[SomeGuyDude]

So right now my conundrum is that I've fallen in love with my Fiio FD5, it's made my Philips X3 harder to listen to, and my job is giving me a $200 Amazon gift card for working overtime this weekend.

The Hemp is leading the pack, but is there anything else sub-$500 that I should consider?

 

[boodi]

onkyo a800
if you can find .
very hard .

 

[Fastnbulbous]

I'm curious what this will be.

https://drop.com/buy/our-most-requested-headphone-launching-2-18-21/talk?

Any guesses? There's so many different polls on Drop. One of 'em has the Sennheiser HD 800 S as a clear winner.

 

[YtseJamer]

I'm curious what this will be.

https://drop.com/buy/our-most-requested-headphone-launching-2-18-21/talk?

Any guesses? There's so many different polls on Drop. One of 'em has the Sennheiser HD 800 S as a clear winner.

It's probably the HD8XX

 

[Garney]

It's probably the HD8XX

Nice detective work.

It's never been on my "want" list but I'd still like to hear the 800s someday.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

The HD800 is... curious. There's no denying the technicalities and it's probably the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn, but I found it so sterile that I didn't really have any desire to own it. I know some people love 'em and the mods are apparently really beneficial, but I just didn't find them terribly engaging.

Hey, anyone got experience with the Sivga P-II? Seems an intriguing pick.

 

[YtseJamer]

Yes

 

[Fastnbulbous]

My interest would depend on the pricepoint. If they offered an HD8XX for under $700, I'd be tempted. It's coming up on 12 years since the original 800 was launched. They seem due for a new flagship.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

So I've got my Amazon gift card from work and my eyes are currently on the following:

- HarmonicDyne Zeus
- Grado Hemp
- Sivga P-II
- Beyer DT177X Go
- Monolith M1070

I'm not looking for major detail retrieval, I want some openness to the sound but a visceral impact. Something I can listen to a band like Warhorse or Electric Wizard with that'll make my soul rattle but can at least keep up with your Archspires and Hours of Penance.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

The HD800 is... curious. There's no denying the technicalities and it's probably the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn, but I found it so sterile that I didn't really have any desire to own it. I know some people love 'em and the mods are apparently really beneficial, but I just didn't find them terribly engaging.

Hey, anyone got experience with the Sivga P-II? Seems an intriguing pick.

I don’t get the 800S. I tried them once and literally grinned in disbelief at how they dragged their feet. Not a rhythmic bone in them. So little bass too. They’re just... wrong.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I don’t get the 800S. I tried them once and literally grinned in disbelief at how they dragged their feet. Not a rhythmic bone in them. So little bass too. They’re just... wrong.

And yet you'll find tons of people still calling them among the greatest ever made. I swear too many people just hear anemic bass and immediately go "oh it's so DETAILED."

I had a similar reaction to most HiFiMan offerings as well as a Stax SR-007 I was able to hear.

 

[Garney]

Welp, @YtseJamer guessed it right. The "new" Drop headphones are the HD 8XX. Full details here. $1,100 initial price for the first drop of 3,000 units. Price thereafter will be $1,200+. Sounds like this isn't an exact clone of the current 800S. I'm not at all familiar with the popular mods for these headphones but per the Drop presser:

Where the HD 800S uses a single resonator, Sennheiser developed a dual resonator system for the HD 8XX, creating bass extension down to 10hz (+5db @ 10hz vs 800 S) by changing the resonant properties of the housing. Sennheiser’s team, lead by Jermo Koehnke, reached the bass solution pretty quickly, but our goals for the midrange proved demanding... bordering impossible. After significant research, Sennheiser reached a solution; altered acoustic impedance in the transducer's dampening material to smooth the FR from 2.5k to 8k. This means the transducer in the HD 8XX is unique, it’s a new ring driver.

Shipping in November. Quite the wait for those that want them!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Oh sweet they got extra extension for that range below audible hearing and at an area of the spectrum that nearly no music uses. Finally. I look forward to their next set that gives us some serious improvements in the 50KHz area.

 

[YtseJamer]

I'm out. I have never been a fan of the HD800, and that dip in the upper mids and the brighter treble is not reassuring me.

 

[Fastnbulbous]

Given that it's pretty easy to get the 800 S on sale for $1,200, that price is disappointing. At least they did tweak the tuning so it's unique. I