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HD800 featured in....

post #1 of 107
11/11/09 at 6:10pm
Thread Starter 
The HD800 has been well received by the mainstream consumer.

The December issue of Popular Science magazine features the top 100 innovations of the year, ranging from automobiles to environmental products to electronics. The HD800 made the top 100 inovations list.

Also, the new Crutchfield holiday catalog finally features the HD800, (and it's alongside the Sennheiser PXC450 noise cancelling phones and the Bose QuietComfort 15.)
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post #2 of 107
11/11/09 at 7:06pm
Thanks for the info PJ.
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post #3 of 107
11/11/09 at 7:25pm
sadly i didn't hear the innovation .
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post #4 of 107
11/11/09 at 7:35pm
Mainstream you say? Is it the next Bose? I merely jest of course.
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post #5 of 107
11/11/09 at 7:39pm
Yeah, its the current 'darling' in a lot of lifestyle-oriented magazines aimed at the Gucci set. Being 'well received' by some guy sitting in a Starbucks with a Macbook Air and an iClone doesnt hold much weight with me, personally, but then I dont have a 3-Series BMW.
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post #6 of 107
11/11/09 at 8:59pm
All these magazines will like it, regardless if they have the gear and cables to properly appreciate it, it sounds better than anything even out of a laptop. The HD800 is the only headphone worth owning in my opinion, and everyone should sell off all their other cans in favor of using just it.
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post #7 of 107
11/11/09 at 9:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by scootermafia View Post
All these magazines will like it, regardless if they have the gear and cables to properly appreciate it, it sounds better than anything even out of a laptop. The HD800 is the only headphone worth owning in my opinion, and everyone should sell off all their other cans in favor of using just it.
Well, that only applies if they have a system designed around it and worthy of supplying the HD800 all the goods.

But I'm also in the one headphone, one system camp. No need for more cans.
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post #8 of 107
11/11/09 at 9:03pm
I still maintain that in terms of setting up a system, the order of buying things should be (assuming you have ordinary phones and an ordinary head amp) is to get the HD800s first and allow them to struggle somewhat, rather than get an expensive dac and amp first and hear the HD650s/K702s/Grados/Beyers sound better, and get the gear after you get the phones to push the HD800s to their potential. No amount of amplification/sources can make regular phones sound as good as an HD800 on a decent but inadequate system (like a PC/Compass system).
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post #9 of 107
11/11/09 at 9:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by estreeter View Post
Yeah, its the current 'darling' in a lot of lifestyle-oriented magazines aimed at the Gucci set. Being 'well received' by some guy sitting in a Starbucks with a Macbook Air and an iClone doesnt hold much weight with me, personally, but then I dont have a 3-Series BMW.
Ugh. So far off. I don't know if 3 series + hd800 can be put in the same sentence with starbucks and macbook air.

We all love our QC3s, toyota corollas, and small salaries but someone is starting to sound a bit jealous.
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post #10 of 107
11/11/09 at 11:08pm
I agree with scootermafia.
Headphones FIRST. Even out of an ipod i honestly think they sound better than the hd650 out of a zana deux.
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post #11 of 107
11/11/09 at 11:54pm
cwoo, this has nothing to do with the HD800 : it has everything to do with my opinion of the sort of magazines mentioned in the OP.

Am I jealous of the amount of money they pull in by pandering to yuppies ? Sure - I like money. Am I jealous of the status symbols they choose to spend that money on ? Er, no. I'd prefer to live in a shack with good audio than a skyscraper with Bose. Your mileage may vary.

(fwiw, I drive a 2008 Mazda 3 and live in an apartment with internal plumbing - surprising, I know, but there you go).
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post #12 of 107
11/12/09 at 12:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scootermafia View Post
The HD800 is the only headphone worth owning in my opinion, and everyone should sell off all their other cans in favor of using just it.
I have them on hand right now, up against my regular fleet as well as the Head-direct HE5s. The HD800s would be the first to go. Just not my overall cup of tea compared to other offerings, particularly the HE5, at quite a bit less.

Still, it is very very nice to read that headphones sporting new tech are featured in a mag noting the top 100 innovations. Anything that gives positive exposure to headphones is a good thing in my opinion.
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post #13 of 107
11/12/09 at 1:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zanth View Post
I have them on hand right now, up against my regular fleet as well as the Head-direct HE5s. The HD800s would be the first to go. Just not my overall cup of tea compared to other offerings, particularly the HE5, at quite a bit less.
I felt the same way, sort of. I think the HD800 is a fine headphone that commits some sins of omission but does a reasonable job at tonal balance. During my last few listens, it occured to me that the HD800 makes all recordings sound like those Mobile Fidelity "Original Master Recording" issues (i.e. a smiley-face EQ built into everything). Some might say that is a grand thing, but it's hardly accurate. And sadly, the HE5 turned them into something "I thought I liked".
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post #14 of 107
11/12/09 at 1:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by estreeter View Post
Yeah, its the current 'darling' in a lot of lifestyle-oriented magazines aimed at the Gucci set. Being 'well received' by some guy sitting in a Starbucks with a Macbook Air and an iClone doesnt hold much weight with me, personally, but then I dont have a 3-Series BMW.
So if serious headphone geeks enjoy the HD-800 and find it worthy, that can all be negated by some yuppie forming a good opinion of it?

I had no idea that's how things work. I'll have to carefully review each and every object I own for popular appeal - especially among the dreaded yuppie demographic.

If some Starbucks-swilling, BMW driver enjoys it, out it goes. It doesn't matter if it seems to have great quality and is enjoyable, it HAS to go if the wrong people take notice of it.

I'll have to buy obscure stuff, things no one knows about. Preferably vintage and no longer in production.

Otherwise, I will lose my hipster cool and suffer great shame.

Thanks for clearing that up.
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post #15 of 107
11/12/09 at 1:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scootermafia View Post
All these magazines will like it, regardless if they have the gear and cables to properly appreciate it, it sounds better than anything even out of a laptop. The HD800 is the only headphone worth owning in my opinion, and everyone should sell off all their other cans in favor of using just it.
Just no. There are high end headphones that perform significantly better without an amp.

As for the innovation, I'm not sure exactly what we are looking at. As far as I know the HD800 uses technology new to headphones (maybe thats the innovation) but its not actually new technology (as it has been used in speakers before).
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