Amp/DAC for Senn HD800

[Geo2160]

With HD800 I prefer tube amps to solid state. A wise enthusiast once told me that with HD800 or HD800S just use a Vali 2 whilst saving for a TOTL tube amp like an Eddie Current Studio Jr or Donald North Audio Starlett. There are other great tube amps around the $2000 - $3000 price range from ampsandsound. If building kits is doable a Bottlehead Crack also seems to be in the OP's price range. If you get too obsessive about the measurements you can miss out on some very musical and enjoyable amps. OP has great phones that will serve him well for many years.

I know people are hyping up tubes, but I don't know if I will ever get to that budget. I realized after I bought the hd800 how expensive everything gets, and pretty fast too.

 

[strangeskies]

I know people are hyping up tubes, but I don't know if I will ever get to that budget. I realized after I bought the hd800 how expensive everything gets, and pretty fast too.

I certainly understand the appeal of tubes...and have spent quite a bit of money chasing down some ideal version of distorted lushness. That's certainly a valid - if expensive - path. But absent testing out a bunch of $2000-4000 amps, what criteria do you use for selection? "Some random dude on the internet said it sounds really good"? No thanks.

You've landed at this particular forum, so presumably you find value/benefit in measured performance. I vote for one of the THX amps, or if you want to manipulate the signal... the RME ADI-2 (I say this having no knowledge whatsoever of your current amp...but I REALLY like the HD800s through the Monoprice 887).

 

[westyjeff]

THX (789 or similar) is a great amp, drives everything, good clean power, you will never go wrong with one of these. Now after owning one for awhile I feel it can be to clinical for long term listening, this is my opinion (and like assholes everyone has one). RME is also very good and with the added benefits of equalization you can tune the sound to your preference. Go to a headphone meet and listen to different amplifiers, see if it makes a difference to you then make a decision.

 

[MRC01]

I got my pair of HD800 a couple of weeks ago, on a very good deal, and I've been using them with my iDSD Nano BL. Coming from a pair of ATH AD-900x, I quite enjoy the HD800 sound signature as it is.

I think part of the reason some people like tube amps with the HD-800 is, due to the shape of the HD-800 impedance curve and a tube amp's high output impedance, this may give a mild mid-bass boost warming the HD-800's bright sound which comes from a resonance at 6 kHz. If so, you can tame that resonance with EQ (something like -6 dB @ 6 kHz Q=2.0) bringing the HD-800 response closer to neutral and enjoy the simplicity, reliability and transparency of a solid state amp.

The HD-800 does scale, meaning it responds well to high quality amplification. The RME ADI has everything you need: clean DAC, excellent amp, built-in DSP with parametric EQ. Can you get one on loan or 30-day trial?

 

[Dadracer2]

I think part of the reason some people like tube amps with the HD-800 is, due to the shape of the HD-800 impedance curve and a tube amp's high output impedance, this may give a mild mid-bass boost warming the HD-800's bright sound which comes from a resonance at 6 kHz. If so, you can tame that resonance with EQ (something like -6 dB @ 6 kHz Q=2.0) bringing the HD-800 response closer to neutral and enjoy the simplicity, reliability and transparency of a solid state amp.

The HD-800 does scale, meaning it responds well to high quality amplification. The RME ADI has everything you need: clean DAC, excellent amp, built-in DSP with parametric EQ. Can you get one on loan or 30-day trial?

I think you are correct, but I also believe that the HD800 and 800S also work synergistically with DHTs and especially the 300B. I have heard the HD800 and 800S with a variety of solid state amps (some class A) and a variety of valve amps using pentodes, tetrodes, tetrodes strapped as triodes and DHTs and there is something deeply magical when you put the HD800 together with a 300B. The HA300 is the best amp for the HD800S I have heard, ever, at all, across everything at least so far......

 

[maxxevv]

I think you are correct, but I also believe that the HD800 and 800S also work synergistically with DHTs and especially the 300B. I have heard the HD800 and 800S with a variety of solid state amps (some class A) and a variety of valve amps using pentodes, tetrodes, tetrodes strapped as triodes and DHTs and there is something deeply magical when you put the HD800 together with a 300B. The HA300 is the best amp for the HD800S I have heard, ever, at all, across everything at least so far......

You're just perpetuating the myth ... unless of course you are certain you like a "coloured" sound from your HD800, HD800S.

Level match your listening SPL with a microphone between a competent headphone amp such as the really affordable JDS Atom and your favourite tube amp. You may be surprised at what you prefer if you do the tests double blind.

For best bass response, the HD800 comes onto its own at over 80dB SPL.

 

[garbulky]

For great (subjectively evaluated) sound, I can't reccomend the Emotiva Basx A-100 enough. However it is advisable to have a dac with a volume control upstream and use the A-100 as a power amp in direct drive mode - engaging the jumper - for best results.

 

[Dadracer2]

You're just perpetuating the myth ... unless of course you are certain you like a "coloured" sound from your HD800, HD800S.

Level match your listening SPL with a microphone between a competent headphone amp such as the really affordable JDS Atom and your favourite tube amp. You may be surprised at what you prefer if you do the tests double blind.

For best bass response, the HD800 comes onto its own at over 80dB SPL.

I'm not perpetuating anything. I have owned the HD800 and then 800S for a number of years and then tried them with the amps mentioned above. The HA300 is not a warm or woolly sounding amp but in fact very neutral. It is less coloured than some solid state amps I have owned. Only recently I was looking back at the massive headphone comparison David Mahler did a few years back and the amps which he recommended for different headphones and it was interesting he recommended the Manley 300B amp for the HD800 out of the large array of amps he owned which included many solid state and valve designs.

You don't have to believe in anything I do, and you are welcome to your opinion. That's all I am saying, so no perpetuating, no preaching.

 

[Blake Klondike]

Would the Atom DAC and Atom Amp combo, or JDS Labs Element maximize the potential of HD800? I am running them through an Oppo HA-2 right now, and am concerned that they could sound better than they do.