[PhaedraCorruption]

 
After many months and months of delicate saving, I have finally mustered together roughly enough funds to afford a used pair of HD800s. 


I have demo'd most of the high end cans, and although I cannot comment on the exact details of each one, I can roughly give my brief thoughts on them.
 
I loved the punch and bass extension of the LCD2s, as well as the HD650s.
 
My favorite headphone that I have heard to this day would have to be the Stax O2s, all round they seem to trump the sound the HD800s but there is just somthing about them that does not quite achive the same "orchestral" feeling that the HD800s give.
 
The detail that the Edition 8s were able to reproduce were pretty amazing, but during my brief hearing, I found them a bit too bright for my tastes. 
 
I have also heard the PS1000s and if I recall, the low end was mesmerizing, but it lacked the obvious advantages that open cans give.
 
Of the cans I have heard, the ones I did not find all that enjoyable were the AKG701s and the DT880s, which is strange considering their rep with my M-Stage. 
 
 
 
Based on my statements above, are there any other alternatives I should look into before I shell out a grand on HD800s? I'll be powering these from a Matrix M-Stage for now, but of course plan to upgrade in the future if/when it is financially viable. Speaking of cost, I'm not really looking for anything above the cost of HD800s, I think I may have covered all my bases, but I would really have peace of mind if the community would give their input. 

 

[seacard]

One headphone that I would at least try it the Denon D7000; one of the better closed headphones around.  Audio Technica AD2000 is another candidate, although I like that one quite a bit less than some others here.

 

[PhaedraCorruption]

 
Quote:

One headphone that I would at least try it the Denon D7000; one of the better closed headphones around.  Audio Technica AD2000 is another candidate, although I like that one quite a bit less than some others here.

Yup, the D7000 is def something I want a chance to listen to at one point. I'm wondering how the soundstage is on that one is though, the main attractiveness of the HD800s I find is their "orchestral", massive, massive soundstage. Although I find bass a little lacking(which is honestly to be expected on a completely open can). 

 

[ardgedee]

There are a lot of criticisms of the bass quantity in the HD800. I've listened to a stock version that sounded great except for the noticeably thin bass. It can't get down and funky the way many other headphones can (well, I have heard a heavily-modded version with plenty of bass, but the modding also dramatically increased the price). Others have also complained about peak frequencies in the treble, and while I noticed this as well it never became shrill or sibilant the way phones like the K702 can get.
 
I don't think you can find a current-production headphone that presents a soundstage that equals the HD800's in breadth and detail. If I could afford multiple TOTL phones I'd buy one, because there are some recordings that sound better on those than on anything else I've listened to them on. They're also some of the most comfortable phones I've worn.
 
The HD800 has been scrutinized here in all possible ways, and there are some good reviews of it on the board. If nothing else, check Tyll Henderson's comparison of TOTL phones, including the HD800, (and the Head-Fi discussion of it) because I agree with most of his conclusions and he states his case better than I am.
 
(Edit: Also worth noting, since you're considering things, that the resale price of the LCD-2 seems to have dropped now that the LCD-3 is pending. If the used market price on that was holding you back, take another look.)

 

[PhaedraCorruption]

Quote:

There are a lot of criticisms of the bass quantity in the HD800. I've listened to a stock version that sounded great except for the noticeably thin bass. It can't get down and funky the way many other headphones can (well, I have heard a heavily-modded version with plenty of bass, but the modding also dramatically increased the price). Others have also complained about peak frequencies in the treble, and while I noticed this as well it never became shrill or sibilant the way phones like the K702 can get.
 
I don't think you can find a current-production headphone that presents a soundstage that equals the HD800's in breadth and detail. If I could afford multiple TOTL phones I'd buy one, because there are some recordings that sound better on those than on anything else I've listened to them on. They're also some of the most comfortable phones I've worn.
 
The HD800 has been scrutinized here in all possible ways, and there are some good reviews of it on the board. If nothing else, check Tyll Henderson's comparison of TOTL phones, including the HD800, (and the Head-Fi discussion of it) because I agree with most of his conclusions and he states his case better than I am.
 
(Edit: Also worth noting, since you're considering things, that the resale price of the LCD-2 seems to have dropped now that the LCD-3 is pending. If the used market price on that was holding you back, take another look.)

Thanks for the links!

And yeah, with the price of LCD2s nearly hitting 1/2 of the price of HD800s, they are definitely something I will consider, absolutely love the bass on those.

 

[Alpha Mike]

You can also try this link for increased bass and dampened treble. http://www.head-fi.org/t/577530/hd800-anaxilus-mod

 

[Uncle Erik]

I don't know. To these ears, the HD-800 has a slight boost to the bass and the mids and highs are where they should be. I don't expect many to agree.

I don't think headphones can get really deep bass right. The drivers are just too small and a lot of the so-called bassy headphones achieve that at the expense of mids and highs. Even then, they don't give you the visceral punch that a speaker gives.

I've heard the bass monster headphones. My speakers are only -3dB at 25Hz and -7dB at 20Hz. Those speakers are a completely different experience than the bassy headphones. The difference is that the speakers get the mids and highs right.

This is why I'll use headphones for most music centered around the mids and highs. If I want thump without ruining the rest of the spectrum, I run speakers.

 

[NinjaSquirt]

If you love the LCD-2, why not get the LCD-2? Given some of your favorites, I think getting an HD800 is going in a completely different direction than what you want out of headphones. Especially out of your dislike for the AKG701 and the DT-880 which in my experience are the poor man's HD800.

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

I don't know. To these ears, the HD-800 has a slight boost to the bass and the mids and highs are where they should be. I don't expect many to agree.
I don't think headphones can get really deep bass right. The drivers are just too small and a lot of the so-called bassy headphones achieve that at the expense of mids and highs. Even then, they don't give you the visceral punch that a speaker gives.
I've heard the bass monster headphones. My speakers are only -3dB at 25Hz and -7dB at 20Hz. Those speakers are a completely different experience than the bassy headphones. The difference is that the speakers get the mids and highs right.
This is why I'll use headphones for most music centered around the mids and highs. If I want thump without ruining the rest of the spectrum, I run speakers.

I think I agree with you more than I disagree. In live music, deep bass is a physical presence as much as a sound. Those of us in situations where we can't own full-range speakers have to see how much we can get out of headphones. Headphones can't make you feel music in the solar plexus and hips, though - that much is impossible - so we take what we can.
 
What surprised me when I auditioned the HD 800 was that I missed the bass line in acoustic jazz. Listening to MIles Davis' "So What" and getting no drive whatsoever out of Paul Chambers' bass is finally what did it for me. It's not that the bass lacked physicality, it was just not a part of the number at all. "Kind of Blue" is funky, considering how slow and arch it is stylistically, but I wasn't getting any of that through the HD 800. But when the ensemble kicked in and I felt like I was sitting on the stage and able to pick out each instrument (and even the positions of each piece of the drumset) was glorious, though. If my priorities were different, that would more than justify any weaknesses.
 
On some rock and electronic music, I enjoyed the HD 800 more. The lack of bass extension was noticeable but didn't seem as big a deal except on numbers where the bass was the point of the piece. In which case, yeah, no headphone will really do the job, but some can go farther in faking it than others.
 
This makes me sound like I'm a total basshead, but I don't think I am. Typically bass-heavy phones sound dead to me. Soundstage isn't my priority either, though, so I opted for something that struck me as working better as an all-rounder. But like I said, if I had my druthers and the money for it, I'd have an HD 800 too.

 

[Saintly]

Have you looked into the Beyer T1s?  They're great all-rounders.