[MickeyVee]

I don't consider myself a audiophile,.. maybe a music and equipment enthusiast.  I find the HD800 silky smooth and when there is fault, it's generally the recording.  Maybe is't just my DAC/AMP combo that works for me.  I would like to get something more forgiving and complementary to the HD800 (LCD-X, HE-400i/560) but for now, I haven't found anything that bests the HD800.  YMMV.
 
Quote:

The HD800 is so brutally honest, and that can turn people off, because let's face it, most people like smooth and pleasant sound .
As i said, this headphone is only for the most hardcore audiophiles...

 

[whirlwind]

 

The HD800 is so brutally honest, and that can turn people off, because let's face it, most people like smooth and pleasant sound .
As i said, this headphone is only for the most hardcore audiophiles...

 
I almost chimed in to say, "that's why you should have the 650 as a complement." But then I thought to myself, "I haven't put on the 650 since I got the 800."
 

 
Ha ha....this sounds very familiar

 

[Priidik]

Senn's engineers are totally incompetent or just happened to chose to make a SS circuit with a 40 ohm tap because they are arbitrary and capricious.  Occam's razor suggests otherwise.  

 
On a side note; have you listened to HDVA600 or HDVD800? I am very curious to see a comparison with the Mainline for HD800s. 

 

[magiccabbage]

   
I almost chimed in to say, "that's why you should have the 650 as a complement." But then I thought to myself, "I haven't put on the 650 since I got the 800."
 

the very same thing happened to me. Now I don't even put on the T1 and I have a WA2! The T1 will be sold soon to fund other things

 

[SilverEars]

Guys, just a warning, the GS-X MK2 amp has less than 1 ohm output impedance. It's not good for the HD800 according to Skeptic because it's not 40ohm output impedance and not made by Sennheiser.  Stay away(well atleast Skeptic should stay alway because his magic number is 40ohms).

 

[Priidik]

  Guys, just a warning, the GS-X MK2 amp has less than 1 ohm output impedance. It's not good for the HD800 according to Skeptic because it's not 40ohm output impedance and not made by Sennheiser.  Stay away(well atleast Skeptic should stay alway because his magic number is 40ohms).

Many will stay away, probably a lot more will love it, but its because they have actually listened to it. All the awesome measured parameters in the world stuffed under one case wouldn't necessarily make a good sounding unit. 
Skeptic was trying to suggest you something relatively simple to try out, since the apparent religious grip You seem to have for your dac and amp won't let you try the obvious routes of other dacs and amps. It can be frightening to realize that other gear might be better than that which you own.

 

[MacedonianHero]

  I haven't heard the 3, but I believe Audeze needs a mid bump and it would be perfect.  Now that I have my HD800 on correctlly, I've noticed that the treble is still not to my liking, and just needs to tame the treble around 6-8k area.  It comes out too aggressive for me, that it causes a stressful listening session.  I listen to music to relax.  

  I've tried EQ, but possibly I need to learn to EQ better with better software as EQ is not helping that much.  The tonality with how the treble is done is off to me.

Would also depend on your setup. The tonality of the treble is quite smooth on the GS-X Mk2 and the bass kicks like a mule.
 
FTR, most orthos don't have a mid bump; nor do I want any. 

 
 

  Computer > ODAC > 2 Channel Beta 22 > HD800
 
I've tried the O2 amp before and it sounded horrendous.  
 

Nevermind...the 2 channel B22 is far from an ideal amp for the HD800. and the ODAC was far from what I'd consider a "proper" DAC for headphones in the High End forum. Great little starter DAC...but it ends there to my ears. 

 

[MattTCG]

  Guys, just a warning, the GS-X MK2 amp has less than 1 ohm output impedance. It's not good for the HD800 according to Skeptic because it's not 40ohm output impedance and not made by Sennheiser.  Stay away(well atleast Skeptic should stay alway because his magic number is 40ohms).

 
The GS X is one of the best amps I've heard...ever. Stunning when paired with the hd800. Just one man's opinion. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
The GS X is one of the best amps I've heard...ever. Stunning when paired with the hd800. Just one man's opinion. 

X2
 
The GS-X Mk2 is the pinnacle of HD800 amps that I've come across (and I've heard them with dozens of really good amps; both SS and tube, high and low output impedance)...any comments without first hand experiences should be taken with plenty of salt. 

 

[SilverEars]

  Would also depend on your setup. The tonality of the treble is quite smooth on the GS-X Mk2 and the bass kicks like a mule.
 
FTR, most orthos don't have a mid bump; nor do I want any. 

 
 
Nevermind...the 2 channel B22 is far from an ideal amp for the HD800. and the ODAC was far from what I'd consider a "proper" DAC for headphones in the High End forum. Great little starter DAC...but it ends there to my ears. 

Of course not.  What is a proper DAC to you?  What makes a proper DAC?  And what is the reason for B22 being from from an ideal amp?  I'm just applying Skeptic's logic, nothing more.

 

[MacedonianHero]

  Of course not.  What is a proper DAC to you?  

For the HD800s....as good as you can get. They've scaled with every DAC/Amp I've changed. Many of my other headphones would simply sound pretty much the same, but the HD800s would reflect upstream gear better than most. In fact, when I'm reviewing upstream gear, the HD800s are my "go to" headphones for that reason. I've had them for about 4 years now and they have a solid place in my collection. Are they perfect? Nope...there are some things I would like to change about them...but when taken as a whole and compared to the competition, they are spectacular headphones...but they are a challenge that many don't want to pursue. And that's cool too...

 

[SilverEars]

  For the HD800s....as good as you can get. They've scaled with every DAC/Amp I've changed. Many of my other headphones would simply sound pretty much the same, but the HD800s would reflect upstream gear better than most. In fact, when I'm reviewing upstream gear, the HD800s are my "go to" headphones for that reason. I've had them for about 4 years now and they have a solid place in my collection. Are they perfect? Nope...there are some things I would like to change about them...but when taken as a whole and compared to the competition, they are spectacular headphones...but they are a challenge that many don't want to pursue. And that's cool too...

But, you haven't answered my question.  What makes a proper DAC?

 

[MacedonianHero]

  But, you haven't answered my question.  What makes a proper DAC?

Yes I have...it depends what you're looking for...for the HD800s, the ODAC sounds bland, dry, and lacks details and imaging of even the Schiit Bifrost. 

 

[SilverEars]

  Yes I have...it depends what you're looking for...for the HD800s, the ODAC sounds bland, dry, and lacks details and imaging of even the Schiit Bifrost. 

OK, so my DAC is bland, dry, and lacks details.  Gotcha.  Which DAC is not bland, dry, and lacks details?

 

[MacedonianHero]

  OK, so my DAC is bland, dry, and lacks details.  Gotcha.  Which DAC is not bland, dry, and lacks details?

What's your price range? 
 
Again, the ODAC is a very fine entry level solution...but the HD800s are not going to sound their best with entry level solutions. In fact, of all headphones I've come across, they're some of the most revealing. Plus your choice of '80s pop (I was a child of the '80s FWIW) isn't recorded well and is overly bright and compressed. That's gonna be huge. No DAC can fix many of those recordings.