Sennheiser HD800 Appreciation Thread - Page 433  

Quote:

Originally Posted by driver 8 

I don't think you understood me. 

 

Where would you be wearing HD800's where their appearance would matter?

It's an old debate. I like beautiful stuff regardless of where you wear them.

Why would you spend 1500$ in something ugly ?

Especially, that I  don't consider the sound quality of hd800, to be "otherworldly",

it's just  overall better than lower priced headphones. For some people only sound quality matters, while for other not.

Absolutely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by extrabigmehdi 

It's an old debate. I like beautiful stuff regardless of where you wear them.

Why would you spend 1500$ in something ugly ?

Especially, that I  don't consider the sound quality of hd800, to be "otherworldly",

it's just  overall better than lower priced headphones. For some people only sound quality matters, while for other not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by extrabigmehdi 

It's an old debate. I like beautiful stuff regardless of where you wear them.

Why would you spend 1500$ in something ugly ?

Especially, that I  don't consider the sound quality of hd800, to be "otherworldly",

it's just  overall better than lower priced headphones. For some people only sound quality matters, while for other not.

The HD 800 is a handsome headphone and I've not shown mine to anyone that hasn't been wowed by their feel and appearance. They also look awesome on your head, in case you like to listen to music behind the mirror..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lan647 

 

The HD 800 is a handsome headphone

Well , beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I'd  prefer a more "simple" look, with refined lines (what apple does ,with all it's products).  And same metal than the one used by sony for the mdr-sa5000, instead of silver paint.

You pay over 1K for a headphone - and If you care enough, might as well make them look the way you want them to look.  I did.

Quote:

Originally Posted by preproman 

You pay over 1K for a headphone - and If you care enough, might as well make them look the way you want them to look.  I did.

Congrats prep, I think your HD800 looks fantastic!

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukeskd 

Congrats prep, I think your HD800 looks fantastic!

Thanks duke.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by drez 


For me the speed of the hd800 is revelatory for vocals, every nuance of expression is captured.

Yeah, the hd800 are outstanding for vocals. I listened less to instrumentals after realizing it.

My HD800 arrived earlier today.. I've done quite a bit of listening with it today.. exclusively w/ the ODAC & G109.. the resulting sound I experienced was simply jaw dropping.  Everything that the numerous detailed reviews I read & impressions I gathered from members I trusted was laid forth in glorious fashion right before my ears.

It didn't take long to realize this was an absolute 'end game'-type phone for me.  The quality with which the G109 drove the HD800 was spectacular.. it drove them with the kind of grace, control, and synergy the HD800 seem to (ruthlessly) demand.  I wasn't playing much, if any, reference-grade material either (mainly a variety of well recorded music from my MOG.com subscription).  Playing plenty of non-reference grade material, I was pleasantly surprised to hear how -listenable- (pun unintended) it all still sounded with the ODAC/G109/HD800.  The areas the recordings lacked were clearly noticeable.. but those irregularities weren't served in quite the brash, unforgiving, and clinical manner that I feared they would be and render the music unlistenable.  I wondered if all that talk about the HD800 being a merciless beast that spotlights poorly recorded material without restraint was overblown?  What I really need to do is credit the G109 here.. it presents oodles of detail, but keeps the HD800 from sounding harsh & non-listenable with less than perfectly recorded material.  When I play well recorded material, the ODAC/G109/HD800 steps up to the plate to deliver a quality presentation that brings tears to my eyes.

The G109 downright shows off when it comes to displaying bass depth, texturing, extension, and detail.  The words 'visceral', 'effortless,' & 'lifelike' keep coming to mind.  The mids are as clear, remarkably transparent, and effortlessly delineated as I've ever heard.  Coming from the HD600 (arguably my favorite full sized headphone), the HD800's mids aren't positioned as forward (but still remain the focal point of the sound).. the HD800's mids sound more transparent, coherent, and multidimensional, too.  The quality in which vocals sounded delicately 'lifted' above the surrounding midrange instrumentation while being portrayed with stunning accuracy & ease was simply hypnotizing.  Sennheiser's flagships have always been known to possess lovely midrange presentation.. but what I'm hearing from the H800 is unlike most anything I've heard before.  Truly one of a kind.. and a new benchmark for Sennheiser.  The treble is bursting with detail, air, and brilliance.. the G109 seems to offer an elegant tinge of smoothness that maintains the HD800's terrific transparency while gently taking the 'edge' off the 8K spike.  Being that the G109 shares a very similar pedigree to the Violectric V200 (an amp that's said to pair exquisitely well with the HD800), I guess I shouldn't be surprised by how satisfying I found the G109 to pair with the HD800.

The ODAC fulfills it's duties admirably in that it offers terrific clarity & transparency... quite worthy of what the HD800 demands.  I've always admired the ODAC's excellent soundstaging & imaging capabilities.. the HD800 most certainly abides as synergy & interplay here is quite apparent.  Well recorded live sets are downright distracting to listen to.. in that they're so thoroughly engrossing.  I can't concentrate on reading a book or do work-related activities with live sets playing in the background as I'm continually drawn into the sublime presentation & spatial queues the HD800 so realistically portrays.

I might be in the minority of HD800 owners as far as this is concerned.. but I don't really listen to any FLAC or high-res material.  99% of what's stored locally on my NAS/hard drives is ripped to 320Kbps MP3s.. while most all my (daily listened to) music is streamed from MOG, Soundcloud, and elsewhere on the web.  I've found the mixing & mastering quality of music to be far more important than the format (lossy vs lossless) that said music is ripped in.  Sure, the appropriate rig will offer slightly(?) better sound quality if fed a lossless rip vs a 128 Kbps rip of identical records (w/ mainly dynamics and "leading edge" detail improving on the former format, I suppose).. but I listen to a lot of instrumental hip hop, jazz, blues, soul, funk, electronica, etc... music that simply doesn't (consistently) have reference grade recording quality that many classical pieces and (reissued/remastered) vintage collectors albums have.  So, the hassle just isn't worth it to me.  I don't mention this to spark controversy.. it's intended to be informative for those in a similar situation to me who might shy away from the the HD800 cause they assume it only sounds good with certain genres & that the music must be of the type that traditionally dominates the remastered/reissued market.. I'm here to tell you that's not true.. the HD800 sounds jaw dropping good with a very wide variety of music.. regardless of genre or digital format.

I'll have more thoughts on the HD800 in time.. but what I can say is that in the very short time I've had the HD800.. a phone I bought without ever having heard once (I bought it off the strength of reviews, impressions, and a sneaky premonition I would enjoy it's sound).. is that it's an 'end-game' (full sized) phone for me.  The hype is deserved!

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlySweep 

 

the resulting sound I experienced was simply jaw dropping

I'm glad for you.
 

So long story short: 

New HD800 around new year -> First listen with my Benchmark DAC1 -> treble hurt my ears a little with my favorite playlist -> thought about returning my pair -> bought a Bryston amp -> start to like it -> play LP through it  -> where are the shrieking peaks? OMG they sound so freaking awesome with vinyl -> now looking for better turntables and phono amps -> repeat the stupid/retard/crazy gear cycle until I'm satisfied -> My wallet dies.

Merit of the story is, These headphones are so transparent and you hear everything. Some of the songs I used to love I can't listen to them with these cans, some of the tracks I use to hate, now I love them with these cans. My music folder is 2Gb less than before thanks to HD800. I have really grown with these cans and my taste really evolves because of the transparency. Give these time and you will love these. My short 1 month with the HD800 for what it's worth.  

Yes.  That's why this debate about whether they "have bass" or not makes little sense.  All of this is source/amp-contingent.  I can give my HD800s massive deep thumping bass with my George Wright amp.  I was able to do that with the maxxed WA-6SE as well.  In fact, I find judgments about headphones without mention of source and amp to be pointless.

The hd800 has great bass just not thumping tilted bass like the Denon D7000 had. The HD800 with proper amplification and source really let you hear all the bass notes. I cant her the pedal of the pipe organ but thats 16HZ so not many if any can hear that note. it not tipped bass but its very accurate bass and I dont feel like I am missing the whack of the D7K I owned. The HD800 is a very accurate and detailed headphone with great bass IMO. My Dexcware and V200 has great bass and are not bass light amps either.

I think that the paradox that some  people miss, is that  you feel more the bass of hd800,

when the treble is tamed. So obviously some source are taming more treble than other,

but  I  don't think that strictly speaking  that sources that tame treble can be called "transparent" .

Regarding the bass impact, the hd800 definitely  can be quite "showy" and interesting .

I  was impressed while listening for instance to claude von stroke , chimps ;

but taming treble with an eq helps.

And regarding "visceral bass", I have in mind this, and the intended ambiance fail

a bit on the hd800: