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Obviously not for everyone though I do believe this is a very good price for those who appreciate a nice set of cans.
Sennheiser HD 800S Over-Ear Reference Headphones $1499 Delivered @ Sennheiser eBay
240
This is part of Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals for 2024
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How do you find the Arya compared to the Clears? I’m debating getting the Ananda myself for the planar sound.
Totally different Arya is much more airy and open. It's a different kind of "slam" but by no means are any of their bass all that strong. If you're into more treble based, or female focal highs, soundstage, and all that kind of good stuff, I think Arya is better, I'm honestly in the back of my mind debating selling the Clear MG.
Arya is much lighter, very comfortable, very little clamp force, MG is a little heavier and more clamp, but not heavy/uncomfortable.
You can consider the Edition XS as well, they might drop more in price?
Great comparison thank you!
I actually owned the XS briefly but returned them as I didn’t like the headband. I did enjoy their soundstage though, which I suspect is due to the large cups and planar drivers. Arya seems fantastic but a bit out of budget, which just leaves the Ananda haha.
Where did you order the Hifiman from? I've tried via US in the past and they cancelled the order??
Amazon AU, plus you get to try it out and return it within 30 days!
ATL with Plus, I think?
Max $300 off with or without Plus, meaning you get no extra savings.
Very nice, I’ve been eyeing these for years and I think I can justify the price given how long my HD600s have lasted.
Given these are 300 ohms I’ll need a new amp though, and probably a DAC too if they’re as revealing as people say.
Would you guys have any recommendations? Schiit Magni Piety and Modi Multibit stack seem to be the top suggestions that avoid breaking the bank.With any Schiit stuff you'll have to get it direct from the US no? I think JDS stuff is also an option, apparently the customer support is really top notch.
Direct from them or locally from Addicted to Audio
I am going to see how my Mojo 2 goes before getting anything else
Great deal!
I just sold a used pair for $1,350, awesome headphones need EQ to tame treble and really need to invest in high end DAC & AMP setup to make them fly.
However, with the Chifi revolution DAC/AMP prices have been dropping steadily. Look for an AMP using AKM chips or R2R to mellow down the brightness and warm up these headphones. Newly released Fioo K11 R2R you might get away with to start things off.
Why did you get rid of these?
Did a big cleanup of my headphone gear and just don't have the space. I kept a pair HD 600 headphones as they are more compact and easier to drive from a portable DAC, I pair them with a Chord Mojo 2 and both fit nicely in one case.
Couldn't justify keeping the HD 800s headphones and deskop DAC/AMPs to run them.
Look for an AMP using AKM chips or R2R to mellow down the brightness and warm up these headphones
That's not how it works
There's a few factors in the mix in terms of how the different approaches effectively render sound, then the quality of the amps on the output stage of a dedicated DAC can also impact the outgoing signal.
Cheap delta-sigma DACs have a tendency to sound significantly less holographic, and lack bass extension, as though key spatial information just gets completely smoothed over.
All of that can actually come across as a tonal shift, alongside the aforementioned spatially flat presentation.
Cheap delta-sigma DACs have a tendency to sound significantly less holographic, and lack bass extension, as though key spatial information just gets completely smoothed over.
DACs are engineered to provide a flat frequency response (audibly transparent) unless there's a design flaw or they're broken.
@vaskothefrog: Intention is not execution, and taking simple tone and signal measurements does not deliver the functional capabilities of an electrical circuit under intended load. Furthermore, tonal balance and a distortion free signal are not the only goals of a DAC.
The chip itself is ultimately attempting to synthesise tones from data, and has a human-coded methodology for doing so that is ultimately imperfect compared to the physical act of producing real world acoustics.
Assuming competency, the less complex the chip and circuit, the less capable it is of accomplishing this.
You write like this is a finished task with a simple checklist, it is not. Your argument is the thing that's too simple.
There's an economical balance to be struck at any given moment and eventually we'll get far enough for all use cases, but we've barely cracked mid-fi affordability.
Cheap delta-sigma is a lot better than what we had, but it's not the end point. Cheers.
@jasswolf: My argument doesn't need to be more complex than it is. Typing more words doesn't make you any more correct. Cheers.
@vaskothefrog: It really does, and it's clear you're not grasping what's being put forth.
Take the ASR-lite argument back to whatever echo chamber you plucked it from.
@vaskothefrog: No, I'm a Pareto optimum kind of person, that actually understands that moving complex analog signals to digital and back again with accuracy is very complicated.
Get out of the house and demo some products.
@jasswolf: I guarantee the only person who thinks that is yourself.
The irony of being told to get out of the house by someone who is chronically online and can't help but state their very incorrect opinion as fact in every audio-related thread on ozbargain chefs kiss
@vaskothefrog: The irony of someone not grasping that engineers and scientists paid a hell of a lot of money aren't engaged in some sort of global long-con to fleece consumers is really… well in the post-covid world it's pretty much par for the course.
I'll go back to using the greatest repository of knowledge in human history as a rich resource while you continue to smack your head in a doorway.
while you continue to smack your head in a doorway
You state while forming opinions on how things sound based on placebo, and your golden ears of course.
Wow supremely patronizing comment! I can see I missed a flame war ensued, at the risk of continuing it here goes.
What practical experience do you have with high end headphones and DAC/AMPS?
I ran the HD800s with the varying combinations of the following;
Chord Mojo 2 DAC/AMP
iFi HipDac 2
iBasso DC04 Pro
Hifiman EF 400 R2R Himilaya DAC/AMP
XDuo MT602
Vincent VHA-1 Hybrid Tube AMP
Eufonika H5 OTL tube AMP
Fiio K7There were plenty of audible differences/tone to the sound with different DAC and AMPs. Generally speaking, AKM have a warmer sound profile, ESS very neutral, R2R more distortion warmer sounding. Without EQ some of the treble heavy music like the Pixies or high female voices are unlistenable on the HD800s. It is pretty well known that certain combinations of headphones and DAC & AMPs sound better or worse.
I will say however that EQ had a bigger impact on reducing the treble fatigue.
I also ran a HD800S with a bunch of amps with no difference between them
When I got my Clear MG I said to myself, I don't need the Hifiman Arya nor the HD800s. Then the Arya price dropped recently down to about 1K ish, and I pulled the trigger because I missed my old Sundara. Luckily this isn't low enough for me quite just yet, so I can pass on that… maybe.