The HD800 & HD800S thread

Haha. Back to the HD800's, hunh?

 

Yep. I'm haunted by Utopia's mids though. Dam you Paul.

 

I'm here to help

Is your name on the list for a Stellaris yet?

 

Any tips for installing new HD800 pads? I can get my old ones on/off no problem, but am finally installing a fresh, genuine pair and am having a hell of a time getting them to click in.

 

Haha... no. I'm very content with my current rig.

 

hi haha I can understand ur problem because atleast I was a complete noob at this stuff and had my friend do it for me the first time lol

basically what you do is
1) take off the dust cover
2) basically jam them in ... place the earpads in the correct position and if u cant do it normally use your palms and force them in
3) then go ahead and place the dust covers

Don't worry about breaking anything the hd800 is built like a tank no chi-fi business XD

 

Thanks for the reassurance I can use force. Finally got them in after two 1 hour sessions of trying (my forearms were so swole I had to take a break). I think just continually trying to push them in over and over again loosened the plastic covering the clips enough for them to finally lock in without falling out. My old ones popped in and out so easily, hoping these become the same way after sitting installed for a while.

Hard to tell if there are any sonic differences considering the long install time, but they sure feel nice.

 

Jesus, this makes me not want to try replacing my earpads.

I had a close call with installing a Furutech receptacle where the wires were too thick to fit inside the screws & I nearly gave up after 2 hours.

Hate all the proprietary fittings Sennheiser decked their headphones in.

 

Some thoughts on the HD800S... Bought them to supplement my HD 650. Like many others, I´ve previously owned the HD800 and eventually gave up on them as I found I could no longer listen to anything else than some Leonard Cohen, Dire Straits and Diana Krall albums.

Anyways, the S version indeed fixes the achilles heel of the HD 800. That being said, this is still an HD 800. In other words it´s a fairly bright headphone that has a tendency to sound thin. Bass is high quality, but doesn´t go deep enough. I find it enjoyable with around 30-40% of the music I generally listen to, which is a huge upgrade from the original.

As for the bass I don´t know yet. It does lack some of the beautiful resolution the original has there, but on the other hand anything that injects a bit of warmth into this headphone generally sounds pretty good. I don´t really know which one I would prefer, modded 800 or HD800S. Quite likely it would be the modded original, but I would need to do A/B comparisons to truly know.

Would I recommend the HD800S? No, not if one isn´t at peace with their imperfect tonality and not as a main headphone. You still need an all rounder and the HD800S isn´t that. They are a great second or third headphone though and complement the HD 650 especially very nicely. The two Sennheisers give you the best of both worlds: the ultra clinical precision of the HD800(S) and the relaxed "listen to anything" HD 650. I run my HD 650 unmodded to maximize the warmth/easy listening factor.

EDIT: One exception... For gaming and movies they are god-tier. Close to zero drawbacks, close to perfection.

 

The HD800s sound SUBLIME with the AUDIO GD NOS11 !

 

How so? How's the treble? Can you compare to anything else for reference?

 

Treble goes high , not harsh or piercing ! Compare to the other Dac Amp Preamp with Sabre ES9018 ( AUDIO GD NFB 27H , Pioneer -U05 ..... it is much more musical , wider sound stage , smoother wthout any loss of details ! It is THE combo Dac Amp made for the HD800S ! (Sorry for my very bad English i'm French !)

 

Did you attempt equalization/sonar works?

 

Unfortunately no... Should have though, but at the time I was somehow (stupidly) opposed to the idea. I was originally trying to buy a standard HD 800 back, but got a better trade in deal for the new S version (superior dealer margins I guess) so I figured I´d give them a try.

 

Ok, I'm surprised that Sonar works haven't released a compensation for the HD800S yet but I guess people with the HD800 equalized have no reason to upgrade so maybe there's not much demand.

 

Sold my HD 800 to fund the Gungnir Multibit. Only took me 2 weeks to rebuy it back.

Sounds amazing with classical/instrumental music. The soundstage just "engulfs" you.

Still waiting for my SBAF mod so the treble is still kind of annoying. But with the Mjolnir 2 + Gungnir Multibit, it doesn't bother me as much as my previous set up. Mjolnir 2 + Chord Mojo was a nightmare, the artificial treble from the Chord Mojo just made it even worst.

 

"Upgrade" might be the wrong word. Once you've fixed the resonance spike on the grey 800, they're probably a better headphone- especially if you're going to start abusing them with Sonarworks. The 800S with its extra distortion in the low end doesn't take EQ quite as well.

In any case, Sonarworks doesn't completely fix the weird tuning. It does make them sound nicer, but it's still not quite like having a 650/Utopia/Andro with non-weird tuning. Classical is the elephant in the room- it never stops sounding like headphones rather than an actual orchestra.

Eh? The HD800 sounds... a bit off with classical. The high strings in the upper mids are too recessed, it gets too strange.

Also, the Mojo doesn't have heightened treble; quite the reverse, it's a tiny bit rolled-off.

 

Hello Music friends!

I was ondering if someone miss the old HD800 after you have changed to the younger HD800S?

I have the 800 and really don't know if a should upgrade to the 800S, or buy a new HD.... like Focal Elear...

thanks

 

Just get a pair of SDR's from @sorrodje. They will breath new life into your HD800's.

 

Was actually my dilemma when they announced HD800S & then Elear. After demoing both, finally decided that the SDR modded HD800 is the right one for me since I didn't like the extra warmth the 800S brings. I like the black color though.