[AgainstTheGrain]

Hello fellow head-fiers,

I'm ordering a pair of HD700 in a few weeks and I'm looking for an amp to pair with them. I'm stuck between the wa3 and wa6. Ideally I would want the wa7 but that is out of my budget. I plan to also get a Schiit bifrost down the line but an amp is more pressing at the moment.

Which of the 2 has the best synergy with the HD700?

Thank you

 

[Dubstep Girl]

y not hd 800?

 

[AgainstTheGrain]

y not hd 800?

Because I'm getting a great deal on the HD 700 that I can't get on the HD 800. Plus I want to get the black sheep of the Sennheiser line. The middle child so to speak.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

hmm i think either amp would be good. the 700s are like 150 ohms right? cause WA3 needs high impedance headphones to work.
 
the WA3 will be warmer than WA6, WA6 will have more power.

 

[AgainstTheGrain]

hmm i think either amp would be good. the 700s are like 150 ohms right? cause WA3 needs high impedance headphones to work.

the WA3 will be warmer than WA6, WA6 will have more power.

yes the hd700 are 150 ohms. I think I would rather go with the warmer sound because of the reported treble issues with the HD 700. Also what's the difference between an OTL amp and a regular amp? I know the WA3 is OTL while the WA6 is not.

 

[David Chavez]

I had the hd 700. Your right it has treble issues. Spikes a little bad (comes down with burn in). Overall not so bright, a little warmer out of the box.  I would say go for the wa6 then look into some tube rolling threads for whatever signature you want. I believe the hd700 could go well with bright or warm amps. On the side note hope you enjoy the hd700 more then I did! And feel free to add your review of it on its gear page when you had enough time listening to them.
 

 

[AgainstTheGrain]

I had the hd 700. Your right it has treble issues. Spikes a little bad (comes down with burn in). Overall not so bright, a little warmer out of the box.  I would say go for the wa6 then look into some tube rolling threads for whatever signature you want. I believe the hd700 could go well with bright or warm amps. On the side note hope you enjoy the hd700 more then I did! And feel free to add your review of it on its gear page when you had enough time listening to them.

 

I'm going to try to audition them before I commit though. If I don't like them in the demo then I'll go for the HD 650

 

[Dubstep Girl]

HD 650 and WA6 or WA3 would be nice as well. 
 
but yeah WA3 is warmer. otl = output transformer less, thats basically the difference. its warmer and has its own sound, meant for high impedance headphones, really good for them.

 

[AgainstTheGrain]

I'm hearing a lot about how great the bottlehead crack is with sennheisers. How does it compare to the woo audio?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

its really good as well. if you're up for some DIY, i highly recommend it. its extremely good with HD 650 and not bad with hd 800, i'm sure it'll be good with hd 700 as well. might be a little brighter than WA3 though, so better paired with hd 650.

 

[vinnievidi]

Hey, just chiming in here...
I just got a set of HD700 and find that it pairs nicely with the Lyr. I was hoping to pick up a WA6 for the 700s but got a pretty good deal on the Lyr and couldn't pass it up. I actually didn't find the 700s to be peaky in the highs out of the Lyr or my iPhone. They were a bit brash out of my work tower (some sort of Dell), but still warm overall.

 

[Head-Fi Momo]

I happen to own HD800, HD700 and HD650 and a WA3.  I have to say the HD700 pairs very well with the WA3, in fact, as good as the HD650.  I highly recommend this combo, plus it is very affordable.  On the other hand, the HD800 did not pair as well as the WA3, i find it too laid back.

 

[AgainstTheGrain]

Hey, just chiming in here...
I just got a set of HD700 and find that it pairs nicely with the Lyr. I was hoping to pick up a WA6 for the 700s but got a pretty good deal on the Lyr and couldn't pass it up. I actually didn't find the 700s to be peaky in the highs out of the Lyr or my iPhone. They were a bit brash out of my work tower (some sort of Dell), but still warm overall.

You can power the HD 700 directly from your phone? How is the sound in comparison to being amped?

I happen to own HD800, HD700 and HD650 and a WA3.  I have to say the HD700 pairs very well with the WA3, in fact, as good as the HD650.  I highly recommend this combo, plus it is very affordable.  On the other hand, the HD800 did not pair as well as the WA3, i find it too laid back.

Hmmm what a line up. Have you tried the headphones with any other amps besides the wa3?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

knowing the hd 700 is 150 ohms, itll sound pretty bad unamped. im guessing sterile and harsh with an odd veiling of detail, thats usually how it goes. very bland sound.
 
anyways sounds like the WA3 will be a winner. it'll last forever too and you can play around with tubes later.

 

[vinnievidi]

It's actually not too bad coming straight from the iPhone. In all honesty, I wouldn't spend upwards of $1k on a headphone to be run exclusively out of a mobile phone, but in a pinch it's not terrible. They sure sounded much better out of the Schiit amp and my home receiver, but fine enough considering what an iPhone can muster. I would say that the worst of it is that the HD700 sounds a bit veiled and sluggish when plugged into the phone, also the bass is not nearly as defined or punchy as it is out of a more powerful source. I can't say that the sound is sterile or harsh at all.. I find it to actually be quite the opposite... except out of the piece of junk Dell I have at work; but to be fair, it even makes my SE425 sound tinny.