[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greggf /img/forum/go_quote.gif How does "No internet sales" jibe with the fact that you can pre-order them today at Amazon, which is an internet-only business? Just confused a bit............

I think the limited number of qualified dealers part is the core info there. Todd said that he was one of these and that Senn was going to be quite restrictive on who was able to sell these. Given that he is an internet retailer, that part of the info cannot be completely accurate. Not sure about Amazon, although they sell a lot of Sennheiser products and can be counted on to keep the sale price at the one the company sets, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were approved to sell them.

 

[slwiser]

For myself I have learned that there is more in the world of music reproduction than a huge soundstage. I hope they have all the other things that must go with it to complete the picture. Among other things, what I am talking about is precision in instrument location. If you just hear instruments broadly spaced when they should be reasonably located near each other and located intimately near the listener as if you your in a bar or small musical space such as used with Roy Orbinson in the DVD Black and White you will loose something. In other worlds I hope the headphone can present a huge soundstage when needed and a very small intimate one where necessary. That is precision that I appreciate and that would be an advance in sound engineering.

I totally agree with the comments that their were being demonstrated anything near their capacity with the equipment given. I don't care for the stock HD650 at all but I have enjoyed listening to a balanced HD650 with even marginal amplification. There is a major difference in the HD650 going balanced and probably more so than any other headphone in production today. So if this does not occur with a balanced HD800 then the HD800 will be a failure and the original HD650 continue being king and will be significantly better the HD800 based on these early impressions. But the HD800 may be even more after balancing; this now to me is the question that we will have to await an answer too.

 

[Lornecherry]

Interesting comment, Headphoneaddict ...I also have a pair of "go-to" phones for computer audio listening and when I don't want to warm up the Stax n' tubes downstairs. My go-to's are Sen 650's and a solid state setup ..the 800's seem perfect if they resolve better then the 650's and are even more comfortable and less "clampy" (although I solved that problem by merely bending the band).

Let me say that the 650's are already a very good headphone and quite scalable as your gear grows ...the 800's sound like that will even be more so.

We have to remember that much of the target market for these headphones will not necessarily be headfiers (although I'm sure we'll snap up a good many) but rather a mix of audiogon types who also want headphones and some well-heeled buyers who just want the flagship of everything. My point is that only a small portion of these may end of being driven by B-52's or other killer amps that are well known here, but less known outside this forum ...hence, Sennheiser chose a decent, but not over-the-top amp to showcase the 800 with.

Once the 800's are in the hands of those headfiers with time and money, you will see amps tweaked for these phones and the full potential. Hard to say more without actually hearing these, but the fact that I like my 650's better then the $1000 Grado GS1000's (and I do like Grado's other phones) ...makes me want to preorder.

 

[powertoold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser /img/forum/go_quote.gif What I am talking about is precision in instrument location.

TRUTH! I think good imaging is what defines a high end headphone. Once you spend more than $200 on a headphone, characteristics such as extension and balance don't matter much anymore because almost all of them are great in these aspects. Besides, balance is a matter of taste.

When someone posts their impressions of a high end headphone, I expect to see descriptions of the imaging. If they're not there, then I don't take them seriously. For me, good imaging is the most addictive aspect of headphones. Once I became accustomed to knowing that "the clarinet is 12-15 feet in front and 3 feet to the right," I was hooked. Now, I have a bad taste in my mouth when I listen to headphones with poor imaging. I just can't stand it anymore!

 

[Happy Camper]

That Orbison's A Black and White Night is a reference worthy disc. Great video.

How is the bass weight with the open ring design? And as was mentioned before, how well do they project instrument placement?

I"m sure we will be getting impressions soon enough on the big amps. Looking forward to them without the marketing spin.

Edit: This is the first unbiased report and good to see.

 

[dallan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the limited number of qualified dealers part is the core info there. Todd said that he was one of these and that Senn was going to be quite restrictive on who was able to sell these. Given that he is an internet retailer, that part of the info cannot be completely accurate. Not sure about Amazon, although they sell a lot of Sennheiser products and can be counted on to keep the sale price at the one the company sets, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were approved to sell them.

Amazon is already taking preorders as of when i looked this morning.

 

[Bostonears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greggf /img/forum/go_quote.gif How does "No internet sales" jibe with the fact that you can pre-order them today at Amazon, which is an internet-only business? Just confused a bit............

I'm just relating what the Sennheiser rep told me. I think his main point was that the company is going to be selective in the dealers that sell this product. TTVJ would seem to make sense, but not Amazon, so I'm a bit confused too.

 

[Bostonears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faust2D /img/forum/go_quote.gif How is the transient response of HD800? Are they very detailed headphones or on par with HD650? I heard D2000 at the meet and had HD600 for a few years and they both have mediocre speed and transient response when compared to electrostatic and orthodynamic headphones. Does HD800 fix this issue?

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser /img/forum/go_quote.gif For myself I have learned that there is more in the world of music reproduction than a huge soundstage. I hope they have all the other things that must go with it to complete the picture. What I am talking about is precision in instrument location. If you just hear instruments broadly spaced when they should be reasonably located near each other and located intimately near the listener as if you your in a bar or small musical space such as used with Roy Orbinson in the DVD Black and White you will loose something. In other worlds I hope the headphone can present a huge soundstage when needed and a very small intimate one where necessary. That is precision that I appreciate and that would be an advance in sound engineering.

The HD800 was very good in both transients and spacial precision. Better than the HD650, but not quite as good as the K1000. In my brief listening session, the HD800 sounded to me like an extremely well balanced headphone, meaning that it might not be the absolute best at any one sonic trait, but it was extremely good at everything, without sounding deficient at anything. In that respect, it's better than the K1000.

 

[lmilhan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nor_spoon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lol, morbid curiosity. Seems to me that you are just as curious as everybody else.

The morbid curiosity is to see if they don't quite live up to all of this hype, similar to what happened with the GS-1000s...

...or maybe they will.

Either way, I have a gut feeling there is no way they top the K-1000s (for my tastes). I will get around to hearing the HD800s one day and judge for myself I suppose. In the meantime, I remain impervious to the hype.

 

[Stevtt]

I know it is way early in the game but I'm not catching anything that may make me want to move away from my RS-1's. Especially if it isn't a huge deviation over the 650's. While I like the 650's and use them when the mood hits, the RS-1's are definately my favorite. I will be interested to hear from someone who can compare the 800 with them but if the 800's are just a better version of the 650 signature I doubt if it will lure me away from Grados.

 

[Hirsch]

I loved the GS-1000 when I first heard it at the NY National Meet. However, once I owned it, I was never able to capture that sound again. It finally got returned. When I first heard the Qualia 010, I was somewhat ambivalent. Once I got the fit and cabling right, it became one of my favorite headphones, and remains so. First impressions are just that. They are sometimes a decent indicator of whether or not the headphone will have staying power, but just as often first impressions can be a false path.

Visually, the HD-800 actually looks somewhat related to the Qualia. If Sennheiser went after a similar sound to the Qualia, and got it right without the build issues the Qualia suffered from, this could be a bargain at full price. If they missed, well, it's happened before. I still prefer the HD-600 to the HD-650.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron /img/forum/go_quote.gif Try reading before writing. It has been stated unequivocally by Jude, Tyll, Todd the Vinyl Junkie and Sennheiser that there will be no discounting of these cans. The price is the price is the price.

Al, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the practice stated above, if it is enforced by cutting off dealers who sell at a discount, is also known as "price fixing", and is not particularly legal in the US. My understanding is that a company can regulate the price at which its products are advertised, but not the actual sale price. This is why so many ads are of the "see final price in shopping cart" variety. The advertised price can be controlled, but not the sale price.

 

[DannyB]

We may have a pair at CanFEST for everyone to try. I am awaiting final confirmation and will post when I have it.


http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f24/of...2009-a-360873/

 

[Stevtt]

Wow, maybe I can answer my own question.

 

[Audio-Omega]

So sale of HD800 will be from selected dealers and there will be no discount.