[treebug]

I've had the HDVA 600 for 4 years now and haven't found better. Currently connected directly to a Bryston BCD-3 it sounds superb through unbalanced out. My Moon Neo 260D sounded better through the balanced connection, all dependant on the source I guess.

 

[joespride]

I finally figured out how to know if you have the right setup and synergy in that setup. I have gone for years playing individual tracks from albums simply put because I would not like something about the rest of the tracks, something in the sound just was not right. Irritated me

I have found myself of late letting albums play through and in return hearing some great tracks that i have had for years but simply ignored

I have spent years and many thousands of dollars on gear from dozens of manufacturers to finally come upon my endgame

several years ago I had the schiit bifrost with valhalla and hd650, the sound was very good but not enough to keep me in the game, there was something very appealing though and I never lost the lust for that appeal, every amp or dac since was a letdown in that regard so the search continued
also 10 plus years ago I had an electrocompanient cd player and remember bragging how analog it sounded but I let it go as well because I was not focused on system at the time

Fast forward through those hundreds of mentioned products and I found the synergy

I scored an electrocompanient dac (same one used in the cd players) and a MicroZOTL (OTL AMP) amplifier those paired with HD800 have set the mark for me

 

[kylewit]

I am wondering what you guys think I should expect tomorrow when my HD800s come. I already have the HDVA600 and DacMagic Plus set up and ready to plug into the unbalanced output.

The nicest headphones I have ever owned are the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 through the Oppo HA-2 dac/amp. I liked the dt770s better than the PM3s which I returned for lack of bass and incompatibility with rock imo. I plan to use the dt770 pair for mobile use and bass heavy music whenever i feel the need until I upgrade to the ULTRASONE 900 pro for electronic and rap whenever Im in the mood for excitement. I plan to switch to and from the HD800/hdva600/dacmagicplus and ultrasone900/ha-2 whenever I want either perfectly clear, precise and accurate or very booming, sparkly and exciting. However I receive the 800s tomorrow and I receive the ultrasone much later. So the nicest HPs i have owned so far are still the DT770s. What kind of reaction should I expect? Should I expect to hear noises Ive never heard? a phenomenally and unusually clear sound? how should i expect to be blown out of the water if at all? im jumping from low/mid-fi to high end, what will this mean when i listen to it tomorrow?

 

[pietcux]

Did you ever listen to the HD800 or the Ultrasone PRO900? Both are quite a lot different than your DT770. It is hard to tell you what to expect. The HD800 is a fine tool to get you all the details and a very spacious soundfield. But it is open and tha bass is all there, but not prominent. The DT770 bass is loud, but not overly clean. A good step up would be the DT 1770. I had the Ultrasone long ago. Cannot recommend it at all. The treble harshness is unbearably to me. If any Ultrasone, please take the Signature Pro or Signature DJ, the latter has very good bass. For good quality bass you could also look into the Sony Z7 or Z1r. But back to the HD800 you can expect a very fine reproduction of all music genres.

 

[kylewit]

Did you ever listen to the HD800 or the Ultrasone PRO900? Both are quite a lot different than your DT770. It is hard to tell you what to expect. The HD800 is a fine tool to get you all the details and a very spacious soundfield. But it is open and tha bass is all there, but not prominent. The DT770 bass is loud, but not overly clean. A good step up would be the DT 1770. I had the Ultrasone long ago. Cannot recommend it at all. The treble harshness is unbearably to me. If any Ultrasone, please take the Signature Pro or Signature DJ, the latter has very good bass. For good quality bass you could also look into the Sony Z7 or Z1r. But back to the HD800 you can expect a very fine reproduction of all music genres.

Good thing I got a solid return policy on the Ultrasones. No I havent tried them i just heard the bass was phenomenal, mids a bit recessed, a bit of a peak without proper amp. But since I have the HA-2 I was hoping to kick the bass even more with the bass boost, liven up the mids and hopefully soften the peak. I listen to a strange mix of genres where I will want to hear a serious slam when I am just relaxing and not paying much attention or I will want to really sit down and pay close attention to every detail and I will want to hear exactly what the recording was supposed to be. I like the DT770 80s because I get a pretty decent mix of solid bass but also neutrality and detail whenever I am mobile and Im not paying particularly close attention but want to feel some bass and detail.

I would try out the DT1770s and return my ultrasones if it would retain the overall sound signature of the dt770 80s. If it has similar bass strength but more detailed bass, and more clarity in the mids and highs compared to the dt770s i would go for it. What do you think?

 

[kylewit]

Honestly I've been looking at the Sony MDR-ZR1s for a while and I'm starting to think a pair of those with my HD800s setup would be my absolute endgame. I'm really waiting around for a pair to go up at reduced price.

 

[musickid]

Swap dacmagic for a chord mojo to vastly improve the sq.

 

[SoundBytes]

I am wondering what you guys think I should expect tomorrow when my HD800s come. I already have the HDVA600 and DacMagic Plus set up and ready to plug into the unbalanced output.
The nicest headphones I have ever owned are the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 through the Oppo HA-2 dac/amp. I liked the dt770s better than the PM3s which I returned for lack of bass and incompatibility with rock imo. I plan to use the dt770 pair for mobile use and bass heavy music whenever i feel the need until I upgrade to the ULTRASONE 900 pro for electronic and rap whenever Im in the mood for excitement. I plan to switch to and from the HD800/hdva600/dacmagicplus and ultrasone900/ha-2 whenever I want either perfectly clear, precise and accurate or very booming, sparkly and exciting. However I receive the 800s tomorrow and I receive the ultrasone much later. So the nicest HPs i have owned so far are still the DT770s. What kind of reaction should I expect? Should I expect to hear noises I've never heard? a phenomenally and unusually clear sound? how should i expect to be blown out of the water if at all? I'm jumping from low/mid-fi to high end, what will this mean when I listen to it tomorrow?

The HD800s are amazing. You probably will first notice the clarity and analytical nature of these beasts. When I say beasts they need power to really get the most out of them. From reading your post, it looks like you have that well in hand. I actually sold my HDVD800 amp and am just using the Astell & Kern SP1000 which actually does drive them. The HD800s also need to be broken in, so out of the box, you will find that analytical presence I mentioned. It will just come out and grab your attention before you can push through it and really start to notice that killer soundstage. As you wear them and try different music you will notice every nuance of tonality as well as the presence of each instrument. You will be able to hear each as if it was nearly right in front of you. Now I listen to a lot of different music, from jazz to classical and even rock with a lot of guitar riffs and songs that are just loud. The HD800s are going to give you more I feel on other music than rock and roll, my opinion only, many may disagree and I do not wish to debate this point, this is just my opinion. I would not have purchased these to just listen to rock and roll, again my opinion only. Now don't get me wrong, there is a lot of rock in roll out there that does slow down or reveal more tonality to which the HD800s will shine but IMHO I believe that loud rock does not do these phones justice. Enjoy them, play as many different types of music as you can find and see how they translate to your ear. They are amazing, many say they may be too analytical for some people that like that warm rich musical flow but I partially disagree. Regarding bass, if it is there in force, meaning it really envelops your ear with the music the HD800s will shine and represent that feel in the song perfectly. If the bass is lacking in the song you will not feel it like you might with the HD700 or other phones that represent bass more.

Actually, on Tidal HiFi, I created a playlist called HD800 Bliss and added songs where I feel they really shine on these phones. Some songs include, "Take the A Train" by Barbara Dennerlein, "Sorrow" Yvonne S Moriarty et al, "Metaphysical", "Jazzaloid", "Chrome", "Resonation" by Boris Blenn and nearly everything Boris Blenn to "Only the Lonely" by The Motels and "Time is Tight" by Booker T & The MG's should give you some flavor. Also, anything from Sam Cooke to Candy Dulfer (Sax) to especially John Coltrane will kill on the HD800s

The big question I have after using these for the money what difference would one notice from the HD800 to going to say a Susvara or an Audeze LCD-4 or Abyss Phi? that is where I am at right now.... to the point where before I plunk down 4K-6K for a pair of phones, I would need to hear them all before deciding if I can even break away from the HD800 at all. And when I am mobile, I went with the UE18+ Pro CIEM which is phenomenal as well both balanced and with a nice thick silver cable...just my choice for perfect clarity.

 

[musickid]

Would the delkoni leather pads have any negative impact on sennheiser's intended sound signature?

 

[pietcux]

The big question I have after using these for the money what difference would one notice from the HD800 to going to say a Susvara or an Audeze LCD-4 or Abyss Phi? that is where I am at right now.... to the point where before I plunk down 4K-6K for a pair of phones, I would need to hear them all before deciding if I can even break away from the HD800 at all. And when I am mobile, I went with the UE18+ Pro CIEM which is phenomenal as well both balanced and with a nice thick silver cable...just my choice for perfect clarity.

I cannot help you on the 4k phones. I only have the observation, that most people buying those, still own the likes of HD800 and also seem to still use them after the wow effect is over. So yes you probably will be wowed, but how long?

 

[kylewit]

I am so excited to hear the HD800 for the first time today. My package arrives in the next few hours. I created playlists with hundreds of songs on Spotify and Tidal of the best recorded albums of all genres, live jazz albums, orchestra performances, binaural sessions, classic albums (paranoid, abbey road, etc.), and some techno/electronic/rap to see how those hold up. Has any one played my bloody valentine's loveless on the hd800? does it sound better? ive always heard that album and thought it was just a cloud of distortion and found it hard to keep up with what was going on.

 

[pietcux]

Would the delkoni leather pads have any negative impact on sennheiser's intended sound signature?

YES

 

[kylewit]

Swap dacmagic for a chord mojo to vastly improve the sq.

Does chord mojo have two channel 3-pin female xlr? That is how I connect dacmagic to hdva600.
If not how does it connect to an amp for use as a dac. I have looked at chord mojo for a while, as I could use it for other HPs. I live in NYC so I think I will head to Audio46 to try it out with hd800. Thanks for recommendation!

 

[pietcux]

Does chord mojo have two channel 3-pin female xlr? That is how I connect dacmagic to hdva600.
If not how does it connect to an amp for use as a dac. I have looked at chord mojo for a while, as I could use it for other HPs. I live in NYC so I think I will head to Audio46 to try it out with hd800. Thanks for recommendation!

I think the dacmagic is a very good solution, just checked the Cambridge offerings. I could be intersted in the dacmagic plus in silver.

 

[musickid]

I think analogue out from mojo into analogue l/r in on hdva600 not balanced but won't be beaten at this price range i feel.

What solutions are there for those that find stock pads uncomfortable. Otherwise i love hd800s soundstage. Apparently delkoni leather no good?