Ditto. I love — I think! — T+A’s forward-thinking in putting a 4.4mm Pentaconn output on their recent streaming DACs. (They also put a USB-A output on the front panel, though, which seemed a tad anachronistic nine inches away.)
I see the reason for the 4.4mm socket on amps that are too small to house the larger XLR one. However until recently there has been a sort of unofficial standard for balanced headphone connection using XLR-4 . I am against a proliferation of alternative connectors performing the same objective as it creates waste in respect of supplied cables that will not fit and can involve purchasers in additional expense in obtaining the correct one.
There needs to be some kind of standard and the 4.4mm one seems to be the only connector that could be used on both full sized and miniature components. So, as from now, I am anti XLR-4 
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Headphones are now mainly Sennheiser HD 880S . My new headphone amp is an Icon HP8 Signature Edition. A review is linked below if you are unaware of this brand as it doesn’t seem to have much presence outside of the UK though it is available in a number of countries plus direct sale. It will even drive my Beyer Dynamic DT880 600 ohm 'phones which have defeated many previous contenders. The HiFi World lab test of the amp revealed that on its " High" output setting it provided 27 volts!!
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Thanks Pete. I’m stating to look around for an amp to pair with my Abyss 1266 HPs in case I move to Rossini.
Thanks to all for the really helpful contributions, very interesting. So I shall persevere with 60 hours of burn in. I’m not about to spend £250 on a balanced cable until I’ve convinced myself the headphones are my choice, but it seems like that’s an incremental benefit anyway.
In my original post I didn’t describe how the sound disappoints me, so here goes. I find it difficult to find the right adjectives, but compared with my speaker set up the headphone sound is lacking in life, no sparkle. It’s like it’s heard through a curtain. Certain lower frequencies are distinct and clear though dull, but the mids are muddled and indistinctive. And when turning up the volume to try and get some energy, the highs seem to overload very easily and start to distort. I’ve tried the Bartok output options and the 0db is required to get any real energy.
I’m listening to jazz, funk, blues, rock: D Krall, Donald Fagen, Clapton, Stones. I’ve not tried classical yet.
Speakers sound great. Especially the Monitor Audio PL100s in my small study. I remember in 1982 I heard a Linn LP12 in a dealer playing classical music on very modest speakers and being awestruck. The comment was; you’ve got to start with a great source. I stick with that principle.
This is NOT normal, Simon. Please check your settings! In Mosaic, set your headphone level to 0, to start with.
AUDIO > OUTPUT > HEADPHONE LEVEL: 0 -10DB -20DB -30DB
If this is what you already did… ? Your phones (Sennheiser HD800S) are not a difficult load (300 Ω), so there must be some input level problem.
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I guess you will easily find out that the HD800S is repeatedly cited as the best headphone for classical music mainly due to the way that the drivers are angled so as to produce an illusion of a wide and a slightly recessed soundstage which suits the acoustic convention of classical performance. Whether that is suitable for rock music (perhaps excepting “live” recordings) I am not really qualified to say as my listening to that genre has declined bit by bit over a 40 year period to become a comparatively rare experience. I can only say that one of those experiences was the 24/96 release of Van Morrison’s set of live concerts " It’s Too Late to Stop Now" with the Troubadour set sounding like I was in front of a live band when using the HD 800S and the HP8 amp. Well, in front of a live band that had somehow manifested itself inside my head 
.
I am concerned, however, with your reference to the highs overloading and starting to distort. This really should not be happening. Two questions ; How loud do you listen and what is your source ?
Edit: Also are headphones a new addition for you or is it just the HD800S and you have been using the Bartok with other cans before? If so what were they and how did you find their sound?
HD800 is the most polarizing headphone on the market. I’ve had a pair for almost eight years and really enjoy them with the bartok se headphone output. Many have complained they’re overly bright and use a parametric eq to increase bass and decrease around 7khz. If you want a speaker like headphone experience you might investigate the Sr1a ear speakers. They’ll set you back around $8k usd because they require a special amp that is fairly expensive or a 100W+ speaker amp to drive. Many on headfi think they’re the best headphones currently available. Hopefully I’ll have mine next month. However… the hd800 is a great headphone IMO so you might want to give them a couple of months so you can hear their strengths.
You definitely need the headphone level set to 0 db.
@SimonA has HD800 S rather than HD 800. These are are a later iteration of HD 800 which incorporate a tuned resonator to reduce the 7kHz spike.
Bartok’s specifications indicate more than sufficient output @ 300 ohms that a 0dB output setting with HD 800 S should not be required given a sensible volume control setting . Nevertheless from my experience (which excludes Bartok) HD800 S seems more difficult to drive successfully in practice than its specs suggest.
I am nevertheless concerned at the volume setting on Bartok that the OP may use given a 0dB level output for a 300 ohm load. Without care this could provide an SPL resulting in potential hearing damage. In this context I am aware of his report of hearing distortion which is worrying.
Thanks for all the comments. If I set the Mosaic output at 0dB I am listening at about -22 dB on the volume; if set to -10db I’m listening at -12dB. I’m very conscious about high listening levels and hearing loss.
I’ve been listening to a variety of music (including the Troubadour set thanks). I think I’ve concluded that I just don’t care for headphones. I find these uncomfortable too. Part of the problem is not being able to try them anywhere. Maybe the 800 would have been a better choice but with only reviews to go on the 800S seemed to be the best option.
I had headphones many years ago but in the last ten years I’ve only used Bose noise reduction headphones with an iPod on long haul flights.
Hello Erno (@Ermos),
I am very happy with Focal Utopia headphones connected to the Bartók using a balanced Double Helix cable. The cable contributes quite a bit to the result IMHO.
My Stax SR-009S headphones are connected to a Stax SRM-700S solid state amp which is connected to the Bartók via ChordMusic XLR cables. I use the Stax for classical music and the Focal for all else. To my ears both play on the same level of sound quality with different ‘flavours’ if you like. The Focal packs more punch, the Stax is more resolving and transparent. While I suffer from audio gear hunger, headphones are not part of that nowadays. What I have is good enough by a wide margin.
I had Abyss AB-1266 PHI (not TC) to try with my prior Naim / Woo rig and sent it back because it is heavy and feels uncomfortable after maybe an hour of listening. An Abyss Diana Phi and a Grado PS2000e I sold in a streamlining measure.
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Thanks Marco for sharing your experience. Quite soon I hope to try and compare the Utopia with the Abyss myself, by then using the Rossini DAC and Clock, and my Benchmark HPA4. Depending on the results, I might go further with a Hifiman Susvara, and a Niimbus US5 Pro.
I will report here how that all goes.
Sounds like a beautiful plan, Erno.
Enjoy!
And I am curious what your experience will be.
I use two headphones with my Bartok HDAC:
- The HEDD Audio HEDDPhone One, connected via a balanced XLR cable to the Bartok’s headphone amp. I’ve never really tried them with the original single-ended cable they came with, since I had the balanced cable made before I got the Bartok and was using the HEDDs on an SPL Phonitor xe. The main reason for balanced is not so much sound quality, but that XLR is a mechanically superior connector. No chance of shorting out your amp (something the SPL is known for) if the cable gets pulled accidentally while music is playing.
- RAAL SR1a with HSA1b amp connected to the Bartok’s balanced XLR outputs. Don’t really need balanced between the Bartok and the amp – the cables are only three feet long. But I already had them, so might as well use them. FWIW, I am using the stock SR1a cable (albeit I requested they make it 20ft long when I ordered it instead of the default 9ft).
While I really like the HEDDPhones, I have to admit my use of them went down to almost never once I got the SR1a. The Bartok drives the HEDD just fine. And the HEDD has more bass “quantity” than the SR1a (though the SR1a are fine with bass once your brain adjusts to them). But even after getting used to the weight of the HEDD, the SR1a is just so much more comfortable for long listening sessions, and has perhaps more “accurate” sound than the HEDD. (Not really sure how to describe the difference – I am not a heavy headphone user and only have experience with the SR1a, HEDDPhone and Stellia (which I use on my home office rig (the Phonitor xe) – the Bartok is in the main listening room for when speakers would be bothersome to others).
@cwichura I have the same headphones, but in two separate systems. I use the HEDDPhone with the Bartok via balanced XLR. And a similar experience. Once you try the RAALs all other headphones just sound different. I use the SR1a headphones with an old Resolution Audio Cantata DAC (updated over the years) and the HSA1b. I go back and forth, but spend most of my time with the RAALs. The Bartok is mainly used for listening with speakers.
Any updates on Bartok + headphone pairings with new, recent offerings? LCD5, Meze Elite, possibly IEMs, etc?
Hello from Tokyo, I’m using final’s D8000 Pro with Brise Audio’s newest cable: YATONO-HP Ultimate.
It is the best of the best for me.
As to IEMs, for me 64 Audio’s tia fourte with Brise Audio’s YATONO 8 WIRE-Ultimate cable is the best.
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Wow I didn’t realize that extra cable that came with my HD800S is actually a balanced cable. I was planing to re-terminate the cable with a 4pin xlr to use with my forthcoming Bartok. When I read this, I did a search on Amazon and bought one of these. Thanks for the tip.
I recently received the Meze Elite headphones and they are a fantastic pairing with the Bartok! Very musical. I also ordered the upgrade copper and silver coated copper cables; I was not sure which I might prefer. I think I might prefer the silver coated copper cables, but it’s too early to say.
I’ve also been using the DAC Stealth with the Bartok, which has been great too, but I’m not sure the Bartok amp is an ideal match for the Stealths. A lot of research and feedback suggests they need a lot of power to shine their best. I have an amp on the way.
Both headphones are great. The Elites are more well-rounded in a very musical and enjoyable way. The Stealths have more clarity into the recording and the instruments. I love the Stealths with acoustic guitar; I love the sound of the instruments and the Stealths communicate this clearly. And I can hear how each song on a recording sounds unique, either the instrument, the recording, the venue. I guess people would say they are detailed, but that’s not necessarily what I would say. Things that are detailed tend to get tiring for me. It’s more about clarity and musicality.
I was not sure which of these two headphones would stick, but I’m afraid they are both sticking!
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