Irresistible headphones … the ‘love at first sight’ sound that typically makes you shiver and see the stars in broad daylight. 
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Are you including the “S” in this? I have a pair of the HD800S and love them.
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The thing that always gets me about my 800S is when I hear a sound coming from somewhere in my living room and then realize it came from my phones! 
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I’ve got a pair of HD800 headphones as well. When the HD800S came out I didn’t bother buying it because of my SR-009’s. I’m sure the HD800S’s are still good though but like they say money doesn’t grow on trees 
If I had the Stax I wouldn’t bother with anything else. 
I sold everything else after I got the HD800 w/ SDR mod. It’s honestly just too good.
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What amp are you guys pairing with the HD800?
I know people are big fans of pairing them with tubes.
Right now I am using the Woo Audio WA6-SE and I have a Questyle CMA600i coming tomorrow.
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I have paired my HD800 SD with many amps but the best I have heard the HD800 sounded the best is with 2359glenn OTL amp with a pair of C3g drivers and six 6BX7 power.
Can you tell me why,I’ve been thinking about getting these but also considering Audeze LCD-3 and Mr Speakers Ether flow.
Any input would be appreciated.
I’m pairing my HD800 (no S) with DecWare CSP3 -> DecWare Taboo UFO. ALO balanced cable. All digital sources, but its tubular!
Big big Senn fan here…
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All three are great headphones. I like the HD800S because they are comfortable to wear for starters and they are the most natural sounding headphones I have ever heard in my system. Some say that they are bass shy but I never feel that way. The LCD-3 are great too. I never was a fan of the Ether Flow. Everyone is different and the kind f music you listen to matters. I am a jazz fan so most of my stuff is 50’s and 60"s recordings. I also own the LCD-2 and like it quite a lot but to my ears it can be a little bass dominate. You really can’t go wrong with any of those choices.
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Thank you for the info.
I’m thinking that I will go for the hd800s,and may consider the Audeze classic as a compliment to them.
I have some time though,being from Montreal the winter can be long so will be spending lots of time outdoors with my wife.
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I can confirm the 800s as a great choice. The comfort level puts them over the top for me.
Montreal is a great city by the way!
I’m a proponent of the HD800. The HD800S are, no doubt, an excellent pair of headphones, though they are (IMO) a tad less natural and unnaturally expansive. The differences are subtle, but are still felt.
I have the HD800 since 2009. I’m hooked on them like I think forever. Compared to a decade using the HD650 (which I still like), I find them extremely ‘realistic’ , demonstrating a presence and a soundstage of unequalled quality.
The comfort and fatigue-free listening after hours of continuous listening are second to none.
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I sold my first HD800 because I basically never used it but found myself missing it as a reference to compare to things so I ended up with another. Sometimes it’s a bit too warm for me and the upper midrange is a bit too dipped and has weird timbre but it’s probably the best value in the higher end and still one of my top five headphones ever. I had an HD800 and modded SR-007 SZ2 at the same time and honestly the HD800 did basically everything the 007 did better other than upper midrange. I’d also easily take it over an 009 which just sounds plasticky and wrong to me.
I’ve had a pair of HD800 since it first came out and it’s been part of my main hp system ever since. I am not ready to prefer it before my other favourite - Stax 007mk2. My heart is big enough for both of them.
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I use my HD800 (with Super Dupont modd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydot90j8gmo&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share ) — with an AudioValve RKV3 Ivory.
Thank you,and sorry if I get a little off track,I’ll be powering them with the woo WA7 but I have the older model so I’m not using the internal dac,instead I have a red dragonfly handling the Digital to analog conversion.
How much of a difference in sound if I would put more money into a dac?
Thank you.
That’s a difficult question to answer TBH. Some can hear the slightest difference in DACs, some can’t. IME the DAC differences is more difficult to detect compared to amps and headphones. Having said that if your cans and amps are already very good, the DAC and source can probably add more refinement.
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