The HD800 & HD800S thread

$700 seems to be the right price for the 800; some prefer the 800 with the SDR mod over the HD 800 S. Both offer similar solutions to the treble peak; the SDR has better bass to some ears. It's worth going through the following thread for more info on this: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...nt-resonator-summary-and-interest-check.1558/

 

I found the base 800 more tonally accurate when I compared with the S and 820. They’re still very similar and the lower price makes it an even better option IMO.

 

Thank you guys, just what I thought

 

With the announcement of the JAR800, lots of talk about silent revisions of the HD800, and how early SNs sounded better. Has anyone seen a good summary of what the changes were and what range of SNs have what "sound"? I don't recall seeing much in that regard, just people talking about and looking for "eary SN". My HD800 was bought NIB fairly recently and is SN 50k, so I'm assuming it's very late in the silent revision evolution.

 

So basically just random variations with no correlation to early/late SN. This is an urban myth?

 

@ext1 I think you may have some input on this.

ext1 bought a crap ton of 800 through the s/n ranges to study on his system but I don't want to speak for him.

 

I agree with many of Marv's findings!

I agree that differences get conveyed differently depending on the system, and especially that random variations are a large factor. I have found this to be very true as well.

The only thing I would like to add is that for me personally, I noticed a general trend across each serial range and found physical changes that were responsible for each change. To test this even further I tried mixing up parts from early and late serials and it got pretty fun!

In my humble opinion, while a general trend exists, the bigger factor is the unit variation. I think this is largely responsible for the original findings on changstar. There are many pairs within the serial ranges that I had that sounded like it was from a different range altogether. I thought these were random as well until I cycled through more pairs.
However, I eventually found that there were more pairs that shared a general characteristic within their range than pairs that seemingly had characteristics not of their range, which told me a trend did exist.
But at the same time, unit variations made it such that I could not predict how exactly a pair would sound like until I actually listen to it, which meant that while I could get a general sense of how a pair would sound based on serial, I won't know until I actually have it on my head.

Here are the (ongoing) list of pairs I have owned or sold since development at home:

008xx
009xx
013xx
018xx
0261x
0262x
069xx
072xx
086xx
092xx
097xx
10xxx
192xx
195xx
204xx
206xx
220xx
227xx
23xxx
33xxx
35xxx
45xxx
48xxx
49xxx

When I had gotten the 0261x and 0262x, I found that these were only 4 apart from each other. I was excited because this would tell me how big or small unit variations if there are any. Listening to these told me that while the units both sounded as expected for their serial range, and were more similar to each other than dissimilar, more than just subtle variation existed and I could easily prefer one over the other.

I'm not and I don't claim to be an expert on this at all! In the end I might be just insane at this point and something might be wrong with my head. I wouldn't be surprised. I can be completely wrong. These are just my own experiences, after all. The only reason why I did all this research was because 1) I wanted to find the best 800 for myself and 2) I needed to know to be able to offer the best sound I could regardless of which serial a client would bring in. I am still exploring the range between 10k and 19k, for example! I don't know still about this range and I am excited to hear how they changed.

 

367xx owner here (800 S). Can't contribute to the variations, but can just say that they've been solid. I think my set is probably about a year old. Primarily desktop use -- gaming with some dedicated listening. Mostly just fun stuff tho.

 

Same. Unless I'm mistaken, I believe the 800S' are pretty consistent, with virtually no discernible distinction between serial #'s

 

Anyone have a reliable USA vendor for replacement HD800 earpads? I'm not enamored with many of the aftermarket options, the airflow is not quite right...

Looks like they're on Adorama but I wasn't sure if there were others.

 

I've bought them from Hifi Heaven a couple of times over the years, good pricing and no issues. Tried to again this summer but they have stock problems just like everyone else, so I just settled for aftermarket ones for now.

 

Agreed, for this reason I only use stock, ever.

Try calling US Senn- some quantities were released around a month ago, they might have some still in stock.

 

@CEE TEE ’s HD800 is the best HD800 I’ve ever heard and it’s SDR modded, anax modded and uses I believe Dekoni leather earpads. So it’s possible with the right mods. At least IME.

 

I don't doubt it... but I'm also not using an actual HD800 with these pads

 

HiFiHeaven are currently showing them as available - at least, they let me put them in the cart:

https://hifiheaven.net/shop/Sennheiser-534411-Earpads-for-HD800-Headphones

Failing that, try Analogue Seduction in the UK (showing as available). They'll ship to the US exclusive of VAT (71 GBP) and their shipping rates aren't bad:

https://www.analogueseduction.net/h...ies/sennheiser-hd800-replacement-earpads.html

 

I grabbed a pair of the new ZMF HD8xx+ Sub Suede Pads and wanted to share some quick thoughts. Headphones are HD800 SDR modded with dust covers installed. DAC is Yggdrasil A2, amp is ZDS with a brighter tube (green phillips). I'm going to be lighter on sound impressions than I normally am because a) I haven't had real Sennheiser pads in months (been using Geekria aftermarket), and b) the HD800 is no longer my primary music headphone, but I have owned it for years.

Youtube video from ZMF with measurements here

Physical:
- The suede is very fine and soft, feels great on the side of my face and does not irritate when I have some stubble or light beard. Foam has a medium firmness, seals well but also holds its shape.

-Pads are thicker than stock HD800 pads, but not as thick as many other ZMF pads

-Clip in easier than stock, secure in the headphone. I haven't tried clipping them out as I broke my cheap aftermarket pad rings doing this and only have these pads now.

-Gives ear more room in cup, increases clamp force a bit, nice if you found it too light before. The HD800 is more firmly on my head and I can make small fast movements without much give. Ears get a little more warm

Sound:
-The measurement video shows less of that upper mid/lower treble energy and I hear it like this. It's still bright and sharp here but an edge is taken off.

- I hear these as a bit bassier than stock, despite measurements showing its the same. It's not major but gives it some extra fullness and the bass lingers a tad longer. It is possible I'm listening a hair louder because the upper mids are reduced.

-Very minor, but instruments sound a little more diffuse than stock but also the staging is a little more intimate (still very wide and tall for a headphone)

-Overall resolution, speed, and crispness in treble still a strength

Conclusion: More comfortable and better fitting all around. Upping the bass and removing some heat in the upper mids will make the HD800 a more "agreeable" headphone for most listeners but also mitigates some of the exaggerated strengths, or magic, of the HD800. The ZMF pads still mostly sound like an HD800 in character, and I am keeping them installed as they've become more of a secondary/gaming/utility headphone for me. But all being said I do slightly prefer stock because the staging and detail is just that much better.

 

Thanks for the review.

800 stock pads really are kind of an anomaly in that I don't think I've ever read of anyone preferring an aftermarket pad. They're always just a sidegrade or a compromise/some combination of both. Definitely made having the stock pads unavailable for so long an even bigger PITA than it might be otherwise.

 

FWIW:
I only ever use stock pads. However, I think that in an unmodded state (like even no SDR), aftermarket pads would do better. I only swear by stock pads because of the other works I did to my 800.