Best Amps For the Sennheiser HD800 - 2017 Edition

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

  1. Sonorus

    Sonorus Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    May 9, 2017
    Likes Received:
    160
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Greece
    Thank you for the offer.
    To tell you the truth I am almost made for Mr. Freid's stuff.
     
  2. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,750
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Calgary, Alberta
    Home Page:
    Just go for a DNA amp and be done with it.
     
  3. Sonorus

    Sonorus Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    May 9, 2017
    Likes Received:
    160
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Greece
    I will certainly do but after I win the lottery!

    (very expensive even for a used one if you can spot one.)
     
  4. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,709
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    India
    Don’t over think this. Get the Lyr3. You’ll be fine. I can guaran-f**king-ty you, you won’t find the treble offensive. And it performs admirably overall as well, for a $500 amp. Sure it won’t bring the best out of the HD800 like the big boy tube amps or the unicorns like the EC BW2, EC S7, MD ZDT Jr or DNA Sonett 2. But it’s still good enough.

    There are a couple BW2s, Sonnett2s and ZDT Jrs in the Europe continent and one of these should turn up on the used market, sooner or later. Until then take full advantage of the Lyr3. Breaking your head about what amp to buy is not fun. You’d just keep going round in circles.
     
  5. Sonorus

    Sonorus Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    May 9, 2017
    Likes Received:
    160
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Greece
    I am seriously thinking about RS08 or if i can stress it and find a deal for a V280.
     
  6. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,750
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Calgary, Alberta
    Home Page:
    [​IMG]
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Consider Meier Audio. Good sounding amps for much less. German too.
     
  8. Sonorus

    Sonorus Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    May 9, 2017
    Likes Received:
    160
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Greece
    Yes Mr. Meier is a very good engineer.

    @msommers , @EagleWings - now i am hesitant to trust Schiit anymore....
     
  9. yvv

    yvv Acquaintance

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Likes Received:
    88
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    London, UK
    They do turn up. Managed to buy a BW2 (230V) recently from Germany (turned out from a SBAF member) and consequently sold my Laconic NBM (ZDT Jr) (turned out to another SBAF member) .

    The BW2 is amazing with the Senns. Switching between the Apex Teton and the BW2 doesn't feel like I'm missing out too much, more like 2 different flavors . The BW2 is warm, slightly bloomy but not hazy, just enough to add some depth and sense of space between the instruments , resolving but not grating or glaring, decent transients. It's not dull or flat ,but musical and involving. How come it's solid state?

    Like it a lot with the HD650 but can see great potential for driving the HD800. Just my 2cents
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2019
  10. Ash1412

    Ash1412 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    667
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Talking about the Sonett 2, why isn't anybody else doing output-tube-less amps with low gain but way less heat while not using feedback and being class A (dunno if straight-to-transformer even counts as output stage)? 2x seems perfectly fine for most dynamic headphones.
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2019
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    For some reason, they don't sell. There was an EC HD300 amp, 6SN7+6080 OTL. It didn't sell. It sold so poorly that no one even knows about it, even though it was priced $600 or something ridiculous.

    There is currently the Feliks Elise.
     
  12. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,750
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Calgary, Alberta
    Home Page:
    Wolf Ear Audio makes OTL. As does Atma-Sphere UV-1.
     
  13. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2017
    Likes Received:
    8,973
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Denver CO
    Home Page:
    [​IMG]

    If I knew about this, I'd have bought one. Hell, I'd buy one right now. Did this ever get listed on to the EC website?
     
  14. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2017
    Likes Received:
    10,961
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Philippines, The
    That's off the HF market listing yeah? That's just about the only place you can even dig anything about the amp up online. Selling for $700 used back in 2007 alongside a fair few nice tubes... god flipping dammit I wasn't even into audio gear back then but I'm kicking myself for not knowing about this, how's that work.

    @purr1n if EC can make something similar (accounting for inflation, BoM, and all that jazz) I think this would be great for loads of people in cheapskate amp purgatory (cough). Feliks Euforia looks grand but the sudden price bump kinda caught a lot of people off guard.
     
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    There was also the Super 7. $1500. @Hands and a few others have one. Stupid great deal. It didn't sell.

    Maybe Massdrop these amps? Craig doesn't care about ownership. He likes getting bored and making new designs.
     
  16. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2017
    Likes Received:
    8,973
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Denver CO
    Home Page:
    If he does a Massdrop X EC X HD 30X, I'll be the first one to order it. Especially at sub $500-ish? Hell yeah.

    (Did I get enough Xs in there?)

    If you look at the total cost of a BH Crack (woodworking materials, build time, Alps pot upgrade, etc) then the EC HD300 is a no brainer.

    Edit - the Super7 didn't really appeal to me. Tube rolling a single or dual 6sn7 is one thing. 7 of them? Nervosa head explosion.
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2019
  17. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,709
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    India
    A $1200 tube amp would be sweet. I don't want to start false theories, but for a ~$1200 amp, I wonder if a single chassis design might be more appealing for potential buyers. While I don't mind dual chassis now, at one point, I used to be put-off by dual chassis due to space constraints and ungrounded paranoia.
     
  18. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2015
    Likes Received:
    2,637
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    I don't know Craig well, but I'd eat my hat if he wanted to what Cavalli did; get in to hiring out manufacturing for their own designs...

    Better off hoping for a used Sonnet or Sonnet 2...
     
  19. Ash1412

    Ash1412 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    667
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Oh sorry if that was confusing. I meant amps without output tubes where the driver tubes go straight to a transformer like the Sonett 2, or at least that looks like what it's doing. TL amps are common enough with Valhallla and Crack
     
  20. AppleheadMay

    AppleheadMay Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2015
    Likes Received:
    38
    Trophy Points:
    28
    Location:
    Europe
    Another option is finding a used HDVA 600. Just don't pay the asking prices, they sell for as little as $600 and at that price they're damn hard to beat.
    No chance at all I'm selling mine though.
     

Share This Page