TazerMonkey

P.S. The Ember is filling in till Piety arrives, at which time I predict it will be returning to the closet.

Agreed. BF2-->SW51+-->HD600. It's been over two years now and I haven't gotten bored.

This is the way for sure. Tubes+Sennheisers+best source you can afford is the formula for success.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yS2IBMQIjDo (j/k)

Did the Stax amp make a significant improvement over the stock amp? I ran mine on a modest amp from Mjolnir Audio for a while. It was better but not by enough to justify the cost. I now use mine again with stock amp and a Loki.

I think the 727 improves over the Koss amp, but it's not a huge difference; wider stage, better extension at both ends, slightly more dynamic? Noticeable but not gamechanging. The Stax amp feels more premium and not having to squeeze the volume knobs together when adjusting is nice. I bought it as a leap of faith to try other electrostats, and with that in mind I'm definitely happy with the purchase.

^After a couple more rounds of back-to-back listening, I think the 727 is probably worth the improvements to the sound alone; it's just more open and clean and musical. But the Koss amp isn't garbage, and the 95X still sounds pretty good when using it.

@Merrick I have a Koss 95X that you can borrow if you want to try them. Or wait a year or so for when we can have meets again.

@Hammy I should wait until we can have meets so we actually have an excuse to do one!

@Merrick It's been too long since we've had a meet in the Portland area. Back in January 2020 I was looking at locations in the Sherwood, Tigard, Tualatin area to do a meet. Then pandemic. I don't know when it will be safe to do a proper meet again. Till then I do have toys that can be shared locally with friends/contributors.

I just recently got a 95X myself, and I personally find it incredibly lean and bright! Painfully so. I think I enjoyed the stock HD800 more.

But I’m already trying some mods, primarily with pads, and it’s quickly shaping up into something nice. I just don’t think I get on well with it’s velour pads.

@Hands , throw a Loki on that rig. Made me want to dust off that ESP-950 after 2 years in a box. It’s my main hp rig now even with a schitty old ds dac.

mmhm @Hands performing a pad swap is the single easier and worthwhile "mod" I feel, and yea @TazerMonkey congrats man! I too feel 95X is easily one of the very best headphones you can buy from a cost/performance view. It's "value" or bang for the buck is tough to beat

More like the THX 789 has anti-synergy with the HD800S

You're right. Infinitely better synergy is more accurate.

Probably the best pairing for the 800 you can find in the sub-$500 category.

I'm all about that classic 80s color scheme.

Play your favourite song and let everything be.