The HD800 & HD800S thread

I beg to differ. First of all, synergy does matter a lot with HD800 and if the two don't get along, a $1800 dac/amp could sound crappier than a much cheaper amp like you said. But that's a matter of synergy, not how well a product is designed and built in the first place. Sorry to break it to you pal, but I've never heard a DAC/amp unit that deserves a "reference" title, let alone a DAC and amp combo for only $1800 (I think you're thinking of HDVD 800 here).

And the HD800 sounds good, possibly best with a less resolving setup? Perhaps if you're trying to remove all that sibilance from the HD800 and making it less fatiguing I understand that, but why compromise what the HD800's best at : resolution? Why even use the HD800 at all if that's what you're after? You take a headphone that is arguably the best headphone in the world when it comes to imaging/resolution/detail retrieval/plankton and pair it with a lush, murky, veiled setup that gooifies everything. It's like going to a very expensive sushi restaurant and eating sushi with ketchup or cream because you're not entirely accustomed to their taste and it makes it "easier" on your tongue. Just grab a $4 Happy Meal if that's your comfort food.

As rare as they go, there are amps that manages to catch two birds with one stone : make HD800 listenable while preserving everything it's good at. The mods further help that, that's why all these mods exist and the HD800S eventually came into being. L-2 and BW being excellent examples--yes, I'm the lurker that wrote all that in Rotijon's post. If you have different goals as an audiophile, fine I respect that, but if your goal is what I think it is then I think you'd be best off with an differently voiced headphone rather than clinging onto HD800 and trying to change it into something it's not.

 

What if TOTL sushi with ketchup tastes better than TOTL sushi alone, and better than a $4 happy meal too?

 

Like I said, if that's what your taste buds tell you, then by all means go ahead. But keep in mind that the majority of folks won't feel that way at all, even if they take what you say with the benefit of a doubt and try it themselves. Just don't ruin the experience and money for other people because you happen to have some very eccentric tastes.

There are actually many types of sauce and ingredients most are unfamiliar with that surprisingly works well with sushi, but ketchup just ain't one of them (believe me, I tried). Similarly, there are actually some cheap gears that resolve quite well for their price and works relatively nicely with HD800 compared to more expensive stuff. Suggesting good value proposition is always welcome here. But to suggest that HD800 works better with lesser resolving gears is plain wrong.

 

This is an example of the point I made in my earlier post. The majority of people do think like I do, that's why audiophiles are marginalized in the greater society. The characteristics that make a song good to listen to do not require detail resolution. They come through on cheap speakers, or even if you're just humming the song in your head. How much detail are you hearing when you hum a song in your head? Measure that? Top-end gear can actually sometimes take these characteristics away. Audiophiles focus on the wrong things. I don't know how many times I've seen panels of audiophiles complaining about MP3s, spotify blah blah and wishing they could show the kids what music "should" sound like like they're trying to save the world. Then they play some weird-ass chesky headphone testing track that no one likes.

 

I think we're already derailing the thread here, so if you wish to continue our discussion, I think you should PM me.

But I get your point. You're saying audiophiles focus on the wrong things and that good music can come from cheap speakers. My question is, why can't we have both good "music" AND good "sound?" Most people with untrained ears or who are simply not interested in hi-fi stuff would obviously focus more on the former, but there are the minority like us who actually care just as much about the latter. That's why communities like these are born. You're accusing audiophiles of focusing on the wrong things, but has it not occurred to you that we too are music lovers who crave for more than merely good "music", strives to push the envelope beyond where most people are happy with? Of course, among us there are those judges who go as far as to point the width of the nail, but it is also our job to tell apart such snake oil from what's not. We're not some cold-blooded, heartless robots that measure sound just for the sake of measurement. We love music like you do, possibly even more than most.

As I've said I don't think discussions like this regarding the fundamental nature, philosophy or raison d'etre of audiophiles don't belong in a thread like this. But if you maintain your above-mentioned view of audiophiles, I have absolutely no idea why you've even joined in this website at all other than trying to preach the meaninglessness of this very hobby.

 

I don't know if it's already been stated in here but the price of HD800S will be €1600.

 

Any news on the price in dollars?

Note the regular HD800 is currently $1,600 from an authorized Sennheiser retailer (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Dynamic-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA ignore the non-authorized retailers whose price Amazon fulfills and look at the price if you buy it from Amazon)

I wonder if Sennheiser will stop selling the current HD800.

 

I only know the european price at the moment but I will let you know when I get more information.

 

[QUOTE="As rare as they go, there are amps that manages to catch two birds with one stone : make HD800 listenable while preserving everything it's good at. The mods further help that, that's why all these mods exist and the HD800S eventually came into being. L-2 and BW being excellent examples--yes, I'm the lurker that wrote all that in Rotijon's post. If you have different goals as an audiophile, fine I respect that, but if your goal is what I think it is then I think you'd be best off with an differently voiced headphone rather than clinging onto HD800 and trying to change it into something it's not.[/QUOTE]

I vote than one of those amps is the Audio-gd SA31, although I have not heard a multitude of amps. The HP-A8, not so good to my ears.

 

I really hope the 800S turns out awesome and sticks a big knife in the side of the current trend in TOTL headphone pricing.

Fingers crossed.

 

I hope so too, although I don't like that they added the balanced cable to raise the pricetag.

 

This may have been asked before, but are you guys sure that it's a brand new driver, and not just a modified version/derivative of the HD800 driver?

 

You can email them. Very responsive.

 

This is my dream as well. Every $4000 and $3000 headphone gets compared and found lacking and they have to lower their prices or improve their tech.

 

So it'll be HD800S, HE-X, LCD-3, and whatever else is up there in the $2K category. Still, the HD800 is keeping its price?

 

Holy-moly, that's quite a price jump for a balance cable and an Anax mod. I'm not convinced the HD800S has a new driver -- they could be using the same old driver with an acoustical absorber slapped on top.

HD800



HD800S

 

At least there'll be some used HD800 floating around for a while. Good for those who are cool with the standard TOTL of the decade.

 

About the drivers in the hd800S, I email them. They are not new designed.