The HD800 & HD800S thread

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

  1. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    HD800S paint is usually pretty durable.

    Sennheiser had the HD25 Anniversary Edition come out earlier this year:
    [​IMG]

    They want to make gold everything!
     
  2. Scubadude

    Scubadude Almost "Made"

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    Should pair nicely with the Conrad-Johnson HVA1 ... Quite a let down after the hype.
     
  3. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    Very nice. I personally think it looks good.. but is there any other change at all? Like beter QC/driver matching? IIRC the k702 65th anniversary edition had that :)
     
  4. Ruined

    Ruined HD700 ruined my ear holes

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    From Sennheiser:
    "Technical features & sound tuning identical to HD 800 S "

    I might still pick this up since I was in the market. It will cost me an extra $170 vs the price I could get the black hd800s for but I guess it makes that up in uniqueness
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2020
  5. Ruined

    Ruined HD700 ruined my ear holes

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    Sennheiser has always moved extremely slow with updating popular designs

    Think about how long the hd600/hd650 was out before they put out hd800 and hd660s. Hd800 still has many years left before something totally new IMO
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2020
  6. Ruined

    Ruined HD700 ruined my ear holes

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    Probably - one could say Sennheiser allowing Grell to leave means they will likely milk the current designs for many years to come. They probably are comfortable with what they have and don't feel need to develop further and believe the current lineup as-is will allow them to maximize profit.

    The HD800S is a compelling product, there may be some similarly tuned headphones people like better but they often start at $800+ more expensive and even then aren't necessarily a clear win. So probably Senn just looking to churn hd800s out for years to come as best price/performance high end headphone.
     
  7. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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    I'm quite disappointed on the announcement. I mean, it's great that Sennheiser has an anniversary version of their headphones but it's just a color change. Little bit of hype train going which did have me a little excited. Knowing Sennheiser I should of tempered my expectations.
     
  8. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    Or Sennheiser can pair up with luxury brands like Focal did with Bentley, for example.
     
  9. Ruined

    Ruined HD700 ruined my ear holes

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    I honestly thought we might get an OG HD800 ltd ed. Even though less people liked their FR you'd think there would be more demand for an OOP headphone thats selling on eBay for $950 used (just to sell something audibly different than what's currently on market) than an in production one colored gold. Also would require no new engineering design just new production line. But I am sure this will sell out fast too out of novelty for those who were buying an hd800s anyway
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2020
  10. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Limited Edition is complete bullshit without numbers. What's the limit? Whenever the feel like stopping making them. Anniversary edition? So that'll be a year then. Or not.

    I'm ranting about the marketing-manure stuff. What are they, a trendy-car maker? Or maker of boringly untrendy headphones. I want boring back!

    Having said that, If I was in the market and there was a choice of colour... the gold looks dead smart. I like it. But I'm not: my HD800 will probably see me out.
     
  11. Ruined

    Ruined HD700 ruined my ear holes

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    750 pieces
     
  12. mk801

    mk801 Almost "Made"

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    Sorry, I should've included it in my post in the first place. It now shows the number after my edit.

    Yeah, I don't think that this limited edition is geared towards pre-existing HD800/S owners since it is only for a new colorway.
     
  13. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Ah, ok... so less bullshit then. Not none, but less! :D
     
  14. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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    Only 40 of which are with US dealers.

    Also hearing that dealers are still embargoed from advertising they have units until the release date, so Sennheiser may get more of the pre-order business than they otherwise would.
     
  15. rrwwss52

    rrwwss52 New

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    Any difference between these and the standard black version?
     
  16. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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    Color and label on headband, that's it.
     
  17. Ruined

    Ruined HD700 ruined my ear holes

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    So we have a guy on HF who currently has both 800S black & gold + hears a large difference between the HD 800s black and HD 800s gold, back to back on same gear. He believes the difference is large enough that it may the more than just unit variation but who knows for sure

    I got a pair of these in as well and they are the best sounding HD 800 series particular headphone I have ever heard out of the three I have owned ( 1 hd800, 1 hd800s, 1 hd820) on my own gear and two I have demoed (1 hd800, 1 hd800S) at Senn store hdvd800. But that could just be down to variation, equipment, whatever. I have no reference point to compare to 800S black A/B.

    I will leave it up to someone else for the measurements because I have no equipment

    In terms of the color the pictures are misleading. It's actually a very cool color sort of like a photo chromatic car paint. At some angles the color looks dark silver while at other angles the color looks light gold. This is very difficult to capture on camera since this almost translucent fade effect changes depending on how you hold the headphone and light it.

    Overall this is a very cool release and better than I expected in person. I don't think it's worth selling your HD 800S if you already have one but it's probably worth picking up if you're in the market for one anyway.

    I will be posting some impressions versus the 820 over the next week. There are actually some aspects where the 820 wins out and vice versa but overall these are very complementary headphones that have very different feel.
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2020
  18. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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    I have a set in, I think it looks camoflage tan. Its definitely better looking than Iphone 'champagne' for sure, I like the matte look on it, still not so sure on the tan-on-silver scheme over all.

    With admittedly very minimal listening I dont hear much difference from my original HD800S back in the day that I dont attribute to the amp.
     
  19. Blake

    Blake Acquaintance

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    Thanks to @ogodei I recently picked up a EC Zana Deux Super, running RCA red base 5691, Siemens EY500 rectifiers. Combined with my HD-800 and the sound is just so perfect. You get such a huge, layered soundstage, wonderful bass, open and airy treble, fleshed out mids and wonderful clarity. I just can't find any sonic flaws.
     
  20. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    [​IMG]

    A buddy let me borrow his minidsp EARS on Saturday when he came to the store.

    Red is our 2016 demo HD800S he measured and the Orange is my Anniversary pair he also measure. The Blue is my anniversary I measured. We also know that the EARS has many issues so take it with a grain of salt.

    Only consistent difference we noticed was that at around 3.4k there does seem to be a 3db dip on the Anniversary.

    Physical differences between the older and newer pair I would say is one minor and one major. One minor is the yoke on the new HD800S has the thicker yokes from HD820. I want to say its a minor difference since it just makes the HD800S little more durable but can't see how that will affect FR.
    [​IMG]

    Next and why I think there is a difference, pad wear. The HD800S we have on display is roughly from 2016 and has been on many heads and the foam is not as firm as the Anniversary pair who I just took out of the box recently.

    That's my 2 cents and some quick measurements.
     

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