[chesebert]

Ok thanks. I decided to put the HD800 which is pretty much new up for sale as I can't bare the 6khz peak as I'm pretty young and my CD-Player obv doesn't have EQ and yeah, I don't have the money to upgrade the equipment too, so I decided to let it go even though it´s the best I've heard for raw detail and soundstage so far. So if I can make anyone happy I got it up for sale here. Maybe I'll buy the S version to use without EQ in a couple of months or years when I can afford proper equipment.

800S will not help you. What’s the rest of your gear and your sound preference?

 

[sygnus21]

I think if people stopped listening to other's tell them what their gear should sound like, a lot more people would be happy with what they have.

When I choose to buy any gear, it's never because someone told me what I needed, it's because I researched and found out on my own what was important to me. Listening to some naysayers, I wouldn't have what I have, but I didn't listen to them, and I'm very happy with what got. In short, I never ask people what I should buy. I research first.

That's not to say, you can't ask opinions, but if you don't know what you want to begin with, how can you know the person's opinion is in alignment with your needs?

My one core suggestion is to figure out what you want before you start asking questions - do you want bright, lean, dark, warm, detailed? Here reading / watching video reviews of gear can give you a great idea of what's what and what you may want. Once you figure that out, then the question(s) you ask begin to take shape and meaning.

It also helps to understand, nothing is perfect - there will always be a plus/minus factor in anything you choose. And no matter what you get there's always better, so....

Good luck.

 

[TsukiGermany]

800S will not help you. What’s the rest of your gear and your sound preference?

I do like the sound of the HD800 all in all. I just can't bear the peak. It doesn't sound sibilant to me, but rather fatuigung after a couple of minutes without me being able to point out which element of the music just caused that at all.
Normally I'd say I like neutral or extreme tunings. I like a clean midrange, so not much midbass, as much subbass as possible and a good level of treble, but I need it to be even if its that much. Pinna shouldn't be too much as well. A great example is the IE600 with good subbass and a lot of treble, but clean one. Dead-neutral tuning works well for me too such as HD560S or Softears Studio 4.

As amplifiers I have the Dx3 Pro+, Fiio K7 and Questyle M15, but none of them solves the peak without EQ.

 

[bearFNF]

I do like the sound of the HD800 all in all. I just can't bear the peak. It doesn't sound sibilant to me, but rather fatuigung after a couple of minutes without me being able to point out which element of the music just caused that at all.
Normally I'd say I like neutral or extreme tunings. I like a clean midrange, so not much midbass, as much subbass as possible and a good level of treble, but I need it to be even if its that much. Pinna shouldn't be too much as well. A great example is the IE600 with good subbass and a lot of treble, but clean one. Dead-neutral tuning works well for me too such as HD560S or Softears Studio 4.

As amplifiers I have the Dx3 Pro+, Fiio K7 and Questyle M15, but none of them solves the peak without EQ.

Have you tried the SDR mod? PM "Sorrodje" if interested he may still have some.

And a little light reading if you want more info and another option:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/senn-hd800-ultimate-maxx-mod.879024/

 

[TsukiGermany]

Have you tried the SDR mod? PM "Sorrodje" if interested he may still have some.

And a little light reading if you want more info and another option:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/senn-hd800-ultimate-maxx-mod.879024/

Thank you very much. I'll think about modding it, but I'm not sure as its in brand new condition and maybe looses value after modding it. I got up for sale rn as I have a lot of exams now anyway, but I'll dive deeper into it after them. Would really appreciate the money rn though, because as a student I'd need the money to fund my vacation after the exams

 

[chesebert]

I do like the sound of the HD800 all in all. I just can't bear the peak. It doesn't sound sibilant to me, but rather fatuigung after a couple of minutes without me being able to point out which element of the music just caused that at all.
Normally I'd say I like neutral or extreme tunings. I like a clean midrange, so not much midbass, as much subbass as possible and a good level of treble, but I need it to be even if its that much. Pinna shouldn't be too much as well. A great example is the IE600 with good subbass and a lot of treble, but clean one. Dead-neutral tuning works well for me too such as HD560S or Softears Studio 4.

As amplifiers I have the Dx3 Pro+, Fiio K7 and Questyle M15, but none of them solves the peak without EQ.

If 6khz is your only issue get 800S add 4 plys of toilet paper in front of driver. If sounds too laid back remove 1 ply at a time. Alternatively, NDH30 but the treble is not as emphasized; more like in room speaker response. E3 is also a good contender but your gear will not drive them well. LCDX will also work but upper mid needs some EQ. Composer will also work but you will give up some smooth and harmonically rich mid for better sub bass and Composer is also a bright leaning headphones. Utopia OG is also a contender but you don’t have the gear to get good sub bass. ZMF Auteur Classic is also good but may have too much mid bass hump and too laid back on the treble for your liking.

So no perfect answer in other words. Perhaps upgrade your gear if you want to max out 800/800S?

 

[TsukiGermany]

If 6khz is your only issue get 800S add 4 plys of toilet paper in front of driver. If sounds too laid back remove 1 ply at a time. Alternatively, NDH30 but the treble is not as emphasized; more like in room speaker response. E3 is also a good contender but your gear will not drive them well. LCDX will also work but upper mid needs some EQ. Composer will also work but you will give up some smooth and harmonically rich mid for better sub bass and Composer is also a bright leaning headphones. Utopia OG is also a contender but you don’t have the gear to get good sub bass. ZMF Auteur Classic is also good but may have too much mid bass hump and too laid back on the treble for your liking.

So no perfect answer in other words. Perhaps upgrade your gear if you want to max out 800/800S?

Thank you very much for this guide. I'll look into it after my exams! I'm more of a IEM guy anyways, but the HD800 just has that last bit of resolution I was missing

 

[TsukiGermany]

Just one more question : Will running it balanced help? It'll get more power from my Questyle M15 and Fiio K7 for sure, so does it help bring out the bass a little more or tame the peak or is it just about volume? Because it's already plenty loud SE

 

[Failed Engineer]

Try a trial of the Accurate Sounds convolution filter if you use playback software that is compatible. I think it should solve your issues.

https://accuratesound.ca/product/sennheiser-hd800-filterset/

 

[AgentXXL]

Hey there, does anyone know if one of the following units would be enough to power the HD800 OG well?: Topping DX3 Pro+, Fiio K7 (possibly balnaced), Questyle M15 (possibly balanced). Thank you very much in advance

I'm using a Topping DX7 Pro - the older rectangular model, not the newer rounded ends DX7 Pro+ that's currently available. I wasn't sure it was going to have enough power to drive the HD800 to satisfaction so I ordered a Topping A90 amp to pair with it at the same time. As expected the DX7 Pro wasn't quite up to the task for my ears, but the DX7 Pro as a DAC with the A90 pairing works well. Other A90 owners have also reported that it's a decent mid-budget amp that pairs well with the HD800.

Alas the original DX7 Pro has a design flaw - the MCU in it fails randomly, requiring return to Topping in China for repair. This has happened to me 3 times and other DX7 Pro owners have experienced the same fault. I was able to get 2 spare MCUs from Topping so I could repair the unit myself. I only have 1 left now and am working with another Head-fi member to grab the EPROM image from it so we can buy replacement MCUs from a parts supplier and program them for use with the DX7 Pro. All that means I won't recommend the Topping combo units - the DX3 Pro+ likely wouldn't pair well, but we all have our own unique hearing and neural processing so you never know.

My other pairings with the HD800 that are OK are the Fiio Q5s TC and my original Ray Samuels Audio 'The Intruder'. The DAC in the Intruder is pretty old so I was using it with a CypherLabs DAC (in my signature). Although I rarely use it anymore, I'm not planning to part with the Intruder - it's still a great powerful and portable amp and sees occasional use with my other headphones and IEMs.

 

[shabta]

Just one more question : Will running it balanced help? It'll get more power from my Questyle M15 and Fiio K7 for sure, so does it help bring out the bass a little more or tame the peak or is it just about volume? Because it's already plenty loud SE

You really don't have the best gear for the HD800. But if you want more bass, then use eq rather than trying to eq the headphone by changing amps. But the treble peak is mostly mitigated by the SDR mod. It's easily reversible. The HD800S sounds very similar, so if you want to find out what the mod does, you could try auditioning an HD800S.

 

[sygnus21]

Acoustic Alchemy...

Having not listened to any Alchemy since basically getting them, last week while cruising my library, I stopped at Radio Contact see if I was missing anything. What I came away with was "What a beautiful album". After listening to both Early Alchemy, and The New Edge, I now finish off with Aart....

The only thing that changed is singular to plural - what beautiful albums. Their style is smooth jazz / new age. The core of the sound are the guitars of Nick Webb (ultimately replaced by Miles Gilderdale - Aart, Radio Contact)) Steel String guitar, and Greg Carmichael on nylon string guitar, of which conveys a great sense of depth and emotion.

They're now a main stay in my play list. Yet another reason I ripped my collection.... the rediscoveries.

 

[K3cT]

I'm kinda interested in JAR800 but it seems that impressions are limited in that other forum. The cost is considerable so will be nice if there is some feedback here.

 

[LoveKnight]

Hello everyone. I use an original Sennheiser HD800 with Violectric V550. I found out that most of HD800 sibilances and treble peak come from sources and musics. I have a Melco N100 music server with a USB reclocker and a Matrix S-pdif 3 DDC with no fancy cables. The Dac I currently use is Weiss 205, a Delta Sigma dac. My Sennheiser HD800 was a second hand unit I purchased so I had to replace the headband pad and ear-pads with ZMF products. Fantatic headphone for Jazz, good recording, classical, instrument, gaming. By the way, when I got my HD800 there was a SDR mod inside each heaphone cup and I removed the mod with old ear-pads to clean inside and never put them back just throwing them and the thin old ear-pads to the trash bin.

 

[Fegefeuer]

I'm kinda interested in JAR800 but it seems that impressions are limited in that other forum. The cost is considerable so will be nice if there is some feedback here.

I have posted a few ones here and there. Got limited time right now. Might drop a review here on head-fi sometime to coverall the curiousity. All in all absolutely worth it if you love the original product and seek the perfection of it rather than a transformation into something else. Projects like that all failed.
The JAR800 is a love letter to the HD800.

What you basically get is:

More even tone and linearity in general, special emphasis is upper mid to lower treble transition, openness and transparency. Vocals are laid bare and the already superb technical foundation gets its proper spotlight.

More low level information through the cleaner presentation. More gold in your hands, way less dirt if we made a Klondike analogy. That's the beauty of it. Effortless detail retrieval and how it's presented. The HD 800 drivers always had enormous potential, we knew that.

Better delineation, the stage fades out, no hard borders. Image precision upped, diffusion eliminated.

Subbass is the way it its, don't expect a HE1000SE but look forward to a nice careful uplift in the slam and some upped resolve even there.