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Sennheiser HD 800 Redux


The Monkey

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Interesting read about the HD800 sounding best with ~40-50 Ohm output impedance amps. If we're to believe Sennheiser, the HD800 was developed with their own lab amps, the recent HDV whatever amps being a result of that. 

 

I do agree this site is turning into a mini-HF as enabler ;). I am curious about the L2, heck even the fixed SinglePower. I recall hearing the "toaster" (Supra) circa 2002 or 2003 in Detroit, at the very beginning of SinglePower I guess. It was scary to plug phones in that thing but I have vivid recollections of it being the best of the meet by far and me hesitating to spend 1 grand on a fire hazard toaster. Build quality wasn't a priority from the start but I felt something special about the sound. Mind you, that was as a total newbie, my first experience with tube gear, and coming from rather dry amps from Meier Audio...

 

arnaud

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I think that if the headphone companies built better headphones, then amps that are wire-with-gain would sound better than the present situation where a synergy exists between a headphone and an inferior amp.

Pipe dream? most probably.

Until the headphone manufacturers use the best wire-with-gain amps we will continue having the problem that now exists.

We really have no real idea what amps most companies use to voice and test their phones.

It would be interesting to find out what Stax amp Stax used to test and develop the SR009, and what it would have been if they used the BHSE as their test rig.

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Well, it's not like Stax could officially say much else but they did mention 007t2 and 727A during the interview last year...

Then again, they're also working on a successor to the T2, so it means they recognize they can do better than their current offerings... Officially, all development projects are done one at a time so the amplifier in design wouldn't have been available at the time of 009 development...

For the issue with matching amps, maybe the makers could start with recommended output impedance for the amp?

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First of all, you just generalized from a problem with the HD800 to all headphones, and that's a bit of a reach.  The VTG is rather consistent from one amp to another, as is the MDR-V6/-7506.  They scale, but not much.

 

But it's not a fault, it's a design decision.  Nominal impedance is actually frequency dependent and dependent not just on frequency but what all frequencies are playing at the time.

 

Amps like the BHSE and the Blockhead actually defeat that by being rock solid and in control across all frequencies and frequency combinations.

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Now, there's an idea with merit.

It could mean the SR009 successor would not be as bright, possibly somewhere between the SR009 & SR007Mk1.

I'd want one.......

 

They already made that, it's called the SR-Omega. Which I guess makes sense with your theory since they most likely used the T2 to voice it.

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They already made that, it's called the SR-Omega. Which I guess makes sense with your theory since they most likely used the T2 to voice it.

The most perfect Stax ever made  :cry:  . If they had SR-007 mk1 reliability I would have kept them even if I very rarely listened to headphones.

 

Not to go all HPA, but the modded HD800 are pretty close in terms of tone. And they have superior imaging. But lack that ethereal soundstage only the SR-O could do.

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Not to go all HPA <snip>

 

Your post would literally have to be 100x its current length to be considered, going HPA.

 

I do and don't, all at the same time, want to hear a pair of modded 800s.  I'm at the point in this game where I don't want 10 pairs of headphones, I want one or two that I can reliably grab without fear of disappointment/discomfort.  I'm only good for about an hour with either set of Grados.  The pads just kill my ears despite trying to wash and condition them repeatedly.  I'll probably keep them, for stupid sentimental reasons, but I want a good counter punch to the KGSS/L-Sig rig.  I think I've found it (details in the coming weeks) but all this talk about the HD800s has me curious. 

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