[fjrabon]

Hello all, how do hd800's do with classic rock? Found a new pair for $875.00 and after listening to them at RMAF I will most likely purchase them. I currently have the 700's with a nice tube amp (Elise) and just want better.

Thanks

I like mine a lot with well mastered classic rock.  I do equalize them with sonarworks.  If you use some form of ***HIGH QUALITY*** EQ, I find that the HD800 can excel at any genre.  I listen to everything from classical, to jazz, to blues, to prog rock, to classical rock, to alt country, to folk, to modern rock, to heavy metal, to electronic, to pop, to world.  I could keep going.  

 

[MikePio]

This might sound kind of strange but is it possible that "repainting" the HD800's can alter the sound signature? 

 

[fjrabon]

  This might sound kind of strange but is it possible that "repainting" the HD800's can alter the sound signature? 

possible, though unlikely to make an audible difference.  In theory the paint could impact the resonance of the plastic support structure.  

 

[MikePio]

 
possible, though unlikely to make an audible difference.  In theory the paint could impact the resonance of the plastic support structure.  

 
Eventually one day I might get them repainted, but for now the paint seems to be holding up nicely. I just can't believe how Sennheiser could release a headphone of this quality/caliber and price with the paint chipping off even with extreme handling and care. That is like buying a Ferrari and couple months later the paint is peeling off! That is really unacceptable in my opinion, I think it spoils an otherwise incredible headphone. 

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I think it's part of why resell value of the HD800 is going down to ~$800, together with HD800S. I'm predicting we'll see it sink to $700 within the year.

 

[thekorsen]

I think it's part of why resell value of the HD800 is going down to ~$800, together with HD800S. I'm predicting we'll see it sink to $700 within the year.

Its already there if you negotiate right. I got my pair, near mint condition in box, for sub $700.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Its already there if you negotiate right. I got my pair, near mint condition in box, for sub $700.

lol guess I'm a bad negotiator. 

 

[Rozenberg]

  I think it's part of why resell value of the HD800 is going down to ~$800, together with HD800S. I'm predicting we'll see it sink to $700 within the year.

Been so low already in Europe with lowest record of 350€, 460€, 580€ and 650€. With the used price being this low, it's probably one of the best value headphones you can find, together with HE-6 (~700€). Though both require proper amping, but hey that's the fun part.

 

[MikePio]

  Been so low already in Europe with lowest record of 350€, 460€, 580€ and 650€. With the used price being this low, it's probably one of the best value headphones you can find, together with HE-6 (~700€). Though both require proper amping, but hey that's the fun part.

 
That is insane... I paid way too much for mine when I bought them brand new. Great value for someone looking to give the HD800's a go, risky but for that price worth every penny. Do you guys also have this issue with these headphones, I have a collection of albums that sound good with the HD800's, yesterday I played a new one and the production and quality left me blown away again. The production was superb and the sound really spectacular. I kind of feel sad though...  since the rest of my collection isn't even close in terms of production. Kind of makes me enjoy my music a bit less to be honest. 

 I guess there are worse things in the audio world to be concerned about! 

 

[thekorsen]

   
That is insane... I paid way too much for mine when I bought them brand new. Great value for someone looking to give the HD800's a go, risky but for that price worth every penny. Do you guys also have this issue with these headphones, I have a collection of albums that sound good with the HD800's, yesterday I played a new one and the production and quality left me blown away again. The production was superb and the sound really spectacular. I kind of feel sad though...  since the rest of my collection isn't even close in terms of production. Kind of makes me enjoy my music a bit less to be honest. 

 I guess there are worse things in the audio world to be concerned about! 

I found my answer to that in EQing (flavoring), tube amplification (adds varying distortion and smoothness) and OOYH (spacial manipulation). The way I see it, the HD800 are absolutely fantastic at reproducing audio in terms of accuracy and space, but their stock presentation is heavily biased towards certain genres and production styles. By manipulating the audio that goes in, one can change the presentation out to an extent. Thus I've found specific combinations of these things that can make the HD800s excel at certain recordings more than I felt it did previously, like electronica, piano heavy pieces, or pieces recorded in a very spacially flat manner.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

  piano heavy pieces, 

go on...

 

[beowulf]

  Been so low already in Europe with lowest record of 350€, 460€, 580€ and 650€. With the used price being this low, it's probably one of the best value headphones you can find, together with HE-6 (~700€). Though both require proper amping, but hey that's the fun part.

I tend to agree on the value part in general, some great deals out there.
Not so much on the amping... that's a drawback to me on the 800/800S. Even if the price is low you're doomed to have to spend more if you don't have reasonable amping already (and I mention this becausue I've had a couple of friends who got the 800 stretching the budget and forgot it would cost them a lot more than they thought, given the required source adding a bare minimum of maybe $400 at best...)

 

[MikePio]

  I found my answer to that in EQing (flavoring), tube amplification (adds varying distortion and smoothness) and OOYH (spacial manipulation). The way I see it, the HD800 are absolutely fantastic at reproducing audio in terms of accuracy and space, but their stock presentation is heavily biased towards certain genres and production styles. By manipulating the audio that goes in, one can change the presentation out to an extent. Thus I've found specific combinations of these things that can make the HD800s excel at certain recordings more than I felt it did previously, like electronica, piano heavy pieces, or pieces recorded in a very spacially flat manner.

 
The most I do with my HD800 is add slight crossfeed and I have a pair of black treasures CV181-Z from a buffer (actually makes the sound slightly fuller and wider) though doesn't impart any major tube flavor like a traditional tube amplifier since from what I know it is a cathode follower with 100% negative feedback. I am happy with the sound on majority of recordings, but some few albums are so well produced that the difference is truly stunning. I don't think I have another headphones that does that... but perhaps EQ would remedy that to some degree. One day I would really like to purchase a real tube amplifier, but right now I really like the HA-5000 amplifier and it is top quality for SS. Detailed, airy and smooth just missing a bit of substance or fullness to the sound. I think to better the performance in a tube amplifier, I would have to spend lots of money... 

 

[thekorsen]

  go on...

EQing the 2-4khz range to counter the dip most HD800s have in that range is crucial for pianos, as their presence region spans from 2-5khz. A boost from 80-120 hz will also help improve the fullness and strengthen the HD800's already lacking polite bass. I use this chart for reference btw, it is extremely helpful for figuring out where to start when EQing for specific parts of a song. Be careful with EQing 4-6khz though, as that is the greater presence region, and upping that too much will result in sibilance and an overly intimate presentation. And vice versa, a decrease there will result in a veiled effect on instruments but a deeper staging experience.

 

[thekorsen]

  
The most I do with my HD800 is add slight crossfeed and I have a pair of black treasures CV181-Z from a buffer (actually makes the sound slightly fuller and wider) though doesn't impart any major tube flavor like a traditional tube amplifier since from what I know it is a cathode follower with 100% negative feedback. I am happy with the sound on majority of recordings, but some few albums are so well produced that the difference is truly stunning. I don't think I have another headphones that does that... but perhaps EQ would remedy that to some degree. One day I would really like to purchase a real tube amplifier, but right now I really like the HA-5000 amplifier and it is top quality for SS. Detailed, airy and smooth just missing a bit of substance or fullness to the sound. I think to better the performance in a tube amplifier, I would have to spend lots of money... 

If you ever have a spare $140 try to find a used Vali 2 with some tubes on the side, it's a great and cheapish step into tube audio. Compared to my Fiio k5 it really added a great deal of space and responded very well to different tubes, 6sn7s are especially good on it but require adapters to use.
 
As far as trying to manipulate a recording's overall presentation and spacing, I found OOYH to be a great tool. The various speaker effects each provide different layering and spacing of the music, but I found EQ must also be utilized in conjunction to it as some of the settings have unfavorable dips and peaks. It also greatly benefits from another software to upmix from 2 channels to 8 channels, which can be feed into OOYH to utilize the full 7.1 effect.