[James-uk]

My nightmare:   I pay upwards of five grand for a pair or SR-009's and amplification.  

And still prefer my HD800's with a good tube amp.     

Tell me about it! It would make for a very expensive paperweight! The other thing that worried me about electrostats is reliability . I hear to much talk of channel imbalance and blown driver. The HD800 is built so well and the drivers are so perfect that I can imagine them still going strong a long time after I'm dead and buried.

 

[Zoom25]

I wonder if there is a HD900 is works. They spent like 5 years working on the HD800. Although at the moment they don't have really have much reason in releasing it considering how well the HD800 continues to sell today with no real threat by other manufacturers.
 
If there was indeed a HD900 in the works, what physical changes would you like to see to further improve upon the HD800?

 

[listen4joy]

i listen to one of my favorite songs in youtube with my new  hd800 and i most consider i still dont have any amp or dac (on the way).
 
LUCIO DALLA @ CARUSO
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2VRd8EtYzM
 
Lara Fabian -Caruso 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zghquyoOZ0
 
Just terrific , awasome i love how this headphone built so good and designed so well
sound fabulous.
 
damn god.

 

[Bartez75]

  I wonder if there is a HD900 is works. They spent like 5 years working on the HD800. Although at the moment they don't have really have much reason in releasing it considering how well the HD800 continues to sell today with no real threat by other manufacturers.
 
If there was indeed a HD900 in the works, what physical changes would you like to see to further improve upon the HD800?

 
I think they will call it HD1000 or maybe not so it will not be mixed with AKG1000

 

[pearljam50000]

lol
Anyways the HD800's soundstage is better than the 009's, and everyone agrees on that and its the very important to me, i want headphones that sounds as close as possible to speakers.

 

[Sonido]

To me the big thing the SR-009 had over the HD800 was a sweeter, more natural and organic tonality. Other than that, I'd say the HD800 was even superior in details. This was comparing HD800 with GS-X mk2 vs SR-009 on BHSE at the HeadAmp table.

 

[ubs28]

lol
Anyways the HD800's soundstage is better than the 009's, and everyone agrees on that and its the very important to me, i want headphones that sounds as close as possible to speakers.

I don't own the HD800, but I have heard it on a good setup and I have also listened to high-end speakers costing multiples of the HD800. To my ears the soundstage of the HD800 was bigger than those high end speakers. I thought the soundstage of the speakers was more realistic. 

 

[JMcMasterJ]

I started with some random A/Bing of HPs today and honed in on the following set-ups:

1. Gungnir -->BH Crack w/SB --> HD 800
2. Gungnir --> KGSShv --> Stax SR 007 mk1

I did this for an hour or so only with the same tracks but the only problem I see with my experimenting is with the volume levels on two different amps. I was simply blown away with combo 1. Larger soundstage (no surprise), better detail (noticeable) and actually deeper bass on some of the tracks where I expected the 007 to go deeper. I need to go back and do this for 3-4 hours during the weekend but this is what my ears are telling me.

I agree. I think the 007 has an advantage in tone and non-fatiguing sound, but the HD800 does better in technicalities. It's nice to own both!

 

[Maxvla]

I think they will call it HD1000 or maybe not so it will not be mixed with AKG1000

There is already an HD1000, the Charleston.

 

[James-uk]

I agree. I think the 007 has an advantage in tone and non-fatiguing sound, but the HD800 does better in technicalities. It's nice to own both!

If you had to keep one which would it be?

 

[JMcMasterJ]

If you had to keep one which would it be?

 
I've alternated between the two, but I currently own the HD800. I think they are different enough to justify owning both. I probably wouldn't own both the HD800 and 009.

 

[Chodi]

I have the HD800's and I have auditioned the 007's in my home. To me they sound nothing alike. The 007's are much darker sounding (some would call it warm). I really see no comparison between the two. I can see why some would like the 007's over the HD800 but not me. I was ready to keep them but I kept the HD800's as I felt that for classical music there was no contest the HD800's were superior in every respect. I did not try the 009 as it was out of my price range.

 

[MacedonianHero]

  I wonder if there is a HD900 is works. They spent like 5 years working on the HD800. Although at the moment they don't have really have much reason in releasing it considering how well the HD800 continues to sell today with no real threat by other manufacturers.
 
If there was indeed a HD900 in the works, what physical changes would you like to see to further improve upon the HD800?

Well, I'm lucky to have all three headphones here (SR-007Mk1, SR-009, HD800) and I love all three. In terms of details, I'd easily rank them SR-009 >> HD800 > SR-007Mk1. In terms of soundstaging: HD800>SR-009>SR-007Mk1. But in terms of my overall preferences when all things are said and done, I'd rank them: SR-009 > SR-007Mk1 > HD800s. With the LCD-X's, the HD800s are easily my favourite dynamic headphones and truly end game headphones. 

 

[SilverEars]

Just compared D2's HPO and DAC2.  DAC2's HPO is really a bad match for HD800.  It sounds flat lacking dynamics and stage, and it doesn't push the HD800 to push out details like the Hugo. Normally, HD800 should sound spacious, but with DAC2, it's pretty flat, so I'm puzzled. It's the most harsh sound I've experienced with the HD800 preventing raising the volume up for dynamics if there are any.  It's worse than Hugo with the HD800.  But, with iems, DAC2 performs better than the D2 and Hugo, it's sounds very accurate and real with iems.  D2 sounds dry with iems, but not with HD800. Possibly, it needs to be be dry at a more sensitive level to be detailed with less sensitive headphones like the HD800.  I'm noticing a trend of integrated DAC/Amp with high resolution with iems, but not so with HD800(Hugo and DAC2 being in that trend).  I'm guessing you can't match both iems and HD800 at the same time with the same amp.  
 
I personally think the D2 is the best integrated DAC/Amp I've heard with the HD800.  Possibly, the DAC2 needs an amp that can push out the resolution better than the built in amp.

 

[SilverEars]

  Just compared D2's HPO and DAC2.  DAC2's HPO is really a bad match for HD800.  It sounds flat lacking dynamics and stage, and it doesn't push the HD800 to push out details like the Hugo. Normally, HD800 should sound spacious, but with DAC2, it's pretty flat, so I'm puzzled. It's the most harsh sound I've experienced with the HD800 preventing raising the volume up for dynamics if there are any.  It's worse than Hugo with the HD800.  But, with iems, DAC2 performs better than the D2 and Hugo, it's sounds very accurate and real with iems.  D2 sounds dry with iems, but not with HD800. Possibly, it needs to be be dry at a more sensitive level to be detailed with less sensitive headphones like the HD800.  I'm noticing a trend of integrated DAC/Amp with high resolution with iems, but not so with HD800(Hugo and DAC2 being in that trend).  I'm guessing you can't match both iems and HD800 at the same time with the same amp.  
 
I personally think the D2 is the best integrated DAC/Amp I've heard with the HD800.  Possibly, the DAC2 needs an amp that can push out the resolution better than the built in amp.

Actually, I may not have the right gain set on the DAC2.  Overall volume from 2'OC to max doesn't change, but it sound like it's pushing details that were subtle at 2'OC.  Like I said earlier, there is a difference between D2 and DAC2's details.  D2 is dry so it puts out bold treble(gives perception of details, but would reduce accuracy or realism), but the DAC2 has more of a palette to it's treble so the treble spectrum seems continuous vs D2 being a bit discontinuous.  This creates more accuracy in the sound.  Hugo has a discontinuous treble to mids if you listen from HD800, but not with iems.
 
Anyway, comparisons are subjective, and I am changing my opinion it seems, but with more listen I think I will have a more definite conclusion if the DAC2 is better sounding to me.  Right now with volume at the right level, DAC2 HPO does indeed put out the details that needs to be picked up.  I know it is indeed very resolving because my CIEM sound like cans with it.  No other DACs has done that with my CIEM.  I always figured iems were limited in performace to cans, but it's getting really close with the DAC2 HPO.
 
DAC2 is the harshest of all, and if this reduce this and retain the details, it would be much of an improvement.