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Topic: [TOS #8/FLUFF] From: Sennheiser HD800: What type of amp do I need? (Read 2023 times) previous topic - next topic
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[TOS #8/FLUFF] From: Sennheiser HD800: What type of amp do I need?

I own the HD800 and have had it for 2+ months now. I use it with an SPL Auditor. It IS "picky" because it's transparent. A lot of audiophiles like to use the HD800 with tube amps because the euphony induced by tube distortion is pleasantly rendered by the HD800's. In this case you might spend a lot of money on a quiet, grain free, and detailed tube amp...

I think the Auditor is a great amp however and a bang for your buck winner. It's close to neutral but on the warm side. It's mostly due to a slightly rolled off top end and boosted bass response, not your typical midrange exaggeration. The bass is quite nice for me because it's well integrated into the overall soundscape. It's not detached, or subwoofer like, or vying for your attention unnecessarily, it's just a nice pillow sitting under the rest of the sound. I feel the Auditor also has a very refined handle on the top end and is capable of expanding dense passages of sound. Speaking of being picky BTW, the Auditor is a picky amplifier. So the HD800 and Auditor together become a little more picky even. Specifically the Auditor also seems to be more sensitive to power issues than other products I have owned. Personally I never heard a difference between different power surge suppressor/filters before I owned the Auditor.

I think that owning the HD800 implies transparency/neutrality, and the Auditor provides more of that than most amp's in the price range.

I also don't think it's stupid to suggest that anyone might need to spend some $$$ to get the most out of the HD800. It's a $1500 headphone, presumably there is a reason it costs this much.