Sennheiser HD800: What type of amp do I need?, [was “HD800 Amp query?”/TOS #6] Options

[GSARider]

Hi all, came across the site and thought I'd join up. Based in the UK and have been getting into Headphones more & more due to more travel by train as well as the fact that my wife doesn't like me blasting music of an evening...

Anyhow, I've got a set of HD800's arriving in the new year at a really good price via a friend who is getting them for me at a wholesale rate. I've always bought Senn's as they've always been reliable and give decent sound. I recently bought a set of Amperiors and love them for travelling. I bought a Fiio E17 followed by an e09K for use at home with my MacBook Pro Retina plugged in via optical cable.

Now having looked at various reviews / sites I'm getting more confused as folk keep saying you need a 2k plus amp to drive the Hd800's and that they're somehow 'picky' when it comes to amp / dacs?

I use the E17 on a daily basis and love the sound it gives me , not sure that the E09K makes much difference for me with the Amperiors or a set of Ie80's that I also have, but I was putting that down to the low impedance of the headphones ...would I be correct in this?

[IgorC]

My last post about E17 driving HD 800 was quite negative. It's different with HD 650. One can say that they sound softer, warmer, forgiving. After some sessions I'm quite pleasant with E17 driving HD 650.

One possible explanation can be that HD 800 aren't quite neutral comparing to flat reference HD 650. HD 800 vs HD 650.
And E17 has more distortion in high frequencies where HD800 occasionally has a bump, causing unmasking/amplification of distortion. Sometimes I hate HD800 for its peak in that frequency range as my ears get tired after some time because of it.

This post has been edited by IgorC: Jan 7 2013, 00:25