[dolgen]

Hi.. Are there any Head-fi members who could share their experience comparing the Lake People headphone amps to the Violectric head amps on the HD800 headphones?
  I listen solely to acoustic music, classical and jazz. 
 I presently have the M Stage Matrix and the Objective 2 amp. I find them both very good with the Senns, with the M Stage lacking a bit in resolution and transparency, and the Objective 2 a bit thin at times. Both very good amps though, especially the o2
  I'd like to find an amp that combines the fullness and warmth of the M Stage, with the transparency and refinement of the o2.

 

[DejanM]

I do not know how Lake People is working with Senns but I didn't like very much what I heard coming from Violectric.

 

[dolgen]

Thanks for the response Dejan. Could you give me a quick description of what you didn't like about the Violectric?

 

[novicez1]

Thanks for the response Dejan. Could you give me a quick description of what you didn't like about the Violectric?

+2, it would be really great if you can describe what you heard instead of just saying that you either liked/disliked it.

 

[DejanM]

It is been a while now when I played wth HD800 and different amps. So I apologize for not giving to many details. Violectric was sounding ok but nothng more than that. It didn't really provide anything that would make me enjoy these otherwise excellent cans. When I tried EAR Yoshino HP4, then I understood fully how mediocre this Violectric is. It is true that EAR Yoshino is more expencieve and that it s one of the best headphone amps no matter the price but it is also  good reference that can be used to understand the flaws of other designs.
 
I do not want to say that you cannot be happy with Violectric. Using appropriate source, cabling, etc. maybe you can make it swing with Senns but sincerely I do believe that these cans deserve much better amp. Actually they deserve the best that exist on the market - and there are not too many that are playing in the league necessary for Senns HD 800 ... And if there is a problem with Senn HD800(S) than that is the one: to find the amp that can squeeze out of these cans everything they can provide.

 

[novicez1]

The HP4 is a tube amp yes?... which also costs $5,625?

At that price, If I'm not satisfied with the sound I'm getting from my cans, then maybe, just maybe the HD800 is not for me.

 

[DejanM]

Yes.

 

[DejanM]

To add some more information .... EAR HP4 has transformers at the input and at the output. It is the reason why the price is high. Tim de Paraviccini is a real expert for transformer design and in this unit he proves once again how crucial transformer design can be for end result. It is three stage amplification circuit with 6SL7 in all stages. Power supply is fairly simple with two stage RC filtering. It has pair of low impedance and a pair of high impedance 6,3mm outputs.
 
With HD800 this amp makes dream combo ...

 

[novicez1]

  To add some more information .... EAR HP4 has transformers at the input and at the output. It is the reason why the price is high. Tim de Paraviccini is a real expert for transformer design and in this unit he proves once again how crucial transformer design can be for end result. It is three stage amplification circuit with 6SL7 in all stages. Power supply is fairly simple with two stage RC filtering. It has pair of low impedance and a pair of high impedance 6,3mm outputs.
 
With HD800 this amp makes dream combo ...

I knew someone who had the HP4 and still sold his HD800 for the HD800S.... dunno... might be just differing preferences.

 

[DejanM]

HD800S are better phones than HD800. That was probably the reason. I haven't heard 800S with EAR but I guess that that combination is even better.