Get Sennheiser 800s or Amp ?

[Tzeentch]

I am thinking buying the Sennheiser 800s but will that be the best investment to better sound or buy a mixamp ? Like the Sennheiser HDVD800 ?    I currently own the Sennheiser PC 363d. What should I buy ? Ill be buying both but which should I prioritize ?  I feel like the headphones will be the biggest difference, but yeah... Im no expert so would love to get some help.

[SSL]

What's a "Sennheiser 800"?

[Tzeentch]

Just now, Tzeentch said:

I am thinking buying the Sennheiser 800s but will that be the best investment to better sound or buy a mixamp ? Like the Sennheiser HDVD800 ?    I currently own the Sennheiser PC 363d. What should I buy ? Ill be buying both but which should I prioritize ?  I feel like the headphones will be the biggest difference, but yeah... Im no expert so would love to get some help.

 

Just now, SSL said:

What's a "Sennheiser 800"?

The Best Sennheiser Headphones....

[SSL]

2 minutes ago, Tzeentch said:

 

The Best Sennheiser Headphones....

 

So the Sennheiser HD 800. Might be a good thing to know before you drop $1k on them.

 

If I were going to spend that kind of money on source, I'd go for Schiit Mjolnir 2 and Schiit Gungnir Multibit. A more sane purchase would be the Schiit Modi 2 Uber and Schiit Vali 2.

 

Also keep in mind that there is the HD 800S out now, though it costs $600 more.

[Tzeentch]

Just now, SSL said:

 

So the Sennheiser HD 800. Might be a good thing to know before you drop $1k on them.

 

If I were going to spend that kind of money on source, I'd go for Schiit Mjolnir 2 and Schiit Gungnir Multibit. A more sane purchase would be the Schiit Modi 2 Uber and Schiit Vali 2.

 

Also keep in mind that there is the HD 800S out now, though it costs $600 more.

Yeah I was thinking in buying the 800S but will an Audio Amp or the Headset be the major "game changer" ? Is Schiit also German ? Are you familiar with their porducts ? Sorry Never heard of them, and I know that there are hidden chems amongs crystals.

[SSL]

2 minutes ago, Tzeentch said:

Yeah I was thinking in buying the 800S but will an Audio Amp or the Headset be the major "game changer" ? Is Schiit also German ? Are you familiar with their porducts ? Sorry Never heard of them, and I know that there are hidden chems amongs crystals.

 

Schiit is an American company and the name is a droll play on words. I am familiar with their products and their business model and I approve of both.

 

Most of your money should go into the transducer (the headphone). If possible, I would suggest that you get to an audio store to try some different options, especially if this is your first major audio purchase. It is entirely possible that you won't like the HD 800 sound as it is somewhat bright (lots of treble). The HD 800S tones this down for a hefty premium.

[Tzeentch]

Just now, SSL said:

 

Schiit is an American company and the name is a droll play on words. I am familiar with their products and their business model and I approve of both.

 

Most of your money should go into the transducer (the headphone). If possible, I would suggest that you get to an audio store to try some different options, especially if this is your first major audio purchase. It is entirely possible that you won't like the HD 800 sound as it is somewhat bright (lots of treble). The HD 800S tones this down for a hefty premium.

The problem is that where I live (Norway), they do not have them as a showcase so I cannot try them out, but I've looked and read reviews and they are all positiv. Also meant gems not chems ...... 2 much fallout

[Acquire]

I recommend the ifi micro ican se headphone amp (http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/micro-ican-se/).  Compact, plenty of power, and most importantly it has some epic bass boost and sound stage widening features.  Headphones sound glorious through it.  I am a lover of bass so this amp definitely hit the spot for me.  I've listened to multi thousand dollar amp/dac setups and they did not impress for the money when compared to what the micro ican se can do.  

 

Make sure whatever headphone you get you understand its inherent sound signature.  I personally don't like Sennheiser's headphones.  They sound really bland and have terrible bass.  The HD800 suffers from this greatly and, for the money, in my opinion, is a terrible headphone.  Also, don't try and aggressively tune (via EQ, DACs, or Amps) the sound signature of headphones to match what you want.  That's just a waste of time and money.  Find headphones that by default have a signature you like and then build on top of that.  The idea of buying something you like and making it better vs buying something you dislike and making it not terrible.

 

In my example, I find darker or mildly warm headphones with good bass extension and decent sound stage and then just amplify that.

[KaminKevCrew]

10 hours ago, SSL said:

 

Schiit is an American company and the name is a droll play on words. I am familiar with their products and their business model and I approve of both.

 

Most of your money should go into the transducer (the headphone). If possible, I would suggest that you get to an audio store to try some different options, especially if this is your first major audio purchase. It is entirely possible that you won't like the HD 800 sound as it is somewhat bright (lots of treble). The HD 800S tones this down for a hefty premium.

But SSL, everyone should be spending AT LEAST as much on their source equipment as they are their amps and DACs!!! Everyone knows that!!! 

 

Personally, I didn't mind the treble on the HD800, although It did a good job of making me keep the volume down a bit more than I usually would. @OP, if you're into more electronic music, you will likely be sorely disappointed by the HD800. If you like bass, I would suggest something like the MrSpeakers Ether, or some planar headphone to get the bass extension. 

 

If I had the $1400 or so budget that would be required for the HD800, I'd probably buy something more like the Hifiman HE-560, and spend (some of) the rest on an amp/DAC. Part of the reason that I wouldn't buy the HD800 is the build of the headphones. The actual quality of the headphones is pretty much second to none, but the paint that they use likes to flake off of the headphones, even with delicate use, and that's not really something that I'm willing to deal with at this point in my life. Also, the HD800 have this problem that's pretty common with the super high end headphones where they only sound good with one or two genres. That's why the HD600/HD650, along with a few other headphones are long time greats - it's because they sound good with just about every genre. For someone like me, who listens to most genres of music, that's more important than absolute granular detail. Guess what? I listen to some poorly mastered music sometimes because I like it. If I were to do that with the HD800, I wouldn't even listen to that music anymore despite the fact that I like it. So really, there is more to it than the old "what's the best pair of headphones?"...

 

Anyway, it's up to you. I've listened to and use pretty much the full range of Schiit gear, and the build quality goes hand in hand with that of apple. If you're trying to maintain and aesthetic set by apple, then Schiit is one of the best choices around. Honestly though, if you're looking for a more powerful amp (and one that might be able to drive some speakers) I would have a look at Audio-GD. I got to listen to the Master-21 for a while, and that is one powerful amp. They make good gear, and because it's made in China, you get a little more for your money (not that Schiit isn't good - far from it. It's just that you get a little bit more power from the Audio GD stuff.)

 

Sorry for the big block of text... I'm enjoying my new keyboard/thought I should be helpful on this forum once again.

[Revanssi]

You don't need to go balls deep something like hd 650 + amp/dac will sound great and is more forgiving about source material.

[Tzeentch]

12 hours ago, KaminKevCrew said:

But SSL, everyone should be spending AT LEAST as much on their source equipment as they are their amps and DACs!!! Everyone knows that!!! 

 

Personally, I didn't mind the treble on the HD800, although It did a good job of making me keep the volume down a bit more than I usually would. @OP, if you're into more electronic music, you will likely be sorely disappointed by the HD800. If you like bass, I would suggest something like the MrSpeakers Ether, or some planar headphone to get the bass extension. 

 

If I had the $1400 or so budget that would be required for the HD800, I'd probably buy something more like the Hifiman HE-560, and spend (some of) the rest on an amp/DAC. Part of the reason that I wouldn't buy the HD800 is the build of the headphones. The actual quality of the headphones is pretty much second to none, but the paint that they use likes to flake off of the headphones, even with delicate use, and that's not really something that I'm willing to deal with at this point in my life. Also, the HD800 have this problem that's pretty common with the super high end headphones where they only sound good with one or two genres. That's why the HD600/HD650, along with a few other headphones are long time greats - it's because they sound good with just about every genre. For someone like me, who listens to most genres of music, that's more important than absolute granular detail. Guess what? I listen to some poorly mastered music sometimes because I like it. If I were to do that with the HD800, I wouldn't even listen to that music anymore despite the fact that I like it. So really, there is more to it than the old "what's the best pair of headphones?"...

 

Anyway, it's up to you. I've listened to and use pretty much the full range of Schiit gear, and the build quality goes hand in hand with that of apple. If you're trying to maintain and aesthetic set by apple, then Schiit is one of the best choices around. Honestly though, if you're looking for a more powerful amp (and one that might be able to drive some speakers) I would have a look at Audio-GD. I got to listen to the Master-21 for a while, and that is one powerful amp. They make good gear, and because it's made in China, you get a little more for your money (not that Schiit isn't good - far from it. It's just that you get a little bit more power from the Audio GD stuff.)

 

Sorry for the big block of text... I'm enjoying my new keyboard/thought I should be helpful on this forum once again.

Yeah I accualy tried out the regular 800 and I felt that the bass was off and wasn't really present, and I listen to everything. I think I am gonna go for them, and will get an amp.... unless I find other ones that I can test and that bests the 800S...

[spwath]

14 minutes ago, Tzeentch said:

Yeah I accualy tried out the regular 800 and I felt that the bass was off and wasn't really present, and I listen to everything. I think I am gonna go for them, and will get an amp.... unless I find other ones that I can test and that bests the 800S...

If you didn't like them, don't get them. Go with @KaminKevCrew's recommendations.

[Tzeentch]

 

 

Toughts ?

[SSL]

1 hour ago, Tzeentch said:

Yeah I accualy tried out the regular 800 and I felt that the bass was off and wasn't really present, and I listen to everything. I think I am gonna go for them, and will get an amp.... unless I find other ones that I can test and that bests the 800S...

 

Why would you get them if the bass was off?

[spwath]

37 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

Why would you get them if the bass was off?

Because "it's the best".

 

 

Also note Sennheiser amps are hugely overpriced, and you shouldn't spend more on amp than headphones.

[SSL]

1 minute ago, spwath said:

Because "it's the best".

 

 

Also note Sennheiser amps are hugely overpriced, and you shouldn't spend more on amp than headphones.

 

But I heard the "Sennheiser 800" is the best

[NOTUSINGCAPS]

I would personally go for the HD800's first given the chance. 

[GlassBomb]

I don't know if I could ever jump from a $150 headset up to something that costs almost $1,000 (or 1,600+ if you're thinking of the HD800-S). That leap of faith is just far too great for me, and most people to take. Not considering that the HD800 is fairly picky in terms of AMP and such that you provide for it.

 

The HD800 are super-analytical, which is something some people enjoy. But I don't know if I would like it personally. Haven't tried either the HD800, or the S-model myself, so I can't say.

 

I would personally suggest starting out within a lower price bracket, that will still net you great listening experience. And hell, with the money over you could even buy headphones within the same price bracket.

 

So instead of spending $1,600 on a single headphone alone, you could spend $300 on AMP+DAC, and the rest on two different-sounding $500~600 headphones.

 

Either way, I would want to try out the HD800-S (and non-S model) for at least a week before buying a pair. Since such a splurge would be hard to take in if you didn't absolutely love them.

[Tzeentch]

4 hours ago, GlassBomb said:

I don't know if I could ever jump from a $150 headset up to something that costs almost $1,000 (or 1,600+ if you're thinking of the HD800-S). That leap of faith is just far too great for me, and most people to take. Not considering that the HD800 is fairly picky in terms of AMP and such that you provide for it.

 

The HD800 are super-analytical, which is something some people enjoy. But I don't know if I would like it personally. Haven't tried either the HD800, or the S-model myself, so I can't say.

 

I would personally suggest starting out within a lower price bracket, that will still net you great listening experience. And hell, with the money over you could even buy headphones within the same price bracket.

 

So instead of spending $1,600 on a single headphone alone, you could spend $300 on AMP+DAC, and the rest on two different-sounding $500~600 headphones.

 

Either way, I would want to try out the HD800-S (and non-S model) for at least a week before buying a pair. Since such a splurge would be hard to take in if you didn't absolutely love them.

I accualy tested the regular 800 and liked them alot, but I didnt feel close to none bass, and I am also buying a 400 dollar amp/dac too. Any recommandations ? I cant try out the 800S as they do not showcase them, but they are failry similar the the 800 aparantly.

[Tzeentch]

On 17.7.2016 at 8:39 PM, SSL said:

 

So the Sennheiser HD 800. Might be a good thing to know before you drop $1k on them.

 

If I were going to spend that kind of money on source, I'd go for Schiit Mjolnir 2 and Schiit Gungnir Multibit. A more sane purchase would be the Schiit Modi 2 Uber and Schiit Vali 2.

 

Also keep in mind that there is the HD 800S out now, though it costs $600 more.

Are the schiit lyr+ bifrost mk1 any good ? 

 

 

[SSL]

2 minutes ago, Tzeentch said:

Are the schiit lyr+ bifrost mk1 any good ? 

 

Both gen 1? How much could you get them for?

[Tzeentch]

16 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

Both gen 1? How much could you get them for?

Schiit Lyr mk1 
Schiit Bifrost (no usb, no uber mod) 
Wireworld Luna interconects 
5 pairs of paired vacuum tubes ( including Philips SQ goldpin) 

 

 

This used for 540 dollars.... 

[SSL]

Well, that price seems pretty decent; I don't have experience with the gen 1 Schiit gear, but it would be interesting to try that combo.

[Tzeentch]

Can someone help me ? I bought this with the 800S, as the emplyee recomended: http://www.hegel.com/products/dac/hd12

 

I will still need an amp to get it to work as it is only a DAC ? or is it both ? will this sufise ? Please help.

[GamerDude]

You'd need an amp to go with that, at least that's what I'd gathered from reading the manual. You can connect that Hegel unit to an amp either with balanced XLR cables or RCA cables. Do wait for others to confirm this as I'm fairly new at this as well. BTW, I'm a HD800 owner myself, it has good bass extension, just not 'in your face' bass like bassier type of cans.

 

Oh yeah, if you have the non 'S' version, you can mod it with the Superdupont Mod to make it sound more like the HD800S. I've not tried it yet.....but I will as soon as I shake off this lazy run I'm in at the moment.