The HD800 & HD800S thread

Just ordered mine from Todd the Vinyl Junkie!

 

Much better pricing w/ Jan Meier...fyi

 

Yes, I saw that.

I have no problem spending a bit more to support Todd's shop and everything he has done for this hobby.

Also, though I doubt I'll ever need to take advantage, it will be nice to have a US warranty. I always felt like I took a bit of a gamble when I bought 009s from Price Japan.

 

Todd's a great guy for sure. Bought my TH900s from him a few years ago, at a decent discount.

 

Buy 800 or wait for 800s

 

If you've waited this long the answer is pretty obvious.

 

800s or get a hd800 and mod it if you wanna go on the cheaper side

 

Fantastic idea! Buy a new headphone >1000$ and instantly void its warranty by tearing it open and stuffing some makeshift foam inside! Much better than to spend a few hundred dollars more to get an overengineered, fully warranty covered product!
Where would this community be without great advice like this?

 

I never thought about it from the product engineers prospective before....

He did work really hard in it. What do you meddeling kids know anyhow.

Oh, you use measurements to validate what you hear in your modifications? Uhhh

This should be a popular opinion (unless I missed the above sarcasm and he was just trolling)

 

You don't have to "tear it open", just remove the dust covers. They are not attached to anything and just pull right out. You don't even have to take the pads off.

But yeah that might have been sarcasm. Just posting in case anyone lurking doesn't know.

 

What would be a better headphone sennheiser or auduze led-2

 

Gotta love the generic questions with no background information here.

 

Does anyone know if the cables that come with the 800S are the same as the one that comes with the 800? As most of you know, the 800 cable must be replaced if you want better sound. Would hate to pay for 2 of the same cables on the 800S. Would be nice if you had the option of buying the 800S with no cables as many 800 owners already have aftermarket cables.

 

Sennheiser is a company and the led-2 is a headphone, so comparisons can be hard.

How's that for a dickish reply?
It's at least 3 out of 5 dicks.

Real answer: The headphones sound different in tonality, for starters, so maybe read up on them and figure out what you want to hear with the music you play and the gear you play that music out of.

 

First, lol wut? The 800 cable is perfectly fine, as are most Sennheiser cables from the HD650 upwards. Second, yes, the 800S cables include the same single-ended cable as the 800's with a black plug and a balanced cable (also painted black).

 

Ah, so it is the same cable on the 800s?

I was under the impression that it was a little different, but that is probably wrong as I haven't really followed as closely as I could have.

 

If you don't believe cables can sound different, then that's ok. If you have an HD650 or HD800 and have never tried an aftermarket cable, then you don't know if the phones can sound better with a better cable. If you have tried an aftermarket cable and couldn't hear a difference, then that's also ok.

There are many reports by 650 and 800 owners who have tried aftermarket cables and think the sound of the phones is better than with the stock cables. When I received my 800 and first listened with the stock cable, I heard the typical 800 sound with an accentuated high end and a weaker bass. I purchased a high quality OCC copper cable from Charleston Cable Co and heard less of the high end peak and more on the bass end. It's a better balanced sound to me and I can no longer use the stock cable. The stock cables aren't bad, they just don't, in my opinion, give you all the performance the phones are capable of.

You only have to look around to see all the companies making aftermarket cables for many different phones, not just Sennheisers, to see that many people agree that aftermarket cables are an improvement. The Sennheiser cables are a thin gauge OFC wire, so it's no surprise to me that a high quality OCC wire will improve the sound. You may not agree and as I said, that's ok.

My original point was that if the 800S cables are the same as the 800 cable, I would personally like the option of buying the 800S without cables, as I think the cables I already have for my 800 would be better. I had no problem selling the original cable that came with my 800 and I'm sure I could sell the cables that come with the 800S, but it's just something else I would rather not have to do. Of course I don't hold out any hope of purchasing a new 800S without cables, but maybe buying a used one later on that might be a possibility.

 

I am detecting HF-esque cable derailment incoming. Advise all crewmembers to brace for impact.

 

Hopefully we get through cables quickly and move to tubes vs. solid state. It would be good to get these out of the way quickly.