NuForce HP-800 ??? - Page 7

Yeah the comfort is quite good. I get over two hours before it starts to bug the top of my head. I'm thinking of maybe just wrapping a piece of felt or something around the rubber. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craigster75 

Just put on my HP-800.  Thank you to MacedonianHero and Armaegis for the heads up and reviews on these.  I am having a blast!  I am listening at LOUD levels with bass boost on a FiiO E11 and not picking up distortion, just the bliss of a deep sonic ear massage.  These are the perfect basshead complement to my M-100s.  It's not just the bass I am enjoying.  The mids have good detail and the highs extend nicely with no harshness.  I am also pleasantly surprised by the comfort- one of the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn.  These are keepers.

They are fun. I will give them that. I was listening to TOOL Aenima last night and had a great time. Going by experience, I'm certain that the novelty will wear off rather quickly though. But in the meantime.....

Proper fit is crucial. These have the same type of pads as the K550 and you have to get it just right or the bass will be imbalanced. They also use that horrible spring-loaded headband mechanism that the AT-AD headphones have.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beagle 

 

They are fun. I will give them that. I was listening to TOOL Aenima last night and had a great time. Going by experience, I'm certain that the novelty will wear off rather quickly though. But in the meantime.....

 

Proper fit is crucial. These have the same type of pads as the K550 and you have to get it just right or the bass will be imbalanced. They also use that horrible spring-loaded headband mechanism that the AT-AD headphones have.

Just so you know I am not insane, I must admit they have too much bass for 80% of my music.  However for the other 20% which includes pop, EDM, hip hop- holy #$%@!  Agree on the pads.  The big difference with the HP-800 compared to the pads on the K550  is the pads seem more plush and just enough clamping force to get a good seal.  I'm okay with the headband, but I would never use these on-the-go.  I would go as far as to say they are the best sounding monster-bass class of headphone I have heard, but I still much prefer the M-100 for overall SQ, detail, soundstage and portability.  The HP-800 has a place in my humble collection which is saying something since my return to keep ratio is about 5:1.

Hmm, the M-100 was one headphone that I did not particularly cared for in terms of sound (the build quality was nice though). I much preferred  the M80.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craigster75 

Just put on my HP-800.  Thank you to MacedonianHero and Armaegis for the heads up and reviews on these.  I am having a blast!  I am listening at LOUD levels with bass boost on a FiiO E11 and not picking up distortion, just the bliss of a deep sonic ear massage.  These are the perfect basshead complement to my M-100s.  It's not just the bass I am enjoying.  The mids have good detail and the highs extend nicely with no harshness.  I am also pleasantly surprised by the comfort- one of the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn.  These are keepers.

I'm glad you're liking them. Yessiree, they are indeed bass-head friendly headphones. But the bass they do give is actually quite good and not distorted like them Beats headphones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craigster75 

I must admit they have too much bass for 80% of my music................................... I would go as far as to say they are the best sounding monster-bass class of headphone I have heard

Did another listening session. To my ears, these are quite colored, congested and bass-heavy, even more so than yesterday

I listened to some things I have known and been playing for over 30 years.....they sounded all wrong. Stuff sounded muffled and bogged down by heavy bottom end.

Maybe these are good for classical?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beagle 

 

 

Did another listening session. To my ears, these are quite colored, congested and bass-heavy, even more so than yesterday

 

I listened to some things I have known and been playing for over 30 years.....they sounded all wrong. Stuff sounded muffled and bogged down by heavy bottom end.

 

Maybe these are good for classical?

If loving them is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Yes, quite colored and I am using bass boost with them.  They are genre specific, but they shine with those genres.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craigster75 

 

Yes, quite colored and I am using bass boost with them.  .

Like a car that is great on the straightaways but bounces off the road on a curve? Does not sound like something that should have "studio pro and audiophile" ascribed to them, does it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beagle 

 

 

 

 

Like a car that is great on the straightaways but bounces off the road on a curve? Does not sound like something that should have "studio pro and audiophile" ascribed to them, does it?

This is from Velodyne's website describing the VTrue:

True sound. True Style. vTrue®.
vTrue® raises the bar for studio headphones, combining Velodyne’s legendary audio technology and unrivaled design to bring a true sound experience to the most discerning of music lovers.

I point this out because there is no way the marketing person who scribed this ever listened to them.  I think all the headphone marketing people attended the same seminar that gave them the list of buzzwords to use in every description regardless of whether the description applies to their headphone.

FYI, the $150 HP-800 blows the $399 VTrue out of the water.

I will have to give the HP800 the benefit of the doubt and be patient and explore them further.

Maybe I am trying to get Charlize Theron out of Lindsay Lohan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beagle 

I will have to give the HP800 the benefit of the doubt and be patient and explore them further.

 

Maybe I am trying to get Charlize Theron out of Lindsay Lohan.

It pains me to say this, but I am returning them.  After extensive listening, I am picking up some midrange distortion at high volume as described in the PC World review.  I really loved the bass on these.  Lindsay Lohan might not be fair to the HP-800.  Maybe Sophia Vergara?

I think it's the low power handling of the drivers. Coupled with the low-ish sensitivity, they just can't get that loud. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis 

I think it's the low power handling of the drivers. Coupled with the low-ish sensitivity, they just can't get that loud. 

I am thinking of investing in Ultrasone Signature DJs so I can have a satisfying bass experience without worrying about distortion at high volume.

Yeowch that's a big jump in price from the HP-800. Not going to try out one of the cheaper models first?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis 

Yeowch that's a big jump in price from the HP-800. Not going to try out one of the cheaper models first?

I haven't found anything to best my M-100s.  I am picking up Yamaha PRO 500's tomorrow.  If they don't get the job done, I saw the Sig DJs for $725 with a 14-day return.  Any thoughts on those?  High end Ultrasones don't seem to get much love on Head-Fi, but I auditioned the Signature Pro last year and thought they were fantastic.