This is my promised side-by-side comparison of the T1Gen 2 and HD800S. I have spent a lot of time listening to both headphones.
For those that don’t want to read all the way through, I’m going to disclose up front that I have decided to keep the T1 and put my HD800S up for sale. They are both amazing headphones, and I can easily see why different people would prefer one over the other, even by wide margins. I believe in deciding between two phones, it really comes down to a gut-level decision that is difficult to describe or even understand. For me, I made my decision primarily on the basis of which phone did I usually find myself listening to longer without being tempted to change back to the other (the T1 won this one) and which phone did I usually listen to for the shortest period of time before wanting to switch back to the other (the T1 also won this one).
Having said that, I will now try to describe the differences I hear and experience. Of course, the amp is the Elise. I am using the same tube combination with both phones so I don’t waste a lot of time switching back and forth. I have chosen, my EL3N/ Tungsol 7236 combination, because I think it is well suited to both phones.
Size of Soundstage: I’m starting with this because it is the one category where I’m giving the nod to the 800. The expanse of space with the 800 is truly amazing, and I suspect is what is largely responsible for its popularity. It is the one headphone I have ever heard (including the T1) that gives me the full sense of what I think the dimensions of venue were where the recording was made. It is also the one phone that equals or rivals the spatial experiences I have had with some of the finest two-channel, speaker-based systems I have owned or heard. This is not to say that the T1 is seriously lacking in this regard. It just doesn’t quite reach the truly stunning quality the 800 exhibits in this category.
Aesthetics: The is purely a personal preference, and I give the nod to the T1. The 800 has a very impressive contemporary design, and I really like the black. I think it is probably much less prone to scratching than the HD800 Classic seems to be. But I personally prefer the simpler, retro design of the T1. It doesn’t have the bravado or heft of the 800 design, but like Bill O’Reilly, I’m a simple man and prefer the simpler things in life))))
Comfort: I have elephant ears and a large pointed-top head (sounds really handsome, doesn’t it????). The 800 has frequently been described as the most comfortable headphone ever. Well, for me the T1 is more comfortable. I can wear it for hours without any physical discomfort. I cannot say the same for the 800. I suspect a lot of people would reach the opposite conclusion on this comparison. The 800 ear cavity is massive and provides considerable distance from the ears. Although it is a very large can, it is light weight. Sennheiser obviously devoted a lot of time to the physical design of the 800.
Detail: The T1 clearly wins here. Listening for example to Shania Twain’s “Still the One: Live from Las Vegas” concert recording, I just can’t understand a lot of her words to the songs I’m not familiar with. I get most of the words with the T1. On other recordings (such as Shelby Lynne’s “I Can’t Imagine”) I swear with the T1 I am actually hearing the fingers stroke the strings of the guitar. With the 800 I just hear a guitar playing. Same with drums. With the T1, I feel I am hearing the drumsticks hit the skin, and not just a drum playing as with the 800.
Spatial Clues: As I said above the 800 is spatially more expansive than the T1. But the spatial clues are quite a bit better with the T1. Vocals and instruments are precisely placed in space, both from side-to-side and front-to-back, and the “air” between the instruments is palpable. As UT has described, the soundstage of the T1 is truly “holographic”.
Bass: The T1 has tighter and more impactful bass. Maybe it is because I know that Sennheiser added some second order harmonic distortion to the bass of the 800S, but somehow something just doesn’t seem quite right to me with the 800S’ bass. The bass on both the 800 and T1 is acceptable for a TOTL headphone. It’s not a Beats sound, but I don’t know of any Beats aficionados on this thread. I do want to say that when I describe the bass of the T1 as “controlled”, I don’t mean it is “sterile”. It is very natural, including very natural “bloom”.
Midrange: I have read comparisons between the T1 and 800 where it is said that T1’s midrange is recessed by comparison. If I listen real hard I think maybe I can hear that, but to me the T1 midrange is clearer, cleaner, more detailed and more natural.
Treble: Simply stated the T1 has considerably more “sparkle” than the 800. However, the 800 trebles may be a little more natural, and not lacking in any significant manner.
Timbre: The T1 is just so clean, controlled, free of resonance and detailed, timbre is better than the 800.
Natural reverberation: This may fall under “detail”, but I want to treat it as a separate category. The late Harry Pearson used to talk a lot about the ability of a system to reproduce the natural reverberation that occurs when direct soundwaves of vocals and instruments hit the boundaries of the recording venue and bouncing back. In this respect, the T1 is the clear winner.
Emotional involvement: This is a purely subjective category. For me, the T1 is much more involving than the 800. Again, referencing UT, the 800 is more “relaxed” than the T1. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But to me the 800 by comparison is “flat” and lacks the “bloom” or “magic” of the T1.
So is the T1 perfect? Of course not. There is no such thing as a perfect electronic transducer. While it has more sparkle than the 800, it’s trebles and aggressiveness can be a little fatiguing on some recordings if I concentrate hard on that. But when I’m just listening to the “performance” and not the “headphone” I can listen for hours with the T1 and still want to keep going.
If I could describe in a few short words, the main advantage of the T1 I guess I would say that it is exceptionally well-integrated from very low bass to the high trebles – not to mention that it is a made-in-heaven match for the Elise (for which we all owe a debt of gratitude to H1 for initially discovering).
Please remember, everything above is just my personal experience on the system I have described. The words I have chosen to describe the differences probably impart a sense of greater difference than what I am actually hearing. They are the best words I can find, but I think as with so many reviews they probably “overstate” rather than “understate” what the reviewer is trying to describe. And finally, don’t forget I’m 71 – with all the advantages of experience that comes with that as well as the decline in my hearing that has naturally come with age.
For those who made it this far, thanks for reading. I spent a lot of time preparing for and writing this post, but welcome any and all critical comments.
