[JamieMcC]

 
If your budget is a $1000 I would suggest you might consider saving just a little longer while waiting for a promotion deal on the Bottlehead Mainline you would most probably only need another $99 to secure one of the top tier amps for the HD800.

 
 
Ah ha you dont have to wait long
 
Bottlehead have a 10% off Labor Day promotion

coupon code LABORDAY10 at checkout for a 10% discount on any Bottlehead order.
 
The coupon is good through Labor Day, Monday September 7th 2015. (everything except LEDs and repair service is eligible!)
 

 

[Sennophile]

 He agreed, albeit reluctantly, that these were a listening tool that went beyond anything else he had heard ever before. 

I haven't had the opportunity to listen to the Beyerdynamic T1.
Yet, as I said, "he agreed - albeit reluctantly - that these were a listening tool that went beyond anything else he had heard ever before."
- Reluctantly >> He showed some reticence at uttering it, but the evidence was compelling.
- A >> In my opinion, I'd say THE listening tool
- Had >> It applies to anything and everything in the past, but does not preclude future "listening machines"

 

[Sennophile]

Having listened to the Concero only once, though on several types of material, I am left with a firm opinion that it sounds "equalized".
This was particularly true with vocals and opera.
 
I felt "cramped" after I used the Concero for 10 minutes or so.
Listening to the HDVD 800, I feel more 'relaxed' and 'far less fatigued' over long listening sessions (extending up to 5-6 hours non-stop listening).
 
That said, the Concero remains a very good amp.  The question is: Is "Very Good" enough by today's norms?
A headphone amp (or, for that matter, any hardware) is there to stay.
'Good' is just good, 'Very Good' is acceptable, 'Excellent' is the passing mark for audiophiles and 'Perfect' is the winning trophy.
To me, PerFect translates to a permanent effect.  That is precisely what the HD 800 gives me - a permanent effect of deep-seated satisfaction !!
... and it's not only my opinion, but that of every other one who has given these headphones a fair listen!

 

[shultzee]

  Having listened to the Concero only once, though on several types of material, I am left with a firm opinion that it sounds "equalized".
This was particularly true with vocals and opera.
 
I felt "cramped" after I used the Concero for 10 minutes or so.
Listening to the HDVD 800, I feel more 'relaxed' and 'far less fatigued' over long listening sessions (extending up to 5-6 hours non-stop listening).
 
That said, the Concero remains a very good amp.  The question is: Is "Very Good" enough by today's norms?
A headphone amp (or, for that matter, any hardware) is there to stay.
'Good' is just good, 'Very Good' is acceptable, 'Excellent' is the passing mark for audiophiles and 'Perfect' is the winning trophy.
To me, PerFect translates to a permanent effect.  That is precisely what the HD 800 gives me - a permanent effect of deep-seated satisfaction !!
... and it's not only my opinion, but that of every other one who has given these headphones a fair listen!

Totally disagree.  And the problem as stated above "having listened to the concero only once"     Also were you using the native setting or one of the two filters?   The concero is very, very good with the hd800 but of course its not some end game setup.

 

[Sennophile]

I have no access to audition the Concero again.  The only opportunity I had was a year ago.  I guess it was the native setting.

 

[HiAudio]

   
Congrats. For your amp. I wouldn't worry so much. Maybe it sounds horrible compared to some best offers but who care if you can compare .  A good and cheap benchmark is the Schitt Vali . it's darn cheap and sounds really decent with the HD800 and the 650.
 
If you hate the HD800 with your current amp, I don't think another amp or DAC will make you love it suddenly. If you like the HD800 but want to see if there's some improvement : Valhalla 2 /BH Crack or Meier Corda Jazz for example.  Mid priced Amps with very good value .

 
 

  I had the HDP a few years ago and thought it was pretty mediocre for the price. I believe it was 400-500 at the time. You should just wait until the HD800 arrives and then see if it's something you can live with or want an improvement down the line. I've always believed that one should buy the best headphone they can afford and go from there.

 
I will see how it sounds with the NuForce Icon HDP. I can tolerate it if I can tell the HD800 sounds clearly better than my HD650 with the same NuForce.
 
I guess I will save up for the HDVD 800. I don't think I can go wrong with it that was designed specifically for the HD800 and made by the same manufacturer. Besides many say that the HDVD 800 works great with many other phones. I am the kind people that like to get the best stuff that he can afford, barely

. I prefer to get the HDVD 800 over the HDVA 600 because it has the extra components that I don't need to add to HDVA 600. One looks and handles better than two.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

   
 
 
I will see how it sounds with the NuForce Icon HDP. I can tolerate it if I can tell the HD800 sounds clearly better than my HD650 with the same NuForce.
 
I guess I will save up for the HDVD 800. I don't think I can go wrong with it that was designed specifically for the HD800 and made by the same manufacturer. Besides many say that the HDVD 800 works great with many other phones. I am the kind people that like to get the best stuff that he can afford, barely

. I prefer to get the HDVD 800 over the HDVA 600 because it has the extra components that I don't need to add to HDVA 600. One looks and handles better than two.

HDVD 800 is indeed great with the HD 800.  It also works well with other headphones.  However, it does have an unusually high output impedance (43 ohms), which is great for the 300 - 600 ohms (depending on frequency) of the HD 800, but maybe not so much with other dynamic headphones of lower impedance (e.g., Grados, at 32 ohms).  
 
There is a rule of thumb about having the output impedance of the amp less than 1/8 the input impedance of the headphone (pertaining to "damping factor," and only applying to dynamic headphones, not planar magnetics like the HiFiMAN HE1000), but frankly, I have not heard a difference when for example I use my Grado headphones driven by a CEntrance HiFi M8 amp, which lets me choose 1 ohm, 2 ohm, or 8 ohm output impedance with a switch.  The first two "should" be OK and the last one not (32 / 8 =4 < 8), but I could not hear a difference.

 

[mnt522]

For any on you interested in owning a pair. I have a pair on sale at USaudiomart
http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649219642-sennheiser-hd-800-very-good-condition-for-sale/

 

[BirdManOfCT]

Has anyone else used an Audiophilleo1 or Audiophilleo2 into HDVD800? Did you notice much difference between them into S/PDIF coax input, vs bypassing and going into the USB input?

 

[Mahdi8]

What is the usb receiver inHDVD800?

 

[ruthieandjohn]

What is the usb receiver inHDVD800?

The USB receiver allows you to hook up your HDVD800 to the USB plug of your PC as if it were a memory stick.  Then, by also downloading the driver from Sennheiser (good luck finding it on its website... but it IS there, and if you get stuck, I'll look up and send you the link), your PC can send the DAC in your HDVD800 digital data streams, so that the presumably higher quality DAC in the HDVD800 can do the conversion into analog instead of your PC.  In addition to the Sennheiser driver, you have to monkey around with your PC media player, e.g. Windows Media Player, to make it put its output to the USB.  Right click on the little speaker and choose "playback options" after you add your Sennheiser USB driver to get started.

 

[Mahdi8]

Sorry if it wasnt clear what i meant was what is the usb receiver chip inHDVD800.

 

[Sorrodje]

Sorry if it wasnt clear what i meant was what is the usb receiver chip inHDVD800.

 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/605444/sennheiser-hdvd800-headphone-amplifier/1140#post_9565547
 
Xmos based USB receiver. 

 

[Thenewguy007]

Is there a portable amp for the HD800 that is equivalent to the Eddie Current Zana Deux S or the Blue Hawaii or can come close to comparing with them?

From the portable amp guide
http://www.head-fi.org/a/head-fi-buying-guide-portable-amps-dacs-daps
 
Looks like Chord Hugo & Astell & Kern AK240 are high as they get for portable rigs.
 
I don't think I read many posts praising the Hugo & HD800 pairing.

 

[rawrster]

  Is there a portable amp for the HD800 that is equivalent to the Eddie Current Zana Deux S or the Blue Hawaii or can come close to comparing with them?

From the portable amp guide
http://www.head-fi.org/a/head-fi-buying-guide-portable-amps-dacs-daps
 
Looks like Chord Hugo & Astell & Kern AK240 are high as they get for portable rigs.
 
I don't think I read many posts praising the Hugo & HD800 pairing.

 
The Blue Hawaii is for Stax but if you are looking for totl performance in a portable setup then the answer is no. The HD800 is not something that the majority of the owners use in a portable setup either.