[elrod-tom]

Well, I just got back from a very quickly assembled mini meet at the office of our Head-Fi big toe, Jude. We had a variety of equipment, but the real star of the show was the Sennheiser HD800's.

I was interested in hearing these cans, as they are if nothing else an item of some curiosity in these parts. Well, it doesn't hurt to be in close proximity to one of the few pair floating around right now.

I'll go into a lot more detail later...just wanted to get the thread started for now. In short, the Sennheiser HD800's really are worth all the hype.

Thanks to Jude for getting us together...

 

[Maxvla]

Looking forward to more detailed impressions! Lucky you

 

[Voltron]

Glad some more people got to hear these cans, and here is to hoping that this thread can stay on topic and can focus on what you guys heard.

 

[vcoheda]

good to hear. HD800 FTW.

 

[apatN]

Oh my god oh my god oh my god!

 

[krmathis]

Great to hear that more people have had the chance to listen to the HD800.
Can't wait for the impressions.

 

[elrod-tom]

OK...here's a few impressions of the HD800:

We listened to them with a variety of gear, including a Wadia 830 (CD and iTransport), and a HeadRoom Micro DAC fed via PC as sources, and a RSA Raptor, TTVJ Portable, and Gilmore Light as amps. We had as a basis for comparison an AKG K701, and Sennheiser HD600 and HD650.

To summarize: I like them...a lot! I'm going to have to buy my own pair.

They have a sonic signature that is unlike pretty much any other dynamic headphone that I've heard. If pushed, I'd say that they were similar to the AKG K340 when modded well, with elements of the K1000 mids thrown in for good measure...but better. I associate what I had heard more with electrostats than anything. Their response was lightning quick and effortless. Highs were brilliant without being harsh or distorted, and the midrange was rich and had genuine depth. Soundstaging was simply out of this world, especially when listening to a binaural recording (it sounded like there was a clarinet 20 feet behind me to the right).

The bass response was, frankly, the most interesting thing to me. It was absolutely there, and lightning fast and impactful. That said, its not like I could feel the HD800 thumping on my head while I listened. I listened to a couple of tracks known for their bass (DMB's "Don't Drink the Water" and Patricia Barber's version of "Use Me") and it sounded perfectly natural. I never once felt the HD800 vibrating or otherwise resonating. Jude explained to us that Sennheiser took great care to ensure that the materials used in the construction of the frame of the HD800 were accoustically neutral, and that explains why music with heavy bass doesn't shake your head, but it sure is there!

They are also, without question, the most comfortable headphones that I've ever worn. They are light, and the earcups sat pefectly on my head. It's almost like they weren't even there.

Are they the perfect headphone? Well, I don't know that there IS such a thing. Having said that, in my short time spent with these cans I can't find much of anything where they come up short. Are they worth the asking price of $1400? Frankly, I'd have to say yes. I was that impressed.

 

[wnmnkh]

Thank you for the impression.

 

[dallan]

Cool deal, thanks for the new impression! The suspense is killing me.....March huh.

 

[Morph201]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom /img/forum/go_quote.gif OK...here's a few impressions of the HD800: We listened to them with a variety of gear, including a Wadia 830 (CD and iTransport), and a HeadRoom Micro DAC fed via PC as sources, and a RSA Raptor, TTVJ Portable, and Gilmore Light as amps. We had as a basis for comparison an AKG K701, and Sennheiser HD600 and HD650. .... Are they the perfect headphone? Well, I don't know that there IS such a thing. Having said that, in my short time spent with these cans I can't find much of anything where they come up short. Are they worth the asking price of $1400? Frankly, I'd have to say yes. I was that impressed.

How did they respond to the different amps being used? Did the signature change much?

 

[robm321]

Wow, great impressions... hopefully, this can replace my K-1000 and other cans. That was what I was hoping for. I do like bass impact, but there's a fine line between impact and a big thump in your head. I didn't like the Denon or Edition 9 or the Grado PS-1 bass in the long run. So, these might work very well for me.

 

[Piotr Ryka]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, great impressions... hopefully, this can replace my K-1000 and other cans. That was what I was hoping for. I do like bass impact, but there's a fine line between impact and a big thump in your head. I didn't like the Denon or Edition 9 or the Grado PS-1 bass in the long run. So, these might work very well for me.

Slowly, Robm, slowly. Sennheiser HD 650 and AKG 701? That is all what Head-Fi elite use to compare potentially best headphones of the world? Shame.

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morph201 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How did they respond to the different amps being used? Did the signature change much?

They definately need juice, that much is certain.

I used them with the TTVJ Portable, which did a decent job driving them. You could tell that it was straining a bit. The Raptor and Gilmore Lite did a good job driving them. Each amp imparted its own signature on the HD800 - the Raptor sounding typically airy and tubey, the Gilmore Lite solid and forward.

I liked it a lot with the Raptor. I'd really like to hear it with some other solid state amps, and see how much it varies from there.

 

[s4nder]

I'm gonna have to sell my computer to get these. A couple more threads like this will make me do it

.

 

[sean-xenos]

I'm really impressed with your description of the HD800 and its soundsignature, very very tempting .... my poor wallet