I have the tube power supply and will be purchasing the upgraded tubes in the future. I want to give the stock tubes a fair trial so I can truly appreciate the difference in sound of the upgraded tubes
See? This makes your situation different. If one already has the WA7 and the tube power supply, then buying the best headphones for it would indeed be the HD800. On the other hand, if one already has an HD800, the price of the WA7 full kit would be a little harder to justify. Get the HD800 after an audition or three, and enjoy it
I have the tube power supply and will be purchasing the upgraded tubes in the future. I want to give the stock tubes a fair trial so I can truly appreciate the difference in sound of the upgraded tubes
Just to be clear that the WA7 I listened to was the very first model. There was no separate tube power supply at that point. What I've gathered from different WA7 owners and reviews is that the dedicated power supply improves SQ noticeably. If that is indeed the case, I would personally be happy with WA7/HD800 combo. Regarding other 2 headphones you asked about, IMO, T1 would come closer to HD800 in techicality but remember that musically, each TOTL HP has its special/unique appeal. Not everyone enjoys the same sound signature and not everyone must have their music so accurate.
"Be together: not the same" - a recent cute quote from you know who.
Just to be clear that the WA7 I listened to was the very first model. There was no separate tube power supply at that point. What I've gathered from different WA7 owners and reviews is that the dedicated power supply improves SQ noticeably. If that is indeed the case, I would personally be happy with WA7/HD800 combo. Regarding other 2 headphones you asked about, IMO, T1 would come closer to HD800 in techicality but remember that musically, each TOTL HP has its special/unique appeal. Not everyone enjoys the same sound signature and not everyone must have their music so accurate.
"Be together: not the same" - a recent cute quote from you know who.
Great point. It looks like I can audition the PS1000 and HD800 locally in the Chicago area. But I will not be able to audition the T1 which is about $300-$400 cheaper on the used market than both of those.
I have the tube power supply and will be purchasing the upgraded tubes in the future. I want to give the stock tubes a fair trial so I can truly appreciate the difference in sound of the upgraded tubes
the LH Labs Geek Out, any of the models 450 to 1000, with the latest firmware and driver update, will beat the O2+ODAC silly ... O2+ODAC is outdated design now, and it sounds meh and more meh with the HD800.
Great point. It looks like I can audition the PS1000 and HD800 locally in the Chicago area. But I will not be able to audition the T1 which is about $300-$400 cheaper on the used market than both of those.
Not sure why it is that high on Amazon, but other dealers have it for the MSRP ($1695). The used market is $1000-$1200 for the PS1000 and bout $900-$1100 for the HD800 and $600-$750 for the T1.
Don't know about outdated exactly (as to the amp), but totally agree that it is a poor match with hd800's. O2 was/is a cool project in the sense that the designer was able to build a hp amp that will capably drive most phones, for about $30 in parts (excluding the case), while hitting impressive specs. Frankly, I think every head-fi enthusiast should build one because it is so inexpensive, easy to do and always nice to have a decent transportable amp on hand when you go on vacation. Throw in agdr's booster board and a dual lme49990, for kicks, and it further improves (less offset, 2x current for transients, and 10x the slew rate for less TIM), and is quite enjoyable (to my ears) with fostex planar variants and certain other low impedance phones. I really dislike the O2 with hd800's and hd650's though and can't wrap my head around how/why anyone recommends it as a good match for the latter. By contrast, I find it to be a reasonably good solid state option for dt880's (250 ohm).
As to the Odac, outdated is probably accurate, even among pint sized usb dacs. A Pupdac, for example, measures better and doesn't have the sonic downsides of cheap sabre implementations. (See: http://www.head-fi.org/t/636683/pupdac-step-by-step-build-thread/255#post_10536044 ) Tomb, who runs Beezar, is also a really gracious guy and sometimes sells them prebuilt for those who don't want to DIY. For that matter, I also think my picodac sounds better than my odac in most setups. YMMV and all that, but I totally echo kapanak's advice against pairing your hd800's with an o2/odac combo. I suspect the headphone out on many a HTR receiver would actually be more enjoyable for the average listener.
I'm going to "Hi-Jack" the "Will this " " work with the HD800" talk for a second !
The truth is just about anything I've seen mentioned won't create any compatibility issues ! Whether or not these matches will
be successful for the sound qualities you're looking for is another thing all together
I think the best way to approach what you want to "surround" what to use with the headphones is to listen to them with whatever
you are currently using & figure out what it is that you like or don't like about how they sound.
One of most often repeated comments I've seen is. "You 'need' tubes with these headphones to tame the treble" Tubes will tame
the treble, but you're also taming a bit of that capability (that you paid $$ for) to reproduce micro detail. The glare or added edgeness
that bothers you is physically coming from the headphones themselves. If you don't listen to an abundance of music that has a great
deal of "natural" ambient spatial cues information (or this just doesn't matter too much to you); You can use tubes to your hearts content. Obviously, you don't want to go near tubes if you plan to use them "strictly" for taming purposes,if you want to hear these
cues that may finally validate "These are one of the best headphones for "so & so" music" A little work on your part is necessary on your side though
Ok, I'll return the discussion back to its former mode (I think you were discussing the Woo WA7 ? He,he,he... just be aware of
the reasons why people may have preferences for certain equipment)
Wow! Personally, I've found the HD800 the best all around headphone that I've heard. I listen to everything from Deadmou5, Lindsey Stirling to a lot of 70s/80s/90s music to Patricia Barber and Frank Sinatra. But, and that's a big BUT, I've managed to find a DAC/AMP combo that totally does it for me. (and I've tried a few to get here)
Once you've found the right source/DAC/amplifier to suit YOUR tastes, you'll be in heaven with the HD800. (and I don't think you have to spend a fortune). Good Hunting and Good Listening!
I just wanted to chime in and say that I absolutely love my woo wa2 with the hd800s. The stock tubes aren't great, but will get you by for awhile. And the wa2 is also a preamp, so you can build up a speaker system around it if you'd like.
Wow! Personally, I've found the HD800 the best all around headphone that I've heard. I listen to everything from Deadmou5, Lindsey Stirling to a lot of 70s/80s/90s music to Patricia Barber and Frank Sinatra. But, and that's a big BUT, I've managed to find a DAC/AMP combo that totally does it for me. (and I've tried a few to get here)
Once you've found the right source/DAC/amplifier to suit YOUR tastes, you'll be in heaven with the HD800. (and I don't think you have to spend a fortune). Good Hunting and Good Listening!
Well, I hope that it is obvious that I also feel that "my" HD800 are "now" the best headphone that I've heard for having the ability
to let me hear a much,much greater amount of the type of low level information that is available in the music that I listen to !
(He,he.he.... I'm not quite as "Democratic" in my musical tastes, but I do like Barber & "Frank"). If you don't already have the Mobile Fidelity "Only the Lonely" release. Go out & get it (I could be wrong but these sound more like "Nelson Riddle arrangements" to me)
One of the best comments I've heard about these "cans" is something that Tyll H. said about taking "Ownership" of these headphones. In other words do "whatever" you have to do make them sound the way they work best for "you"! That includes any system equipment choices & beyond (& this made the most difference to me) The HD800 are only a window that will let you see everything you've placed in front of it, but sometimes that window has a tinted glass that colors all the great things you can see through it. If you simply change the glass that window is now something that allows you greater clarity.
Wow, that was a bit deep (& "tinted" I suppose)... Well, making some changes to the HD800s may not be as difficult as changing
glass & the added clarity may be even more impressive !
(& all this due to the fact I don't really know which of my "ramblings" you chose to quote; & some early morning indigestion woke
me up ! You had to read this because I ran out of Pepto-Bismol) (Sorry) (I just realized that the tiny arrow next to username shows me
the quote; I'm not that swift with cell phones either !)
One thing I appreciate a lot with the HD800 is indeed this ability to sound really differently according to the recording primarily but according to associated gear too. I can't think to any other headphone I heard that made me this impression and I think its the main reason why I'm still here in this thread.
and this headphone sucks me in the music I love to listen to .
Mine is at Colorware right now.. I can't believe how much I miss it despite the fact I've the Koss and the Stax .
One thing I appreciate a lot with the HD800 is indeed this ability to sound really differently according to the recording primarily but according to associated gear too. I can't think to any other headphone I heard that made me this impression and I think its the main reason why I'm still here in this thread.
and this headphone sucks me in the music I love to listen to .
Mine is at Colorware right now.. I can't believe how much I miss it despite the fact I've the Koss and the Stax .
Make sure that they put a double opaque, triple tempered coating !!! Hmm... once you get your "babies" back you can think
about how to "clean" the Koss & Stax (as Tyll says "take Ownership, dude!) (Tyll looks like he would say "dude", so I embellished)
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Get the HD800 after an audition or three, and enjoy it 
![DT1990-ChSd-1024x555[1].png](https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/12230656.png)
