Topic: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800 (Read 100596 times)

Priidik · « **Reply #180 on:** February 06, 2015, 03:03:06 PM »

I have been listening to an Apex Pinnacle for a week now. No, its not mine, i have it on loan from a friend.
DACs used: BMC PureDac. Briefly tried: April Stello DA100, Yulong DA8, Yulong D100.
Phones tried: HD800 (bal, driver ring covered), HD650 (briefly) and Beyer T1 (very briefly), also balanced RE400

Now i got the taste of tubes done right (previous encounters were Leben and WA22 retubed, all somewhat dissapointing) and i get the 'big boy toob amps' slam term now.
I am even surprised by the technicalities this amp has, it surpasses the HDVA600 in all aspects with the right driver tube in place. It is really dependant on that tube, with some lesser tubes, it gets spanked by the HDVA. 6F8 Sylvania is my favorite here. Vs HDVA600 Pinnacle (with 6F8 Sylvania) has:
More nimble bass, leading edges/transients are sharper (perhaps too sharp even, but i like it) ,more physical imaging, way better clarity, texture is better, treble has less artifacts and is cleaner etc.
Still, the HDVA is much better amp than WA22 or Leben, at least in technicalities.

Marvey said HDVA600 imparts its own signature. I get that part now, i think. It adresses 5-7k region a tad, by ditching information there, kind of coarsing it over. Also some stridency in 9kHz and up. Female vocals have less air and delicacy as a result, but HD800 trouble-zone (s) has less effect too. It works well with Sabre dacs for this reason.

Now i'm thinking how do i get a taste of that sound without robing a bank myself

.
I have done my lurking and now i am very tempted to get a Rag, but not sure if it will meet its performance technically. I'd really like to get a way without tubes, if possible.
I know some of you have heard Pinnacle, where does the Pinnacle stand against its competition and Rag?

Priidik · « **Reply #181 on:** February 06, 2015, 03:05:04 PM »

Quote from: Karl on February 03, 2015, 07:47:53 PM

Iam going to buy a new amp/dac for my HD800. What would be best Modi 2 Uber/Magni 2 Uber, Modi 2 Uber/Vali or Matrix M-stage HPA2 (with dac).

Thanks!

Provide some aditional information about your needs, otherwise the question is hopeless to answer to.

Rotijon · « **Reply #182 on:** February 07, 2015, 12:04:55 PM »

Just heard the HD800 to with the La Figaro 339s and Audio GD 8/9 cant remember which,

Was not that impressive to be honest. Have not heard it make me go "DAYUM" like the first time ive heard these with the Goldmund headphone amp.

Other than the hot as hell highs, ive found it pretty ok, but nowhere near what people seem to be describing. I think its an amp problem, and the fact that mine is unmodded.

So quick question, how do the vahalla and vali compared to say the rag. Im thinking of one of these 3, if they are not too far off form the rag, ill settle for one of the first 2.

The BA and 445 are too far out for my budget unfortunately.

Thanks

maibuN · « **Reply #183 on:** February 12, 2015, 05:02:49 PM »

Do you think amps and dacs really make much difference with the hd800 or with any other headphone? From my experience the differences always have been very subtile and not worth the huge price tags. I used hd800 straight out of my macbook for some time and it wasn't really that bad (off course net best). I tried byston bha-1, bmc puredac, violectric v200, hdvd800, matrix m-stage, meier audio, ifi, dragonfly)

Before I pay that much for amps I would consider getting a complementary headphone or save my money.

Do you think I'm wrong or have just bad hearing? This is no offense, I just want to learn from your experience because this forum seems to be rather objective, so I wonder that you care so much about amps that should not do anything but amping the signal a bit.

cizx · « **Reply #184 on:** February 12, 2015, 05:31:50 PM »

Absolutely not. Neither does the specific headphone. Just stick with whatever you can cram onto your head, plug it into whatever you have, and go forth into the world.

maibuN · « **Reply #185 on:** February 12, 2015, 05:50:58 PM »

Headphones are a different story, differences between headphones are night and day off course. But with amps I made other experiences and that's why I honestly ask you about yours. I read somewhere, not sure if here or on hf, that budget amps are good with hd800 and to really get more quality you should directly go to highest-end amps. And I just want to know if it is worth the money.

What would you consider as the best all-in-one device for the hd800? Perhaps moon neo 430A ?

knerian · « **Reply #186 on:** February 12, 2015, 07:36:51 PM »

Quote from: maibuN on February 12, 2015, 05:02:49 PM

Do you think amps and dacs really make much difference with the hd800 or with any other headphone? From my experience the differences always have been very subtile and not worth the huge price tags. I used hd800 straight out of my macbook for some time and it wasn't really that bad (off course net best). I tried byston bha-1, bmc puredac, violectric v200, hdvd800, matrix m-stage, meier audio, ifi, dragonfly)

Before I pay that much for amps I would consider getting a complementary headphone or save my money.

Do you think I'm wrong or have just bad hearing? This is no offense, I just want to learn from your experience because this forum seems to be rather objective, so I wonder that you care so much about amps that should not do anything but amping the signal a bit.

Hey I feel the say way for the most part. But I found a huge difference between the headphone out of my macbook and even a cheap $100 amp. Especially on high resistance headphones, like beyers that are 600ohm. Once you get into amps and dacs it depends who you ask, for most people the differences will be very small.

I think if you are here just because you enjoy music as opposed to the whole audiophile journey of exploring all the gear out there, and you can't hear much of a difference between amps, then just get the one that fits your budget. Here the Schiit vali is highly recommended for the HD800, it's probably one of the best bargains with it's price/performance ratio and it's a tube amp at only $119.

When you see some of the people here talking about huge differences you have to keep it in perspective, these are people with a lot of listening experience who are very discerning.

Priidik · « **Reply #187 on:** February 12, 2015, 07:38:23 PM »

I can share my experience.
While i purchased my first pair of sort of hi-fi headphones, the ATH-M50, i probably wouldn't have appreciated HD800 much. Much less cared for high-end amplifier and dac. Mostly because what i searched from music back then and what i was used to listen to. The brain adjusts and develops, technical aspects of sound burn in memory and at this point high-end matters. Now i'm confident in going all out, reaching to the highest branch i can. But all this, because i have developed into this nutcase state that i am today.

I hope that helps.

Sorrodje · « **Reply #188 on:** February 12, 2015, 07:53:25 PM »

Quote from: maibuN on February 12, 2015, 05:02:49 PM

From my experience the differences always have been very subtile and not worth the huge price tags.

Subtle ? : Yes . Although specifically with the HD800 , differences can be more dramatic than for other headphones. impressions I gave a few month back when I compared and AudioGD NFB12.1 and a Totaldac/ Eddie Current Balancing Act combo : http://www.head-fi.org/t/650510/the-new-hd800-impressions-thread/8880#post_10338732 .. definitely more than subtle differences.. to my ears at least

.

Worth the price tag ? : Depends on what you're after. 2 years ago i couldn't imagine to spend thousands bucks to achieve the best sound. Right now I m' considering the Yggdrasil ( 2300$) and a DNA Stratus ( 2800$)....

maibuN · « **Reply #189 on:** February 13, 2015, 12:27:49 AM »

Quote from: knerian on February 12, 2015, 07:36:51 PM

But I found a huge difference between the headphone out of my macbook and even a cheap $100 amp.

That's what I was hearing too. But it's not as bad as many people claim. I would prefer hd800 from headphone out over cheaper headphones with a good amp as it already sounds a bit like a "hd800" imo

But the more expensive amps and dacs get the less value for money they offer from my experience as the differences get more and more subtile. But maybe I'm wrong as I haven't heard many of the amps you are talking about here so therefore I was asking. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Perhaps I will triff one of the amps in future. In the meantime I will use ifi idsd micro.

Author Topic: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800 (Read 100596 times)

Priidik

Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800

Priidik

Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800

Rotijon

Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800

maibuN

Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800

cizx

Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800

maibuN

Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800

knerian

Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800

Priidik

Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800

Sorrodje

Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800

maibuN

Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Author Topic: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800 (Read 100596 times)

cizx