The tiny connector pins and anemic wires (albeit rather short) have always been on my 'hit list' to 'fix'.


I'm just an old hardwire kinda guy I guess…


JJ

I just wish the SAA cable didn't cost 500-700 bucks to get hardwired.  That is beyond my self imposed cable cost limit.  If I was adept enough I would hardwire my Norne audio cable, but I still have no idea how Trevor was able to connect 4 wires to each HD800 connector.

I'm afraid this looks like very expensive Foo and snake oil to me. I have tried alternative headphone cables myself but to be honest any differences were very very marginal indeed in terms of any sonic difference. In fact Tyll at Innerfidelity conducted tests and came to the same conclusion.
Are any of these claims including the so called HD800 Ultra-mod backed up by any objective measurements? Surely if the claimed changes are so significant it should be possible see the changes in comparative measurements.
I replaced the cable on my AKG K1000 with an ultra expensive  SAA cable a while ago and the only result was a large hole in my wallet.

I just wish the SAA cable didn't cost 500-700 bucks to get hardwired.  That is beyond my self imposed cable cost limit.  If I was adept enough I would hardwire my Norne audio cable, but I still have no idea how Trevor was able to connect 4 wires to each HD800 connector.

SAA 'upgrade'

As I said in one of my previous posts, I'm work'n on getting some measurements.


But as I've also said there is more to all of this than what measurements alone can capture.
Such things as a 'veil', or bass that couples well, or other similar sonic results don't have corresponding measurements that you can point to and say 'there it is'.


We are dealing with qualitative results, which are subjective by definition and are dependent on the entire system, and not specifically on any single device.
And the only way to determine if such qualitative results are 'meaningful' is to experience them directly and determine for ones self if they are beneficial, or not.


I have described much of what I have found, which is all subjective, balanced with decades of experience, into a useful descriptive narrative to make it useful as a set of functional 'tools'.  In this way one can use these 'tools' to help in getting a better handle on just what the changes truly are and if they are 'better', or not.


And I too have found that cables and other accessories, in many situations can make no differences and in some others, be obviously detrimental to the sound I hear.
But I didn't stop experimenting and playing around, because I did want to find out what I could about this and that.
And it all started to make noticeably beneficial changes after reading about the anax mod and then the experiments progressed from there, and then all sorts of things started to come into focus.
It hasn't stopped.


Just some passing thoughts.


JJ

Recent comments on HD800 seal got me thinking again about my own fit issues with the HD800. I always felt it was weird that I didn't get a good seal behind the ears and that there was a lot of pressure located on the Temporomandibular joint.  I have been experimenting some more with the headband trying to get it to apply more even pressure around my ears. 

It has been pretty successful so far. Even with the very open cup design getting a good seal has really improved the bass.  Extension is much lower than it was before I made the adjustments.  It is making me wonder about a more cushy earpad design that would be better able to provide a solid seal.

I was also thinking about something Jerg said to me.  There is something special when your ears are close to the transducers.  Of course this was in reference to his modded HE500, however I have been thinking this may apply as well to the HD800.  By improving the fit and seal, I have increased the clamping pressure in such a way that my ears are very close to the transducer.  Whether this is the effect of a better seal or ears closer to the transducers I can't be sure.  Either way I am liking the improvement in sound.