Haha I know this is so weird. But it really does make a difference. Try it for yourself!

Haha of course I did not just buy it to compare though. I've been in need of high quality headphones for mixing as noted earlier in the thread. I needed a closed back in the first place so that's why I went for the 820 and it made me want the 800s as well because I really like these headphones...

So I went out of my way and actually bought a 800s as well so now I can do a direct comparison between the two at home. Both amazing headphones with different strengths really. Electronic music and some pop music sounds better and more fun to me on the 820 while classical music, jazz and pop...

My experience is they do leak more then most closed back but much less so then open backs of course.

Well at this price point you do expect them to do a better job in this department then they do to be honest. EQ does seem to help though.

Yeah this is what's happening of course. But it's surprising that this is actually improving the sound. They really did set the bass too high.

Edit: Going to test some other EQ's. Will update this in a while.

Something I've really noticed lately after seeing this graph is how much I prefer the 820 while wearing (thin armed) glasses. I'm a person who usually does anyway so I hadn't really been paying much attention before how the bass performance was without them. But I definitely agree that it have a...

Any updates? :)

thatonenoob I have to say that's some strange comments from a reviewer. "Soundstage good enough for closed"? It runs circles around something like the Utopia and is among the best of any headphone really. I can't really say I agree with the upper mids sounding thin at all either. No offense but...

It's such a weird thing to say but sadly I think it comes down to the shape your head. When I put my 820 on I get a even seal right away where everything is consistent. If I would however then push the headphones towards my head I will also get that bass bump that you seem to be experiencing but...

Beagle again sadly it's very obvious you are not experiencing these headphones the way they should. I would return them if I was you.

I finally got a chance to A-B my 820 headphones against some other top of the class headphones. Namely the Susvara, LCD-4, Utopia and 800s. First of all I do now hear a slight problem with some male vocals in the 820 if you compare them directly with top of the class open designs in a A-B. For...

Beagle I just want to mention that personally I'm not experiencing any problems at all with getting my HD 820 to sit right on my head. I've noticed as well though that by simply opening my mouth the bass completely changes until I close it again so I understand your frustration.

My experience is that the sound leakage is a bit higher then what you would expect from closed backs on loud volumes but still much less then open-backs of course.

Alright my bad if you're in the industry. Of course I'm aware of the problems with resonances in closed-ear headphones. The whole point of the 820 design is that they prevent this and my impression is I feel like they are succeeding in doing this. But of course since I've only had them for a...

Anyway I don't work for sennheiser and it's not my job to sell these headphones to you. My first impression of these headphones have been that they are going to do very well on the pro market. As I belong to that group and not the audiophile market (which really is worlds apart) I'm just going...

No what you seem to fail to understand is that vocals don't sound "cupped" as you describe it in these headphones if they are not recorded in a certain way. Do you own the hd820? Because I do and I can tell you they don't sound cupped in most music at all. (Probably) unlike you I also actually...

Or possibly hd820 is just actually capable of doing something hd800/s wasn't? I haven't listened to this track in a A-B with the hd800/s, but I've listened to a lot of other singers on my hd820 and none of them does this. So no I'd say it's obviously about how the song was recorded.

I just listened to Beck's Lonesome Tears to hear what you guys meant by the "nasally vocals". What you have to keep in mind is that these are very revealing and transparent headphones that is not only targeting the audiophile market but will also be used in studios by professionals. I can...

Not sure what player you were using and what music you were listening to but the highs are definitely not sounding harsh here on my 820 if that's what you're saying.

Interesting. Thanks for your impressions. I'm surprised that the soundstage was bigger on the Z1R but overall pretty much the kind of impressions I expected. How much was the difference? :)

I was thinking something to use while on the subway etc. Anyway so how was your impressions compared to the Z1R? I've been waiting for a closed back that is good for mixing which I don't think really think is what Z1R is for but interested to hear how they sounded compared to them none the less.

After a few delays mine have finally arrived! I did a very quick test before and my first impression was very good but I want to burn them in over the night before I give them a more serious listening tomorrow and over the weekend. Very excited to try mixing with them as well! Edit: Oh I should...

Finally got word that mine should arrive Thursday. Exciting times! I stumbled on this review here on head-fi where the owner absolutely slaughters them though (in a bad way, comparing them with headphones for less then half the price). I would really like to hear more ppl discussing their...