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

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Maxvla

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #500 on: July 27, 2015, 05:24:56 AM »

I had nothing but praise for the CSP2+. It does quite well at its price point ($1000). I have heard the Taboo also and it doesn't work well for HD800s, then again it isn't necessarily designed for it.

When it comes to non-sonics though I don't think I could live with the aesthetics of Decware. Ugly as sin.
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drfindley

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #501 on: July 27, 2015, 06:07:40 AM »

I'd like to echo what ZD and Anax have said. I own the Black Widow and the Schiit Ragnarok and the Black Widow is my favorite HD800 amp. Incredibly resolving and musical. It's quite a joy to listen to.

If you really are interested in Cavali amp to match with the HD800, I have to recommend the Liquid Glass + some tube upgrades. It's not as resolving as the Black Widow, but it was enjoyable to listen to with the HD800.

Unfortunately, due to how amps are typically made in low production quantities by people not making big money on their products, we don't see as many foreign amps here.
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Sorrodje

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #502 on: July 27, 2015, 07:40:15 AM »

Honestly if i had to summarize, stuff made in US is on average better sounding.
Right now i have no faith in EU made headamps from my own experience.

New Kid on the block in E.U : http://www.feliksaudio.pl/en

Some good ears ( aka ears I trust .. and there aren't many) told me the result is really good with the HD800. I'd like to put my hands on one . Maybe I'll contact them after my vacations.

numbercube

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #503 on: July 27, 2015, 08:06:21 AM »

For Jan Meiers Corda Jazz and Classic there's an upgrade available. The frequency-adpative feedback is supposed to increase micro-detail.
What do you think of this?
I'm not even sure what micro detail is. Most of my music is rather fast, e.g. what should I listen for in Reign in Blood?
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HitmanFluffy

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #504 on: July 27, 2015, 08:11:36 AM »

New Kid on the block in E.U : http://www.feliksaudio.pl/en

Some good ears ( aka ears I trust .. and there aren't many) told me the result is really good with the HD800. I'd like to put my hands on one . Maybe I'll contact them after my vacations.

Those amps look the part, and price-wise aren't anywhere near as costly as what I expected. I'm curious to see how their cheapest offering stacks up to the Valhalla 2.
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Anaxilus

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #505 on: July 27, 2015, 11:48:33 AM »

I'm not even sure what micro detail is. Most of my music is rather fast, e.g. what should I listen for in Reign in Blood?

Depends. Do you listen to the 1986 version http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/92179 or the 2007 version http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/89357

For example, on Angel of Death around 1:39 you could listen for harmonic details coming off the toms and cymbal crash when the pace eases and the background quiets down. 4:20-4:30 would also be a decent spot to pay attention to.

Fast metal doesn't mean anything. Recording quality means everything and is genre agnostic. DaveBSC here has a blog on high DR and quality metal.
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gogogasgas

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #506 on: July 27, 2015, 01:11:39 PM »

Well, of the two solid state recommended amps on the list that are still available new, one may, or may not, go a tad haywire if it gets too hot. The other is the Schiit offering. Not on the list, but receiving some early positive buzz is the Black Widow.

I hadn't looked in at the Mier gear for quite a while. I can't tell from the website pics - do any of those models offer balanced connections (front and rear)? Have the Mier models been updated? Not sure what 'frequency-adpative feedback' would offer - a guess: the amp swings from A class into class B depending on load?

I have a technical question. Say a head amp was designed around 220 voltage (or 110). Does it happen that the same amp changes character/performance if it is re-engineered for 110 voltage (or 220)? Or, if the designer does a bodge job on implementation of the 'other' voltage can it change the audio quality?



 
« Last Edit: July 27, 2015, 01:33:20 PM by gogogasgas »
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Sorrodje

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #507 on: July 27, 2015, 01:29:22 PM »

kothganesh

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #508 on: August 03, 2015, 09:59:14 AM »

Doing some back and forth between the ZD and the ZDS with the HD 800. Now beginning to appreciate the term "veiled" sound.
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songmic

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Re: Best Amps for Sennheiser HD800
« Reply #509 on: August 03, 2015, 10:45:58 AM »

Doing some back and forth between the ZD and the ZDS with the HD 800. Now beginning to appreciate the term "veiled" sound.

Didn't you say you also have the BW on order too? I would really appreciate it if you could compare BW, ZD and ZDS in their performance with HD800. These days I'm reading so much praise for the BW that it made me wonder if BW might be better sounding than ZDS (for HD800 I mean, of course the BW would beat the pants off ZDS when it comes to driving orthos).
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Source: Waversa Systems W SmartHub, Schiit Yggdrasil
Amp: ecp audio L-2 & PS2
Headphone: Sennheiser HD650 & HD800
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