Let me fix that for you then:
"With the right EQ, this can will sound exactly how you want it to. It is therefore IMO a winner".
Happy?
Do you actually believe that's an intelligent response?
Nothing *needs* EQ, but most headphones and particularly something like the 800s would be universally preferred with it. In regards to different devices if you're desperate to use your HD800s with an iPhone then I don't even know what to tell you. EQing a headphone doesn't make it a bad headphone, units like the LCD-X can sound fairly bizarre without and unnatural it and incredibly well rounded by doing so.yikes, at this point he might as well just skip the headphones and review the EQ
I am sure he has heard headphones he doesn't need to EQ, I have as well and probably most people who EQ have so I guess you must just have the golden ears that are above us. This is all besides the point that literally no other headphone reviewer uses EQ.... Basically you are saying he is not good enough to review without EQ at this point since I am assuming is JV, DMS or ZEOS gave you their opinions on a headphone you wouldn't hound them about not using EQ....
EQ is useless for a lot of people because simply put we buy different headphones to get different sounds not play with buttons and the sounds we do get from the headphones we own is impressive and flawed and we love it even with the flaws. Sorry if that doesn't connect with you but I won't be pushing my views on the matter so really the conversations about why people do or don't EQ ends here I will reiterate the majority of people won't be using EQ, even among audiophiles saying a $1000+ headphone "needs EQ" on it's face makes them think it's not a good headphone regardless of it being a 8XX or a LCD-# or a Arya. Lastly some of us use different devices to listen to music I personally have 2 computers, 2 cell phones, and an extra TV standalone with bluetooth.... Some of these devices CANNOT EQ, besides that I cannot be arsed to EQ every single one and switch between these 4 devices (or closer to 3.5; reminder iphone, you know the most popular phone, doesn't have system wide EQ) for my what is it now almost 10 sets of headphones and make compromises or even spend time I don't have to EQ it or switch EQ or setup EQ. People who have a cool $1k to spend on headphones casually that aren't audiophiles and have a reasonable amount of devices like me would laugh, normal people who want to splurge would laugh and say let me buy something not broken.
Above all else the hard cold truth is that if you have to EQ a $1k set of headphones you can buy something else for less that you don't have to EQ to enjoy. We are in the age where you can spend $50, sometime even less on new bluetooth headphones, made of actual metal, with good ANC, and good sound, and actual soundstage.... Where you can buy $30 TWS that actually sound decent, that have over 40 hours of charge time with the case and are so waterproof you can go swimming with them on. Paying $1k for headphone has always been ridiculous but now they don't even have to sound good is a new low, having to EQ a $1k headphone is ridiculous as the notion that you need to EQ all headphones even ones over $1k for them to sound good, and if you have something else to say well fun because TBH I have ignored you and remember why now so go and make an EQ profile for the Sennheiser HE 1!
To be quite frank, if someone handed you, the average person on the street or typical audiophiles an HD8XX digitally EQd to Harman and told you it was the the new resonators changing the FR the vast majority of people are likely to prefer it to a typically 800 and have absolutely no idea it was EQ. There are studies to back up the notion of generalised FR preference for human beings.
I don't consider five minutes spent on EQing a product you spent $1000 on to be out of line, but you do you.
Personally, I'm yet to try a $50 headphone that sounded even remotely good, let alone one with "good soundstage" and "good ANC". But maybe I expect too much from "audiophiles" like yourself in terms of discerning taste. But I assume I'm talking someone without experience let alone budget here.
If I bought an HE-1 I would absolutely play around with an EQ because I give a crap about about sound. Its interesting to me, I don't buy into the idea that there's some magical price point where frequency response is always perfect for every headphone above that number. There's more to a headphone than FR, hence why if concerns involve FR then EQ is worth considering.
In regards to mentioning EQ to begin with, the only reason I brought it up is because I think to a lot of readers it would be interesting to hear the perspective of someone who isn't in love with the FR of the 800 using EQ to alter the areas they feel are lacking and see if it fixes any of those issues. How on earth would that not be helpful to potential buyers?
Its not like anything I'm saying hasn't been thought about before, plenty of Youtubers including those on the headphone show that mention use of EQ.