The best gear always sounds boring at first listen. You have to live with it for awhile to realize how little it does wrong.
A lot of gear is colored to sound great on a first, brief, listen. After awhile, however, you get tired of the coloration. This is done because most people impulsively buy after a short listen. Manufacturers know this. Most of them are primarily interested in making a sale. They don't care if you burn out on the coloration six months on.
The "boring" gear might not make the best first impression, but the good "boring" stuff is what holds up in the long run.
Though I should add that you've barely skimmed the surface of open headphones. There are a lot you haven't tried. Further, you need to hear them on different amps. The HD-800 is picky about amps. If you haven't heard it on a good tube amp, you still haven't really heard the HD-800. Same with the O2. It is a different animal when amped correctly. Do not draw conclusions until you've heard more open cans on good amps.
A lot of gear is colored to sound great on a first, brief, listen. After awhile, however, you get tired of the coloration. This is done because most people impulsively buy after a short listen. Manufacturers know this. Most of them are primarily interested in making a sale. They don't care if you burn out on the coloration six months on.
The "boring" gear might not make the best first impression, but the good "boring" stuff is what holds up in the long run.
Though I should add that you've barely skimmed the surface of open headphones. There are a lot you haven't tried. Further, you need to hear them on different amps. The HD-800 is picky about amps. If you haven't heard it on a good tube amp, you still haven't really heard the HD-800. Same with the O2. It is a different animal when amped correctly. Do not draw conclusions until you've heard more open cans on good amps.
