A Twisted Review: HD800's Calculative, Clinical and Sterile Soul - Page 11

No, not at all.

The first showing of the HD 800 was with the Benchmark DAC1. The UK showings have been with the Grace m902 (and this has been mentioned in several UK magazines); Germany have used the Lehmann.

Hi-Fi+ mention both the Grace and Lehmann, but the reviewer did not understand the Grace and did not switch on the boost that is in there for higher impedance headphones (he said the Grace was excellent, but did not go quiet loud enough). Again, both are mentioned in the new review in the October issue of Hi-Fi Choice.

Sennheiser UK use the Grace because I use the Grace m902B myself and think it's a great amp.. Not because we tried the HD 800 with every amp. on the market to find out which it works best with.

Sennheiser in Germany are more likely to demonstrate with a German amp., rather than an American one.

No, Sennheiser do not recommend any specific amplifier to use, you are free to choose what you like. Ask me personally and I will tell you I love the Grace m902B, but that is what *I* like and there are loads of excellent amplifiers I have not heard at all and have had no opportunity to try.

Yes, and I daresay if this were the 14th century we'd be broken on the wheel before being castrated for such heresy. Fortunately here they can't identify us behind these silly names.

This is going to be a fruitless debate if each side insists in their standpoint. SmeelyGas and pp312 don't hear significant differences with electronics, so let's leave it at that. Myself I consider them subtle (compared to sound transducers), but nevertheless meaningful, the more so with the HD 800. However, it seems clear that no change of source or amp will convert SmellyGas to a HD 800 proponent. Personally I can accept that and don't feel offended.
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This is kind of like the HD600 back in the days. The HD600 veil was almost blasphemy to some when it was brought up. Even though searches came up here and there of people who spoke about it, the issue still brought out some strong words. I was one of those that coward in a dark basement secretly modding the heck out of mine. Even today, I've gotten a comment for modding Gods gift to the human ear.

As for David, I've never seem one man with a can of spray paint and a pair of acid washed jeans make so many people angry. And for what???

Actually there's another side to this. There's a whole section of the industry, including most audio engineers, who maintain that there cannot possibly be any audible difference between amps and CD players which are not faulty and do not exhibit measurable distortion, that perceived differences are the result of mismatched listening levels and/or self delusion. I once argued against it, but after 50 years of listening to hundreds of components I'm coming to the conclusion not that there is NO audible difference between competently designed and fault-free equipment, but that there is no APPRECIABLE difference, and certainly nothing like the differences commonly described by certain rabid enthusiasts--nor anything like the difference between speakers, headphones or, for that matter, CDs. This is why I wax sceptical when someone posts that he hates a headphone and is deluged with replies urging him to upgrade his amp or CD player. If he liked the sound but was slightly troubled by occasional sibilance or whatever, a change of amp or player MIGHT help, but it will not effect the sort of turnaround people are suggesting. If it does, then my hearing has been seriously faulty for 50 years and I've somehow been the victim of subconscious denial despite having spent thousands of dollars changing amps and CD players in an attempt to get substantially better sound.

I used to believe amps, cables, DAC's, etc. made dramatic differences in sound. Why wouldn't they? They look nice, they cost a lot, and everybody and their mother "knows" they make a difference. Then I read the magazine articles that failed to confirm these differences. I became angry, kind of like the reactions I get when I suggest this to people. I thought the authors of those articles were buffoons. Then, I tried to see if I could hear a difference myself. At first, i convinced myself that I could and that the articles were wrong. But eventually I realized that if there were differences, I could not reliably detect them anymore, especially when blinded. So that's how I came to my conclusions.

Remind me, what happened to Galileo when he suggested the world was round?

I am very satisfied with my gear, actually. And if you don't like hearing opinions and facts that are not consistent with your, then please add me to your ignore list. To be honest, I remember your name because your responses have been by far the most abrasive and offensive to me - they are extremely presumptive to the point where they lose their credibility.

If it makes you feel better, you can tell yourself that.

I doubt that. The few questions that I did ask were perfectly legitimate. For instance, when I asked why "power" made such a difference in Stax amps, when the electrostatic headphone load had kilo-ohm resistance and was capacitative (i.e. miniscule current flow), people became angry. Someone even offered an explanation, but misapplied and used the wrong formula, and he also became angry. People here just want to accept things that make them feel good. "Oh, $1000 on an amp made my headphones sing!" They don't want to know if the frequency response, phase, and distortion are almost identical to a CMOY. In fact, they might become irate if you ask a questions along these lines. (just an example)


Thank you. Others are welcome to join in with Kees. It'll make everyone happier, including me.

There's a few threads burning the T1 at the stake too as we speak. Although the Beyer never attained the status of 'flavor of the multiple month'

Had my Hd 800 for several months now and sadly I am totally agreeing with your review :(.

 

LCD-2 is the real deal though. Question is what is there to learn? That we have different ears and tastes perhaps.

Right - what must be learned is that there will never be universal agreement about ANY headphone. For any given headphone, some will love it, some will not. I didn't care for the HD-800 and love the LCD-2, but I understand why others feel differently. Some people get so obsessed with their affection for their favorite, though, that they can be downright nasty to people who don't feel the same way, and that is a shame.