list.
preproman
Headphoneus Supremus
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I don't think power has ever been a question. I think the headphone being "stuck up" is the issue..
olor1n
The Man. The Myth
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Don't forget the quality of source components. People fixate on just the amp, but all the funds poured into it is a waste if what it amplifies is garbage.
fishski13
Member of the Trade: SolderWorksAudio
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Solude
Headphoneus Supremus
Also true. I really didn't like the HD800 on my other rigs but it's awesome on this rig. It's so good that I keep getting the itch to get another LCD-3 just to see if the same 'wow' moment can happen with the can. Well that and dropping it all for a 009. But that's a whole other level of insanity 
Quote:
The 009 and the dark side of the forums has you.
That said, the LCD-3s sound fantastic on good gear too. I had a big rave with the HD800s for quite a while on my system and the love is still there, but I have made a couple of tweaks and it's party time with the LCD-3s too. Oh and what seemed to have further helped is getting some good burn-in on the LCD-3s (a few hundred hours).
Also true. I really didn't like the HD800 on my other rigs but it's awesome on this rig. It's so good that I keep getting the itch to get another LCD-3 just to see if the same 'wow' moment can happen with the can. Well that and dropping it all for a 009. But that's a whole other level of insanity
The 009 and the dark side of the forums has you.
That said, the LCD-3s sound fantastic on good gear too. I had a big rave with the HD800s for quite a while on my system and the love is still there, but I have made a couple of tweaks and it's party time with the LCD-3s too. Oh and what seemed to have further helped is getting some good burn-in on the LCD-3s (a few hundred hours).
Quote:
+1. This is so very true. It's a bit of catch-22 really, as you need both a great amplifier and DAC to hear it all fitting together. And I would mention a good interface unless you're lucky to own one of the ... 2-3 DACs that actually have a truly worthwhile one.
+1. This is so very true. It's a bit of catch-22 really, as you need both a great amplifier and DAC to hear it all fitting together. And I would mention a good interface unless you're lucky to own one of the ... 2-3 DACs that actually have a truly worthwhile one.
Solude
Headphoneus Supremus
Quote:
A return to the mafia really since before the ortho invasion I had a Stax 007 Mk1 and HeadAmp KGSS. I preferred the LCD-2 Rev1 in the end but it could have been the DAC. Orthos have a way of smoothing out grain that stats throw up without excuses.
The 009 and the dark side of the forums has you.
A return to the mafia really since before the ortho invasion I had a Stax 007 Mk1 and HeadAmp KGSS. I preferred the LCD-2 Rev1 in the end but it could have been the DAC. Orthos have a way of smoothing out grain that stats throw up without excuses.
skeptic
Headphoneus Supremus
I'll respectfully dissent on the price issue. There are some high priced amps that pair wonderfully with hd800's, but there are also great budget and diy options.
I've done the rounds at CanJam, and a bottlehead crack with speedball is simply an excellent pairing with hd800's - period. See the reviews by headphonia (http://www.headfonia.com/bottlehead-crack-otl-addiction/3/ ), innerfidelity, guttenberg, and numerous other posters in the crack thread and bh forums if you want further confirmation. Note that this really is a kit that can be easily built by someone with no prior diy experience - it is the diy equivalent of paint by numbers, with a PDF manual containing a macro photo of every single step. As an aside, I just hopped on the pre-order for bottlehead's new flagship amp (the "mainline") and can't wait to see how it compares to my modded crack.
To pick this apart a little further - Solude's praise of the gsx -> hd800 pairing further underscores my point. What we're talking about here is a beautifully executed, balanced commercial version of Dr. Gilmore's dynalo - a 15 year old diy design. Dynalo's used to, and occasionally still do, turn up used for <$300 on head-fi. In fact, there used to be a Chinese commercial version (Sheer Audio) for around that price. In any event, double that for a 4 channel version and throw in a o22 power supply. It doesn't take more than $1k to get there. For that matter, per spritzer's recent posts, a dynalo mk2 is in the works that will feature balanced boards with super symetry, higher voltage swing, and will use semis that are all currently in production. It should be an absolutely awesome diy option for anyone willing to take on case work.
So sure there are a lot of cheap, poorly designed amps out there that will do nothing to make the hd800's more enjoyable than the output of a half decent HTR - but there are also many expensive amps that fall into the same camp. It is erroneous, imo, to suggest that you have to spend big bucks to find an amp with great synergy. Cracks go used for $500-600 all the time. At the end of the day, I just want to make sure folks aren't being scared away from these great headphones based on the false mythology that they require a megabuck amp and dac to sound great.
I've done the rounds at CanJam, and a bottlehead crack with speedball is simply an excellent pairing with hd800's - period. See the reviews by headphonia (http://www.headfonia.com/bottlehead-crack-otl-addiction/3/ ), innerfidelity, guttenberg, and numerous other posters in the crack thread and bh forums if you want further confirmation. Note that this really is a kit that can be easily built by someone with no prior diy experience - it is the diy equivalent of paint by numbers, with a PDF manual containing a macro photo of every single step. As an aside, I just hopped on the pre-order for bottlehead's new flagship amp (the "mainline") and can't wait to see how it compares to my modded crack.
To pick this apart a little further - Solude's praise of the gsx -> hd800 pairing further underscores my point. What we're talking about here is a beautifully executed, balanced commercial version of Dr. Gilmore's dynalo - a 15 year old diy design. Dynalo's used to, and occasionally still do, turn up used for <$300 on head-fi. In fact, there used to be a Chinese commercial version (Sheer Audio) for around that price. In any event, double that for a 4 channel version and throw in a o22 power supply. It doesn't take more than $1k to get there. For that matter, per spritzer's recent posts, a dynalo mk2 is in the works that will feature balanced boards with super symetry, higher voltage swing, and will use semis that are all currently in production. It should be an absolutely awesome diy option for anyone willing to take on case work.
So sure there are a lot of cheap, poorly designed amps out there that will do nothing to make the hd800's more enjoyable than the output of a half decent HTR - but there are also many expensive amps that fall into the same camp. It is erroneous, imo, to suggest that you have to spend big bucks to find an amp with great synergy. Cracks go used for $500-600 all the time. At the end of the day, I just want to make sure folks aren't being scared away from these great headphones based on the false mythology that they require a megabuck amp and dac to sound great.
Solude
Headphoneus Supremus
The question started with someone asking if their mid line Corda was the ceiling... it clearly isn't.
The amp you mention is actually the Dynahi SuSy not Dynalo.
The previous Lite and GS-1 models were not voiced quite the same as the mk2, nevermind my original Reference. I don't know if it's the new parts used or bias but the mk2 boards just slam out the bass. I've always felt my previous Dynalo amps were on the dry side, perfect in a world of HD600/650, not so fun with the HD800, but the mk2 is just smooth as butter. I know it doesn't sound possible but there it is.
Is the Crack a great combo? I don't know, never tried. I would like to try their 2A3 amp though.
The amp you mention is actually the Dynahi SuSy not Dynalo.
The previous Lite and GS-1 models were not voiced quite the same as the mk2, nevermind my original Reference. I don't know if it's the new parts used or bias but the mk2 boards just slam out the bass. I've always felt my previous Dynalo amps were on the dry side, perfect in a world of HD600/650, not so fun with the HD800, but the mk2 is just smooth as butter. I know it doesn't sound possible but there it is.
Is the Crack a great combo? I don't know, never tried. I would like to try their 2A3 amp though.
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