nw130d
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2011
- Posts
- 220
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- 27
Just a fair warning (this is not a review) I am going to call out how terrible of an investment the HD 800 are. The comments is in the context of the price and diminishing returns. Which I hope future buyers will be warned as it was not in any of the many reviews I have read! I will reiterate that the HD 800 are not bad set of cans, however...
A quick background to how it lead up to the HD800. I been following the Head Fi community for a few years now. Didn't post much, as I don't feel I have anything new to contribute till now. Discussions to me can be entertaining but end of day they are just discussions, not science or falsifiable statements, hence the famously used quotes "in my opinion". As I read reviews and many statements over the last few years it quickly became apparent I need a "reference headphone" a set of cans that most people compare their new purchase with, thus I know what they are thinking. Easy to say in the earlier days those were the HD580/600/650, K701, DT880. I haven't collected any official statistics, however it appears today the HD600/650 is the common reference cans most others compare and reference their new purchase with.
Now my logic is headphones are ideal for isolating the listener from the world, and to save any poor souls who does not enjoy my taste of music (but really they should give it try and enjoy it with me). With that the only logical purchase is closed headphones, for sure not open! If open, I might as well listen to speakers. To some who will now think, speakers don't get you every bit of detail and I would agree. But kicker is with open headphones you are getting background noise and interference. So I ask what is extra detail and resolution without being able to isolate it from the background? Answer is useless detail mixed in with all the other background noise. So if I wanted to listen to music and background noise why not do it in fashion, with some speakers and throw in some room acoustics and real imaging for kicks? But reluctantly I still purchased the HD580 and also HD600 which I still have. I do enjoy the HD 600 as much as the next guy but if I want to be immersed in the music I go for my closed cans.
The HD 600 serves it purpose well. Any review I read about new set of cans that just come out, I can almost always find reviews comparing them to the HD 600. I do own some bigger hitter closed headphones that is superior in some or many ways to the HD 600 (in measurements and other peoples reviews). With that I also been hearing many-many-many good things about the HD800 ever since it came out, don't think I am alone on that one. With some hard research mostly of measurements test on the HD800. I came to the assumpted conclusion that the HD800 is detail monsters, guess the proper term would be resolution along with one of best at imaging. Knowing the best closed headphones are still slightly behind open, I decided I want the new king of reviewed and referenced headphones by all other cans are compared to in the "summit fi" aka "flag ship" or what you may call it.
Upon receiving of the HD800 I was shocked! No not in a good way. Even before I plugged it in I noticed many many imperfections, now I do not have OCD, these weren't minor imperfections. One of the ear cups on the black plastic appeared to be spilled coffee or some kind of beverage, maybe these were hand built with consumption of an early morning coffee? Another is one of the pivot upon which the ear cups hang is noticeably stiffer, while other one flops about on the same axes. The inner lining mesh was creased up. Even the plastic extrusions are far from perfect. Now I read all day long of some people bashing made in China or other Asian made headphones, how they are low quality but honest truth is both my K550 and SRH1540 is of better build, just to name a few (the basic materials used on the HD800 is better, but key is only some). Far as I know the HD800 I bought are new and appear new. No scratches, dust, finger prints anywhere on them.
The most important, sound. From the reviews I was expecting at least 20% better in most aspects compared to the HD 600. The true is far from that, all things considered the HD800 is marginally better if that than the HD600 or any of my other cans. If one were to compare only 1 attribute yes HD800 may excel in that particulate quality. But one can also name another quality HD800 fail to compare at. One of the HD 800 most enduring quality is it's resolution, ability to be transparent and just get on with producing what was recorded. Even then it is somewhat colored bright just as much as the HD600 is colored dark. I asked my self well it could be the mic and gear used in recording, my dac, amp , or mixing artiest that colored the sound? With that the same file over HD600 sounded darker. So if everything stayed the same with exception of headphones, the headphones is then the alternating variable. Therefor headphone is what changed the sound. With that I no longer questioned my gear just headphones. Now some of you will say "sinergy" man "sinergy" you need the right amp (or bs cables, no before you troll google "superconductors") or what ever it maybe with your HD800. So I ask I need alterations in the form of "colored" gear to get my HD 800 sound natural? Why don't I just buy natural sounding headphone in the first place? Some may ask well what is natural to you? I can only say I use classical, guitar, drum, piano solos to see if it sounds like the real thing.
I will wrap up with a take away message. The HD800 is a good pair of headphone. With price of at least 300% if not more in cost then the many other good headphones of today. Are you getting a better sound? In some ways yes but not as big as you think. Maybe at most 10% improvement in some areas and others which they fail. Overall I would say they average only about 3-4% better in overall audio quality than the $400-$600 headphones of today. Where does these 10,3,4% come from, what scale? Think HD800 is 100%, Apple ear buds as 50%, intercom as 10% (note I do not mean HD800 is perfect at 100%, simply a scale). Now questions is for people who are looking to buy the HD800 or any flagship headphones, are you ready to pay 300% mark up on price to get 3-4% better audio quality? And no you are not getting better build quality or comfort.
A quick background to how it lead up to the HD800. I been following the Head Fi community for a few years now. Didn't post much, as I don't feel I have anything new to contribute till now. Discussions to me can be entertaining but end of day they are just discussions, not science or falsifiable statements, hence the famously used quotes "in my opinion". As I read reviews and many statements over the last few years it quickly became apparent I need a "reference headphone" a set of cans that most people compare their new purchase with, thus I know what they are thinking. Easy to say in the earlier days those were the HD580/600/650, K701, DT880. I haven't collected any official statistics, however it appears today the HD600/650 is the common reference cans most others compare and reference their new purchase with.
Now my logic is headphones are ideal for isolating the listener from the world, and to save any poor souls who does not enjoy my taste of music (but really they should give it try and enjoy it with me). With that the only logical purchase is closed headphones, for sure not open! If open, I might as well listen to speakers. To some who will now think, speakers don't get you every bit of detail and I would agree. But kicker is with open headphones you are getting background noise and interference. So I ask what is extra detail and resolution without being able to isolate it from the background? Answer is useless detail mixed in with all the other background noise. So if I wanted to listen to music and background noise why not do it in fashion, with some speakers and throw in some room acoustics and real imaging for kicks? But reluctantly I still purchased the HD580 and also HD600 which I still have. I do enjoy the HD 600 as much as the next guy but if I want to be immersed in the music I go for my closed cans.
The HD 600 serves it purpose well. Any review I read about new set of cans that just come out, I can almost always find reviews comparing them to the HD 600. I do own some bigger hitter closed headphones that is superior in some or many ways to the HD 600 (in measurements and other peoples reviews). With that I also been hearing many-many-many good things about the HD800 ever since it came out, don't think I am alone on that one. With some hard research mostly of measurements test on the HD800. I came to the assumpted conclusion that the HD800 is detail monsters, guess the proper term would be resolution along with one of best at imaging. Knowing the best closed headphones are still slightly behind open, I decided I want the new king of reviewed and referenced headphones by all other cans are compared to in the "summit fi" aka "flag ship" or what you may call it.
Upon receiving of the HD800 I was shocked! No not in a good way. Even before I plugged it in I noticed many many imperfections, now I do not have OCD, these weren't minor imperfections. One of the ear cups on the black plastic appeared to be spilled coffee or some kind of beverage, maybe these were hand built with consumption of an early morning coffee? Another is one of the pivot upon which the ear cups hang is noticeably stiffer, while other one flops about on the same axes. The inner lining mesh was creased up. Even the plastic extrusions are far from perfect. Now I read all day long of some people bashing made in China or other Asian made headphones, how they are low quality but honest truth is both my K550 and SRH1540 is of better build, just to name a few (the basic materials used on the HD800 is better, but key is only some). Far as I know the HD800 I bought are new and appear new. No scratches, dust, finger prints anywhere on them.
The most important, sound. From the reviews I was expecting at least 20% better in most aspects compared to the HD 600. The true is far from that, all things considered the HD800 is marginally better if that than the HD600 or any of my other cans. If one were to compare only 1 attribute yes HD800 may excel in that particulate quality. But one can also name another quality HD800 fail to compare at. One of the HD 800 most enduring quality is it's resolution, ability to be transparent and just get on with producing what was recorded. Even then it is somewhat colored bright just as much as the HD600 is colored dark. I asked my self well it could be the mic and gear used in recording, my dac, amp , or mixing artiest that colored the sound? With that the same file over HD600 sounded darker. So if everything stayed the same with exception of headphones, the headphones is then the alternating variable. Therefor headphone is what changed the sound. With that I no longer questioned my gear just headphones. Now some of you will say "sinergy" man "sinergy" you need the right amp (or bs cables, no before you troll google "superconductors") or what ever it maybe with your HD800. So I ask I need alterations in the form of "colored" gear to get my HD 800 sound natural? Why don't I just buy natural sounding headphone in the first place? Some may ask well what is natural to you? I can only say I use classical, guitar, drum, piano solos to see if it sounds like the real thing.
I will wrap up with a take away message. The HD800 is a good pair of headphone. With price of at least 300% if not more in cost then the many other good headphones of today. Are you getting a better sound? In some ways yes but not as big as you think. Maybe at most 10% improvement in some areas and others which they fail. Overall I would say they average only about 3-4% better in overall audio quality than the $400-$600 headphones of today. Where does these 10,3,4% come from, what scale? Think HD800 is 100%, Apple ear buds as 50%, intercom as 10% (note I do not mean HD800 is perfect at 100%, simply a scale). Now questions is for people who are looking to buy the HD800 or any flagship headphones, are you ready to pay 300% mark up on price to get 3-4% better audio quality? And no you are not getting better build quality or comfort.