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UBS28

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 2, 2012
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I'm planning on either buying a HD 700 or HD 800, however I don't have a dedicated amp.

Can I use my Apogee One to drive a Sennheiser HD 800. If not, would upgrading to the Duet work?
 

Diastro

macrumors member
Jul 12, 2010
78
0
Veldhoven, the Netherlands
Well, those lovely folks at Apogee think only Apple fanboys visit their website, and that's why they don't state any in-depth technical specifications, so there's no way to know the exact output impedance of their interfaces' headphone outs. They're probably 100% the same. Saves manufacturing costs.

HD700 = 150Ω
HD800 = 300Ω

Don't know the maths to help you I'm afraid. I do know that my 70Ω headphones blow my ears out if I put the headphone out level of my Focusrite interface on 50%.
 

Destroysall

macrumors 65816
Feb 28, 2012
1,293
85
United States
It should drive it fine. The question is how would it sound? Sennheiser's flagship is a picky headphone. I'd hope you'd plan on upgrading to a better headphone amplifier in the future.
 

UBS28

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 2, 2012
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What kind of budget for a nice DAC + amplifier am i looking at if the Apogee One will sound bad on the HD 800? I'm looking for something good that will last ( not something I feel like replacing in a few years )

edit: I intend to use these headphones on my Macbook Pro and iPad, so I'm not looking into buying a massive amp that is difficult to move around the house. I prefer a semi-mobile solution.
 
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ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,541
1,653
Redondo Beach, California
What kind of budget for a nice DAC + amplifier am i looking at if the Apogee One will sound bad on the HD 800?


You are looking at $150.

The Presonus "Audio Box" is one of the best. the internal DAC and headphone amp are excellent. (be sure and watch the video all the way to the end.)
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AudioBoxUSB/

Also that focusrite is good but I have more experiiance with Personus.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlett2i2/

Spend the bucks on the Apogee if you like but it will not sound better than the above.
 

Destroysall

macrumors 65816
Feb 28, 2012
1,293
85
United States
Is there a reason why you chose the Sennheiser HD700/HD800? I mean, I'm sure an even cheaper headphone would do you just as good. If you only plan on using iTunes for headphone listening, you can even try the Sennheiser RS220 which is a wireless cousin of Sennheiser's HD600. You can hook it up to your Mac via Toslink and then use your iPad to control iTunes via Apple's Remote app.

If not, just try the HD558 with the FiiO E07k, it'll save you a tad bit more money and should still keep you satisfied.

Cheers!
 
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UBS28

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 2, 2012
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I listened to the HD 700 and I"m just sold by how good it sounds. The HD 800 will probably even sound better.

I'd rather just buy one of the best headphones in the world and never bother about upgrading my headphones again, rather than always wondering about upgrading to something better someday.

( just like how people are always thinking about the next iPad / iPhone / Macbook Pro model ).
 

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,541
1,653
Redondo Beach, California
I listened to the HD 700 and I"m just sold by how good it sounds....

The HD700 are what they call "open" headphones. My K240 are also n open type. The advantage is that for a even price point open headphones ail have better sound. The back sides of the diaphragms are vented to the room so they don't need to pressurize the inside of the shells. Or I could say they don't need to work against the back pressure of enclosed headphone sells

The disadvantage of open headphones is that they do NOT block sound in either diction. You need a quiet listening room because other sounds around you will mix in. Just like with speakers they do not isolate you from ambient noise. And Sound spill out, people around you will hear the music ad if you try and use then for recording the sound will spill out into the microphone.

If you like open headphones, try a pair of K240 first. These are made for recording engineers you work in studios. The studio is a quiet plce where open headphones work well. They are also very "flat" and accurate.

The funny thing is that professionals who use their headphones every day rarely spend as much as $200 on a pair. The K240 is a "standard" in the industry and sells for $100 and the standard in the field recording industry is maybe the Sony mdr-7506 and they sell for about $90. There are others used too but in general if you watch what people who make a living in audio use they almost never pick these way-expensive headphones there is just no reason to.
 

Gofre

macrumors regular
Feb 7, 2011
180
1
I'm planning on either buying a HD 700 or HD 800, however I don't have a dedicated amp.

Can I use my Apogee One to drive a Sennheiser HD 800. If not, would upgrading to the Duet work?

You do not want to be compromising on your source components with a headphone like the HD800. Being technically difficult to drive is one thing, but actually finding a well matched source in terms of fidelity is equally important, I'd much rather use a well driven HD600 over a poorly driven HD800. Headphones may be the prime factor in determining the sound quality of a rig, but when you get into the real big leagues it's only going to sound as good as the weakest component will allow. That's not to say you need to invest thousands of dollars into the amps and DAC section, just that you make sure the choice you make is going to do a glorious pair of cans like these justice.

How much would you be willing to spend on the system, all-in?
 

UBS28

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 2, 2012
2,893
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What were the HD700 using as amplification when you heard it?

I'm not sure what they were using, but it was a $300 unit.

----------

You do not want to be compromising on your source components with a headphone like the HD800. Being technically difficult to drive is one thing, but actually finding a well matched source in terms of fidelity is equally important, I'd much rather use a well driven HD600 over a poorly driven HD800. Headphones may be the prime factor in determining the sound quality of a rig, but when you get into the real big leagues it's only going to sound as good as the weakest component will allow. That's not to say you need to invest thousands of dollars into the amps and DAC section, just that you make sure the choice you make is going to do a glorious pair of cans like these justice.

How much would you be willing to spend on the system, all-in?

I have no cap on my budget in mind. But I'm not an audiophile so I don't feel like spending $1000 for just 1% improvement in sound.

----------

Is there a reason why you chose the Sennheiser HD700/HD800? I mean, I'm sure an even cheaper headphone would do you just as good. If you only plan on using iTunes for headphone listening, you can even try the Sennheiser RS220 which is a wireless cousin of Sennheiser's HD600. You can hook it up to your Mac via Toslink and then use your iPad to control iTunes via Apple's Remote app.

If not, just try the HD558 with the FiiO E07k, it'll save you a tad bit more money and should still keep you satisfied.

Cheers!

I haven't been able to listen to this unit yet. Everytime I tried to demo it, it doesn't work.

I currently have the Shure 535, Shure 215, B&W P5 and some old AKG headphones. I'm looking for a serious upgrade over these. It doesn't need to be very mobile since I have the Shure 535, Shure 215 and B&W P5 for my mobile headphones. So the HD 700 & 800 fit the bill for this purpose I thought.
 

Destroysall

macrumors 65816
Feb 28, 2012
1,293
85
United States
I would purchase the amp you heard the HD700 with if you really love that combo. However, it's as you said; you don't want to spend $1000 for a small improvement. I would still try and demo other headphones available to you. Sennheiser's line-up is a marvelous one along with highlights like the old HD600/650 or the new HD558/HD598 series. It might be in your best interest to determine what sound fancies you the most. You can then find a proper headphone to cater your needs. Now in case you don't know, there is a wonderful community called Head-Fi that is all about the headphone world. Members of the community hold meetings all around the world. Check to see if there is a local meeting happening near you and go check it out. It's a great way to expose your ears to some of the many headphones available. It is how I found my love for the Beyerdynamic DT990 headphone.
 
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Sir Cecil

macrumors 6502a
Mar 31, 2008
793
0
I intend to use these headphones on my Macbook Pro and iPad, so I'm not looking into buying a massive amp that is difficult to move around the house. I prefer a semi-mobile solution.


Forget the Apogee One. Go for the better-sounding Apogee Duet (Mac/IOS version). Headphone out impedance of the Duet is 32 Ohms. The Duet should work well with the HD700 (150 Ohms), but I would definitely not recommend it with the power-hungry HD800. Actually, I wouldn't recommend the HD800 with anything.
I've used the Duet with the HD580 (300 Ohms) and they sounded terrific. The HD598 too (only 50 Ohms). I also used the Duet with the Beyer 880 Pro, but that was the least successful. sound quality was ok, but volume was lacking.
 

Gofre

macrumors regular
Feb 7, 2011
180
1
I have no cap on my budget in mind. But I'm not an audiophile so I don't feel like spending $1000 for just 1% improvement in

If you're not an audiophile then the HD800s are a pretty bizarre choice. As mentioned before the HD800 really benefits from a well chosen amplifier so it's definitely worth the investment. You can't just throw it into any rig and expect it to sound good.

At one end, the Sennheiser HDVA 600 and HDVD 800 amps (DAC/amp combo in the case of the 800) are supposedly tremendous amps designed specifically to be paired with the HD800s. On the other end, I've heard a lot of good things about the ALO Audio Pan Am, and the pairing it makes with the HD800s.

I would seriously consider spending less money than the HD800, like a lot less, if you're just after a quick fix system that you can put together and leave it at that. The HD600 and HD650 are both headphones known to be able to scale up to world class performance whilst also being a lot more forgiving in terms of amplification. You can get phenomenal sound quality out of either of those pairs and about the same cash (or less) spent on source components, three sets that spring to mind are the "Schiit Stack" (Schiit Modi and Magni, $198 total) the Objective O2+ODAC combo ($279) and the FiiO E09K and E17 ($210-$230 total), the latter of which I own myself and pair with the HD600s. I used to have the same sort of upgrade fever but this setup stopped that, even having listened to a well driven HD800 and HD700 since that time.
 

auhlixer

macrumors regular
Apr 15, 2006
207
3
Philadelphia, PA
If you're not an audiophile then the HD800s are a pretty bizarre choice. As mentioned before the HD800 really benefits from a well chosen amplifier so it's definitely worth the investment. You can't just throw it into any rig and expect it to sound good.

At one end, the Sennheiser HDVA 600 and HDVD 800 amps (DAC/amp combo in the case of the 800) are supposedly tremendous amps designed specifically to be paired with the HD800s. On the other end, I've heard a lot of good things about the ALO Audio Pan Am, and the pairing it makes with the HD800s.

I would seriously consider spending less money than the HD800, like a lot less, if you're just after a quick fix system that you can put together and leave it at that. The HD600 and HD650 are both headphones known to be able to scale up to world class performance whilst also being a lot more forgiving in terms of amplification. You can get phenomenal sound quality out of either of those pairs and about the same cash (or less) spent on source components, three sets that spring to mind are the "Schiit Stack" (Schiit Modi and Magni, $198 total) the Objective O2+ODAC combo ($279) and the FiiO E09K and E17 ($210-$230 total), the latter of which I own myself and pair with the HD600s. I used to have the same sort of upgrade fever but this setup stopped that, even having listened to a well driven HD800 and HD700 since that time.

+ 1 on the HDVD800
I auditioned it about a month ago and plan on getting it or the 600 in the coming months.

----------

I'm planning on either buying a HD 700 or HD 800, however I don't have a dedicated amp.

Can I use my Apogee One to drive a Sennheiser HD 800. If not, would upgrading to the Duet work?

I don't recommend buying the HD700 at all. It gets a lot of bad reviews and the HD800 trumps it.

I own the HD800s and highly recommend it. My first setup was the Nuforce Dac-100 dac/headamp to HAP-100 which sounded awesome in every aspect to me except bass. I sent back the Nuforce HAP-100 and kept the Dac-100 because I love the way the DAC sounds.

My current setup is the Nuforce Dac-100 to a Vintage Pioneer SX-750 which is the best $140 I spent. It sounds incredible but doesn't have the solid bass of the HDVD800 but is holding me over for the HDVA600 or Zana Duex :eek:
 

UBS28

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 2, 2012
2,893
2,340
Thanks for the all the replies. I think i'm not going for the HD-800 because of the huge costs.

After listening to various headphones, it seems that the Shure SRH 1840 is the headphone for me. How much sound quality will I loose against the HD-800 + good amp?

And can I drive a Shure SRH 1840 with an Apogee One btw? Here are some stats below:

Sensitivity
96 dB SPL/mW

Impendance
65 Ohm
 

alexmshore

macrumors member
Nov 3, 2011
32
35
UK
The HD800 at 300Ω is meant more for big production equipment which can put out that sort of power, for example a professional live music desk. This doesn't mean you wouldn't be able to use them, just that they wont drive as hard and so won't be as loud as headphones with smaller impedance values.

The Shure SRH 1840 should be spot on.
 

UBS28

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 2, 2012
2,893
2,340
The HD800 at 300Ω is meant more for big production equipment which can put out that sort of power, for example a professional live music desk. This doesn't mean you wouldn't be able to use them, just that they wont drive as hard and so won't be as loud as headphones with smaller impedance values.

The Shure SRH 1840 should be spot on.

Thanks for the reply. So if I understand it correctly, my Apogee One will have no problems driving these Shure SRH 1840? :D
 

djippy

macrumors newbie
Apr 9, 2015
25
3
Montreal, Ca.
Does the point about open headphones letting in external sound apply to regular traffic noises and all that.

Yes... Any noises.

I personally prefer that over closed back and am not a fan of the different noises cancellation systems I did try. (Personal choice, I know many people that loves it)

JP.
 
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