HD800 - where to go next?

[Musicophile]

So, latest update to my journey: I just bought the Utopias and am burning them in right now. 

 

I had another last minute comparison to another potential competitor, the T&A Solitaire P, which are very nice as well, and the MySphere 3 (which I couldn't even get to sit comfortably on my head) but the overall package of the Utopia (comfort, materials, and outstanding sound quality) really convinced me.

 

I'll probably have to explore new amps at some point, but so far my Sennheiser HDVA600 seems to have no problem driving them quite well.

 

Final thought on what triggered the decision for the Utopias: I believe it is not the transparency, nor the tonal balance, nor the sound stage, many others (including my old HD800) are better on some of them, but instead the amazing microdynamics.

 

In a way, for classical music, I'm really just listening to music, not to audio, and the entire hifi business just disappears into the background. And for Jazz, my "foot-tap-o-meter" (it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing) is 10/10.

 

I'll however keep my HD800, as the Utopias are just a bit heavier and really can't live up to the Sennheisers in terms of their amazing comfort for very long listening sessions.. 

[Musicophile]

And to wrap up the saga: I’ve just added a Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition to drive my Utopias. Very happy with this all in one combo.

[Musicophile]

3 hours ago, Blake said:

Nice combo.  Curious if you tried your Naim driving the HD800's and compared to the Senn amp driving the HD800?

 

 

Not yet as I’m currently not at home for several weeks. Inhabe the Utopias with me but not the HD800. I’ll try eventually and report back. 

[Musicophile]

5 hours ago, jamesjames said:

I would also be interested in your thoughts on the Naim with the HD800.  On the the HD800 more generally, I should mention too that my views of the amps mentioned above - Moon 430HA and SPL Phonitor xe - have evolved.  In short, I now think the Phonitor is the equal of the Moon - perhaps better, depending on personal preferences.  With the HD800S, I think the Phonitor works better; with the HD800, I think I prefer the Moon.  This may seem a bit it odd, but I find the early production units of the HD800 sound quite different to the later units (which are actually quite like the HD800S in some respects).  The early HD800 is lighter, brighter, more articulate in the lower frequencies.  The HD800S I think is more controlled, less brilliant, but perhaps more natural.  The two amps I've mentioned seem to play differently to the strengths of each.  Of course, as I've mentioned, I use crossfeed at all times, and I think its implementation in each amp affects things very significantly.  I can't really say that I prefer one combo over the other - I find myself  going from one to the other every few months, appreciating their particular strengths.  So, if you have a continuing interest in the HD800 family, you might like to audition these amps. For info, my reading (and the examples I own) suggest the 'early' HD800 morphed into the later HD800 around S/N 17,000.

Happy to report back. I have a very late production model as my unit was bought less than a year before the 800S came out (Ironically it now seems that Focal will be soon releasing an updated version of the Utopia less than 6 months after I bought mine). 
 

On crossfeed, I had some time to experiment as I also recently bought a Chord Mojo 2 as a portable setup which has a digital cross feed feature. At least what I’m hearing on the Mojo crossfeed really doesn’t seem to be my thing. 
 

On buying even more amps, I don’t see myself buying yet another solid state one. However during my purchasing process of the Naim I auditioned several tube amps, notably the Cayin HA300Mk2, and the even more impressive Malvalve Headphone Amp 3 Mk 4. There’s really something about tubes. 

[Musicophile]

On 8/20/2022 at 7:04 PM, davide256 said:

When you  try tube headphone amplifiers, do give an audition to the LTA Microzotl 3. One of the annoying factors with tube gear is euphonic coloration from pre tubes

and low bass sag. The Berning transformer-less design behind the MZ3 greatly reduces those issues and doesn't burn out tubes so fast

I’d love to but I’ve found that there’s quite limited possibility to audition US based gear in Europe. Distribution of these small brands still is an issue.

[Musicophile]

On 8/18/2022 at 9:11 AM, jamesjames said:

I would also be interested in your thoughts on the Naim with the HD800.  

I now had the opportunity to compare the HD800 on the Naim HE vs. my Sennheiser HDVA600.

 

First of all, both are able to drive the HD800 very nicely. 

 

If I had to compare, the Naim is a bit more "organic", whereas the Sennheiser (driven by the pre-out of the Naim for comparison's sake) is a tad more transparent and analytical.

 

I actually really like my two headphone setups. The Naim really has excellent synergies with the Utopia, and the HDVA600 just complements the more analytical nature of the HD800. I assume for some the HDVA600/HD800 combo could be a bit fatiguing, but for me it works well. I'll keep both setups around.