[MacedonianHero]

  sure, in the future they may update their flagship, but there aren't any credible rumors out currently right now.
 
next year is a possibility, but i wouldn't get your hopes up.

^ Bingo!

 

[RUMAY408]

   
Having auditioned the stock HE-560 a few times, to me the sound quality of the HE-560 making it like a "baby HD800".
But seeing that Sennheiser has not discontinued the HD600 and 650, I don't think they will discontinue the HD800 just yet as people are still buying them

I think "baby HD800" is a good description that was my opinion at a recent meet.  A modded 560 at the Music City meet struck me as the bang for your buck winner at that meet.
 
The HD800 is still my favorite HP.

 

[MickeyVee]

I owned the HE560 for a while.  Although it really is a good headphone, I kept putting it aside for the HD800.  Now, If I didn't own the HD800, the HE560 may be the next best headphone I have owned and would have been satisfied.  It's really an HD800 wanna be, close but no cigar with the HD800 excelling in every regard.  I ended up selling the HE560 after 6 weeks.  Ended up with the HE400i because it was different enough, had lower expectations and it works well with my AK100 II around the house for casual/fun listening.
 
I still think it's going to be a while before the HD800 gets dethroned (especially given some of the great prices I've seen on them lately).
 
Quote:

 
But wouldn't you say the HE-560 which you own is probably putting the heat on Sennheiser to speed R&D? HE-560 is a really, really good pair of headphones from what I have been told and quite a few prefer it to the HD800. I think that is enough to convince Sennheiser that they should up their game a bit, if not this year, certainly the next.

 

[sirpandalot]

I owned the HE560 for a while.  Although it really is a good headphone, I kept putting it aside for the HD800.  Now, If I didn't own the HD800, the HE560 may be the next best headphone I have owned and would have been satisfied.  It's really an HD800 wanna be, close but no cigar with the HD800 excelling in every regard.  I ended up selling the HE560 after 6 weeks.  Ended up with the HE400i because it was different enough, had lower expectations and it works well with my AK100 II around the house for casual/fun listening.

 
Coming from HE 500, I hope I get the same satisfaction as you when i get my HD 800 next week! Although I probably will still keep my HE500 for a while 

 

[ruthieandjohn]

I have both the HD800 and the HE-500. The thing that the HE-500 does that my HD 800 does not (even though amped by Sennheiser's own HDVD 800) is to provide viscerally palpable bass, bass that you can feel, while still giving excellent high frequencies and speed. The only other headphones I have that do that are IEMs (the AKG K3003 and the T-PEOS H200). My Beats Studio 2013 can provide similar bass, but does not have the same treble transparency (perhaps due to its active noise cancelling). The Yamaha PRO 500, also a bass headphone, does a better job on the treble, but is just a bit weaker in the bass.

 

[Sorrodje]

I like my HD800 a lot some of the time; it's dependent on the recording like no other phone I've had. It's less a frequency response thing (the highs), and more of the way it can make a vocal or other sustained-note instrument sound hashy or raspy
if it's on the recording. When things are lined up well, it's like no other phone, and just superb though.
Even Stax 009s are not nearly as sensitive or variable with the recording. The HD800 is variable in presenting the texture of each musical component.
Therefore I never recommend it to a novice or someone just starting out in the world of high end audiophile headphones.

I definitely agree.

 

[MattTCG]

 
But wouldn't you say the HE-560 which you own is probably putting the heat on Sennheiser to speed R&D? HE-560 is a really, really good pair of headphones from what I have been told and quite a few prefer it to the HD800. I think that is enough to convince Sennheiser that they should up their game a bit, if not this year, certainly the next.

 
Not to my ears. The hd800 embarrasses the he560 on imaging, sound stage and separation. But the real defining difference between the two is tone. On a good amp/dac the hd800 reproduces a truly realistic tone of voices and instruments that the he560 just can not match. I owned both hp's together for two months. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the he560 for what it offers at it's price point.

 

[EddieE]

I think it’s possible the current HD800 are being discontinued for an improved version. Not an HD900 per se, but more like an HD800-ii.
 
It’s natural that US stores would have stock for longer if it was discontinued. Sennheiser US probably imports stock in larger quantities from Europe to keep costs down.
 
In Europe, stores can top up stock as and when at little cost, since they are made in Germany, and so likely keep smaller stocks which will run out quicker when discontinued.
 
Anyway, I don’t see how a revision would be a bad thing. Despite being very innovative in world-class in certain areas, it’s a flawed headphone.
 
If given the licence to by Sennheiser, why would Grell and the high end team not want to continue to improve the design with time?

 

[Sorrodje]

Anyway, I don’t see how a revision would be a bad thing. Despite being very innovative in world-class in certain areas, it’s a flawed headphone.  
If given the licence to by Sennheiser, why would Grell and the high end team not want to continue to improve the design with time?

 
Sure.
 
But working on "flaws" ( which one ? Lack of speed against Stats ? Acoustics resonnance ? sub bass distorsion under 30 hz ? ) is not an easy task. improving something could also brings a new flaw elsewhere. The HD800 is surely a flawed headphone but improve it without shortcoming is a true challenge that could cost a lot of R&D time for Sennheiser. R&D time costs money. Lot of money and HD800 sales are maybe the best in the entire Hi End headphone world so why Invest so much money right now ?
 
If you're talking about FR such as "too much treble for your tastes" or " not enough bass for your music" or "not enough bodied mids for me" . Then we're not talking about "flaws" but about personal preferences. Right ? 
 
Improving things for your tastes could be problematic for other people who haven't the same preferences. 
 
Do the new competitors such as Audeze LCD3F or LCD-X or HE560 or AKG K812 outperform the HD800 ? Obviously the answer is no even if they're more enjoyable for many people.  Do Stax Omegas or Jpslabs Abyss ouperform the HD800 ? Obviously for some points yes , and not for others and we all know experienced audiophiles who choosed the HD800 over Omegas or Abyss for their TOTL rig.  
 
My point is not to say that the HD800 is the best headphone in the world. My point is : Why Sennheiser would be obliged to release a new headphone to replace the HD800 while it currently competes with the best headphone in the world and while Senn sells 6000 pairs per year.
 
What do you want guys ? More Drama or what?

 

[EddieE]

   
Sure.
 
But working on "flaws" ( which one ? Lack of speed against Stats ? Acoustics resonnance ? sub bass distorsion under 30 hz ? ) is not an easy task. improving something could also brings a new flaw elsewhere. The HD800 is surely a flawed headphone but improve it without shortcoming is a true challenge that could cost a lot of R&D time for Sennheiser. R&D time costs money. Lot of money and HD800 sales are maybe the best in the entire Hi End headphone world so why Invest so much money right now ?
 
If you're talking about FR such as "too much treble for your tastes" or " not enough bass for your music" or "not enough bodied mids for me" . Then we're not talking about "flaws" but about personal preferences. Right ? 
 
Improving things for your tastes could be problematic for other people who haven't the same preferences. 
 
Do the new competitors such as Audeze LCD3F or LCD-X or HE560 or AKG K812 outperform the HD800 ? Obviously the answer is no even if they're more enjoyable for many people.  Do Stax Omegas or Jpslabs Abyss ouperform the HD800 ? Obviously for some points yes , and not for others and we all know experienced audiophiles who choosed the HD800 over Omegas or Abyss for their TOTL rig.  
 
My point is not to say that the HD800 is the best headphone in the world. My point is : Why Sennheiser would be obliged to release a new headphone to replace the HD800 while it currently competes with the best headphone in the world and while Senn sells 6000 pairs per year.
 
What do you want guys ? More Drama or what?

 
I can identify 3 obvious areas for improvement:
 
1) The damping issue highlighted by the Anaxilus mod. If your flagship can be objectively improved with a small piece of felt, I can imagine its engineers might want to take the solution into their own hands.
 
2) Not really a big deal, but it is missing a few db of sub bass to be called linear. It’s an area for improvement, even if it’s not exactly make-or-break. That distortion under 30db is really not audible as bass at that level is just rumble anyway.
 
The biggest problem of all though is, as you point out, a bit more preference based…
 
3) The curve it is engineered towards is basically wrong.
 
It looks a lot to me like they tuned these to the diffuse field equalisation curve. If they didn’t, it’s uncanny how similar the uncompensated response is to it. If they did, well hats off to them for a great engineering job, but it’s still wrong. The diffuse field curve is not appropriate for headphones as it does not lead to a subjectively neutral response.
 
The curve used by Innerfidelity, Headroom and everyone else is also clearly wrong – even the brightest headphones show as having attenuated upper mids and treble, so I really don’t know why we persevere with it when we all know it’s wrong.
 
The closest I have seen to a curve that leads to a plot that actually looks like the headphones sound is the Harman/Olive curve. The sub-bass is a little wrong and shows sub bass lower than it should be, but from mids to high frequencies it seems to be a perfect match to my subjective impressions.
 
With that curve we can see the problems with the HD800’s FR  very clearly - a pretty extreme 10db rise from 1k to 6k and then some wild peaky high frequencies beyond. That shows what I hear.
 
I guess this point 3 should be more aimed at the HD900 though. The HD800 are what they are, and are not really my cup of tea, which is a shame as some of the things they do (crazy low distortion, best sound staging in any headphones yet, incredibly fast transients, smooth sweet mids) I love.
 
I just cannot deal with that wonky, unnatural frequency response. 

 

[dxanex]

All's I know is that I've been in this hobby for over 4 years now, read a lot of BS and seen crazy hype come and go. I've heard some of the most expensive headphones in the word at various meets, and at the end of the day the HD 800 is still one of the best headphones I've ever listened to, and strived to obtain ever since I first head them at my first head-fi meet.
 
All this talk of a new update/flagship is exciting, but also silly considering every CES everyone seems to think Sennheiser is going to unveil the penultimate headphone (which they already did with the Orpheus) and kill off the HD 800 just like they killed off the crappy HD 650 ---> (sarcasm).
 
I didn't even realize that I've been listening to my HD800 now for over 2 hours and forgot they were even on my head and totally lost track of time. Sure, they aren't for everybody but I don't think Sennheiser is quick to change the formula on a headphone that many consider to be the best in the world. Maybe I'll be proven wrong and whatever new they have up their sleeve will make me turn my nose up at the HD 800 one day, but I doubt it'll be anytime soon. And I doubt I'll be able to afford it without selling off most of my gear anyway.
 
My opinion/rant.

 

[Dopaminer]

 

[icebear]

   
...  
The curve used by Innerfidelity, Headroom and everyone else is also clearly wrong – even the brightest headphones show as having attenuated upper mids and treble, so I really don’t know why we persevere with it when we all know it’s wrong.
 
.....  
I just cannot deal with that wonky, unnatural frequency response. 

 
ROFL

Everyone is wrong and can't see the truth but you is it ?
When was the last time you have actually heard acoustic instruments live ?
Have you listened to acoustic music on the HD800 and it sounds all wrong to you ?

 
 

 

[EddieE]

  All's I know is that I've been in this hobby for over 4 years now, read a lot of BS and seen crazy hype come and go. I've heard some of the most expensive headphones in the word at various meets, and at the end of the day the HD 800 is still one of the best headphones I've ever listened to, and strived to obtain ever since I first head them at my first head-fi meet.
 
All this talk of a new update/flagship is exciting, but also silly considering every CES everyone seems to think Sennheiser is going to unveil the penultimate headphone (which they already did with the Orpheus) and kill off the HD 800 just like they killed off the crappy HD 650 ---> (sarcasm).
 
I didn't even realize that I've been listening to my HD800 now for over 2 hours and forgot they were even on my head and totally lost track of time. Sure, they aren't for everybody but I don't think Sennheiser is quick to change the formula on a headphone that many consider to be the best in the world. Maybe I'll be proven wrong and whatever new they have up their sleeve will make me turn my nose up at the HD 800 one day, but I doubt it'll be anytime soon. And I doubt I'll be able to afford it without selling off most of my gear anyway.
 
My opinion/rant.

 
I agree that I don't think the rumoured new e'stat flagship and the rumoured discontinuation of the HD800 are actually related.
 
My guess is that they are going to discontinue the HD800 for an HD800-ii (or something like that), and that the e'stat flagship will be a totally separate venture. 
 
It would make a lot of business sense to improve it, and in the years since it released they are bound to have found ways to do so.
 
After a few years on the market anyone can breeze into the for sale forums and get the product for less, while other newer products take the “flavour of the month” ribbon.
 
Diminishing returns are natural no matter how good your product is.
 
If they put out an HD800-ii then suddenly no one wants to buy the used HD800, even in perfect condition. A lot of the existing HD800 owners are tempted to upgrade. People like me who liked a lot about the HD800 but didn’t like other things become interested again all of a sudden. It’s the latest and greatest for the crowd that follows the flavour of the month…
 
It’s just good business. 

 

[EddieE]

   
ROFL

Everyone is wrong and can't see the truth but you is it ?
When was the last time you have actually heard acoustic instruments live ?
Have you listened to acoustic music on the HD800 and it sounds all wrong to you ?

 
 

 
... yes I'm certainly the only person in the world to state that the HD800 has an unnatural frequency response. 

 
Many acoustic instruments and vocals actually sound pretty close to perfect on the HD800.
 
They would since it's issues begin around 2khz when the fundamentals are largely over and only become serious around 4khz in the upper registers of their harmonics. 
 
It is percussion - particularly cymbals and brushes on snares, some instruments like harps and picolos, and a lot of sounds found in electronic genres that suffer.
 
People talk about the HD800 being bad with some recordings and good with others like there is some kind of black magic going on.
 
There's no mystery to it at all: If the track has a lot going on above 4khz its going to be painful. If they have little going on above 4khz they are going to sound lovely.