this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2023
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Headphones

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Hey everyone,

I decided to bite the bullet and grab a set of the HD800S while they're on sale. My current equipment just involves the SMSL C200 dac amp which is powering my current headphones (ATH R70X).

I've been doing some more research after ordering the HD800S and I've been seeing a lot of people saying that you "need" a Tube Amp for these; is this true by any means? I don't have much experience with them.

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[–] CodeNoseATX@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

you're good. c200 is solid. ASR said so and I got one.

[–] oppiehat@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Should be a enough power. Every headphones needs eq though.

[–] rextilleon@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Need a tube amp--LOL--how ridiculous. My 800S do quite well on a Fiio 7.

[–] PutPineappleOnPizza@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel like everyone on here blindly recommends tubes without ever having tried them. I have a tube amp it's maybe 5% different from my FiiO K5 pro.

[–] rextilleon@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Thank you--finally!!! There is one other person who understands the placebo effect. By the way the few blind studies done kind of confirm what you said.

[–] jsk-ksj@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

If you find that the hd800s need warmth (distortion), plug them into a tube amp. I like this combo when listening to jazz. Otherwise, mojo2 drives them very cleanly.

[–] Yamato37@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have the C200 and the HD 800, and they work together just fine. No undue sibilance or unnatural tendencies in terms of timbre. At the same time, it's a far cry from the warmth and fluidity that some tube amps tend to add to the presentation. But still, no problems with that pairing whatsoever.

[–] M_RiGGz@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Probably an obvious answer but; I'm assuming that warmth that tube amps add to the HD800S can somewhat be rectified with EQ?

[–] M_RiGGz@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Currently I'm eyeing the Xduoo TA-22 if I were to end up pairing the HD800S with a tube amp; would anyone happen to have any experience or thoughts on it?