My new friends have converted me.

[Guest yamaha_man]

Well l was never a headphones person. Previously had 702's and W5000's and ran them with a Talisman T-35HP amp.

This combo never really done much for me and l was always left thinking they are not even close to my hifi system.

I recently purchased a Chord Hugo and Sennheiser HD-800's and bingo! l now have some headphones l can now listen to and am truly satisfied with.

For me it is a match made in heaven although the 800's when new were far from great.

When l first got them l connected them to my Oppo 105, hit repeat and played them continuously for 3 days, this made a huge difference.

If you're in the market for a decent headphone system l can't recommend enough this combo and at the current price for the 800's you cant go wrong.

Thanks @@SHF Staff for the advice great service once again.

Edited May 28, 2015 by yamaha_man

[Guest Sime]

Everyone needs a little bit of Chord in their life.

[mwhouston]

The 700 s are good too. I went for the 700 because I read where the 800s can be hard to drive where the 700s have most of the 800s sound and an easier load.

Happy with my 700s with one of two different DIY HP amps.

[Equaliser]

My ears. I couldn't stand the Chord and the HD800's (huge 5-6k peak emphasis on the HD800's alone is troublesome without mods unless I was a 50 year old with tinitus). Nice purchase but you need a better source/amp for the HD800's to sound "good".

 

Also be careful how and where you place the HD800's, the paint chips off really easily. 

Edited May 28, 2015 by DefQon

[Guest yamaha_man]

My ears. I couldn't stand the Chord and the HD800's (huge 5-6k peak emphasis on the HD800's alone is troublesome without mods unless I was a 50 year old with tinitus). Nice purchase but you need a better source/amp for the HD800's to sound "good".

 

Also be careful how and where you place the HD800's, the paint chips off really easily. 

You know what! Maybe you're correct, all l really have to compare them to in my main system was my old Wilson Audio Sasha's  and my current TAD Reference 1's. 

I guess it's the only time l can say thank God for tinitus, shame i'm not 50 yet though.

[Galactic Soap]

Agree with DefQon. Looks like you must really enjoy resolution YM. Nothing wrong with that. I fall on the smoother side of the high frequency extension i.e. happy to sacrifice a little bit of detail up top for a touch more musicality.  

[Grizaudio]

Agree with DefQon. Looks like you must really enjoy resolution YM. Nothing wrong with that. I fall on the smoother side of the high frequency extension i.e. happy to sacrifice a little bit of detail up top for a touch more musicality.  

 

+1

[DRC]

About to try a slightly different approach with my HD 800's. I've purchased a balanced Cardas cable and will try driving the HD800s directly from the XLR output on a Krell KCT. That will give me remote volume control too... I'll let you know when I get the cable and have a chance to spend some time with the setup, it could be an option with your KRC-HR.

[Guest yamaha_man]

About to try a slightly different approach with my HD 800's. I've purchased a balanced Cardas cable and will try driving the HD800s directly from the XLR output on a Krell KCT. That will give me remote volume control too... I'll let you know when I get the cable and have a chance to spend some time with the setup, it could be an option with your KRC-HR.

I used a similar setup when l had me ME-25, worked ok.

Still have the cable so ill give it a try, yet to really test them on the Oppo 105.

[Equaliser]

HD800`s very finicky. Must need a dedicated and a good one while at it, headphone amp to sound good.

[Guest yamaha_man]

Im mostly using them at work to watch movies and tv series from my laptop, huge soundstage and great detail/imaging.

Im guessing I'm only using them 10% for music but they are still impressing me when l do so. 

[Equaliser]

Drop a few thousand dollars more on a dedicated amplifier that is well regarded to mate with these and be happy with the even better sound. Money should not be a problem for you since you own the TAD Ref 1's and other expensive gear from Krell and Nagra..

[Jonatron]

Agree with DefQon. Looks like you must really enjoy resolution YM. Nothing wrong with that. I fall on the smoother side of the high frequency extension i.e. happy to sacrifice a little bit of detail up top for a touch more musicality.  

 

You don't need to sacrifice detail for a smooth presentation in the upper registers. The Schiit Raganarok renders an incredibly smooth presentation without blunting the attack or smothering the pristine clarity of the HD800. I find this amp takes a few hours to get to this state, but once there, it really is quite a thing to behold. The only downside is that the effortless presentation temps you to crank the volume. There is no strain and it's easy to find yourself listening beyond your normal levels.

[Guest yamaha_man]

Drop a few thousand dollars more on a dedicated amplifier that is well regarded to mate with these and be happy with the even better sound. Money should not be a problem for you since you own the TAD Ref 1's and other expensive gear from Krell and Nagra..

Little does he know, money is always an issue.

It's called lack of priority as opposed to being wealthy.

[Tasebass]

Im mostly using them at work to watch movies and tv series from my laptop, 

 

 

What kind of job is that??.......can I apply...

 

Tase.

[Addicted to music]

Drop a few thousand dollars more on a dedicated amplifier that is well regarded to mate with these and be happy with the even better sound. Money should not be a problem for you since you own the TAD Ref 1's and other expensive gear from Krell and Nagra..

Approx $2-3k is pocket money that's waiting to get out of Yamaha Man's back pocket, I'd be looking at the this to drive the HD800 if ever I were to own one;

http://www.sonicscoop.com/2014/03/11/review-spl-phonitor-2-preamplifier-headphone-monitoring-amplifier-by-george-walker-petit/#sthash.Q6vSKAg5.dpbs

The SpL Phonitor is the best SS headamp and produced a memorable moment when I went to auditioned it.

[illusion]

Great review Joe, can I have your TAD's?

[scuzzii]

Glad you are enjoying a good headphone experience. The chord is meant to be very good

[Guest yamaha_man]

Great review Joe, can I have your TAD's?

Sure, what's your offer???

[xzobinx]

My ears. I couldn't stand the Chord and the HD800's (huge 5-6k peak emphasis on the HD800's alone is troublesome without mods unless I was a 50 year old with tinitus). Nice purchase but you need a better source/amp for the HD800's to sound "good".

 

Also be careful how and where you place the HD800's, the paint chips off really easily. 

+1 while I like the two component on their own right, they don't mix well to my ears 

 

Approx $2-3k is pocket money that's waiting to get out of Yamaha Man's back pocket, I'd be looking at the this to drive the HD800 if ever I were to own one;

http://www.sonicscoop.com/2014/03/11/review-spl-phonitor-2-preamplifier-headphone-monitoring-amplifier-by-george-walker-petit/#sthash.Q6vSKAg5.dpbs

The SpL Phonitor is the best SS headamp and produced a memorable moment when I went to auditioned it.

spl amps do have some nice synergy with hd800 and you have some vu meter to boost 

But if we talking about best commercial ss amps for 800 I'd vote for master 9. 

[Guest yamaha_man]

Approx $2-3k is pocket money that's waiting to get out of Yamaha Man's back pocket, I'd be looking at the this to drive the HD800 if ever I were to own one;http://www.sonicscoop.com/2014/03/11/review-spl-phonitor-2-preamplifier-headphone-monitoring-amplifier-by-george-walker-petit/#sthash.Q6vSKAg5.dpbs

The SpL Phonitor is the best SS headamp and produced a memorable moment when I went to auditioned it.

Doesn't look like something portable that I can chuck in my pocket as I fly to and from work., remembering this isn't a desk based system for me.

[Newman]

Some terrible advice in this thread, enjoy what's giving you such satisfaction. I bet it's fantastic.

[Guest yamaha_man]

The whole idea of getting this combo was to take to work, that is, be as portable as you can get with a small footprint and use it with my laptop when I'm watching movies before bed after shift.

I'm totally sure there are far better amps to power the 800's with that are not so portable but for my application they wouldn't suit.

[Satanica]

The whole idea of getting this combo was to take to work, that is, be as portable as you can get with a small footprint and use it with my laptop when I'm watching movies before bed after shift.

 

You could try some added Crossfeed via DSP processing. I've recently starting using it with JRiver and really like the effect.

[bullet]

you were never a headphones person? yet had an amp for them? hahahah im not a headphones person.. ear bud shures and into my samsung it goes hahahaha

 

those headphones are pretty boss though.. not sure id carry an amp around though for em...