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The Sennheiser HD 800: The First Listen, The First Review - Page 4

post #46 of 5757
1/7/09 at 11:48pm
So... no veil?

Congrats on the scoop, Jude!
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones
$499.95 at
See it »
Sennheiser HD-600
$0.00 at
See it »
Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones
$1499.95 at
See it »
post #47 of 5757
1/7/09 at 11:51pm
Jude, from your initial impressions it sounds like the HD800 is very similar to the HE60. Is this true?
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post #48 of 5757
1/7/09 at 11:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HiWire View Post
So... no veil?
damn, you beat me to it!
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post #49 of 5757
1/7/09 at 11:51pm
Not a fan of the pads or the slogan "High Definition Driver," but I'll most likely jump on these when they come out. By the way, when do they come out?
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post #50 of 5757
1/7/09 at 11:52pm
wonder how long before it hits the market
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post #51 of 5757
1/7/09 at 11:53pm
I just hope they sound balance, with a great resolution and depth...
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post #52 of 5757
1/7/09 at 11:55pm
Thread Starter 
Here is some text from the first HD800 brochure:
Quote:
The story of the Sennheiser HD 800 began with a dream: of developing headphones that go way beyond conventional equipment to become music phones, or even perfect sound phones. The dream of creating a hi-fi device that sounds as brilliant, clear, and undistorted as if you were sitting right next to the source. The dream of creating an acoustic experience more incredible than anything ever heard through dynamic headphones: in spheres that no other category is capable of reaching—right there where perfection begins.

We couldn’t go beyond physical boundaries—but we did cross the boundaries of thought. The HD 800 is equipped with a completely new transducer and only the very finest of materials have been installed: each part carefully inserted by hand. We are talking about manufacture in the truest sense of the word, right from the initial drafts to individual handcrafting “made in Germany”.

Above all, the Sennheiser HD 800 truly personifies the creative force of the company that created it: by displaying the passion for perfect sound that has been driving Sennheiser innovation over 60 years.

The principle of spatial listening. The impression of spatial listening is created by a minute time lapse with which one and the same sound wave arrives at the inner ear. Ideally, the sound waves produced by a hi-fi sound system reach the listener at an angle of 60 degrees. The sound waves do not reach the ear straight on, but through a slightly angled sound front. This causes some of the sound impulses to reach the nerve ends of the inner ear earlier than others. The resulting time lapse is a matter of split seconds, but it is exactly this phenomenon that gives the impression of spatial listening.

Spatial listening with the HD 800. Wearing the HD 800 you enjoy much more than just a sound experience of out-standing brilliance. You experience a form of spatial listening never heard before. You have the feeling of being in a studio together with Thelonius Monk or actually being present at a rehearsal of the Berlin Philharmonic. The HD 800 makes spatial listening possible through a combination of the large transducer surface and the angle at which it is suspended. The slightly angled sound front effectively simulates the principle of the spatial sound experience. No other manufacturer comes as close to producing a natural sound experience as Sennheiser with the HD 800.

The superiority of the HD 800 is based on a completely new principle, right at its very heart: The transducer is designed in the shape of a ring. Basically, the larger the surface of the transducer the purer the sound—particularly when it comes to the low notes. A large surface area, however, also generates disruptive spurious oscillation at higher frequencies, so-called eigenmodes. This is primarily due to the fact that conventional-sized transducers do not have a satisfactory way of controlling high-frequency oscillations. The ringed shape of the new transducer effectively solves this dilemma: Its broad area oscillates in an extremely controlled way due to the large coil and the two supporting surfaces. This results in a previously unheard-of degree of freedom from distortion and thus the greatest purity and brilliance of sound.

And when it comes to the naked technical facts, the HD 800 doesn’t save on superlatives: The 56-mm-wide transducer is the largest of its type. The same goes for the aluminum coil (40 mm) and the 42-mm magnet system.

Ring transducer. In contrast to a full-sized transducer, the ring-shaped transducer utilized in the HD 800 greatly enhances the control of the oscillating surface. This results in a more voluminous sound wave and thus far greater clarity!

Conventional transducer. Unwanted spurious oscillation can occur in a conventional, large transducer due to eigenmodes. Even resources such as increasingly sophisticated Duofol laminations are unable to completely negate these physical limitations.
(Okay, I'm getting kicked out of the press center. Will post the rest of it later--or link you to a full graphic version of it.)
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post #53 of 5757
1/7/09 at 11:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by powertoold View Post
OMG! I just read the impressions, and I'm shaking with excitement! THIS COULD BE IT. CAN IT? WILL IT? PLEASE PLEASE!

AHH AHHH AHHH!

If these headphones trump everything, I'm in! WOOHOO WOOHOO!
It's just a headphone!
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post #54 of 5757
1/7/09 at 11:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MatsudaMan View Post
It's just a headphone!
And a Ferrari is "just a car"

A little excitement doesn't hurt
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post #55 of 5757
1/8/09 at 12:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ingwe View Post
damn, you beat me to it!
X3. I too am curious if they would sound "distant" to my ears as other Senns do. Would love to see if someone who hears the vail as well listens to these for rock and get a different impressions than other senns.
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post #56 of 5757
1/8/09 at 12:00am
Whoa. Can't afford it any time soon. But sure does look cool.
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post #57 of 5757
1/8/09 at 12:01am
$1399 US = $1895 CND - ain't gonna happen - could buy half a dozen 650s for that!
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post #58 of 5757
1/8/09 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaMnEd View Post
I was hoping for a price to be set around what the D7000 cost, 1399... that is what, 1000 jump from the HD650!? :|

For that price I'd go for a Stax rig instead, and keep my 650 as my dynamics.
It's just a possible MSRP price, + many things don't quite sell at MSRP. Price will also drop over time.
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post #59 of 5757
1/8/09 at 12:02am
Jude,

Could you tell us if this is a limited edition headphone or will they be making as many as they can sell?
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post #60 of 5757
1/8/09 at 12:04am
Side issue, but Jude could you tell us if the rumor of each headphone being hand-built is true?
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones
$499.95 at
See it »
Sennheiser HD-600
$0.00 at
See it »
Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones
$1499.95 at
See it »
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