[Danz03]

I do not like bass in particular, I just want a reference sound, sound signature of a pair of studio reference monitors. I use monitors and headphones to monitor and mix music, I want accurate sounding bass, no more and no less. HD800 are anything but neutral sounding, why? Anyone who's heard a real bass guitar or someone playing live drums would know that, HD800 are incapable of reproducing enough deep bass frequencies, so how can they ever be considered neutral sounding? A bit like a monitor screen that is lacking in the colour green cannot possibly produce accurate a neutral looking image. The right amount of bass is needed to produce a neutral sound signature.

I think we're talking past one another. You seem to like a lot more bass than I do, which as a personal preference is no better or worse than any other. I find Q701 an excellent value for the money (mine were $220 off amazon). @DavidMahler
 is on the record as giving HD800 the crown as Neutrality King in his well-regarded battle of the flagships, which you have every right to disagree with, but which I know many people consider definitive. (Again, bassheads simply feel a different sound signature best captures their music.) The question to my mind is less about objective transparency or neutrality and more about which cans make your music sound best to you.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I do not like bass in particular, I just want a reference sound, sound signature of a pair of studio reference monitors. I use monitors and headphones to monitor and mix music, I want accurate sounding bass, no more and no less. HD800 are anything but neutral sounding, why? Anyone who's heard a real bass guitar or someone playing live drums would know that, HD800 are incapable of reproducing enough deep bass frequencies, so how can they ever be considered neutral sounding? A bit like a monitor screen that is lacking in the colour green cannot possibly produce accurate a neutral looking image. The right amount of bass is needed to produce a neutral sound signature.

I can't account for your impressions, but they do not comport with my own. I find the HD800 is exceedingly neutral and realistic in rendering moments such as the pantomime from Verdi's Otello, in which the double basses play solo. The Stax SR009 beat them, but it's narrow.

 

[kman1211]

 
I can't account for your impressions, but they do not comport with my own. I find the HD800 is exceedingly neutral and realistic in rendering moments such as the pantomime from Verdi's Otello, in which the double basses play solo. The Stax SR009 beat them, but it's narrow.

That's more along the lines of transparency and realism than neutrality. On a truly high-quality transducer, any music that is exceptionally well recorded will sound amazing and have excellent bass and realism even if the headphone isn't neutral in terms of frequency response.
 
The HD 800 is transparent and revealing and a bit of a chameleon. But frequency response doesn't always translate into realism and naturalness, but there is a problem with determining neutrality in headphones in that are you trying to achieve real-life neutrality, following a certain curve such as the diffuse field curve, harmen curve, etc. You can have a neutral headphone but it can sound horrid, lacking any real depth, detail, emotion, bass excursion, transparency etc. due to low-quality transducers and/or the transducers being hindered somehow.
 
The reason the HD 800 can hit quite hard is excellent bass excursion and dynamic range, this really becomes apparent on good gear with clean power. It's honestly hard to compare the K812 and HD 800, very different headphones from companies with different design and sound philosophies. 

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Please go on. I had about an hour with k812. It was not an enjoyable hour but I think it was instructive. Nevertheless, I'm interested to hear more from those with more listening time.

 

[Danz03]

Have you ever heard a real electric bass or a kick drum playing? You are seriously telling me H800 or Stax can reproduce that accurately? HD800's and Stax's lack of bass distorts the sound balance in a piece of music, you may prefer it sounding that way but that doesn't mean it's what it is supposed to sound like. Most music is mixed using calibrated reference monitor in studio environment, I think you need to hear A piece of music there before you could judge whether a pair of headphones are neutral or realistic sounding at all, I can guarantee you it will sound nothing like that. As for the double bass solo you mentioned, how would you know it's not supposed to sound louder and deeper than what the HD800 and Stax can produce? Just because you think it should sound that way doesn't mean it does.

I can't account for your impressions, but they do not comport with my own. I find the HD800 is exceedingly neutral and realistic in rendering moments such as the pantomime from Verdi's Otello, in which the double basses play solo. The Stax SR009 beat them, but it's narrow.

 

[ry_goody]

I have the k812 pros on a schiit lyr and schiit bifrost. I really like them except some songs have too much sibilance. Anyone know of any changes to make to my setup to lessen the sibilance?

 

[Hiyono]

You can try different tubes or interconnect cables.

 

[oneguy]

What's the general consensus on the made in Slovakia version versus made in Austria. As far as I remember the discussion culminated in some people thinking the Austria version may have been made better since that is where AKG is located and some people thought the Slovakia version might be be better due to it being a possibly updated build. Does that some it up or is there more?

 

[Lorspeaker]

  I have the k812 pros on a schiit lyr and schiit bifrost. I really like them except some songs have too much sibilance. Anyone know of any changes to make to my setup to lessen the sibilance?

 
get a darkvoice336se from masssdrop

 

[the machine]

Hey all, purchased the k812 off the bay and it just arrived. Has me concerned, because the listing said made in Slovakia, the bottom of the box says made in Austria. On the top of the box is a sticker of some sort that says AKG and a bunch of Chinese lettering. There is some English as well, warranty only applicable in Hong Kong or Macau. Www.actonchina.com, international acton Tom Lee group.

I have not opened these yet but I am hesitant after reading the warranty thing on the sticker.

Any insights? They look legit but I do not want to unbox if they might be counterfeit or have no warranty.

[/IMG][/IMG]

 

[the machine]

Not sure why the other photos didn't upload. If someone wants to see them I will upload. It just seems to me that these were for a Hong Kong end user, but I feel a bit uneasy because the listing was not described that way.

 

[S Crowther]

Tom Lee is a large reputable company in Hong Kong.

 

[Dexon]

Have you ever heard a real electric bass or a kick drum playing? You are seriously telling me H800 or Stax can reproduce that accurately? HD800's and Stax's lack of bass distorts the sound balance in a piece of music, you may prefer it sounding that way but that doesn't mean it's what it is supposed to sound like. Most music is mixed using calibrated reference monitor in studio environment, I think you need to hear A piece of music there before you could judge whether a pair of headphones are neutral or realistic sounding at all, I can guarantee you it will sound nothing like that. As for the double bass solo you mentioned, how would you know it's not supposed to sound louder and deeper than what the HD800 and Stax can produce? Just because you think it should sound that way doesn't mean it does.

 
Yup, 'they are' serious. When I've seen HD800 driver (ring radiator) for the first time i thought to myself  these headphones won't have real punch and body although high levels of transparency and immediacy might be expected. So it was, with nice addition of that large soundstage. I'm happy HD800 listener but I'm totally aware of its shortcomings. I don't even bother to listen to Steinway on it e.g. They simple don't have composure and body for it. Not only in lower registers but throughout whole spectrum. Thats why I mostly listen to strings chamber and occasionally some orchestral music on them. They sounds way to hollow to be a nearly neutral or realistic sounding. To my ears same applies for all and I mean all Estats.

But If you say any of this here you'll be crucified. In HD800 case it would be "you don't have a right amp" and with Stax "you haven't heard a right (top) model". I guess that over time they idealize the headphones to extent they become absolutely 'neutral and realistic' sounding to them. Like none of them have a concert hall near by to reset their compass. Oh wait, they don't listen to unamplified instruments yet they perfectly know what is neutral and realistic sound, Stax learned them.

 

[Kyle 491]

You know, I don't understand these last few posts. No headphone truly sounds realistic, or effectively reproduces the body and power of an instrument like a pair of speakers can. It's simply a matter of physics; headphones cannot move enough air and cannot project a real soundstage due to the simple fact that its a pair of tiny drivers suspended a small distance from your ears. The argument being provided is that the K812 is less realistic than the HD800; an argument that has many merits if you can hear the softness and lack of transparency in the bass, the coarseness of the treble, which falls apart with complex instrumentals or vocal harmonies, and more importantly (for me) the lack of dynamics on both a macro and micro level which makes it less engaging than many mid-fi headphones at a fraction of the price. It took me a couple of auditions with the HD800 directly on hand to clearly see the differences, but once heard, impossible to ignore.
 
Consider yourselves lucky if you don't hear these differences and move on, instead of sounding like a bunch of jilted girlfriends who can't get over the HD800.
Seriously, this thread has more HD800 bashing than K812 appreciation or discussion.

 

[up late]

well said