The HD800 & HD800S thread

I'm rolling my eyes so hard right now, but even if we grant you your absurd point, then at what point in the past were things better than they are now? When was the magical era of headphone value where you could get stuff better than HD6x0 for cheap?

 

This statement above is very true, but I'd argue that in the headphone world its starting to feel more like... "even though there's a Bugatti Chiron, the Veyron is still a perfectly reasonable choice" (even though there is an Orpheus II, the Utopia (or insert any other TOTL HP here) is still a perfectly reasonable choice?)

I know I am exaggerating, but if you think about it you can get a perfectly decent set of ear buds from monoprice for $10 (consider them a Prius if you'd like). The $4000 Utopia at 400x the cost is to the monoprice earbud what a $10 million hypercar would be to a Prius. Except I think the MOST expensive hypercars sell for WELL under $10 million (Chiron = $2.6M I believe) AND the Utopia is FAR from being a "hyper headphone" like the Orpheus II.

I know this is wildly off topic, but for most (all but one or two?) posters here a hypercar will NEVER be a reality. BUT, this is by and large an intelligent group of enthusiasts with above to well above average means, and I'm sure in some cases the idea of having THE BEST headphone (the hypercar of headphones?) either in price and/or performance fills some subconscious need/want to have "the best of something", otherwise I can't see how spending $10K on a system can be viewed as a rational economic choice. We are all consumers here with 1st world problems, enthusiasts to be sure but at the end of the day its our $$$ that keep the industry going and the manufacturers are not going to invest in the tooling, manufacturing, marketing etc. for $2000+ headphones absent willing buyers... the growth in the number of $1500+ offerings and the lack of $500 to $1000 offerings should tell us all we need to know about the decisions we've made as consumers.

 

It takes practice to learn that HD650 can be mid-fi and it can be hi-fi. It has been so from the intro of HD650. There is simply more choice wrt amping today. I stand by my statement. Although the 2k$ mark is valid only now. $ was something else 10 y ago.

 

End game is less about performance and more about prestige. That can't really be directly quantified aside from cost. The cost IS the point.

 

My original point was what the community of freaks (highly regarded ears with exp) consider to be hi-fi. Many won't want to listen HD800 for example but still regard it sa hi-fi with the right amp. The same way I consider HE 6 as hi-fi, but would not really care for it. It's about resolution and refinement and proximity to real life sounds.

 

There are certainly some people on here and Head-Fi who want to be able to say they own the best headphone in the world, regardless of what that means sound wise. It's mostly them that are freaking out about this latest round of crazy expensive "flagships." It's not about sound quality to those people because the sound quality per dollar has actually increased over the years, even before you discount for inflation. $2000 today buys a much better system now than 10 years ago. Same for $500. Same for $200.

 

This is the issue. We are arguing different points.

For a section of enthusiasts, you are correct. For another section, you are incorrect. High end stuff like these end game cans are appealing to some people JUST because they want to prove how potent they are by showing off how much they spent. Other people just want what sounds best to them. The conflict between these two POVs is the issue.

Everything is Beats. The price difference depends on how many diamonds they glue onto them. For some people.

 

The only conflict here is that "End-game" is different things to different people, it does not necessarily mean that we are arguing over a definition.

IMO the definition of "end game" is:
"a system I've put together where the various parts of the chain compliment each other and "PERFORM" well enough that I feel I'm far enough along the diminishing returns curve that my budget/priorities dictate that I spend any remaining disposable income elsewhere for the "FORESEABLE FUTURE"

"PERFORM" for some means nothing more than good sound with my music, whereas for others exclusivity and/or status are necessary

"FORESEABLE FUTURE" to me means "until I win the lottery (or some other significant financial win-fall) and/or a market disrupting technology emerges to render current tech to be poor by comparison

One's definition of "PERFORM" and "FORESEABLE FUTURE" in the context above is really what we are all arguing about, no?

 

Essentially it does mean that.

 

Yep...and the 800S is less than 6 months old....But as far as consistency??? it used to be called "the best dynamic HP in the world" to being knocked off the wall but the 25 year old HD-600 stays on there???? WTF?

 

This is how world works. And I'm glad Tyll is honest and with backbone to do just that: throw the nr 2 by his opinion overboard, so what that it's one of the best hp-s I have heard. Tyll is Tyll, Marv is Marv and I am I. Basshead - Darkhead - Treblehead. Different priorities.

 

Best dynamic headphone in the world for hearing impaired people perhaps. Not sure why you're so surprised about this honestly.

 

Well, the glass half empty assessment of the 800s is that it's nothing more than a blacked out 800 with a very clever mod from the factory and higher bass distortion. Of course a set of balanced cables and a considerably higher price are part of the package too. Which is to say that it's not that new a headphone really.

It's off the WOF while the 600 remains because of price. No different than hifi man.

 

Look at the comment from InnerFidelity John Grandberg from June 2015: "And yet, the V281/HD800 combo made the hair on my neck stand up when it came to approximating a true live performance, with all the authority that entails. Brightness? Thin low end? Nope, not here. It struck me that the HD800 has been on the market for over 6 years now, and has yet to be definitively surpassed or even matched in the case of some competitors."
Read more at http://www.innerfidelity.com/conten...eadphone-amplifier-page-2#j5CHyeUSxRL4kzxv.99

Are we discussing the same headphones? The new Focal headphones may be very good indeed but this sudden, independently minded of course ,universal bashing of HD800(S) that started the moment is was off WOF makes me think.

 

The HD800 is just as good as before; what's changed here is that the competition (The Ether Flow presumably) has delivered an alternative that delivers 8/10ths or 9/10ths of the 800's technical performance without the 800's Achilles heal. I guess in some ways the 800S was already that alternative, but with its own compromises (some added distortion) necessary to deliver a more "enjoyable" listening experience with a greater variety of music.

I've never owned one, but I've always perceived that the HD800 was a divisive choice. Those who've always disliked the 800 are probably more vocal now than they've ever been and that's just human nature and the internet for you. I will say though, that the HD800S REALLY intrigued me when it was released and I understand the hard feelings of those early adopters who now see it gone from the WOF with a corresponding decrease in their street price.

 

I agree.
If you think about it, it is funny though. Now that the HD800 is being bashed it's street price may go down and it is currently about half the price of an ether flow in "as new" condition. Thus, one will be able to get one for about $600?! now that it has been found to be inferior. That's a lot of bang for the price.
In this context we have the hd6x0 which are still interesting, mainly bc of price. Will the price drop of used hd800 make it wof worthy again? I wonder...

 

My Super Dupont modded HD800 isn't going anywhere. It has a fantastic synergy with my EC Black Widow and vinyl rig...

 

Honestly, I would be surprised if it goes down to $600. Yes, there is better competition, but they still cost a lot more than the current used prices for the HD800.

 

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/authoritative-and-potent-violectric-v281-headphone-amplifier

"V281 can swing over 40 volts into a 600 ohm load, which is head and shoulders above most others. Competitors such as the Bryston BHA-1 or Schiit's Mjolnir, both powerful amps in their own right, do less than half that."

I think the HD800 sounding thin is due to impedance mismatch on a lot of amps.