Sennheiser HD800 Appreciation Thread

[Windsor]

Just back home after having a listening session with my Anaxilus modded HD 800, a standard HD 800, an HD 600, and a Grado PS1000. The CD player for the session was the Bryston BDP-1 and the DAC/Amp was the Resonessence Labs Invicta, both cxcellently crafted units that  clearly revealed the sound of each headphones, and track, to me. 
 
Back home with the HD800 and the Lavry DA10, and in comparison (from memory), though it's not as clear-sounding, it's a combo that holds up well against the Bryston/Resonessence and is very enjoyable, even for heavy music like Tool. 
 
Of all the headphones I've owned, I'm leaning towards the HD 800 as my favourite and I'm very grateful to be one of the (relatively) few people on the planet who has one. 

 

[TWIFOSP]

While I don't have my frequency graph mine is 14025 and I don't think they are overly harsh or anything.  So it seems like at least >14000 might have a different manufacturing process.  I'm still debating if I'm going to bother with the mod.  I don't think I need to.
Quote:

Interesting. I have an almost identical frequency response graph to yours. My serial number is 14581, and it looks like yours is 14641, so they were likely manufactured at about the same time, maybe the same production batch.

 
 

 

[Frank I]

Mine are over 10XXX and they are clearly different from the last pair I owned. There is no spike or harshness unless the gear is harsh and the V200 and the CSP are great with them as is the two sources the OPPO BDP95 and my Marantz SA8004nd  and using it balanced with the audio gd NFB6 and a Norse balanced cable

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

Just back home after having a listening session with my Anaxilus modded HD 800, a standard HD 800, an HD 600, and a Grado PS1000. The CD player for the session was the Bryston BDP-1 and the DAC/Amp was the Resonessence Labs Invicta, both cxcellently crafted units that  clearly revealed the sound of each headphones, and track, to me. 
 
Back home with the HD800 and the Lavry DA10, and in comparison (from memory), though it's not as clear-sounding, it's a combo that holds up well against the Bryston/Resonessence and is very enjoyable, even for heavy music like Tool. 
 
Of all the headphones I've owned, I'm leaning towards the HD 800 as my favourite and I'm very grateful to be one of the (relatively) few people on the planet who has one. 

 
Anything else you remember about the sound of the Invicta?

 

[Maxvla]

I really liked the Invicta -> HD800 at RMAF

 

[SONIC BOOM]

so, dose anyone know the sound difference in sound between the moon audio blue dragon v3 and the black dragon v2?

 

[pigmode]

How do you send out for the freq graph?

 

[Windsor]

Quote:

Anything else you remember about the sound of the Invicta?

 
I only fed it CDs via the Bryston CD player that was already there.
 
Listening with the HD 800, the Invicta and what it was fed by sounded very clear and transparent, like I experience with the HD 800/Lavry DA10. The bass with the Invicta seemed to have slightly more PRaT than that the HD 800/DA10, which sounds clear, detailed, and full. Treble with the Invicta sounded similarly bright to how the DA10 now sounds with the same music I fed the Invicta earlier tonight.
 
I found I was easily able to differentiate the differences in colour created by the four different headphones at the shop (Anaxalis HD 800, demo HD 800, brand new HD 600, Grado PS1000), which could speak for the clarity of the Invicta's presentation. For instance, it was obvious to me that the HD 800 presents instruments with a slightly brighter timbre than the much closer-to-natural-as-my-ears-would-hear-it instrumental timbres created by the HD 600.
 
On a side note, when listening to a track with the HD800/Invicta, the sound I was hearing reminds me of what was a slightly less warm sound overall than what I heard when I listened to music with the Orpheus. Interestingly enough, after my listening session, one of the shop assistants said that the HD 800's sound was modelled on the Orpheus, which was the first time I have heard that said...
 
I had never heard of the Invicta before a few hours ago; it sure is an impressive bit of kit!

 

[Windsor]

Quote:

How do you send out for the freq graph?

 
Sennheiser pointed me in the direction of the following link: http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/root/service_product-registration

 

[TWIFOSP]

I would like to know this as well.
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so, dose anyone know the sound difference in sound between the moon audio blue dragon v3 and the black dragon v2?

 
 

 

[Hennyo]

Blue will be faster, It's a copper revelation of Silver. Black will be heavier - slower and more foggy - than the blue, but just as "clear" I guess so as not to offend anyone. I found Silver Dragon the best on nearly any headphone (by a ways) -EDIT: of the three moon cables-- Crystal Piccolino tops everything on the market, but the price is pretty stupid. I've heard pretty much everything on the market too... I'm missing a few cables here and there, but by 'n large...

 

[Radio_head]

 
I only fed it CDs via the Bryston CD player that was already there.
 
Listening with the HD 800, the Invicta and what it was fed by sounded very clear and transparent, like I experience with the HD 800/Lavry DA10. The bass with the Invicta seemed to have slightly more PRaT than that the HD 800/DA10, which sounds clear, detailed, and full. Treble with the Invicta sounded similarly bright to how the DA10 now sounds with the same music I fed the Invicta earlier tonight.
 
I found I was easily able to differentiate the differences in colour created by the four different headphones at the shop (Anaxalis HD 800, demo HD 800, brand new HD 600, Grado PS1000), which could speak for the clarity of the Invicta's presentation. For instance, it was obvious to me that the HD 800 presents instruments with a slightly brighter timbre than the much closer-to-natural-as-my-ears-would-hear-it instrumental timbres created by the HD 600.
 
On a side note, when listening to a track with the HD800/Invicta, the sound I was hearing reminds me of what was a slightly less warm sound overall than what I heard when I listened to music with the Orpheus. Interestingly enough, after my listening session, one of the shop assistants said that the HD 800's sound was modelled on the Orpheus, which was the first time I have heard that said...
 
I had never heard of the Invicta before a few hours ago; it sure is an impressive bit of kit!

The Invicta is quite a unit.  Interesting that its even selling in the UK - it is quite a bit more expensive there.  One thing people don't realize is that Dustin Forman, who is the Senior Design Engineer at Sabre and did the brunt of the work on the 9018, also did most of the design on the Invicta.  They are currently working on adding SDXC, FlAC, and DSD.  It is quite the unit and is a no-risk proposition with its 30-day return policy.  Mark and Ken are also stand up guys.
 
Resonessence is currently working on a new line for RMAF, including a production version of their power amp and a SPDIF/USB converter.
 

 

[Anaxilus]

 
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 one of the shop assistants said that the HD 800's sound was modelled on the Orpheus, which was the first time I have heard that said...

\
Nah, more like the Baby Orpheus.  The HE60 and HD800 are very very similar.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

 
Quote:

While I don't have my frequency graph mine is 14025 and I don't think they are overly harsh or anything.  So it seems like at least >14000 might have a different manufacturing process.  I'm still debating if I'm going to bother with the mod.  I don't think I need to.
 
 

 
I already compared 5XXX and 14XXX, based on my experience, I think it's safe to say that they sound the same. 
 
Quote:

 
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Nah, more like the Baby Orpheus.  The HE60 and HD800 are very very similar.

 
Perhaps except the presentation of soundstage, I think they're very different, HD800 has "very" wide, while HE60 is narrow.

 

[TWIFOSP]

 
They have different response graphs, so I'm not sure that your statement is safe to say at all.
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I already compared 5XXX and 14XXX, based on my experience, I think it's safe to say that they sound the same.