Drop x Sennheiser HD8XX (final tuning)

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Marvey, Jul 20, 2021.

  1. Gracchus Janus

    Gracchus Janus New

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    TIL orthos are planars and not dynamics. I meant the latter. In PT we just call then planar magnetics, so the term usually used here made me assume things from the full name lol
     
  2. gepardcv

    gepardcv Almost "Made"

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    What’s the deal with the dip at 60Hz on the Head-Fi FR chart posted on the Drop thread? I don’t see it on your measurement, @purr1n.
     
  3. Claritas

    Claritas Friend

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    I figure someone ought to go on record about the different responses here and on Drop. It might as well be I. I'm "always the first in line to be hanged."

    tl;dr Let's keep our expectations as reasonable as possible. And @Will deserves a thank you and a firm handshake.

    We can all see that HD-8XX is not perfect. And that's fine. So we'll have to improve it ourselves.

    The best advice I ever got on how to improve an HD-800 was when @OJneg barked at me: "just eq it!" And that's precisely what Marv did. And, of course, he did it well. So, bear in mind that you'll have to have some way to EQ it. And that can cost you $180–345. If you were planning to buy EQ equipment anyway, then it might make no difference to you that you'll have to EQ it. I am not planning to do that. Not because of the cost, but because I'm good at EQing, and I know how much time I'll waste doing it instead of listening to music. I listen to Bach because he keeps me sane.

    I shall not debate anyone about the warranty. My opinion is "Warranty, Schmarranty!" I've never made a decision about purchasing brand new audio equipment based on a warranty. Life doesn't come with a warranty! Whilst I disagree with Marv about the specifics of one's disposition to audio purchases—I tend to think he was exaggerating, with good humor, in order to instruct others—I agree with him in spirit. I'd put it this way: If you're considering buying a piece of audio equipment, if you can't afford to fix it or replace it, don't buy it.
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2021
  4. SchwizzelKick66

    SchwizzelKick66 New

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    As someone who loves the HD6xx/ HD660s, unless I'm off base (my understanding of measurement graphs is minimal at best) this new tuning seems like it will be terrific for me. I was iffy about joining the drop for the HD8xx before, but with the updated tuning and initial impressions of more warmth I'm super tempted to do so.

    $1100 is still a tall ask IMO. I would most likely have to sell off most of my collection to justify splashing that much on a single headphone. I currently own the 58x, 6xx, 660s and 560s, so there is definite redundancy there. I'm hoping the HD8xx would be my end game of sorts. Time will tell I guess. Thanks for the measurements and impressions.
     
  5. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    My impression from reviews and comments it that it (HD800 in general) is not synergistic with all musical genres, so yes expensive for what may not meet all of one's needs. Unlike the HD6-- series in many cases.

    There's chatter about the frequency dips and normalized blah blah but I'm looking forward to trying it out.
     
  6. GoldfishX

    GoldfishX Facebook Friend

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    Actually, the price is the most shocking thing. The original was $1500, the S version was $1700 (but included a balanced cable). Seeing this clock in at $1100 is...refreshing. Are there any cutbacks, compared to the Original/S? I don't notice any from the pictures or impressions.

    Can the same aftermarket cables be used? I use a Black Dragon cable with my original when I attempt to listen to it.
     
  7. E_Schaaf

    E_Schaaf MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    Is nobody going to ask what specific physical changes were made to the driver or implementation to lead to these sonic changes vs other HD800 variants?
     
  8. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    That bass extension looks incredible, I wonder how they managed that. I still wonder if an HD800 with bass that is EQd to the same level will have less distortion, though. I suppose it will.

    The dip being deeper at 3-4kHz from these measurements is kind of concerning to me. I never found the dip to be strong in that region with the HD800, rather 2kHz. That can easily be fixed with mods IME, but 3-4kHz really can only be brought out with the resonator (which it is with the HD800S) and the SBAF liner which is no longer available. In my experience not much more can be done to raise that region (maybe a phase plug? lol) and that's like 2dB per mod or so? Not quite sure anymore.
    Bringing out the 1.5kHz region is easy with mods, simply raising the region outside the driver, the less absorptive the material the better. Like the earlier Anax and Tyll mods.


    Either way, I definitely need to get my ears on one. Not quite sure I'll spend my money to buy one considering how happy I am with my modded HD800 and I'm not quite convinced it's an update for me (I don't find my HD800 bright and while I'd appreciate the bass extension I'd much rather keep my linear midrange).
     
  9. Marvey

    Marvey Super Friend

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    It would appear to use the same connectors. Basically indistinguishable from HD800S including the resonator.

    I wish I ran impedance curve measurements during my short time with it. Entirely possible Fs was lowered with broader impedance dump to get that extension. We know Sennheiser can do this already, as they have done so with HD56X and HD560S.

    Other than that, it would appear that Sennheiser has simply shelved down everything from around 800Hz and up down a bit.

    There are some mods that could potentially bring up the scoop in the mids.
     
  10. JellyRhino

    JellyRhino Facebook Friend

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    I wonder if this tuning will make electric guitars puny, biteless. Are these bad headphones for rock and metal? It's kind of sad that the midrange is the least linear part of the frequency response, where people are most sensitive to deviations.
     
    Last edited: Jul 22, 2021
  11. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I would like to know more about this too
     
  12. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    And with HD8XX version 1! (Compare with HD800 & 800S).
     
  13. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    That would be nice, but honestly, I'd much rather see Drop put a written warranty on their site for this product. (Well, all their products, actually)

    They really screw with people regarding this. Look in their help section and you find:
    Screenshot_20210722-211450_Chrome~2.jpg

    Looking on the product page, it says 2 year warranty.
    Screenshot_20210722-211718_Chrome.jpg

    So if you open it, you can't return it.

    Are the details on a warranty card inside the product? If so, for me to know whether or not I'll agree to with the warranty terms, I would have to buy the product, and in which case I wouldn't be able to return it either way. All just to be able to read a warranty.

    Every time I ask customer support to send me information on warranties, they don't.

    Is it stupid to insist that I know the terms before I enter into an agreement? I don't think so. The fact that they make an intentional effort to hide this information from its customers - and has for years - is another reason why I will never buy from drop again.

    Sorry if this rant ruffles feathers, or if I seem unreasonable.
     
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  14. ksat90

    ksat90 Acquaintance

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    Did I predict this months ago? :D

    But I'm glad this is the updated tuning. I don't think the 2.5khz scoop will bother people that much.
    I'm certainly sensitive to pinna compensated tuning and this is pretty tempting.

    EDIT: oh sadly they don't ship to Germany... well enjoy if you can get it!
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2021
  15. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    You seem very reasonable. Just saying. ;)
     
  16. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    I contacted Drop support about this specifically because it would otherwise be a showstopper for me:

    "Regarding the Return Policy for the Drop+ Sennheiser HD 8XX Headphones, the product page states that returns are eligible for "New and Unused" condition - does that mean once opened and tried, they cannot be returned?"

    Drop Community Support:

    "Hi there,

    This is [redacted] from Drop Support. Thank you for contacting us regarding our 30 day hassle free return/exchange policy.

    I am glad to confirm that you can most certainly try these headphones out and if you do not like them you can return them for a refund at no cost! Please note that once you are outside of the thirty day mark, we are unable to allow a return.

    I hope that this information was useful. If you have any other questions or concerns, I'd be happy to assist.

    . . ."
     
  17. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    Great. Hopefully they update their official pages to indicate that.

    They didn't offer to send you the warranty terms, perchance?
     
  18. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    In case anyone finds it interesting to look at more "unique" HD800 measurements, here is one:

    [​IMG]
     
  19. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Since no one has asked yet:

    @Marvey - Are you able to say anything about how this v2 sounds compared to common HD800 mods such as cork only, SDR, SBAF, Darth Vader, etc.

    Personally excited for this. Have always liked the HD800 but couldn't get over various aspects of the FR. It looks like this will put the FR into the "acceptable" range / category for me. Only debate now is do I really need "another headphone", especially one that's north of $1k.
     
  20. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Thing is, I found myself asking, is Sennheiser's now-not-Sennheiser's headphone division ever going to attempt a credible assault on the high-end again? Not trying to stoke impulse buys, but there's a chance that the Drop version could be "the last best thing" post Axel's departure. Who knows?
     

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