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Sennheiser HD800 Appreciation Thread - Page 130

post #1936 of 4356
5/4/10 at 7:40pm
I got my HD800 this morning, can't believe UPS just left it on the front porch without ringing the doorbell or anything!

What can i say? The HD800 sounds fantastic. When I listened to K701 it often sounds like the music is floating in midair, with no sense of weight to it. The highs are sometimes are too sharp while the mids are a bit recessed. HD800 has the crystalline transparency of the K701 but is even more balanced, more prominent mids and reduced treble compared to K701. What strikes me most is that HD800's instrument/vocal separation is absolutely amazing, I can easily pick out any instrument if i want to. HD800 soundstage has better depth than k701, but I'm not really getting the 'wow' from it. i don't think it sounds exactly holographic like many people have said here, maybe i was expecting too much?

One complaint though, is that the paint job isn't that great. There's some blemishes, and i can see small bubbles in some areas. Other HD800 owners have the same problem?

For example, I have bubbles like this on both sides at the exact same location
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones
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post #1937 of 4356
5/4/10 at 8:00pm
I'm not so convinced Sennheiser has invested yet in a paint booth. I wouldn't be surprised of workers sitting in a workshop spray painting these by hand and airbrush without legit paint shop ventilation or equipment.

Lots of imperfections in the paint; the hd600 and 650 on the other hand look pretty good but are mass produced.
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post #1938 of 4356
5/4/10 at 8:45pm
Yea, I'm quite surprised, considering how these cans are supposed to be 'perfect' and 'made in germany'. I was literally expecting perfection
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post #1939 of 4356
5/4/10 at 9:03pm
That's pretty typical. I love everything about this phone except the spray painted part....

Quote:
Originally Posted by kwang411 View Post
One complaint though, is that the paint job isn't that great. There's some blemishes, and i can see small bubbles in some areas. Other HD800 owners have the same problem?

For example, I have bubbles like this on both sides at the exact same location
Reply
post #1940 of 4356
5/4/10 at 9:12pm
Yup, I actually think that if you zoom into most headphones out there, you'll find similar imperfections in a lot of them....and don't get me started with Grados But yes, I wish Sennheiser used something like automotive paint, would look a lot better and would be a lot more durable.
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post #1941 of 4356
5/4/10 at 9:17pm
I think they must use spray cans :-) Mine have a few paint bubbles in the bottom of one earpiece.
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post #1942 of 4356
5/4/10 at 9:28pm
Alright, i'm relieved that i'm not the only one
There are some bubbles on my k701 too..
It's really a shame, because i think HD800 looks great, and the paint job really takes away from the aesthetics..

Surprisingly, I find the HD800 goes pretty well with my supposedly less than competent LD mk4 SE amp; the sound is very smooth and effortless.

It's weird that I listen to K701 and HD800 at the same volume... despite HD800 having 300ohm impedence
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post #1943 of 4356
5/4/10 at 9:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwang411 View Post
Alright, i'm relieved that i'm not the only one
There are some bubbles on my k701 too..
It's really a shame, because i think HD800 looks great, and the paint job really takes away from the aesthetics..

Surprisingly, I find the HD800 goes pretty well with my supposedly less than competent LD mk4 SE amp; the sound is very smooth and effortless.

It's weird that I listen to K701 and HD800 at the same volume... despite HD800 having 300ohm impedence
HD800's total impedence is 600 ohm (300 pear driver).
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post #1944 of 4356
5/4/10 at 9:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwang411 View Post

It's weird that I listen to K701 and HD800 at the same volume... despite HD800 having 300ohm impedence
There are other factors, such as sensitivity and overall efficiency. I'd say K701 is one of the least sensitive headphones I've tried.
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post #1945 of 4356
5/4/10 at 10:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwang411 View Post
HD800 soundstage has better depth than k701, but I'm not really getting the 'wow' from it. i don't think it sounds exactly holographic like many people have said here, maybe i was expecting too much?
Your expectations were warranted in the context of a $1400 TOTL headphone. The main reason they weren't met was because of your source.
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post #1946 of 4356
5/4/10 at 11:25pm
From what i see, K701 has Efficiency of 105 dB and 62 ohms impedance, while HD800 has efficiency of 102 dB and 300 ohm impedance. Looking at the specs, shouldn't k701 be A LOT easier to drive than HD800? (unless i've got this all mixed up )

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shahrose View Post
Your expectations were warranted in the context of a $1400 TOTL headphone. The main reason they weren't met was because of your source.
That was my assumption too, or my amp. But seems like your source is Essence ST too? Are you achieving that holographic sound? Do you have any suggestions on how i may get more out of my HD800? (without getting a new amp at this moment). Thanks
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post #1947 of 4356
5/4/10 at 11:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwang411 View Post
From what i see, K701 has Efficiency of 105 dB and 62 ohms impedance, while HD800 has efficiency of 102 dB and 300 ohm impedance. Looking at the specs, shouldn't k701 be A LOT easier to drive than HD800? (unless i've got this all mixed up )
It's not that simple, I know that much but I don't fully understand the theory behind it.
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post #1948 of 4356
5/5/10 at 8:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwang411 View Post
 
That was my assumption too, or my amp. But seems like your source is Essence ST too? Are you achieving that holographic sound? Do you have any suggestions on how i may get more out of my HD800? (without getting a new amp at this moment). Thanks


I only use the Essence ST as a transport to my y2 external DAC. The ST's digital coaxial output is great and its analog output is decent (better than the STX that I owned) but it falls noticeably short of the y2 for SQ. I would say invest in a good DAC (and transport) first and then look to upgrade your amp down the road. The 800s will pick up even small changes in upstream gear.

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post #1949 of 4356
5/5/10 at 8:52pm

Reviewing measurements Tyll took, it appears that the AKG K701/2 is less sensitive ("harder" to drive) than the HD600/650. From those measurements, it appears that the Beyerdynamic T1s are also "harder" to drive.

 

Voltage for 90dB SPL

--------------------------------

AKG K702 0.476
AKG K702 0.329
AKG K701 0.283
AKG K702 0.265
 

Sennheiser HD600 0.262
Sennheiser HD650 0.228
Sennheiser HD650 0.221
 

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/482386/building-a-headphone-measurement-lab

 

-

 

Sennheiser specs

HD 800: Sound pressure level (SPL) 102 dB (1 Vrms)

HD 650: Sound pressure level (SPL) 103 dB (1 Vrms)

 

 


Edited by JohnFerrier - 5/6/10 at 1:57am
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post #1950 of 4356
5/5/10 at 10:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwang411 View Post

I got my HD800 this morning, can't believe UPS just left it on the front porch without ringing the doorbell or anything!

What can i say? The HD800 sounds fantastic. When I listened to K701 it often sounds like the music is floating in midair, with no sense of weight to it. The highs are sometimes are too sharp while the mids are a bit recessed. HD800 has the crystalline transparency of the K701 but is even more balanced, more prominent mids and reduced treble compared to K701. What strikes me most is that HD800's instrument/vocal separation is absolutely amazing, I can easily pick out any instrument if i want to. HD800 soundstage has better depth than k701, but I'm not really getting the 'wow' from it. i don't think it sounds exactly holographic like many people have said here, maybe i was expecting too much?

One complaint though, is that the paint job isn't that great. There's some blemishes, and i can see small bubbles in some areas. Other HD800 owners have the same problem?

For example, I have bubbles like this on both sides at the exact same location
 

Mine has a similar blemish sorta like a nick mark on one side that affixes the Alcantara of the rims. Almost nonexistent but if I nitpick it's there. Haven't noticed until 4 months into ownership so for the most part it's fine and dandy. 
 

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones
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