1.     Don't be a dotard!
    Read these "rules" AND introduce
    yourself     before your first post
  2. A healthy approach to understanding measurements
    Being true to what the artists intended
  3. After being asked for the 308th time, Merv lists top 5 headphones
    (opinion / entertainment piece)
    Dismiss Notice
  4. $1000 to the first to design a headamp using discrete components with better measurements than Magni 3+
    Dismiss Notice
IMPORTANT: New Members Read This Don't Be a Measurement Fascist Merv's Top 5 Headphones - 2023 Edition $1000 Challenge

The HD800 & HD800S thread

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by sorrodje, Oct 11, 2015.

Page 28 of 82
  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    90,159
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    At this point with the data and impressions @sorrodje has provided (which I trust), and the development of the various mods for HD800 classic, I think that exercise would be largely academic. It doesn't matter if the changes were purely from the resonator or not. When it comes down to it, I don't like the HD800, I certainly won't be buying an HD800S, and any experiments will be focused on mods to the HD800 classic.
     
    purr1n, Jan 22, 2016
    #541
  2. Gravity

    Gravity Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2015
    Likes Received:
    168
    Trophy Points:
    43
    What don't you like about the HD800?
     
    Gravity, Jan 22, 2016
    #542
  3. chakku

    chakku Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2015
    Likes Received:
    676
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NZ
    Consider his HD650 love and take a wild guess
     
    chakku, Jan 22, 2016
    #543
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    90,159
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Two Words: Face Tweeter
    HD800S: Face Tweeter Lite
     
    purr1n, Jan 22, 2016
    #544
  5. Gravity

    Gravity Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2015
    Likes Received:
    168
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Yeah I can relate since I also love the HD650 myself but I still find HD800 has good qualitites. My biggest issue with it is the treble for example. Was just curious about his opinion.

    I'm not native English and have never heard the that word before. What does that mean?
     
    Gravity, Jan 22, 2016
    #545
  6. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    2,812
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Dijon / Burgundy / France / EU
    @purrin : I can understand that. I wouldn't live with a HEK or a HD650 myself.

    As I already told, I don't think the HD800S will transform a HD800 hater in a HD800S lover. No need to waste money then. In my case, I'm convinced the 800S is superior to the 800. Not by a wide margin but superior ( more balanced , more neutral) and that it would convince some peope who already like the 800 but always struggled with the sharpness.
     
    sorrodje, Jan 22, 2016
    #546
  7. SKiring

    SKiring Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2015
    Likes Received:
    203
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Rotterdam
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeter < this on the face. It's a pet name for the HD800 as it has the similar properties to a tweeter that would be "stuck to your face', hence the Face Tweeter.
     
    SKiring, Jan 22, 2016
    #547
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    90,159
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    The HD800 has not only good qualities, but unmatched qualities in terms of resolution, stage depth, HF extension. The problem is that many recordings I listen to are too bright on the HD800. It's like driving a lowered sports car with a stiff suspension on the roads of Detroit (the city is plagued by corruption, failing infrastructure, horrible roads, bad weather, etc.). High performance, but too uncomfortable for the specific landscape.

    I owned the HD800 for years, acclimated to its tonal signature (well at least tried), built a system around it (ECBA modified to run PX25 tubes). The problem with such a setup is that it won't do well with more neutral or darker speakers or headphones. Once you acclimate the HD800, it's better; but I can't afford to do that because I still like to DIY speakers, and I don't like to voice my speakers into sounding like face-tweeters.
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2016
    purr1n, Jan 22, 2016
    #548
  9. chakku

    chakku Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2015
    Likes Received:
    676
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NZ
    Voice your HD800 to sound more like speakers with a touch of EQ ;)
     
    chakku, Jan 22, 2016
    #549
  10. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    2,812
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Dijon / Burgundy / France / EU
    I can't agree more with that Statement
     
    sorrodje, Jan 22, 2016
    #550
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    90,159
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Two problems:
    1. EQ won't solve the 6.5kHz peak. The peak is caused by standing waves in the cup. It's a time domain issue, which translates into the frequency domain. This is why a lot of work here on the site for modding the HD800 is focused on smoothing out the peak. This is also why Tyll and Bob Katz were fudging with the EQ back and forth on the HD800 with no satisfactory results.
    2. I mostly listen to records now. I'm not a recent convert, just that I've switched back. Most of my records were purchased from 1981 to 2005. Analog EQ is out of the question as I prefer simple chains.
     
    purr1n, Jan 22, 2016
    #551
  12. chakku

    chakku Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2015
    Likes Received:
    676
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NZ
    Fair enough, I'm having some favourable results with mine. (WIP though)

    [​IMG]

    Still interested in getting that SBAF mod and seeing how that interacts with the setup.
     
    chakku, Jan 22, 2016
    #552
  13. TMRaven

    TMRaven Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    621
    Trophy Points:
    93
    And the resonator actually gets rid of the 6khz resonance-- profoundly better at it than any mods from the community from the looks of it.
     
    TMRaven, Jan 22, 2016
    #553
  14. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,923
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Grand Rapids, MI
    Dupont resonator alone isn't enough. SBAF absorber alone isn't enough. Both are needed.

    Very rewarding, I think The Merv should take one more listen before swearing it off.
     
    OJneg, Jan 22, 2016
    #554
  15. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    12,287
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Colorado
    Home Page:
    I actually felt more positive than negative about the stock HD800 from MisterRogers's modded Super 7. Thing is, his Super 7 sounded awesome with about everything from the modded HD650, HEK, to the modded PM-2 as well. Going to mod my S7 similarly, though my transformers are different. Still curious to see how it sounds with the HD800. I might consider the HD800S + mods down the road...might. But then I think I'd owe @OJneg $100 or something. :p
     
    Hands, Jan 22, 2016
    #555
  16. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

    Staff Member Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,146
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Exit stage left....
    count me in as ready for the official (second) SBAF Resonator mod. once either published with foam materials, or 3D printed from unicorn horns.
    someone make it so.
    ;)
     
    jexby, Jan 22, 2016
    #556
  17. Gray

    Gray Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2015
    Likes Received:
    51
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Gray, Jan 27, 2016
    #557
  18. shabta

    shabta Facebook Friend

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2016
    Likes Received:
    153
    Trophy Points:
    43
    So far, on both the Sennheiser US and German sites there is no change of price, although it would make sense to drop the price for the HD800...
     
    shabta, Jan 27, 2016
    #558
  19. beemerphile

    beemerphile Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2015
    Likes Received:
    755
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Danielsville, GA USA
    Whether they drop it or not, it is now getting significantly discounted by the trade.

    It is now only three times the price of something I like better instead of four times.
     
    beemerphile, Jan 27, 2016
    #559
  20. Judeus

    Judeus Facebook Friend

    Banned
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    202
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    summit-fi purgatory
    So i was planning on doing a super special awesome review of the hd800s but honestly, there isn't much to say.

    It sounds like an hd800 without the 6khz peak. To be honest, the peak never bothered me much anyway except for certain tracks., as I have mentioned previously bass anomalies bother me a lot more then treble ones. You could even make the argument the hd800 is technically better for some classical recordings as the 6khz spike emphasizes strings and such.

    That being said the hd800s is much better for more contemporary music and hiphop. I feel the bass extends maybe a touch more then the orginal hd800. Also in poorly mastered tracks or tracks with a cracking snare drum no longer make me cringe when they sound due to the spike at 6k no longer being there.

    Sadly, the paint job is still crap on the hd800s much like the hd800. Also the balanced cable is a gimmick, they could of just given you a balanced cable from the get go and then a balanced to 1/4" adapter and saved the end user on cost.

    If you don't like the Hd800, your not going to like the HD800S imo. For me personally the Hd800(s) with an iggy and a zana duex s is the epitome of summit fi for me, havn't heard anything better in headphonia. (have not heard higher end ec amps)

    Overall definitely not worth the cost, get an hd800 for $800 used and mod it and you will get a similar experience.
     
    Judeus, Jan 30, 2016
    #560
Page 28 of 82

Share This Page