[nigeljames]

Quote:

I can't see why you would not keep the HD800 even if you have the HE-6 and LCD-2!  Unless of course you have a pair of Stax 007 or 009 or you like a huge amount of bass.
 
I kept all three because they do different things and suit different music.  The HD does not have the bass of the HE-6 or the immediacy of the LCD-2 but it gives you the inner details and gigantic soundstage that no other headphones I am familiar with can give.
 
This leads me to the cable suggestion:  the HD800 has serious sibilance issue and some stridency in the treble when driven hard that are quite annoying.  These cans are a very poor match with most silver cables, even Frank's superb Silver Poison, which tend to let through even more treble and tighten the bass, both negatively impacting the HD800.
 
I got by far the best results with Frank's Copper Venom.  This cable tames the HD800 sibilance with the added benefit of a fuller bass , which the HD800 could certainly use.  I also got the best results when the HD800 is paired with a tube-hybrid amp like the RWA Corvina or to a lesser extent a very smooth solid-state amp like the V200. Finally a simple mod shown elsewhere on this forum--a judicious damping of the the peripheral area inside of the HD800 ear cups--eliminates the problem completely albeit with a small loss in the soundstage size, which the HD800 can afford.
 
When hooked up to the RWA Corvina via  Frank's Copper Venom, I find the HD800 to be my best all around headphone, especially with long listening sessions, among some pretty stout competition (Hifiman 500/HE-6, Audeze LCD2/3, Grado PS1000 and Beyerdynamic T1).
 
I hope this brief discussion is of some use to you in your cable choice and I also hope you keep the HD800..

 
Thanks for your insight, I am assuming it was in reply to my post.

 
I have always been a fan of silver cables but I know the HD800's might be best with a copper cable. One of the reasons I prefer silver is I like a deep, tight, fast bass in preference to a fuller bass, although I would not say no to both!
 
I don't have any issues with stridency but the Audio-gd gear is known for it's smooth treble and sibilance is only an issue if it's already on the disk. I have spent most of my time with the HD800's burrning in on my PC playing MP3's of various quality and don't really have any serious sibilance or stridency issues.
 
I would like to point out that all those people who say the HD800's are not good for rock have got it totally wrong. Been rocking some great tunes for the last few days.

 

[28980]

Just read through 165 pages. subbed.

 

[Sniperbombers]

Quote:

Just read through 165 pages. subbed.

you... are crazy! At most is like 3-5 pages and im like "tl;dr, last page"

anyways 
Sale date: 01/19/13

im so excited to get these wires from you. I've gotten tired of the stock HD 650's and definitely itching to get my hands on an aftermarket cable. I hope there are many others who were satisfied once they received theirs 

 

[zilch0md]

You're my hero, 28980 - even if you simply skimmed through all 165 pages, extracting the meaty stuff!  
 

 

[Justin_Time]

Quote:

 
Thanks for your insight, I am assuming it was in reply to my post.

 
I have always been a fan of silver cables but I know the HD800's might be best with a copper cable. One of the reasons I prefer silver is I like a deep, tight, fast bass in preference to a fuller bass, although I would not say no to both!
 
I don't have any issues with stridency but the Audio-gd gear is known for it's smooth treble and sibilance is only an issue if it's already on the disk. I have spent most of my time with the HD800's burrning in on my PC playing MP3's of various quality and don't really have any serious sibilance or stridency issues.
 
I would like to point out that all those people who say the HD800's are not good for rock have got it totally wrong. Been rocking some great tunes for the last few days.

I agree with you: the HD800 sounds just fine with rock.  
 
With Frank's Copper Venom the HD800  bass remains very deep, tight and fast but it has a little more volume, which adds better foundation to the music. The inner details and sound-stage, the strength of the HD800, remain excellent with the Copper Venom.  
 
With the Silver Poison the sound is slightly faster and tighter and a tad tilted upward toward the higher frequencies.  On balance, the HD800 sounds more detailed but a little over-etched and less musical with the Silver Poison than with the Copper Venom.
 
Of course, the final sound depends a great deal on the amp you use.  With the HD800, I found my conclusion to hold true with the RWA Corvina, Vioelectric V200/V181and Burson Audio (using the Oppo 95/105 as the main CD/SACD source and the Wadia 121 as the DAC for other digital sources). Unfortunately, I have no experience with the Audio-GD gear so I cannot comment.  
 
By the way, the Audeze LCD2/3 and Frank's Silver Poison are a match made in heaven but that's another topic for another day perhaps...   

 

[Toxic Cables]

Thanks for the impressions Justin.
 
The Copper Venom is indeed a great match for the HD800, best cable i have ever heard with them.
 
 
Quick progress pic of the standard lengths on current batch, taking a little longer then i had thought, please bear with me as they will be shipping soon.
 
I have made slight design changes on all the cables, to make them look a little better. This includes not using Black and White heatshrink for L + R, instead the connectors are marked with letters L and R.
 
 

 
I am extremely sorry for the long wait guys, but i am really trying to go as fast as i possibly can, while not lacking on the quality my cables are known for.

 

[DarknightDK]

Nice update Frank. I would rather you take a little more time to produce quality cables and get it right from the start.
 
Really looking forward to the SWs that are coming my way though 

 

[hifimanrookie]

Nice update Frank. I would rather you take a little more time to produce quality cables and get it right from the start.

Really looking forward to the SWs that are coming my way though 

Nice update Frank. I would rather you take a little more time to produce quality cables and get it right from the start.

Really looking forward to the SWs that are coming my way though 

And my 8wire BW damn still have to wait until end of march...ouch

 

[gebo]

Quote:

Thanks for the impressions Justin.
 
The Copper Venom is indeed a great match for the HD800, best cable i have ever heard with them.
 
 

 
Which cable is exactly meant by "Copper Venom" for HD800? I could not find this type of cable on Frank's website.

 

[hifimanrookie]

Quote:

 
Which cable is exactly meant by "Copper Venom" for HD800? I could not find this type of cable on Frank's website.

Check the audeze cables on his site...there u will find an example of the venom rc4... Its a retangular silver cable..Or ask frank by pm for info..am sure he will be happy to answer allur questions..

 

[gebo]

Quote:

Check the audeze cables on his site...there u will find an example of the venom rc4... Its a retangular silver cable..Or ask frank by pm for info..am sure he will be happy to answer allur questions..

Thank you! I pm'd Frank.

 

[hifimanrookie]

Quote:

Thank you! I pm'd Frank.

Correction..i gave u half the info..u have two venom versions..the silver wire one and the copper wire one..on the site it only shows the silver version as its for audeze..copper wire does better with brighter phones like hifiman he400/500/6 and hd800 and grado's..silver wire does better with darker sounding cans like hd650/lcd 2 and 3..good luck with ur choice..

 

[longbowbbs]

I love Frank's cables. At the moment, I am enjoying the HD800's with their stock silver/copper cable.  Very nice so far.

 

[Somnambulist]

Hey Frank, not sure if it's been brought up already but:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/651226/london-meet-saturday-27th-april
 
Maybe see you there? I'm sure there's a lot of people who'd be interested in trying both the full size and IEM cables (me included!).

 

[hifimanrookie]

I think i am going..probably will be only mainlander at that meet then...