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Concerns HD800

post #1 of 187
7/12/09 at 7:17pm
Thread Starter 
I am an infrequent guest to these forums so excuse me if this has been discussed before. I have had a pair of Sony Qualia 010 for some time now using a Singlepower Maestro as the amp. Moved into new digs and wanted something smaller on the amp side and quieter for the wife. So I bought the HD800's and a Grace m902. Not sure what I expected but the Sony's kick the hell out of the HD800's. Nothing I have read says anything about praise for the HD800 but to me they are nice... but no where near the league of the Sony's. The Sony's may be a touch bright if I look for a weakness but they are quick, articulate, image well, better bass quickness and extension and in general are far more relaxing. I do not get the love feast over the HD800's but will give them more time to break in. Anyone else hear the same things?
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post #2 of 187
7/12/09 at 9:22pm
I agree entirely.
I also think the 800s are eclipsed by the l3000 and r10. I have not spent enough time with a k1000 to talk on the matter more
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post #3 of 187
7/12/09 at 9:47pm
jfkbike, you're not the only one, though the Qualias problems were more irritating to me.

That said a few minutes with the Grace m902 and HD800s at CJ didn't put the Grace anywhere near the top pairing for the HD800s for me. That choice a few others have also made, I don't get.

But on the other side of things are you comparing the Qualia and HD800 out of the Grace or actually comparing, in essence, the Maestro versus m902???


And welcome officially to Head-Fi.
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post #4 of 187
7/12/09 at 11:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jfkbike View Post
I am an infrequent guest to these forums so excuse me if this has been discussed before. I have had a pair of Sony Qualia 010 for some time now using a Singlepower Maestro as the amp. Moved into new digs and wanted something smaller on the amp side and quieter for the wife. So I bought the HD800's and a Grace m902. Not sure what I expected but the Sony's kick the hell out of the HD800's. Nothing I have read says anything about praise for the HD800 but to me they are nice... but no where near the league of the Sony's. The Sony's may be a touch bright if I look for a weakness but they are quick, articulate, image well, better bass quickness and extension and in general are far more relaxing. I do not get the love feast over the HD800's but will give them more time to break in. Anyone else hear the same things?
Congrats on your first post. I should first say that if you don't like the HD800, that's fine, and I'm not trying to convince you otherwise. My only reason for replying is to share what I learned.

I also have the HD800 and m902 combo. When I tried it with USB, it was pretty bad. Switching to optical made a huge difference. I haven't tried coaxial, but I've heard it's similar to optical if you have a high-end cable.
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post #5 of 187
7/12/09 at 11:08pm
Different strokes for different folks. Some people also really dislike the Qualias. But there's no denying both are in the front ranks of the finest dynamic headphones ever made. It's really just a question of finding the presentation you prefer.
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post #6 of 187
7/12/09 at 11:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jfkbike View Post
I am an infrequent guest to these forums so excuse me if this has been discussed before. I have had a pair of Sony Qualia 010 for some time now using a Singlepower Maestro as the amp. Moved into new digs and wanted something smaller on the amp side and quieter for the wife. So I bought the HD800's and a Grace m902. Not sure what I expected but the Sony's kick the hell out of the HD800's. Nothing I have read says anything about praise for the HD800 but to me they are nice... but no where near the league of the Sony's. The Sony's may be a touch bright if I look for a weakness but they are quick, articulate, image well, better bass quickness and extension and in general are far more relaxing. I do not get the love feast over the HD800's but will give them more time to break in. Anyone else hear the same things?
Wow, now that the emperor's new clothes is becoming more commonplace, finally, a realistic unbiased critique. You neither work for Sennheiser nor for this website, so you have no ax to grind. I was surprised to read that you prefer the Qualia in terms of sound quality. I have been promoted the Qualia as one of the apex headphones in terms of design and build quality so it is great to hear someone who loves their sound signature. I've listened to them before at the Qualia store when it was around here in New York, but I have not spent enough time with them to make any conclusive opinions about them. With the limited time I did spend with them, I was mightily impressed though. Your comments are well noted. I still don't own any full-sized headphones but I have long held that the Holy Trinity of my collection would include the Sony R-10, Grado HP 1000, and the Sony Qualia 010. This list still stands.
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post #7 of 187
7/12/09 at 11:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidhunternyc View Post
Wow, now that the emperor's new clothes is becoming more commonplace, finally, a realistic unbiased critique.
Why are all the many other reviews of the HD-800 on this site biased? Am I missing something? I'm interested in these phones as a potential purchase down the road, and I thought most of the reviews or posters who have commented (there are at least 100, I guess) are just average joes who happened to have bought a pair? Again, what I am missing?
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post #8 of 187
7/12/09 at 11:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilS View Post
Again, what I am missing?
The fact that he has absolutely nothing useful to add to this discussion? No, actually I think you did notice that.
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post #9 of 187
7/12/09 at 11:46pm
Fair question. No you are not missing anything, except that much of the hyperbole surrounding these headphones were written by a specific representative of Sennheiser and by some members here you can gain financially by praising the HD800. If you disagree with me, that is fine, I am sure you are a perceptive and discerning person. So good luck with your purchase and please let us know what you think. I for one, am glad that the poster of this thread, is just one voice that has a contrary opinion to the norm.
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post #10 of 187
7/12/09 at 11:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidhunternyc View Post
No you are not missing anything, except that much of the hyperbole surrounding these headphones were written by a specific representative of Sennheiser and by some members here you can gain financially by praising the HD800.
This comes as complete shock to me. I had no idea of this. Who are you referring to? This is a pretty serious allegation; I assume you have something to back it up and are not just making wild allegations.
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post #11 of 187
7/12/09 at 11:59pm
This is just my opinion and I shall keep names to myself.
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post #12 of 187
7/13/09 at 12:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidhunternyc View Post
This is just my opinion and I shall keep names to myself.
Well, with all due respect, I think you're out of line making such allegations without any specifics, and I think it's disservice to the Head-Fi community for anyone to make such serious allegations and not substantiate them. I'll leave it to the mods to do decide whether this is appropriate.
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post #13 of 187
7/13/09 at 12:19am
Since the op is asking for people who have heard the 800s, and possibly the Qualias as well, to answer his question, let's keep this thread on topic and the side-commentary out of it.
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post #14 of 187
7/13/09 at 12:25am
.
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post #15 of 187
7/13/09 at 12:26am
i have a financial interest in the HD800 . . . about $1400 worth.
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