My brand new HD800S, delivered before the weekend.
Zero break in, 4 tracks in. Not bad, one track still a bit bright, but not as bad as I remember of the original HD800.
Bass not as tight as I thought it could be, pretty sure the HD800 was tighter... Upper mid is extremely resolving. Snare drum is not separating as well as I remember possible. Touch of grain in the hi hats and sibilances.
Switch back to the LCD2s... R1, No fazor or whatever they're doing now. Ok other than I wish it had just a touch more bite in the upper mids... I don't get it. Maybe I am crazy.
I hear a tighter kick drum... I mean the HD800 was almost as good as the LCD2... The HD800S is not as close to the LCD2s. Not just the the kick drum, the bass line is tighter. The snare drum is separating more correctly from the mix... Sounds more like a real snare drum should. High hats not as grained sounds more precise, less grain. Other than a slight lack of uppermid bite, the R1 sounds to me easily out resolving the HD800S.
I am pretty sure if I play with an EQ, the HD650 also out resolves the 800S in the critical middle C frequency range, with the 8S more resolving everything else.
So in the end if the day the 650s have the preferred overall tonality. The R1s does everything the 650 does but better, except for a slight lack of upper mid bite. The HD800S has the more resolving upper mid.
I still don't understand the hype of the HD800. The HD800S is a good headphone and a step in the right direction towards the HD650. Or maybe just buy the HD650 and put up with the grainy top end... And no, I dont think you can EQ the 800 to match the 650 in low mid separation...
But you can EQ the LCD2 to out do the 650 in everyway.
I will keep listening to the 800S, but at the moment I suspect I will enjoy the delicous top end of my Grado HF2 more. The first word to come to my mind if the 800S is bland. But time will tell, as 4 random tracks is a miniscule sample and 15 minutes of listening is **** all.