HD800 and GS-X/BUDA?

[HeadphoneAddict]

I know it sucks when a new toy shows up and doesn't work right. I hope the amp gets it's shit together quickly.

[shellylh]

Ok, someone on the "other" site mentioned that Headroom sent them the incorrect DPS so I checked mine and indeed they sent me the 230V! I hadn't thought of checking this since I just assumed they would send the correct one. I guess I can change the voltage by switching around the fuse according the the online manual (thanks Nate for mentioning this on the other site). My question is whether I have done any harm to the amp or DPS by running it (for about an hour or so) with the wrong voltage. Should I send them back to Headroom to get checked out or should I try to switch the fuse and plug it back in?

[grawk]

I'd think at this point,t here's no harm in fixing it and tryingn it the right way. Undervolting is a LOT less likely to cause problems than overvolting

[shellylh]

I'd think at this point,t here's no harm in fixing it and tryingn it the right way. Undervolting is a LOT less likely to cause problems than overvolting

Ok, that is what I thought but didn't want to have a mess on my hands.

[shellylh]

So I tried the amp SE with the Astrodyne power supply and it sounds much much better. It doesn't sound quite as smooth as I would like at points but that may just be me overanalyzing it. Is there a chance that something happened to the amp and it doesn't sound 100% (I would never know)? If it doesn't sound horrible, should I just assume that nothing got messed up?

I haven't tried it with the DPS yet though.

I guess I will call Headroom tomorrow and find out if I should send it in to get it looked at.

[grawk]

if it makes noise, good chance nothing was fried.

[HeadphoneAddict]

So I tried the amp SE with the Astrodyne power supply and it sounds much much better. It doesn't sound quite as smooth as I would like at points but that may just be me overanalyzing it. Is there a chance that something happened to the amp and it doesn't sound 100% (I would never know)? If it doesn't sound horrible, should I just assume that nothing got messed up?

I haven't tried it with the DPS yet though.

I guess I will call Headroom tomorrow and find out if I should send it in to get it looked at.

You shouldn't have hurt it - the power supply wanted you to feed it 230V and you only gave it 115v, so it was underpowered is all.

[guzziguy]

I suggest that you send it back. If not, you'll always suspect that it is not 100%. The issue was created by HeadRoom and I'm sure that they'll do what it takes to resolve it to your satisfaction.

[shellylh]

I suggest that you send it back. If not, you'll always suspect that it is not 100%. The issue was created by HeadRoom and I'm sure that they'll do what it takes to resolve it to your satisfaction.

Hmm, you seem to know me. Haha.

[Voltron]

Send it back Shelly. They will send you the proper stuff and you will know everything is alright. I am sure that it is not fried--like grawk said, but why not get what you paid for and have the peace of mind?

[shellylh]

Yeah, I will probably do this for peace of mind but I am not going to like waiting for an even longer period of time . However, just wanted to say that I just tried the HD650's balanced out of the BUDA with my Blue Dragon cable (with the Astrodyne PS) and they sound really good, much better than on the BUDA SE with the Atrodyne PS and stock cable.

[Dusty Chalk]

The only other thing I would try (to diagnose the problem -- you should still call) is try the other gain settings.

[pedalhead]

Sounds like you got my DPS, and I got yours, considering they shipped the same day. It's a really simple task to flip the power module around. It did the trick with mine...and good job I checked first as running 240v into a 110v module wouldn't have been so pretty!

Edit - and I totally agree with your findings hd800 balanced blue dragon v stock SE cable. Really makes a difference, but I'm not sure how much of that is down to being balanced, or just the posh cable (mostly the former I would guess). I have a blue dragon XLR --> 1/4" adapter coming in a couple of days, so I'll be able to answer that question soon.

Oh, and I find the HD800s are being driven really well on the "low" gain setting. Putting it up at medium, let alone high, is pretty nasty to my ears. Decent listening level on "low" for me is with the volume pot around 10 or 11 o'clock.

[n_maher]

Yeah, I will probably do this for peace of mind but I am not going to like waiting for an even longer period of time . However, just wanted to say that I just tried the HD650's balanced out of the BUDA with my Blue Dragon cable (with the Astrodyne PS) and they sound really good, much better than on the BUDA SE with the Atrodyne PS and stock cable.

Shelly,

I'd bet that if you asked if you could keep the current BUDA until a replacement was ready Headroom would say yes.

[shellylh]

Shelly,

I'd bet that if you asked if you could keep the current BUDA until a replacement was ready Headroom would say yes.

Thanks Nate, I will ask about this. I assume I should ask to get the DPS replaced as well since I am guessing that it is more likely to have problems than the BUDA but I am could very much be wrong.

[n_maher]

You should ask, yes. I won't pretend to know enough to tell you that either component would be 100% ok after the mixed up line voltage setting.

[shellylh]

First, I tried the DPS with the BUDA this morning with the correct setting, and it was working perfectly.

Also, I talked to the Headroom tech-ey Mike. He talked to the engineer there and they concluded that there is very little chance that anything went wrong with having it set on the 230V setting. In fact, he said that they did that once there and the amp worked fine after switching it back to 115V. This made me feel better. He also said that if something were to go wrong, it would be sooner rather than later and that I would notice it (that it wouldn't be subtle). So I am going to just enjoy it (but also be listening to see if there is anything that sounds off... distortion, etc.).

[Dusty Chalk]

Hooray!

[Currawong]

I reckon, give it a week of solid use and see how it goes. Like their tech said, if anything goes wrong, it'll be sooner rather than later.

Of balanced, wouldn't it mostly benefit high-impedance cans, since it's the extra voltage swing that makes the difference?

[shellylh]

Of balanced, wouldn't it mostly benefit high-impedance cans, since it's the extra voltage swing that makes the difference?

I have heard of people balancing their W5000's and AD2000's. I wonder if this would have much effect. Of course, I like the convenience of having the 1/8" termination on my AD2000's because I can walk around the house using them and an ipod when I want to be portable. If I end up keeping the A2000X's, I may try reterminating them to 4 pin XLR so that I could use them SE and balanced. They seem quite difficult to drive so running them balanced may be beneficial (like in the bass). They seem to improve running them out of the WA5 over the GS-1.

[TheSloth]

I find the Astrodyne a bit harsh sounding. Are you happier with the sound with the DPS? Because even in my much more humble setup (DPS->Desktop Portable (Home Module/Max DAC)) there's a noticeable difference.

[shellylh]

I find the Astrodyne a bit harsh sounding. Are you happier with the sound with the DPS? Because even in my much more humble setup (DPS->Desktop Portable (Home Module/Max DAC)) there's a noticeable difference.

Yep, I am much happier with the DPS than the Astrodyne. Of course, to be honest, I only used the Astrodyne for a short time, before I talked to the tech-y at Headroom. At that time, I was paranoid that I had ruined the BUDA and was looking for anything that sounded at all off (which could have been in the recording I was listening to). Right now, I am listening to John Abercrombie's "Class Trip" (that I just picked up "pre-loved" at the local music store) on the BUDA+DPS+ECD-1 with the HD800's (balanced) and it sounds great - nice bass and drums.