[A.Thorsen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If they are close to the HE60, then they are worth the price. I seriously doubt they will be up with the HE90. That phone was on it's own plateau...

I hope no one takes what I write here the wrong way but here goes:

More than one person giving early impressions basically gave the idea that these 800s could hang on their own respectably against electrostats like that Hall of Famer you named.

Placebo and honeymoon afterglow "wow" factor notwithstanding, if these 800s really do come in the ballpark of the electrostats then I would think that would make their asking price more "reasonable."

That's a big "if."

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If they are close to the HE60, then they are worth the price. I seriously doubt they will be up with the HE90. That phone was on it's own plateau... That being said, the HE-90 has a sound that doesn't engage me and I prefer a few headphones to it.

Ditto. -- Actually I think that the dynamic principle has the greater sonic potential, so I wouldn't be surpised -- after all the glowing reviews -- if the HD 800 turned out to be a sonic milestone. (And I confess: I hope so.)
.

 

[A.Thorsen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaZZ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ditto. -- Actually I think that the dynamic principle has the greater sonic potential, so I wouldn't be surpised -- after all the glowing reviews -- if the HD 800 turned out to be a sonic milestone. (And I confess: I hope so.) .

I definitely hope so, too.

 

[Piotr Ryka]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If they are close to the HE60, then they are worth the price. I seriously doubt they will be up with the HE90. That phone was on it's own plateau... That being said, the HE-90 has a sound that doesn't engage me and I prefer a few headphones to it. But it's a great listen anyway.

A few headphones. Like for example?

 

[sonance]

I think it's very difficult to discuss value for money vs. audio improvements in a way that can be applied to everyone or even most people.

Really, most of us have no idea about other forum readers' economic situation, and just as importantly, how much other forum members value the differences in audio performance that may justify a relatively expensive hobby/enthusiast purchase.

I could say that it's ridiculous to purchase a Porsche 911 because it only offers incremental improvements over a less expensive car when you compare the specs such as HP or 0-60 times, or even seat of the pants driving feel. A Porschephile may disagree. So it is with headphones. What makes one pair of headphones worth the price to an individual buyer is completely unique to that buyer.

While I wouldn't go so far as to say that a blind discussion of relative value of very different sounding 'phones is useless, I do think some forum members make such sweeping statements about the value of a pair of headphones without thinking that the set of circumstances that led them to such conclusions may not apply to everyone else.

Now if you want to say that one pair of headphones is not worth the price difference to you, that's perfectly fine. To say (or imply) it's not worth the price difference to anyone, I think that's just an insult to all the people who listened and decided differently.

 

[mcgino]

I am vacationing with my family in Guangzhou and Sennheiser organized an event for their Mainland customers. Had a chance to listen to them for a few minutes. They sound very good. Excellent presentation and detail. Great highs, mids, and lows. Excellent build quality (have their logo in the inner pads). The engineer I spoke with said mid-April release.

 

[achristilaw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgino /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am vacationing with my family in Guangzhou and Sennheiser organized an event for their Mainland customers. Had a chance to listen to them for a few minutes. They sound very good. Excellent presentation and detail. Great highs, mids, and lows. Excellent build quality (have their logo in the inner pads). The engineer I spoke with said mid-April release.

Yipee....Yahooo......

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotr Ryka /img/forum/go_quote.gif A few headphones. Like for example?

R10, K-1000, HP-2 and possibly the L3000.

With stats, I tend to put them on and think, wow, why do I listen to dynamics... then after awhile, I go back to dynamic phones or speakers and realize I want to keep listening and have no desire to go back.

There are exceptions, but the HE-90s remind me too much of the Sennheisser layed back sound. It's not a bad thing, but I love the energy and weight and slam that the K-1000s give - yes I said weight

. It's all just a preference thing, but I will always say the HE-90s are technically on their own level, even above the R10, K-1000 and O2.

In the end, it's about preference

 

[AVALover5498]

I'm really looking forward to this release, but I definitely want to audition these before I drop $1400 on them.

-Chris-

 

[Piotr Ryka]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif R10, K-1000, HP-2 and possibly the L3000. With stats, I tend to put them on and think, wow, why do I listen to dynamics... then after awhile, I go back to dynamic phones or speakers and realize I want to keep listening and have no desire to go back. There are exceptions, but the HE-90s remind me too much of the Sennheisser layed back sound. It's not a bad thing, but I love the energy and weight and slam that the K-1000s give - yes I said weight . It's all just a preference thing, but I will always say the HE-90s are technically on their own level, even above the R10, K-1000 and O2. In the end, it's about preference

Thank You.
With ASL Twin-Head as a preamp and Croft Polestar1 as power amp (20W per channel), AKG K1000 are most powerful headphones I have ever heard. Much more power than Ultrasone E9 or Grado GS-1000. But last week my friend from England visit me with GS-1000 "Black Dragon" and I must say, that was it! Fantastic sound. Not as realistic like the K1000 one but extremely involving and charming.
I have never heard Orpheus and R-10, but I know very well Omega II (new and old, with tubes and solid state). With good source they are also fantastic, although I prefer dynamic headphones. Maybe because I love my ten tubes light.

 

[tourmaline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotr Ryka /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank You. With ASL Twin-Head as a preamp and Croft Polestar1 as power amp (20W per channel), AKG K1000 are most powerful headphones I have ever heard. Much more power than Ultrasone E9 or Grado GS-1000. But last week my friend from England visit me with GS-1000 "Black Dragon" and I must say, that was it! Fantastic sound. Not as realistic like the K1000 one but extremely involving and charming. I have never heard Orpheus and R-10, but I know very well Omega II (new and old, with tubes and solid state). With good source they are also fantastic, although I prefer dynamic headphones. Maybe because I love my ten tubes light.

Nothing wrong with some tube magic!

I am using headphones for years and thus far, tube amps or hybrids still are for me the way to go. I don't like all solid state too much, need a little of that tube magic.

 

[Snake Eyes]

NIB Sennheiser HD800's for sale? What is the NIB part?

 

[some1x]

NIB = New in Box

Why bump this 3 month old thread though ???

 

[PristeneAudio]

IMO, they would never admit it right now but the price on the HD800 is almost certain to drop in the future from that lofty $1400 (but think what it could do to current sales if people knew this and decided to wait).

So I'm likely to see some vehement denials on this point.

If you're like me and you have some rather excellent HD650's that you can live with for a little longer then it might just pay you to do so.

Also, and once again this is just IMO, there will be an HD850 (or HD900) in the not too distant future too as they tweak the new design a little with real world experience gained, increased customer feedback etc... (it's likely that they don't even know this themselves yet so again expect denials).

Two reasons to wait other than the time it takes ordinary folk to save up $1400

Just my pennies...

 

[zotjen]

The price of everything is almost certain to drop. Sennheiser has already denied that there won't be an HD850 or HD900. And if they don't know it yet themselves, how can they not deny it? While I'm sure we'll see something bigger and better from Sennheiser, I think it will be a very long time before we do considering how much time was spent developing the HD800 and given the current market conditions.