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Author Topic: Dac for Sennheizer HD 800  (Read 3233 times)

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Hroðulf

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Re: Dac for Sennheizer HD 800
« Reply #10 on: April 13, 2013, 07:23:20 AM »
Quote from: lagnik on April 12, 2013, 11:48:13 AM
Thank you very much for your replies!! Who is the guy in St. Petersburg? And which amps do you prefer? And which is the best mod to do to my cans? I apreciate all of your answers

The guy I'm talking about is Dimitri Andronnikov. You could try contacting him in English via lynxaudio[at]yandex.ru. Most if not all of his designs have extremely low THD despite the fact that he doesn't leave his ears out of the design process. Unfortunately all of his circuit documentations are in Russian, because they are extremely interesting to read as they explore the design process and the hurdles he had to overcome to achieve the end result. He also seems very respected in the eastern European and Russian hi-fi scenes which indicates a good business practice, because rumors travel very fast around these parts.

You could also try exploring his site via Google Translate- http://www.lynxaudio.narod.ru
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Chris1967

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Re: Dac for Sennheizer HD 800
« Reply #11 on: April 13, 2013, 08:09:43 AM »
Well i can say what i have tried, although very modest stuff, i have a very good idea what these phones need...

I got rid of my Musical Fidelity M1 DAC (and M1 HPA), because this combination had treble glare and grit... also could not connect directly to my pc {for 24/96} (needed USB to SPDIF converter).

I still have in use my Gigawork (mkII)  24/192 dac i built also with minor modifications... from my Meridian CD drive, but i listen to CD;s very rarely...

I have my M2Tech HiFace and Musiland Monitor USD 01 in my drawer now... i will see if i need them in the future...

And have started to investigate USB dacs...

The purpose was not to blow away lots of money...

The revelation (i know some will frown at this) was the ODAC and power supply... it showed me that you can have very good sound with modest budget if the design is well implemented.

The amplifier i am using is a Chinese BCL clone kit which i built only doing some minor modifications and AD797br...

This combination brought out the best of all my phones...

The Anaxilus mod made the HD800's better, taming the somewhat "hot" treble without affecting other aspects of the sonic qualities of the HD800 much or at all...

I can listen for hours without fatigue...

My next step like you is to get  a nice dac, and ultimately an amplifier...

I am very intrigued by the x-sabre at the moment and i am encouraged by the positive comments here... my other option since i am a diyer, is to go for a full Twisted Pair Bufallo IIIse... this is another option...

Since i have good sound i am in no hurry... at the moment i am accumulating as much information i can to help me make the better decision for my hard earned money...

Th problem with not so well known equipment as recommended above is, that they may be brilliant, but it is very difficult to know beforehand... so try to audition first... the Greek DAC i have never heard of but it could be very nice... the Russian one... i wonder how you can listen to it...

In any case do a lot of reading first (especially from people you trust such as this forum) and don't be hasty in buying before you are sure it is what you want...
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lagnik

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Re: Dac for Sennheizer HD 800
« Reply #12 on: April 13, 2013, 04:30:16 PM »
Thank you very much all of you..I 'm just wondering how good is that x-sambre..and if it is so good what can i do here in Greece in the case when it might need service..How about eponymous brands? Do you have any suggestion from a "big" brand or are all of them overpriced? Again excuse me for my English
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Anaxilus.

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Re: Dac for Sennheizer HD 800
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2013, 06:21:39 PM »
Chris, my concern about the XSabre for you is that your ODAC w/ upgrade PS might actually be more dynamic than the XSabre though likely less refined and precise.  I'd feel better knowing you were upgrading rather than sidegrading.
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Chris1967

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Re: Dac for Sennheizer HD 800
« Reply #14 on: April 14, 2013, 08:18:15 AM »
Thank you very much for your comment... i will keep this in mind, and furtheremore i will conduct my own listening tests with any dacs i can borrow...

In your opinion and for about 1000euros (diy with nice case) is the Bufallo IIIse the best value for money? are there any other commercial products in this range that reproduce what i am hearing from my ODAC, but with more precision and detail?

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Hroðulf

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Re: Dac for Sennheizer HD 800
« Reply #15 on: April 14, 2013, 08:31:21 AM »
In my opinion if one would like to go with a buffalo then he would need to upgrade it to the max including the FIFO reclocker and multiple PSUs where appropriate. I'm certainly not a fan of the barebones buffalo sound as it shows many of the stereotypical ES9018 weaknesses, for example- sharp highs and inaccurate timbre.

I haven't calculated the total expenses of such a DAC but 1000EUR seem realistic depending on the casing solution.
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