[Idiosyncrat]

Man, some of the posts here sound a bit disheartening but I really want to get a pair to upgrade my HD 700 with the modhouse driver mod only. Has anyone compared them? And if anyone doesn’t want their 8XX, hit me up please.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

Welp, I ordered a pair. Will provide impressions after I receive them, compared to the 6xx and 660s I currently own.

 

[Pigeon X]

It's truly a weird set, and it's making me think about how I listen to music. Which is a positive thing. I keep EQing it back to a more traditional tuning because it sounds more correct. But then I go back to stock tuning because it's more comfortable. I tend to fidget with sound a lot when I have EQ at my fingertips, but when I'm listening to 8xx the urge is much lower, because the sound just doesn't really annoy/hurt me in any way once my brain adjusts to the tonality. I do think there is a bit more magic gained in some sounds when you eq up the upper mid dip though.

Also yeah these deserve high res audio. Listening to Spotify vs some high resolution tracks made a massive difference. So much more immersive and spatial and alive.

 

[trellus]

Man, some of the posts here sound a bit disheartening but I really want to get a pair to upgrade my HD 700 with the modhouse driver mod only. Has anyone compared them? And if anyone doesn’t want their 8XX, hit me up please.

I am still awaiting mine, FedEx is telling me I will get them Friday, and I do have the HD 700 so I’ll compare them casually - I’m not a reviewer by any means.

 

[ForSure]

At the "forgiving" department, 8XX is much better than the 800 OG. But still need really good source.

 

[ForSure]

Welp, I ordered a pair. Will provide impressions after I receive them, compared to the 6xx and 660s I currently own.

660S is my daily since I listen to odd/live concert on youtube most of the time.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

660S is my daily since I listen to odd/live concert on youtube most of the time.

And what do you think of 8xx compared to them? Will be interesting to see how our notes compare.

 

[Idiosyncrat]

I am still awaiting mine, FedEx is telling me I will get them Friday, and I do have the HD 700 so I’ll compare them casually - I’m not a reviewer by any means.

That would be really awesome if you can shine some insight.. I think I got my HD 700 figured out and got a good source for them so they sound good to me now.

 

[ForSure]

And what do you think of 8xx compared to them? Will be interesting to see how our notes compare

Short answer, 8XX is a better headphone, great with tube but not forgiving at all.

I will treat the 8XX as my "HIFI" headphone for now since I always found the 800 OG (sold) is not easy to live with.

I need to spend time with my vinyl and compare the 8XX to the Focal Elex also.

My own situation is that I tuned my HIFI tube amp toward the speaker out and push the treble. The LCD series (all sold) just sound too "sweet" thru it.

I always go to the 6XX with the ifi signature stack if I need excitement.
660s is my daily for the ease of use (the weightless and can use with or without amp).

Still need time to judge.

A better sounding headphone doesn't mean it is a good headphone for me. There are always other factors.

 

[trellus]

That would be really awesome if you can shine some insight.. I think I got my HD 700 figured out and got a good source for them so they sound good to me now.

What source are you using for your HD 700?

I'm afraid I bounce around a lot between several locations so my sources are pretty varied, and fairly modest -- a Yulong D100 DAC going into a THX 789 is one of my common chains for my headphones at one location, I also have a Monolith ESS-based DAC / tube amp (the one that looks like a PC tower almost), and a Benchmark DAC1 (pre-USB at that), at my other office I have an SMSL SU-8 v2 into a Jotunheim (the OG, not the Jot 2).

 

[Idiosyncrat]

What source are you using for your HD 700?

I'm afraid I bounce around a lot between several locations so my sources are pretty varied, and fairly modest -- a Yulong D100 DAC going into a THX 789 is one of my common chains for my headphones at one location, I also have a Monolith ESS-based DAC / tube amp (the one that looks like a PC tower almost), and a Benchmark DAC1 (pre-USB at that), at my other office I have an SMSL SU-8 v2 into a Jotunheim (the OG, not the Jot 2).

I tried it with the 789 and it sounded so shrill to me. I have an SMSL M200 to a Jot 1. It sounds very good to me. I also have a tube pre-amp if I want a warmer sound.

 

[phthora]

ZMF is a darling of Head Fi’ers, it’s a boutique headphone biz and it’s not well known outside our cozy little circle, unlike Sennheiser which is well known in professional audio and even has had a decent consumer mindshare.

I’m not surprised the 8XX isn’t as cool as ZMF. I think ZMF cans look nice but I have no desire to pay that price for what they sell. I’m not sure why, but they’ve never really interested me.

Koss a has lifetime warranty, but they’re not nearly as pretty as ZMF cans, for sure.

Yeah, ZMF has a following for a reason. I just.. they don’t tempt me at all. I can’t explain it, but they just have zero appeal to me. The Sennheiser HD 800, on the other hand, I’ve wanted for years.

I've heard the whole line-up of ZMF dynamics at this point and, except for the Verite open-back, the HD800S is better. I can't speak to the HD8XX, but if the drivers are the same they will retain the better resolution at least.

I do love my ZMFs, but I think it should be understood that a big part of the price results from the bespoke build and boutique status, meaning that in terms of pure sound quality they are overpriced.

 

[ciber]

I noticed Head-fi founder Jude chime in some forums, looks like he strongly supported 8XX, and he is worrying about some youtuber actually 'abused' measurements in the incorrect way AND a lot of people were misled by those measurements. He said this:

Today, measurements have a huge effect on the reviews and impressions of audio gear. Huge. When a new thread is posted about a headphone, how many posts does it take before someone is requesting measurements? After measurements are posted, how impactful are those measurements on the perception of the products? I think it's quite clear in this discussion the measurements have had a very big effect. Measurements shape perception in the audio hobby perhaps more than ever before.

 

[Steve1976]

Well is the frequency response really weird or is it just weird on paper? Some say that the mid is completely ruined due to the dip in FR?

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

Can't wait to listen to mine when they arrive to see if all of this frequency response graph stuff was blown out of proportion. Admittedly I've never really cared about measurements. I purchased a 58x and 6xx before I even really knew what a frequency response graph was, let alone how to interpret it.

Usually what I hear lines up fairly well with the measurements, but in the end I care if it sounds good, not how it measures. It seems like those who received them and have given impressions or reviews without being involved much in the measurement controversy of these headphones have enjoyed them overall. I almost wish I never saw the measurements as listening bias will be all but unavoidable, but I plan to try to go in with an open mind.