[Maxvla]

Point taken but I still would not take my HD800 anywhere near a Little Dot or M-Stage or Lovely Cube. It just my personal issue. In my mind Chinese companies are all about mass production, low wages and cheap products. I would buy Made in China in a heartbeat if it says Rotel, Cambridge Audio, Bower and Wilkinson, Apple because I am putting my faith in the brand, their quality control, R&D, and proper wages. 

You do realize many of those things you listed as safe are made in China and surrounding areas, right? Apple products are entirely asian made, and they come with plenty of problems.

 

[Jd007]

Quote:

Point taken but I still would not take my HD800 anywhere near a Little Dot or M-Stage or Lovely Cube. It just my personal issue. In my mind Chinese companies are all about mass production, low wages and cheap products. I would buy Made in China in a heartbeat if it says Rotel, Cambridge Audio, Bower and Wilkinson, Apple because I am putting my faith in the brand, their quality control, R&D, and proper wages. 

 
Not to sound rude but this just shows your ignorance in the Chinese audiophile equipment manufacturing industry.

 

[zigy626]

Quote:

 
So no Opera or HiFiMan either, huh?
 
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/a-look-inside-the-chinese-audio-industry/
 
Nothing wrong with that, but it'll cost ya!

I tried Hifiman, bought two pairs of HE-500 and both had channel imbalance/ driver mismatch. After reading review after review from Head-fi members I was completely shocked with the first pair, thinking it might be a one off thing I ordered another and it had the same issue (although to a lesser extent). Contacted the customer service who asked me to ship it back to china at my own cost. Lesson learned, added up my pennies and bought the wonderful HD800 and never looked back. Cant say much about the other company you mentioned. 

 

[Stalker81598]

You've said that several times...but it is VERY far from my experiences with the Lyr. I used to own the Lyr for about a year and with tubes that were pretty much worth the Lyr itself. Sorry, but with the HD800s or T1s it was a slow brute that couldn't articulate the nuances of the music. It made the HD800s seem slow and plodding regardless of tubes that I ran with it. The WA22 or LF (that I had on hand) stomped it into the ground it wasn't close. And now that the GS-X MKII stomps on the WA22/LF, I'll let you guess how high I hold the Lyr with the HD800s. 

 Heck, I found the Schiit Valhalla a much nicer "budget" match for the HD800s.
 
Please remember it was designed as an ortho amp for the LCD-2s and HE-6s when they first came out. It was designed around their unique power requirements and all the magic smoke talk only served to blow out my Ed. 8s when I plugged them in with the volume dial set to "0". 

 (And a few other low impedance cans went too with other owners). 
 
Here's a very useful review between the older GS-X model (and the MKII is that much better) 

 and the Lyr by Asr, pretty spot on IMO:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/580636/mini-review-schiit-lyr
 
So to sum up my experiences, can the HD800s sound "nice" out of mid-fi amps....sure, but you're leaving a lot of cards on the table in terms of what they can really do and to really get to hear what they're about you'll need to look at your full rig: source, dac, amp, etc....
 
This is pretty much summarizes my last 3 years with my HD800s and with a lot of different gear.

 
I think you may be forgetting that my preferences in audio may not be exactly the same as yours. You prefer a sound of maximum detail and resolution regardless of how dry it might sound, but I do not. The HD800 still retains its soundstage, layering abilities and much of its detail retrieval even with the Lyr. All of the "faults" of the Lyr that you listed are the reasons I like it. I like the slower sound of the Lyr with the HD800. It makes the mids wetter and the bass fatter. It brings it a little closer to the sound of my HE-500 which, in my opinion, is a better headphone (albeit with its own weaknesses). You can tell me that the Lyr sucks with the HD800 until you're blue in the face, but it's not going to make me want to go out and buy a GS-X. I did not like the clinical and dry sound of the GS-X. That said, I would like to hear the HD800 with the WA2.

 

[zigy626]

Quote:

Not to sound rude but this just shows your ignorance in the Chinese audiophile equipment manufacturing industry.

Sorry for my ignorance but please name some Chinese brands that make Hi-end audio gear. Not International companies that outsource production to china. I will look into them read the reviews and it would add to my knowledge about Chinese Hi-End audio. Maybe I might even change my mind. Thanks 

 

[Jd007]

Quote:

Sorry for my ignorance but please name some Chinese brands that make Hi-end audio gear. Not International companies that outsource production to china. I will look into them read the reviews and it would add to my knowledge about Chinese Hi-End audio. Maybe I might even change my mind. Thanks 

Little Dot is one of them, Audio-GD is another. I have personally had experience with the quality of products of Little Dot but not Audio-GD. The point is that to dismiss all Chinese made audio gear as cheap, mass produced crap in a general sweeping motion is absurd. There are small manufacturers in China that focus on making quality audio equipment by hand (not mass produced as the market is not that big). In fact, I doubt there is anybody in the world doing mass production of tube headphone amps (in the tens of hundreds of thousands), because the demand is simply not there.
 
On the HE500s, HiFiMAN did have some QC issues with early batches of HE500, as they tend to launch products rapidly. But they have since addressed the issue and the HE500s I recently purchased had no issues (neither does many others who purchased after the QC issue was brought to light). Of course it should never had happened in the first place and I'm not finding excuses for them, but it is a one-time thing which they fixed quickly.

 

[RedBull]

^ Try audio-gd products, they sound wonderful, I like it much more than some non chinese brands (preference applied) and they are reliable.

 

[Stalker81598]

Little Dot is one of them, Audio-GD is another. I have personally had experience with the quality of products of Little Dot but not Audio-GD. The point is that to dismiss all Chinese made audio gear as cheap, mass produced crap in a general sweeping motion is absurd. There are small manufacturers in China that focus on making quality audio equipment by hand (not mass produced as the market is not that big). In fact, I doubt there is anybody in the world doing mass production of tube headphone amps (in the tens of hundreds of thousands), because the demand is simply not there.

On the HE500s, HiFiMAN did have some QC issues with early batches of HE500, as they tend to launch products rapidly. But they have since addressed the issue and the HE500s I recently purchased had no issues (neither does many others who purchased after the QC issue was brought to light). Of course it should never had happened in the first place and I'm not finding excuses for them, but it is a one-time thing which they fixed quickly.

I'm going to have to agree. Disregarding a product just because of its country of origin is pretty silly.

 

[DarKen23]

Not to sound rude but this just shows your ignorance in the Chinese audiophile equipment manufacturing industry.

Sorry for my ignorance but please name some Chinese brands that make Hi-end audio gear. Not International companies that outsource production to china. I will look into them read the reviews and it would add to my knowledge about Chinese Hi-End audio. Maybe I might even change my mind. Thanks 

Yulong products

 

[songmic]

Quote:

@songmic,

May I ask you
a) what was the best amp you personally heard with the HD800 and
b) would you buy again the ECZD as amp for your HD800 ?

Thanks !

 
a) The best amp I've heard with HD800 was Allnic HPA5000, although it is said to be optimized for low impedance headphones. The best solid-state amp I heard was the Bakoon HPA-21.
b) Yes, I would buy the ZDSE amp again for the HD800 (and TH900).

 

[DarKen23]

You've said that several times...but it is VERY far from my experiences with the Lyr. I used to own the Lyr for about a year and with tubes that were pretty much worth the Lyr itself. Sorry, but with the HD800s or T1s it was a slow brute that couldn't articulate the nuances of the music. It made the HD800s seem slow and plodding regardless of tubes that I ran with it. The WA22 or LF (that I had on hand) stomped it into the ground it wasn't close. And now that the GS-X MKII stomps on the WA22/LF, I'll let you guess how high I hold the Lyr with the HD800s. 

 Heck, I found the Schiit Valhalla a much nicer "budget" match for the HD800s.

Please remember it was designed as an ortho amp for the LCD-2s and HE-6s when they first came out. It was designed around their unique power requirements and all the magic smoke talk only served to blow out my Ed. 8s when I plugged them in with the volume dial set to "0". 

 (And a few other low impedance cans went too with other owners). 


Here's a very useful review between the older GS-X model (and the MKII is that much better) 

 and the Lyr by Asr, pretty spot on IMO:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/580636/mini-review-schiit-lyr


So to sum up my experiences, can the HD800s sound "nice" out of mid-fi amps....sure, but you're leaving a lot of cards on the table in terms of what they can really do and to really get to hear what they're about you'll need to look at your full rig: source, dac, amp, etc....

This is pretty much summarizes my last 3 years with my HD800s and with a lot of different gear.

I think you may be forgetting that my preferences in audio may not be exactly the same as yours. You prefer a sound of maximum detail and resolution regardless of how dry it might sound, but I do not. The HD800 still retains its soundstage, layering abilities and much of its detail retrieval even with the Lyr. All of the "faults" of the Lyr that you listed are the reasons I like it. I like the slower sound of the Lyr with the HD800. It makes the mids wetter and the bass fatter. It brings it a little closer to the sound of my HE-500 which, in my opinion, is a better headphone (albeit with its own weaknesses). You can tell me that the Lyr sucks with the HD800 until you're blue in the face, but it's not going to make me want to go out and buy a GS-X. I did not like the clinical and dry sound of the GS-X. That said, I would like to hear the HD800 with the WA2.

Thank you for your honest opinion. I also enjoy a more organic/wet sound with a more fuller presence in the bass, I didn't like the way my LCD2 sounded with the lyr, the retrieval seemed dull to me, I would however, like to try the lyr again with an hd800. Have you had the chance with the mjolnir and the 800s?

 

[LugBug1]

I love the hD800's. The reason I love them is because of the sound-stage and imaging. The detail retrieval is amazing, but in my opinion the resolution doesn't need to be pronounced any more than an average amp gives (as long as you have a capable dac). For my preferences, any amp that gives a fullness and weight to the sound really compliments the HD800's. I don't use it for mixing or producing. I don't need to hear the cat in the next room of the recording studio breaking wind. If I want to hear a cat breaking wind I'll feed my own ***** left over curry... What I mean is The strengths of the HD800 are their versatility. If you want to extort the resolution, then yes get a high end amp that will pronounce and shape detail to the third degree. But if like me and many others, who just want a musical sound (we are audiophiles as well). And by that I mean, rounded, full, deep, smoother and engaging without being tiring. You can get this without spending too much money. Amplifiers are amplifiers. The headphone is the work of technical merit in this case. So my advice to anyone looking into this hp is to just buy it, then play with amps. Any amp. You'll soon find a sound to your liking. $100 vintage integrate for a start And the M-stage is a winner too. So is the Audio gd stuff, Little dot's, Yulong is also fabulous make.

 

[Girls Generation]

As someone who likes a balance in the FR and not-so-lean-but-not-so-loose bass/mids, the Lyr was way too wet for my ears, losing detail and realism, and the HD800 still sounded a bit too lean with the Mjolnir. I kept yearning for a bit more bass extension and presence.
Quote:

Thank you for your honest opinion. I also enjoy a more organic/wet sound with a more fuller presence in the bass, I didn't like the way my LCD2 sounded with the lyr, the retrieval seemed dull to me, I would however, like to try the lyr again with an hd800. Have you had the chance with the mjolnir and the 800s?

 

[DarKen23]

I love the hD800's. The reason I love them is because of the sound-stage and imaging. The detail retrieval is amazing, but in my opinion the resolution doesn't need to be pronounced any more than an average amp gives (as long as you have a capable dac). For my preferences, any amp that gives a fullness and weight to the sound really compliments the HD800's. I don't use it for mixing or producing. I don't need to hear the cat in the next room of the recording studio breaking wind. If I want to hear a cat breaking wind I'll feed my own ***** left over curry... What I mean is The strengths of the HD800 are their versatility. If you want to extort the resolution, then yes get a high end amp that will pronounce and shape detail to the third degree. But if like me and many others, who just want a musical sound (we are audiophiles as well). And by that I mean, rounded, full, deep, smoother and engaging without being tiring. You can get this without spending too much money. Amplifiers are amplifiers. The headphone is the work of technical merit in this case. So my advice to anyone looking into this hp is to just buy it, then play with amps. Any amp. You'll soon find a sound to your liking. $100 vintage integrate for a start And the M-stage is a winner too. So is the Audio gd stuff, Little dot's, Yulong is also fabulous make.

Thanks for your input. Yea I love my Yulong D18, very musical dac, pleasure to listen to every time I get on it.
As for your input about amplifiers, I honestly can't say much because I currently do not own the hd800 (I'm planning on making the purchase this week, tis why I'm here). From what I've read, the hd800 seems to be quite nitpicky about the pairing. The main reason I asked about the pairing with the mjolnir is because I have it, and I don't feel like purchasing an amp while getting the hd800 in the same week, even the week after xD

 

[DarKen23]

As someone who likes a balance in the FR and not-so-lean-but-not-so-loose bass/mids, the Lyr was way too wet for my ears, losing detail and realism, and the HD800 still sounded a bit too lean with the Mjolnir. I kept yearning for a bit more bass extension and presence.

Thank you for your honest opinion. I also enjoy a more organic/wet sound with a more fuller presence in the bass, I didn't like the way my LCD2 sounded with the lyr, the retrieval seemed dull to me, I would however, like to try the lyr again with an hd800. Have you had the chance with the mjolnir and the 800s?

I don't think anyone had said the mjolnir is bass-light, I do not feel its lean in the bass region at all. Comparing it to the lyr, the mjolnir's bass is far better controlled, tight, cleaner with excellent speed.
It could just be the hd800 and the mjolnir's pairing.

*edit* I realized that I read your post incorrectly, apologies. You were not referring to the mjolnir on its own, but rather the pairing of it with the 800s.