Best Amps For the Sennheiser HD800 - 2017 Edition

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

  1. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    A very interesting way of putting things.
    I got confused with the schiit gungnir though. Which amp did you meant?
     
  2. Olias of Sunhillow

    Olias of Sunhillow New

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    Apologies, that should have been Schiit Mjolnir Gen 1. Have not tired the newer version.
     
  3. Alwin Bergmann

    Alwin Bergmann New

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    Hi everyone, I am absolutely new here. My name is Alwin and I simply enjoy music. Mostly Jazz, Blues and Classic.... and the eventual Rock (Deep Purple & Co...).
    I own the HD800 and really enjoy it with the Chord Hugo... For me a fantastic pairing...
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I enjoy my modded HD800 with a Fulla 2*. I spent the difference from the Hugo 2 flying my daughter to NYC to visit its fine museums and see Times Square. Those memories will be cherished forever.

    Honorable mention: iFi DSD Nano BL, which unfortunately was lost by the USPS or stolen from someone's porch. I swear, every time I try to give Schiit competitors a shout out, the ancient gods get in the way.

    *As good, actually better than the Hugo 2, and the latest rolling changes make them work really well with the HD800
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2018
  5. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    next you should sell the HD800 so you can fly her back home from NYC to LAX.
     
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I can do that. I think I have three HD800s lying around randomly. @brencho was like WTF#@!?, another HD800? How many do you have?
     
  7. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    I like Marv's tactics. A very effective way to get the kids to move out when they turn 18.

    So you wanna go to New York, do ya...
     
  8. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    The New York I remember is not the New York of today. Soon you have to pay $10 for a hog dog.
     
  9. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    I’m intrigued...please elaborate if possible. Do the changes increase warmth to make the modded HD800 match up better? Is it less dry sounding now? Thanks
     
  10. zakazak

    zakazak New

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    Seeing that the Felix Euforia is not recommended for the HD800, I wonder how the Feliks Elise would do?

    In my case I am looking for an amp for the HD800S but I read on several sites that the Elise pairs very well wit the HD800 so I thought it would do just fine with the HD800S?
     
    Last edited: Dec 26, 2018
  11. AppleheadMay

    AppleheadMay Friend

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    Anyone here that has experience with the Luxman P-750u or one of its predecessors?
     
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Heard P1u and P700. Really nice. P1u was their flagship euphonic sound. Organic sound. Think solid-state version of original EC ZDSE, complete with the veil. It's not a technical tour-de force, not ultimate in clarity, but it sounds emotionally involving which to me means great microdynamics and at least decent microdetail. The P700 was slightly shifted to more neutral, but less involving.

    I suspect the P750 might be somewhere between the old P1u and P700. Just a wild guess since the P1 or higher line series seems to be discontinued (it's been long time, so I might have them reversed or might be thinking of another Luxman headamp). Luxman keeps to their house sound. FWIW, EC BW is a better version of the P1u to give you an idea of the sound. Luxman is cool though with the Japanese elegance and all. This is Jap-Fi done right, unlike Sony of today.

    Personally, I love Luxman. Others may not like. It's strongly a matter of taste like EAR stuff where some people love it and others roll-eyes and giggle.

    And yes, fantastic for HD800.
     
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2019
  13. AppleheadMay

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    Thanks Purr1n, you're talking about quite a few amps I used to have albeit way too long ago.
    I bit the bullet and ordered the P-750u as I had an opportunity to buy it new from a French dealer at a price a bit more sane. Should have it in about two weeks or so.

    Currently I have the HDV820 which I happen to like a lot with the HD820/800s and 600/650. I have the HDVA600 as well and will keep this one to be able to compare cans as that won't be possible with the Luxman. (switch for phones outputs)

    Any chance you heard one of the Sennheiser amps and can tell me how you find they compare to the Luxman amps?
     
  14. ductrung3993

    ductrung3993 Facebook Friend

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    I think MCTH is a great fit as well, especially for the price. Works well on both the stock pair I once had as well as Bill's pair, which doesnt sound too much like an HD800 anymore.
     
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Have not heard the HDVD820, but the 800/600 amps had good compatibility with the Sennheiser cans, probably because their source impedance is in the sweet spot between 10-20 ohms. The downside to this is that they did have a sound of their own so strong that trying different source inputs didn't matter much. Seriously, won't hear much difference between an iPhone or Yggdrasil plugged into it.

    Both the Sennheiser and Luxman amps are somewhat colored amps and would not appeal to people who want to be slayed by Slayer or the most precise hyper-focused transients, but Luxman is in another class, or three.
     
  16. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    It should do well. There is a review of the Elise on this site. The output tubes do matter.
     
  17. AppleheadMay

    AppleheadMay Friend

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    Thanks! Looking forward to hear the P-750u then. But it'll be more like 4-5 weeks, the distributor just ran out of stock.
     
  18. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    The best HD 800 combo I got was from Bakoon HPA-21 and Trilogy 933 (UK brand, very small). At that time (around four years ago) I auditioned HDVD 800 with the Senns and found the pairing good but not great by any stretch. I can't go into specifics now, it was long ago, but among all three the HDVD 800 was the... yeah.
     
  19. Sonorus

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    Is there any member with Asgard 2 running HD800 to share impressions?
     
  20. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    From what I remember Asgard 2 was fine with it, but not ideal. It's not an amp that's going to take full advantage of the 800.
     

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