[icebear]

   
When I plug the HD800 to the Asus Essence STX, it has too much treble and clinical. When I plug them into the V-DACII paired with a Lake People G100 amp, it sounds very neutral with almost no treble boost. When I plug it into my Onkyo stereoamp, it's somewhere in between but still sounds good. Only the Essence STX makes it sound too piercing (and missing texture too)
 
HD800 changes surprisingly much.

+1 on the initial part with the observations, just the conclusion has it backwards ).
The HD800 doesn't change but it reveals the sound of each amp.

 

[punit]

Just switched to HD 800 after an hour with T90's (Btlhd Crack + TS 5998 + Mullard Ecc82). Sounds a bit "lean" in comparison but the sound stage OMG

, always amazes me. Fortunately Meier Daccord has a mid bass boost switch, flip it on & perfect

. Guess there's no perfect HP

but there are ways to make them perfect for you

 

 

[skeptic]

Punit - if you have one, try a 50's/60's tung sol 12au7 or 12bh7 in place of that mullard in your crack.  I like the tube combo you mentioned with my hd650's, but I also find the sound a little lean (and, depending on the recording, trebles a little too hot), as you described, with hd800's (at least, when the anax mod is not in place).  I consistently prefer tung sol's in the a-slot of my crack with hd800's, and they're generally not very expensive either.  They're more neutral than bugle boys and less bright than clear tops and the mullards I've heard.
 
Using a 6080 or 6as7g in place of the 5998 will also raise your output impedance and give you more midbass and bass bloom (at the cost of tightness), particularly with hd800's if you look at the 100hz spike in the impedance curve.  But I hear you in so far as the 5998's making some magic in terms of a holographic soundstage.    
 
I also saw your reference in the crack thread to interest in 6sn7 adapters.  Just in case you haven't done so already, I'd encourage you to search back through that thread for "adapter" and read up on the experiences many of us have had with those adapters creating plainly audible noise.  Bottlehead now recommends further mods to supply the heater pins with dc if you are going to run 6sn7's to mitigate that issue.

 

[punit]

Thanks. I have ordered a tung sol 12au7 few days back & should get it this week. Yes , I did read about the noise created by some 6SN7 adapters but some users on the Btlhd forum's have also reported using them without any issue. I have ordered one as its only a $25 gamble & I have 2 very good 6SN7 tubes (TS & Sophia Elec.) which are know for their mid range sweetness, will let you know how it goes.

 

[Rayzilla]

  ... Fortunately Meier Daccord has a mid bass boost switch, flip it on & perfect

. Guess there's no perfect HP

but there are ways to make them perfect for you

 

I have something like that on my DAC as well. It's just a click of a button to change from solid state to vacuum tube. The change is very noticeable. 

 

[palmfish]

  I have something like that on my DAC as well. It's just a click of a button to change from solid state to vacuum tube. The change is very noticeable. 

 
A distortion button! Brilliant!

 

[elvergun]

   
A distortion button! Brilliant!

 
And the really good DACs let you simulate different brands of tubes...

 

[skeptic]

  Thanks. I have ordered a tung sol 12au7 few days back & should get it this week. Yes , I did read about the noise created by some 6SN7 adapters but some users on the Btlhd forum's have also reported using them without any issue. I have ordered one as its only a $25 gamble & I have 2 very good 6SN7 tubes (TS & Sophia Elec.) which are know for their mid range sweetness, will let you know how it goes.

 
Nice!  Here's hoping the adapter pans out for you notwithstanding my two failed attempts.  One was admittedly much better than the other, but with hd800's, the noise was still plainly audible.  In any event, I'll look forward to your report back.

 

[pdrm360]

  Has anyone compared the WA2 to the Crack for the HD800?  Which one pairs better with the HD800?

  No One?  

 

 

[icebear]

   
A distortion button! Brilliant!

 
 

   
And the really good DACs let you simulate different brands of tubes...

LOL, you guys are cracking me up

.

 

[koiloco]

^ then you should see my DAC.  It has X-Bass button, specifically designed for HD800.

 

[palmfish]

"But this one goes to eleven..."

 

[Dillan]

  "But this one goes to eleven..."

haha

 

[TwoEars]

    No One?  

 

 
I haven't heard either to be honest but I've read quite a lot about them. The WA2 is supposed to be the smoother, more luxurious, more tubey sounding tube amp while the crack is supposed to be the clearer, more engaging foot tapping one with a hint of tubes. Both are deemed very good but from what I understand the value proposition of the crack is off the charst. I know that for instance Project86 rates the crack with speedball upgrade as one of the best amps you can get for the HD800, full stop.

 

[Eternal Phoenix]

Well, as of a few hours ago, I have now acquired a HD800.
 
Currently using a O2/ODAC combo, but may get the Chord Hugo / Resonessence Concero HP dependant on sound / funds before moving to the Invicta.
(Unfortunately seem to be long term plans atm...) Anyway, am now part of the way to some sort of system...
 
If these get better after 100 hours or so, then I would say I'm in for a treat, but the worn in evaluation pair were pretty damn fantastic so... I think I can say I've started down the long slippery slope that is head-fi.
 
 
As of now these are pretty darn good and better than most 'phones I have heard, will give some proper impressions / additions to this thread in a couple of weeks or so.