The HD800 & HD800S thread

I’m not saying these are not great. I would love to be able to have a “classic” but let’s not cloud our judgment about availability and other good current stuff out there. The problem is that manufacturers don’t make the “classics” anymore* and I wish they did. But there are other stuff that may be good like a Susvara, or Utopia.

*Sennheiser still makes the HD600 & HD650 though. But these were never decommissioned.

 

The cable is starting to annoy me. Just ergonomically though, those of you that made their own cables: which connectors did you use? I see several reasonably priced ones. Strain relief is kind of a must and also no Furutech since they are overpriced and the last time i tried that i had to drill out the connector to make it fit.

 

It is ridiculous that both the cable insulation and the headband padding seem to be soluble in air.

 

I made my own headband padding and it's much more comfortable now and easily reversible.

 

These have a great design and to my recollection did not stick like some Aliexpress ones I have used (Used them on a cable for someone else). https://www.ebay.com/itm/1131761136...pNEDo39Qau&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

The best were Oyaide but I don't think they are distributed outside of Japan. https://shop.oyaide.com/products/hd800.html

Both designs have larger solder spots and some strain relief.

 

Thanks! Looks exactly like what i need. Now, do i convert my old neotech cable or build a completely new one. Hmm lol

 

I'll also recommend these connectors for HD800, they're really great for the money.

 

I got really high listening to HD 800 again yesterday - (Liars - Drum’s Not Dead - 72-75 decibels, peaks in the low to mid 80s). Goes to show there is no accounting for taste perhaps, but I continue to agree with a minority of enthusiasts that HD 800 is near-ridiculously under-appraised at this point, speaking maybe to how I simply hear things differently or instead maybe indeed there has been a kind of mimicry of bias / poor taste against this headphone that is not entirely well-founded. This could be a reflection of widely available headphone amps since 2009 and that finally amps are really coming around as the hobby finds its footing and it was a false reflection on the absolutely futuristic and still entirely contemporary technology of the HD 800 that is unfortunately no longer available save used and replaced by the still-competent but watered down, bass-distorted, and far less beautiful treble of the 800s for easier, less exalted synergies.

Undeniably a touch lean on some amp+source pairings, it is nonetheless as resolving as you’d ever need with arguably near-perfect imaging and separation, and if you throw a quality amp+source pairing (Vali 3 suffices) then expect to be surprised. Every now and then the treble peak may bite you, but it is worth it across so many genres and songs…that is, if you really love music, not to say that gear isn’t lovable, but actually I’m not here for the gear (and am simply looking for cost-effective solutions). A steal at 800 to 1000 used in very good condition, without question. It is a scalpel. This is probably all wrong but at least it’s good to explore the history of the hobby and discover what other people already figured out so that I can at some point move on like they already have, or not.

 

Yeah, to me what makes the 800 worthwhile is how cheap you can get the original version (which, post-JAR, there seems to be more consensus that at least a modded original 800, lightly or heavily, is superior to an 800S). I got mine for $650 or so on eBay around 2018. It's proven to be a helluva lot of headphone for the money, especially given how much it's scaled in that time (drove it with BF2OG-->Valhalla 2, then BF2OG-->Bryston BHA-1, then Yggdrasil A2/LIM-->BHA-1, and now Yggdrasil LIM/A1--> EC Studio B). Utopia is its primary dynamic driver competitor if you don't count 600/650 (ZMF stuff tends to tonally stand apart from Utopia/800, as I understand ZMF), but it seems to come down to taste and synergy for folks in terms of what comes out on top, especially if it's a JAR800, and Utopia has only in the last three or so years routinely gotten into the sub-$2k (used) range to make it *somewhat* comparable.

 

New HD800 owner here. Less than 24 hours

Best place to buy earpad replacements? There are a couple of options on Amazon, but I want to make sure they aren't fakes. It looks like the Sennheiser website refuses to ship to the US?

Early impressions on subpar amp pairings: these headphones are amazing. I'd never call them bass shy. Can't wait for the MJ3 to show up this weekend, so I can give them some room to stretch their legs a little more.

 

Maybe try ZMF pads?

 

I tried Amazon pads once. Headband pad too. They didn't fit. IMHO stay away from Amazon.

Try HiFi Heaven.

 

If you can't find them locally (and Sennheiser's various websites are a PITA for finding stuff):

https://www.audiosanctuary.co.uk/official-sennheiser-hd800-replacement-earpads-ear-cushions.html

Edit: As per @TheloniuSnoop - HiFiHeaven has them in stock at $75, shipping options depend on destination:

https://hifiheaven.net/product/sennheiser-534411-earpads-for-hd800-headphones/

Or ProDJ for $66, shipping is UPS Ground:

https://www.prodj.com/products/sen534411

 

They don't have branch/stockist in USA? I'm amazed. Even in India, I was able to get them, from a Sennheiser site too.

 

I went with HiFiHeaven. Thanks all!

The ZMF pads are actually tempting...they look nice. But I want to be absolutely sure I don't kill any of the airiness in the sound. It sounds like they dampen things down just a hair.

 

HiFi Heaven is solid - I got replacement pads from them before, but one word of warning is that he tends to leave things up for sale on the site that aren't in stock, so I bought them there before and didn't get them for several months since he didn't have any (I did eventually get them though). If you need them soon you might want to shoot them an email and ask about it, he usually answers pretty quickly (I've bought a couple pieces of my turntable setup from them as well)

there are actually 2 sennheiser storefronts, there is a US one and a global one, I had the same problem before when trying to buy from the global one. Here's a link to the US store page https://us.sennheiser-hearing.com/c...s-and-accessories/products/earpads-for-hd-800

 

After reading this thread, I switched back to my 800S from my Arya Stealths and oh! The lush mids and airiness are sounding fantastic through my Mimir/Jot2 desktop setup - so thanks for the inspiration guys! Back to work, unfortunately.

 

The HD800 is one of the few headphones where I have found any third party pad to be inferior in every aspect of sound quality. The ZMF pads are shrill and thin sounding.

 

I got a shipping notification from HiFiHeaven within 15 minutes, so I'm hopefully good!

Thanks for the Senn site, but I'm glad I didn't have to pay $99 for them!