Sennheiser HD800 Appreciation Thread - Page 424  

bought a pair with a blue cardas cable used here at head-fi for $1,000 shipped. price was a reflection of chipped paint/ slight dings. i was very happy to be able to get a pair with a cable that i could afford. this is the best grand i've spent on headphones. i just love 'em.

tons of bass, highs are not sharp, brittle or bright. gorgeous mids btw, these are amazing ear speakers.

my gear is decent (listed in sig) and my source material is very high quality; all of this probably helps. i never thought i'd love a single headphone more than rs1i's, ps1's, ed 9's, ed8's,  w3000anv, he-6 and k1000 - but i do. everything i play through them sounds incredible.

i have T1's out getting new drivers right now, and the hd800's are handling all the well engineered/ well mastered/ well pressed and/or needledropped rock i've thrown at them. they are NOT forgiving of even mediocre source material so the T1's will have a place with me; otherwise they'd be unnecessary i think. then again, i like their sound sig a lot and it helps keep things fresh for me when i have other cans to switch to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecansmancan 

Hey everyone. I have a very circumstantial question that I'd really appreciate an answer to. 

 

So I got the HD600 a few months back, and since then i have fallen madly in love with it. So logically, the HD800 is the next step up correct?

 

Now as for amplification, I have a Matrix M Stage and a Symetrix 304. My source is a FiiO E10, running ALAC files. Now, I've heard the HD800 is extremely finicky about its source. I'm going to assume my purely mid-fi rig is inadequate. Is it? If so, what do I need to make it at least semi-decent? 

 

Also, it should be noted I listen to primarily rock. Anything from from 80's to more modern hard rock (think Chevelle-ish) pretty much the whole spectrum.

 

And yes, i have heard the HD800, if only briefly at a meet a few days ago. Granted, it was being powered off a world class rig, but it sounded absolutely incredible.

 

Lowest price options are greatly appreciated. I have a comparatively small budget. As well, are there any other options that might be cheaper and provide similar sound quality?

 

Thanks so much for any help. It is greatly appreciated.

Headfier Project86 has stated that the m-Stage is one of the best amps available for the HD800-I doubt you can do better than that in your price range. Get the HD800 now, enjoy it, then get a better dac/amp down the line and the Senn will reward you even more. Do it.

-Daniel

Quote:

Originally Posted by BournePerfect 

Headfier Project86 has stated that the m-Stage is one of the best amps available for the HD800-I doubt you can do better than that in your price range. Get the HD800 now, enjoy it, then get a better dac/amp down the line and the Senn will reward you even more. Do it.

 

-Daniel

Really, awesome. I was honestly expecting my little M stage to lack the juice to drive any of these higher end cans. It's good to know they can drive the HD800.

A lot of amps can 'drive' the HD800-it's just finding one that synergizes well since the Senn is such a picky b****. Kind of reminds me of my old K702 in that regard-which was an excellent pairing as well. In fact it was the pairing that got me addicted and sunk into this mess in the first place lol. Either way-I'm sure it will be a satisfying combo. You can read Project86's thoughts IIRC on the first page of the huge Matrix thread-he seemed to feel the m-Stage/HD800 came pretty close to the Luxman P1/HD800 pairing. High praise indeed.

-Daniel

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukeskd 

The HD800 and HD600 share only 2 things in common: both are open-back designs and both are part of the HD line. The sound signature is very, very different. Sound stage/imaging is good on the HD600, but phenomenal on the HD800s. Treble and detail retrieval is a huge benefit of the HD800, so enjoying modern hard rock will in some ways induce fatigue if you have a bad source and are sensitive to a "trebly" headphone.

Did you manage to listen to a LCD-2 at the meet? I think that would be a logical step to be honest. They share similar characteristics with the HD600 but have an improved bass and neutrality aspect that you may appreciate.

 

PS: I hated the HD650/600 line of headphones when I owned them, it made me lose faith in Sennheiser until I got around to the HD800.

I agree with you about the detail, but I don't think the HD600 is like the LCD-2 at all. I owned both and the HD800 last autumn and while the HD800 offers more detail and transparency, has a tighter, faster bass and better soundstaging, I still felt it has something of the basic Senn HD600 sound character in the way it presents music. Both designs strive for neutrality in the same way, but the HD800 is just better in must respects. I found the LCD2 to be a very different animal, much darker, and I never adjusted to it's sound signature which I found too smooth and generally lacking in sparkle. I actually preferred the HD600 in a good, well amped system. For me, the Senn HD650 is closer to the LCD2 than the HD600. I'd add in the LCD2's defence is that its sound is well tuned for many modern rock/pop recordings which tend to be too bright, but for me that wasn't a reason to keep it.

Usual disclaimer applies - just my impression with my rig etc...

^ agreed. the 650 is very similar to the LCD-2. (the LCD-2 just being a little different since they're dark but not as colored, and of course the LCD-2 are mostly better overall). i always felt the LCD-2 is the natural upgrade/progression after the HD 650, they're just so close in sound.

alot of ppl still disagree with me though on that as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukeskd 

I believe the newest rev (2.5) versions are the best because many problems have been fixed. If you get a Lyr + LCD-2, it is one of the most enjoyable setups you can create IMO, especially for rock.

There is no official release of a rev 2.5 from Audeze.  The official version from Audeze is rev. 2.2..  The 2.5 is a headfi made up version. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by olor1n 

Lol. Care to point out where/when Audez'e officially designated the latest iteration as rev.2.2? I refer to it as rev.2.5 because it's quicker than describing the version I have as "the latest, with black metal angled connectors" every friggin' time.

+1 Exactly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dleblanc343 

The HE500 is a natural upgrade to the HD6xx line for the ones wondering. More so than the LCD's which have more of a unique house sound

I think I'm going to have to disagree a bit there. I got a chance to closely compare my HD600 and the HE500 at a meet last week. To my ears the HE500 was just a bit darker than the HD600. And for me at least, I found that it lacked overall extension in the highs as compared with the HD600. Not to say it was bad, oh no, its midrange (and that of some of the other Hifi man cans i tried) was simply amazing. There's something purely musical about it. But for me, i think the slightly brighter analytic side of things is for me. I believe this is why I fell so madly in love with the HD800.

Those purchased from Jan, is manufacturer warranty good in US?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT 

Those purchased from Jan, is manufacturer warranty good in US?

why woiuldnt it be he is an authorized dealer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank I 

why woiuldnt it be he is an authorized dealer

Not for US, I believe, don't know if Sennheiser care, some manufacturers like Canon do.