[joshnor713]

Amazing! Fun side story: The "-B" suffix was actually an accident, but stuck and became part of the product's equity as the customer-facing product name. It was originally just an internal suffix for catalog ordering in order to indicate the color of the actual model number "CX 300". (you may recall there was a "-W" and "-S" as well, but the black version was always king).

Wow, appreciate the insight!

 

[ericpalonen]

Sennheiser's consumer brand was acquired recently so I can't blame the new holder for promoting the products that may have fallen through the cracks. Might they have made some small adjustments that would warrant a reboot?

Partially true—it never got it's day in the sun as it was in relative close proximity to other exciting products like new IE's, 800S, HE1, the continued wireless movement, and even other initiatives at Sennheiser. But to be transparent there's just not enough content out there for those researching it (hence why I wanted to dig deeper), even if the customer decides it's not for them. Same can be said for many models across many other brands, too. There are a lot of choices these days, and it makes most sense to help share why they're unique when a spec sheet is not enough and in-person demos (CanJams for example) are more complicated than they used to be (thx covid!). For context, the HD 600 is decades "old" but still finding new ears to talk to every single day...even folks who have never heard of it before (nevermind have never heard it before). Cheers!

 

[purk]

Partially true—it never got it's day in the sun as it was in relative close proximity to other exciting products like new IE's, 800S, HE1, the continued wireless movement, and even other initiatives at Sennheiser. But to be transparent there's just not enough content out there for those researching it (hence why I wanted to dig deeper), even if the customer decides it's not for them. Same can be said for many models across many other brands, too. There are a lot of choices these days, and it makes most sense to help share why they're unique when a spec sheet is not enough and in-person demos (CanJams for example) are more complicated than they used to be (thx covid!). For context, the HD 600 is decades "old" but still finding new ears to talk to every single day...even folks who have never heard of it before (nevermind have never heard it before). Cheers!

The HD600 sets a benchmark for audiophile headphones back in a late 1990s/early 2000s and still represent a top flight sound for less than $400. I used to own one and I really miss those days when flagship models were around $700 or less. The HD600s/650s are a classic so as the HD800s. I own the HD820 and find it quite good for a closed headphones but the midrange always sound a little off to me.

 

[Uguccione]

The HD820s are humoral, vaguely schizophrenic headphones; they can sound sublime or like an intercom depending on the music (and especially the recording) you are listening to.
They have an undeniably thin midrange, which must be given a fattening cure by working with the upstream electronics, otherwise they become annoying or even irritating.
How many times have I slipped from my head in the middle of a song, irritated by that thin and stripped-down sound.
However, when you strike the right astral conjunction with the music and the other components of the audio chain, they know how to transport you into a world made of very sweet, liquid and refined sounds ... A sound that makes you dream.
However, their bigger sisters (HD800) are - undeniably - of another class.
I would like to say that the 800s make sense to exist even without the 820s; the opposite is not.

 

[Evshrug]

Ahh I see. I don’t tend to type up reviews anymore on the forum’s review section (I post in the threads usually) as I share reviews on my YouTube channel. I hope they see that as coverage enough to lend me one.

It is hard to find reviews posted in threads because they aren’t linked from your profile, also for your sake threads tend to bury reviews after a few people reply.

Your avatar pic is cool!

 

[tranqfx]

I'm amazed he did this video with a strait face =p

 

[ericpalonen]

I'm amazed he did this video with a strait face =p

I stand by it til' the casket drops!

 

[tranqfx]

I stand by it til' the casket drops!

I'm a fan of Sennheiser and own many of the products... probably too many, but I'd have way more respect for the folks over at Sennheiser if they just came out and admitted that the 820 missed the mark. More than that... It's a bit embarrassing Sennheiser defends this headphone =p

Ban incoming.

 

[ericpalonen]

I'm a fan of Sennheiser and own many of the products... probably too many, but I'd have way more respect for the folks over at Sennheiser if they just came out and admitted that the 820 missed the mark. More than that... It's a bit embarrassing Sennheiser defends this headphone =p

Ban incoming.

First, happy holidays and thank you for being a repeat Sennheiser customer. We appreciate it. Have you owned or tried the HD 820?

 

[tranqfx]

First, happy holidays and thank you for being a repeat Sennheiser customer. We appreciate it. Have you owned or tried the HD 820?

Had the pleasure to borrow one for a month. I'll tell you why it's terrible. The mids are completely gone. They take any song with mids and just rip the soul of the music right out. I'm not one to talk about measurements, but my god it measures the same as it sounds. What makes it particularly frustrating is for a company that built some of the most gorgeous headphones for mids (I'm looking at you HD600 and HD6xx and HD800s all sitting on my desk), they release this... then have the audacity to defend it.

But I appreciate your your graciousness even if it's for the memes =p

 

[CoryGillmore]

You make a lot of assumptions. I own a Verite Closed, which is, you know, a closed back headphone. Also only $100 more than the 820, making it "in its price range". It also retains value much better, which technically makes it cheaper to own.

But again, I'm sure your pair is really special, I'm glad you love it.

So you don't own them, don't like them. And yet you decided to pop in here just to argue with people and talk crap. Cool.

 

[StivVid]

I'm a long time Sennheiser fan too. Have owned my HD600s for more than a decade and they're still my benchmark. It is a bit disappointing that Sennheiser would release a video like this though. To the casual viewer, it appears to be an independent review from a recording engineer/headphone enthusiast. In reality it's a marketing video for a product that maybe hasn't been selling as well as Sennheiser hoped it would. More than a bit disingenuous if you ask me.

 

[joshnor713]

Had the pleasure to borrow one for a month. I'll tell you why it's terrible. The mids are completely gone. They take any song with mids and just rip the soul of the music right out. I'm not one to talk about measurements, but my god it measures the same as it sounds. What makes it particularly frustrating is for a company that built some of the most gorgeous headphones for mids (I'm looking at you HD600 and HD6xx and HD800s all sitting on my desk), they release this... then have the audacity to defend it.

But I appreciate your your graciousness even if it's for the memes =p

Appreciate that you commented with trying it, but I'm dumbfounded at the common claims that there are no mids. I'm actually a mid-snob (don't like V-shape) and have zero problem with the 820. Could there be THAT much variation between units? Did I get lucky or something? I'll never get it. I'd say that if they sound like that dip shows, then something's wrong. I don't hear it at all.

 

[Uguccione]

... I'd have way more respect for the folks over at Sennheiser if they just came out and admitted that the 820 missed the mark.

Why should they do that if there are so many people who appreciate them?
Of course, they are headphones that divide, the ones I usually prefer, because they show they have character, personality.

 

[u2u2]

I'm a long time Sennheiser fan too. Have owned my HD600s for more than a decade and they're still my benchmark. It is a bit disappointing that Sennheiser would release a video like this though. To the casual viewer, it appears to be an independent review from a recording engineer/headphone enthusiast. In reality it's a marketing video for a product that maybe hasn't been selling as well as Sennheiser hoped it would. More than a bit disingenuous if you ask me.

Disingenuous? Posted under the Sennheiser member name as a sponsor on this site… Who would have thought a company would market their product? Equally important, how many “independent” reviews are truly that, what with all the perks YouTubers seems to get. Most reviews are good for entertainment value only. Time to break out my HD820 for a morning session - setting my Stellia aside. They fit fine, can be worn for hours with comfort, sound fantastic, and are always a treat when they come up as I rotate through the collection.