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I was impressed by Sennheiser HD800 headphones driven by a Mcintosh HA200 tube amp. I have an unused Ayre QX-5 Twenty Digital Hub I previously used as a Roon-ready DAC. I wonder if I could use its headphone output to drive Sennheiser HD800 headphones with good effect, or do I need a headphone amp.
Follow Ups:
I own Senn HD6XX but a friend loaned me a pair of Senn HD800s...
Amazing !!!!
I still love the Bottlehead Crack/Speedball with the 800's. It's a single-ended triode output transformer-less amp for high impedance headphones. Use the standard (and affordable) 6080, or add a cool factor with a Western Electric 421A.
Bonus: there's plenty of room to add a Corda Crossfeed circuit. (Many thanks to Meier Audio for publishing the schematic.) Bonus #2: Bottlehead and its very active user forum provide wonderful customer support.WW
"Put on your high heeled sneakers. Baby, we''re goin'' out tonight.
Edits: 12/05/24
the Crack can drive?
...
Actually, it started out with a 100 ohms minimum recommendation. Revised to 120 ohms minimum, and revised again (By amp designer "Doc" himself) to a recommended 200 ohms minimum - for best sound...The amp will work with 100 - 600 ohm headphones, but higher is better. Output impedance of the Bottlehead Crack is about 120 ohms.
Edits: 12/05/24 12/06/24
I still love the Bottlehead Crack/Speedball with the 800's. Bonus: there's plenty of room to add a Corda Crossfeed circuit. (Many thanks to Meier Audio for publishing the schematic.)
WW
"Put on your high heeled sneakers. Baby, we''re goin'' out tonight.
...have you considered electrostatic headphones? Speed, resolution, and detail in absolute spades. You may not return to speakers after a few hours with stats. A strong case can be made for making & listening solely to a very high quality headphone system.
Just a thought...
"'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice./And when justice is gone, there's always force./And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!" Laurie Anderson, "O Superman (For Massenet)"
I received a reply from Ayre about using the QX-5 Twenty to drive Sennheiser 800 headphones telling me it will do so without problem and the sound will be amazing.For near-field, I'll use the KEF LS60 or the Ayre AX-7e integrated with the KEF Reference 1s.
I think I have the life-care apartment situation covered.
Edits: 12/04/24
I have listened to and own many excellent headphones including planars and electrosats, but at the end of the day, I find it more enjoyable and relaxing when I don't have drivers/headbands on my head/face.
If one cannot have room-filling volume due to living arrangement, I would still prefer smaller speakers in nearfield/desktop arrangement over headphones. Why not try your Ref 1 bookshelf speakers in nearfield and see..
The KEF LS60 does near-field very well, but I already have the Ayre DX-5, QX-5, KX-5, VX-5, and KEF Reference 1s. I'd like to replace the KX-5 pre and VX-5 amp with an AX-5 integrated for a neat three component stack, DX-5, QX-5, AX-5 with the Reference 1s for for nostalgia and as an alternative to the LS60.
Since no one responded to my question, I resorted to reviews. A Stereophile reviewer thought the Ayre QX-5 Twenty drove the Audeze LCD-X very well. It also drove the Sennheiser 800 well, but with a bit of harshness in certain regions. The Mcintosh headphone amp may mask that harshness.
Given I already have the QX-5 Twenty, I may pick up used Audeze LDC-X to try with it. Source would be Ethernet from Roon Nucleus and Blue-ray from Ayre DX-5 DSD.
I've been very impressed by how big my KEF LS60 can sound when playing large orchestrations loud, but I'm an 88 year-old recent widower who's planning to move to a very deluxe life-care community, and no matter how good the sound proofing is said to be, loud music is unlikely to be tolerated. I need headphones for that. Fortunately my preference in music is baroque chamber and jazz trios at low to moderate sound levels. The LS60 does that splendidly.
I'm toying with the idea of replacing my Ayre KX-5 pre and VX-5 amp with an AX-5 integrated, all Twenty series, to use with my KEF Reference 1s, but that seems overkill given my future living arrangement.
Try the Head asylum.
Regards,
Steve
I had a chance to live with a pair KEF LS50Ws for two weeks this summer. These are amazing speakers.
Have you considered a tube headphone amp?
I heard the Sennheiser 800 with a Mcintosh tube headphone amp Thursday and was impressed. But I have the Ayre QX-5 Twenty that so impressed the Stereophile reviewer, and I rarely have the urge to listen to large orchestrations at high volume so why spend the money on a amp I'll rarely use.
Search the forum archives there, ask some questions, read some reviews, etc...The HD-800 has been discussed there "ad nauseum". Those guys know exactly what works, and what does not.
The headphone forum here is relatively unpopulated and slow, but you might want to give it a try as well...
Edits: 11/30/24
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