Best Amps For the Sennheiser HD800 - 2017 Edition

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by purr1n, Dec 2, 2016.

  1. BenjaminBore

    BenjaminBore Friend

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    If you can't wait then a pair of Western Electric 396a tubes + adapters might do it, preferably in a Mjolnir 2. I've compared those with LISST in my Mj2 and assuming you don't have any power quality issues they're the closest to what you've described out of the tubes I've tried.
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2017
  2. jinrawke

    jinrawke New

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    Looks like my plan to return the Jot for a Mjo2 has been delayed.....
     
  3. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    A good while ago I've used Phoenix with HD800 and thought this was a good combo. Years later Bakoon HPA-21 came and it changed everything. And Trilogy 933 after that and recently Pass HPA-1. If I had to pick just one amp for HD800, I'd stick to the last one mentioned. Just my two cents.
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The Bakoon HPA-21 with the regular out was OK, nothing special with the HD800. From the current out, it's nice; but makes the HD800 too smoothed and glossed over. Better off with a less resolving can like the LCD-2 Fazor if using it this way. I think I might have mentioned the Bakoon in a prior edition of this list. I rather liked it, but ultimately the price is stupid on the HPA-21. For $450-700, maybe it would be a good recommendation. I'd take a Crack over the HPA-21. Maybe even a Night Blues Mini.

    Too bad Feliks raised prices across the board.
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2017
  5. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    Yup, not a cheap deck, that's for sure. But for me it did good with HD800 and less so with LCD-2 with fazor, it was way too syrupy and thick for my taste. LCD-X turned out to be subjectively much better match. But then again, LCD-2 isn't and never was on top of my TOTL headphones list.
     
  6. Jerry

    Jerry Friend

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    Has anyone ever tried iFi iCan SE with hd800? I just tried it. It has the xbass feature. In max setting, it really turned the hd800 into a bass monster. Also gave it a lot of warmth in the lower region. I find it very enjoyable.

    Considering the price, i recommend this amp for hd800 lovers.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2017
  7. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    @Jerry compared to what ? . Without a comparison to a few well known amplifiers, your statement is pretty much meaningless.
     
  8. Jerry

    Jerry Friend

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    Sorrodje,

    Yes i havent tried most of the amps discussed here. Fwiw, I previously used cma600i, japanese bakoon, burson conductor, mojo, and hugo. Now im using burson cv2+. I have to say i dislike the cma600i and hugo the most.

    I recently bought ifi micro idsd and ican se just for fun. I tried the xbass feature and pleasantly shocked by the amount of bass and warmth it gave to my sdr modded hd800. Without it, it was apparent how thin sounding hd800 was. I very much like this feature.
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Oh god. The horror. The horror. Sleeping gas.
     
  10. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    My impressions exactly. Xbass works nicely in latest iFi generation, much better than its first iteration and HD800 benefit from this.
     
  11. Sonorus

    Sonorus Facebook Friend

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    Cavalli audio will be closing on October 31.
    May be it's time for the list to be updated with current production amps?
    What about lake people?
    I heard my HD800 stock with G109A and was a very good match.
     
  12. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    For what it's worth, I got to try the G109 (Numbered LE version, think it was based on the 109-P?) with the HD800 back in 2014 or 2015. That was the same rig that made me decide to start working on my audio rig again, as I might have said in my intro post. Think it was out of a Cypher Labs Theorem 720, not sure how that stacks up against other stuff lately.

    Have only demoed the HD800 out of a handful of (comparatively) crap rigs so far, but the 109 was of the less offensive ones. Scarily large soundstage, great imaging, but the treble was a bit much at moderate volumes; didn't bother me too much since I'm a low-volume listener for the most part. Compared to the iDSD, much less warmth, sharper imaging, and more painful highs (rofl). Listening skills were even more underdeveloped then than they are now, so that's about all I can really say with any reasonable amount of confidence.

    FWIW, dude who owns the HD800 is planning on "upgrading" to the CMA600i (Yes, I've been kind and passed along that it may not be the best amp at the price, but he's insistent so... *shrug*) and is planning to sell the Lake People amp to me at a decent price after. I'm getting an HD800... eventually, if finances are kind, so I'll be able to go around and compare to other rigs if that'll be any help.

    @schiit any plans on dealing with Philippine retailers? :(
     
  13. BleaK

    BleaK Friend

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    Any reason black widow is not on the list? Even though it's not being made anymore it's the best SS amp by far I've heard with the HD800 (compared to Questyle CMA800, Auralic Taurus MK2. Sennheiser HDVH800, different Audio gd's.).
     
  14. Robert777

    Robert777 Acquaintance

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    I think the general opinion of the good folks behind this list is that while the Lake People and Violectric amps may do a good job of softening the HD800's treble spikes, they do so with too much of a loss of everything else that makes the HD800 great.

    That and maybe that those amps are not as good a value proposition in the US where most of these folks are based.

    Cheers.
     
  15. Riotvan

    Riotvan Snoofer in the Woofer

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    I had a V200 for a bit and it just bored me regardless of headphones. Tried it with HD800, 600, 650, T1, Dt-150 and He-500. Solid state trying to be a tube amp and failing as both.
     
  16. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    Sort of answers itself, that one.
     
  17. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    So are Super 7 and T3 though.

    Could make a category for OOP, used-only options that are worth keeping in mind or hunting for.
     
  18. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    I've enjoyed this one a good while ago with HD800. It wasn't close to Bakoon I owned at that time. Not at all.
     
  19. Riotvan

    Riotvan Snoofer in the Woofer

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    Yeah it's capable sure, but i compared it to a T3 maxed, Crack+SB and even an Agd Phoenix and it lost to each one of those. I dunno it's just a combination of muddy dullness(overly smooth) with a grainy treble that just didn't do it for me. Just not engaging, i can't think of a better word then boring.

    Haven't heard their other amps which are more geared towards the pro market though.
     
  20. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    • V200: good tonal match but boring. Glosses over everything on the HD800. Good or not much choice for its time, which was like 2009.
    • V281: not bad. Engaging and zippy. But too zippy for HD800.
     

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