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Author Topic: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800  (Read 100586 times)

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blue

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #20 on: October 09, 2014, 04:33:15 AM »

I'd second the master 9. I hated their cheap amps but the master series acss stuffs are the real game changer here. Heard one recently side by side with my zana feed from master 7 and nad m51, the agd is better in all but the mid(use zana as pre and now you're talking business). Probably the best amp we oz can get for a sane price.

Hmm.. we did a comparison of the Master 9 right after it came out...soft and flat dynamics, veiled sound... It got slammed by a BHA-1 (which I do not consider a great amp).

Biggest issue I had with it was probably the utter lack of excitement. The BHA-1 at least had some slam in the lower end even if if the sound was coarse and grainy (with the 800). The LCD-3 from the master 9 was way too dark..

Maybe we got a defective unit.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2014, 05:19:20 AM by blue »
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Greed

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #21 on: October 09, 2014, 04:37:30 AM »

I'd second the master 9. I hated their cheap amps but the master series acss stuffs are the real game changer here. Heard one recently side by side with my zana feed from master 7 and nad m51, the agd is better in all but the mid(use zana as pre and now you're talking business). Probably the best amp we oz can get for a sane price.

Hmm.. we did a comparison of the Master 9 right after it came out... flat dynamics, veiled sound... It got slammed by a BHA-1 (which I do not consider a great amp).

Maybe we got a defective unit?


Possibly, were you using it balanced? I can understand the veiled sound to an extent but I thought the dynamics were above average for sure.
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blue

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #22 on: October 09, 2014, 04:39:39 AM »

I'd second the master 9. I hated their cheap amps but the master series acss stuffs are the real game changer here. Heard one recently side by side with my zana feed from master 7 and nad m51, the agd is better in all but the mid(use zana as pre and now you're talking business). Probably the best amp we oz can get for a sane price.

Hmm.. we did a comparison of the Master 9 right after it came out... flat dynamics, veiled sound... It got slammed by a BHA-1 (which I do not consider a great amp).

Maybe we got a defective unit?


Possibly, were you using it balanced? I can understand the veiled sound to an extent but I thought the dynamics were above average for sure.

Yeah definitely balanced. I was surprised as well (since this thing was touted to have mucho watts).
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Anaxilus

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #23 on: October 09, 2014, 05:00:44 AM »

I'd second the master 9. I hated their cheap amps but the master series acss stuffs are the real game changer here. Heard one recently side by side with my zana feed from master 7 and nad m51, the agd is better in all but the mid(use zana as pre and now you're talking business). Probably the best amp we oz can get for a sane price.

Hmm.. we did a comparison of the Master 9 right after it came out... flat dynamics, veiled sound... It got slammed by a BHA-1 (which I do not consider a great amp).

Maybe we got a defective unit?


Possibly, were you using it balanced? I can understand the veiled sound to an extent but I thought the dynamics were above average for sure.

So is the Master 9 veiled or transparent?  Because there is no way the Ragnarok is veiled and I have not heard anything SS that is more transparent.
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CEE TEE

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #24 on: October 09, 2014, 05:30:09 AM »

I was able to listen to the HD800 at a meet recently through a Glenn OTL, and the amount of low end slam was impressive and addictive. The impact was in a different league than the Val2 or the the Crack/Speedball. It wasn't mushy or gooey either, it sounded great for the price. The owner required listeners to adjust the volume through his DAC which struck me as a bit worrisome (channel imbalance low on the volume dial apparently). Still for the price, it might be worthy of consideration. I'm tempted to get one, but apparently there's a year long waiting list.

Very cool, Joel...you heard a Glenn amp.  Have been wanting to listen to one for a long while and if I go up to SF I can listen to one.  The spartan look has grown on me, Glenn is a great guy, they really seem a labor of love.  The amps look to be set up differently with Glenn trying to work within a given case size or with certain tubes that he thinks will be driven well or cheap to populate (not all the time).  Interesting and I would think that they could vary a lot in sound depending upon design and tubes used.  Would be great to see a list of the designs that he has made for people.  When I have a chance, I will try to listen to ClaytonSF's amp.
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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #25 on: October 09, 2014, 06:50:16 AM »

Thks for the List Purr1n.

Just a fix to do pliz . The good name is DNA Sonett 2   not SoNNett ;)  . Sonett as the 70s SAAB Sonett ;)

Greed

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #26 on: October 09, 2014, 06:59:15 AM »

I'd second the master 9. I hated their cheap amps but the master series acss stuffs are the real game changer here. Heard one recently side by side with my zana feed from master 7 and nad m51, the agd is better in all but the mid(use zana as pre and now you're talking business). Probably the best amp we oz can get for a sane price.

Hmm.. we did a comparison of the Master 9 right after it came out... flat dynamics, veiled sound... It got slammed by a BHA-1 (which I do not consider a great amp).

Maybe we got a defective unit?


Possibly, were you using it balanced? I can understand the veiled sound to an extent but I thought the dynamics were above average for sure.

So is the Master 9 veiled or transparent?  Because there is no way the Ragnarok is veiled and I have not heard anything SS that is more transparent.

I can give you a better answer compared to the Rag when I get mine in, but I never found the M9 to be lacking in transparency. Of course my opinion needs context... I would say the M9 isn't the last word in transparency. It lacks resolution.. especially in the bass. Although this was using the M7 via OR5.

What about Decaware? I really have no real opinions about these amps but I've been recommended the CSP3 by a few folks. I've seen them go for well under $1K used... might be a possible contender.
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Anaxilus

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #27 on: October 09, 2014, 07:08:00 AM »

The older Decware I'd classify as Lebenesque done right when I heard it.  The new stuff seems to be a bit less colored from impressions I've read.
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"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." - Lao Tzu

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #28 on: October 09, 2014, 09:03:14 AM »

It's fashionable to mock everything Ray Samuels ever does, but with the right tubes the Raptor is a good match for the 800. The cliche "tube amp for solid state lovers" definitely applies.n
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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #29 on: October 09, 2014, 03:23:25 PM »

Any portable(ish) recommendations? I prefer the pico power to the Leckerton UHA760 (ada4627-1brz) with the HD800. Should I be looking to something like the L3?
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