[ColtMrFire]

Well I do definitely plan on driving my Hifiman HE 400 and 400i's with them as well as my AKG K7xx. So are you saying I should get the Modi MB first to use with myJDS O2 and then have my next purchase be the Lyr?

Sure, if you wanna spread out your purchases. Either way the Lyr is going to be better since you have multiple headphones. But the ModiMB should be a significant upgrade no matter what the amp. The HD800 is sensitive to any change in your gear and it loves the resolution, smoothness and huge soundstage of the Mimby.

 

[ColtMrFire]

Not everyone believes in cables but you should seriously consider upgrading those at some point as any bottlenecks will hold your chain back. And I'm not talking about expensive snake oil, just something better than stock cables. I have the Morrow MA1 RCA cables ($50) and they are truly incredible, blow everything else I've tried out of the water (including pricier cables). I also upgraded my coax cable to a blue jeans model ($30 I think) and it was an appreciable upgrade. If you use computer audio the LH Labs 1G was a significant upgrade over my old stock usb and it wasnt expensive.

 

[DavidA]

  Well I do definitely plan on driving my Hifiman HE 400 and 400i's with them as well as my AKG K7xx. So are you saying I should get the Modi MB first to use with myJDS O2 and then have my next purchase be the Lyr?

I would get the Lyr2 first since it would make the biggest change over the O2 (which is really not a good pairing with the HD800).  Just remember that the tubes (good ones) might be quite pricy.  The Siemens CCa's are about $180 each while the cheaper ones are about $45 each. 

 

[MattTCG]

+1 on lyr 2 with good tubes.

 

[mrmarano]

  ^^ Now that's pretty gracious there.

 
Indeed. Considering a new replacement box costs something like $200, as Sennheiser listed it when I checked about a year ago.

 

[ColtMrFire]

  I would get the Lyr2 first since it would make the biggest change over the O2 (which is really not a good pairing with the HD800).  Just remember that the tubes (good ones) might be quite pricy.  The Siemens CCa's are about $180 each while the cheaper ones are about $45 each. 

 
There are plenty of good deals to be had on excellent tubes.  Got a pair of Siemens 7308s for $80 on the classifieds.  You just have to be patient and persistent.  Beware of ebay, as I've gotten nothing but noisy tubes from there.  It's best to ask the seller if they test for noise, because alot of them don't.
 
There are also folks in the Lyr tube rolling thread with lots of backstock willing to sell for a decent price.

 

[Phillay]

Not everyone believes in cables but you should seriously consider upgrading those at some point as any bottlenecks will hold your chain back. And I'm not talking about expensive snake oil, just something better than stock cables. I have the Morrow MA1 RCA cables ($50) and they are truly incredible, blow everything else I've tried out of the water (including pricier cables). I also upgraded my coax cable to a blue jeans model ($30 I think) and it was an appreciable upgrade. If you use computer audio the LH Labs 1G was a significant upgrade over my old stock usb and it wasnt expensive.

Thanks for that info. I was thinking about adding in the PYST cables from Schiits website as well. Thanks for the tips on the ebay tubes too!
 
There is a local store here that sells the Woo Audio WA7 Firefly here (although for much more, but I guess pretty close in price if you add the modi multi and lyr2 together), do you have any experience or thoughts on having those to pair with the cans that I have right now (especially the 800)? 

 

[ColtMrFire]

  Thanks for that info. I was thinking about adding in the PYST cables from Schiits website as well. Thanks for the tips on the ebay tubes too!
 
There is a local store here that sells the Woo Audio WA7 Firefly here (although for much more, but I guess pretty close in price if you add the modi multi and lyr2 together), do you have any experience or thoughts on having those to pair with the cans that I have right now (especially the 800)? 

 
Never heard the WA7.  But I would not forget the Modi MB, it's going to make all the difference with a proper amp and the HD800.  You are more flexible on the amp, because there are alot great options, but you're not going to find a DAC anywhere near the performance of the Modi MB under $1K besides the Bifrost MB, so I would not skimp on that and budget accordingly.  Besides the HD800 it's the best purchase I've made in this hobby.  The cost to performance ratio of that DAC cannot be overstated.  
 
It depends on how much you're willing to spend in one go.  As others have said the O2 amp is not a good match for the HD800, so it's probably better to get a proper amp first.  Lyr/ModiMB/decent tubes is probably going to be the best combo you can get for the money and will put you in audio bliss for a very long time... I honestly would forget the WA7 as it seems over your budget and an impulse buy, which are usually not smart.  I would be smart about this... the Schiit gear is a no brainer, at least IMO.  

 

[analog'd]

 

  @analog'd I'm in Alberta, Canada. I ended up picking them up today, I couldn't wait. I tried them out on his set up and they sounded like god was whispering into my ears sweet melodies of lucky charms and rainbows. Okay I over-exaggerated haha but they did sound REALLY good.
 
 

ok. now that we know you love them, they deserve a box. i have an extra although it's not mint by any means. scuffed but intact and waay better than not having one.   it's yours if you want it. you just have to agree to pay to have it sent to you from massachusetts. i will try to get a quote for you on what that would cost. 

the least expensive way to send the senn box is us postal service priority mail international, and even that will cost 67 bucks (us dollars)(that's close to accurate as we found a postal code in the alberta area and used it, so could be a buck off or something). your call. i would skip it for that much money. but i'm happy to send it.  

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

But the ModiMB should be a significant upgrade no matter what the amp. The HD800 is sensitive to any change in your gear and it loves the resolution, smoothness and huge soundstage of the Mimby.

counterpoint: although I heard a distinct naturalness when I upgraded boober to bimby, i recently a/b'd MJ2 and Vali 1, and found the difference quite, quite narrow. I had underestimated Vali 1. 

 

[Fearless1]

counterpoint: although I heard a distinct naturalness when I upgraded boober to bimby, i recently a/b'd MJ2 and Vali 1, and found the difference quite, quite narrow. I had underestimated Vali 1. 

The Vali 1 has really good syenergy with the 800 and the 701s for some strange reason (warmer maybe) I forgot I even had one, found it in a box of cables and was pleasantly surprised at how much better it sounds with the 800 then the 2.

 

[ColtMrFire]

I used to have the Vali 1 with a different pair of HPs.  It sounded nice but instrument timbre seemed a bit one-note, compared to other amps.  But I have not heard it with the HD800.  

 

[benzs129]

I was planning to get aune x7s amp for 800s. I got schiit modi dac. Is this a good enough combo?

 

[Petyot]

I would get the Lyr2 first since it would make the biggest change over the O2 (which is really not a good pairing with the HD800). 

@Phillay : there is a Lyr2 for sale on Canuckaudio (I am not the seller). There is also a Jotunheim for sale.

 

[DavidA]

  Thanks for that info. I was thinking about adding in the PYST cables from Schiits website as well. Thanks for the tips on the ebay tubes too!
 
There is a local store here that sells the Woo Audio WA7 Firefly here (although for much more, but I guess pretty close in price if you add the modi multi and lyr2 together), do you have any experience or thoughts on having those to pair with the cans that I have right now (especially the 800)? 

I had the original WA7d, it was one of the most beautiful desk amps/DAC, unfortunately the sound didn't match the looks, the original DAC section was not the best so I sold it, its place was taken by a BH Crack with a few upgrades (SB, caps and tubes) and UD-301.  If you are looking for a all in-one solution the Hugo is about as good as it gets IMO, as a bonus it works well with planar headphones also like my HE560.