[Voohoo]

Impressions continued (both 8XX and Clear are EQ'd)...

• Vocals on 8XX > Clear. The 8XX present vocals bigger and better. Vocal placement from the 8XX is right in front of me, which is what I prefer, whereas the Clear sound more in my head. The singer has more presence and appears grander on the 8XX. Also singers sound more natural. The Clear sounds "too perfect" like they're processed to be ultra sharp and high def. Perhaps this is the "metallic timbre" that some have described the Clear as.
• Bass is now... pretty good. EQ has done a lot for my 8XX to where it now sounds fuller and thicker to my ears. It actually kinda rumbles sometimes! Stock tuning was too lean for my contemporary music taste. For a lot of tracks I couldn't help but wish I was listening to my Clear instead for it's thump and slam which I find to be highly addictive. But after EQ'ing my 8XX the low end approaches 80-90% of what my Clear deliver.

I've been switching back and forth between my 8XX and Clear, both EQ'd...and wow is it getting hard to pick a winner. Just let me say real quick how grateful I am to have the opportunity to own and audition both of these headphones at the same time. They both sound so beautiful! For a while I was sure I had to keep the Clear because of it's richer and sweeter sound and satisfying bass response. The 8XX's soundstage and imaging wasn't enough to satiate my auditory appetite but after EQ'ing it I'm starting to get tickled in the right ways. I said I would listen to the only the 8XX for a while but I've been craving my Clear since I've been out of town. I'll try to listen to the 8XX for a week before trying on the Clear again.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

There are several different curves for the 8XX (Oratory, Crinacle, Grizbus, Daniel Lagoe...). Try them all and see which you prefer.

I've been banging between my 8XX, Focal Clear Mg, and my new-to-me Utopias (which are in a class all by themselves). Between the 8XX and the Clear Mg's, I prefer the 8XX for their musicality, smoothness, comfort, and wider soundstage. The Clear Mg are very clinical, and unless EQ'd (Crinacle), they're harsh and brittle. Once tweaked, they're perfectly fine.

Both seem to benefit from upgraded cables (Norne Audio Drausk 3 for the 8XX, Chinese N7 copper/silver hybrid braided cable for the Clear Mg's). I've also been tube-rolling the Woo Audio WA6-SE Gen2, and am starting to lean towards the Sophia Princess 574B tube (the USAF 596 lacks warmth and body).

IMO.

 

[ciber]

I totally agree with DMS, if you like 8xx, good for you, not for me and my ears. For my ears, elex is far more better than 8xx

 

[Voohoo]

There are several different curves for the 8XX (Oratory, Crinacle, Grizbus, Daniel Lagoe...). Try them all and see which you prefer.

I've been banging between my 8XX, Focal Clear Mg, and my new-to-me Utopias (which are in a class all by themselves). Between the 8XX and the Clear Mg's, I prefer the 8XX for their musicality, smoothness, comfort, and wider soundstage. The Clear Mg are very clinical, and unless EQ'd (Crinacle), they're harsh and brittle. Once tweaked, they're perfectly fine.

Both seem to benefit from upgraded cables (Norne Audio Drausk 3 for the 8XX, Chinese N7 copper/silver hybrid braided cable for the Clear Mg's). I've also been tube-rolling the Woo Audio WA6-SE Gen2, and am starting to lean towards the Sophia Princess 574B tube (the USAF 596 lacks warmth and body).

IMO.

I'm liking oratory's over crinacle's. Vocals sound fuller and the low shelf on the bass adds more oomph.

 

[Peter Hyatt]

This headphone is just amazing with classical music.
Timbre is way better and corrected from the HD800S.

How is it with opera vocals?

 

[Ichos]

How is it with opera vocals?

Balanced, not front nor back.
Good timbre, no harshness, no shouting vocals.
All tessituras sound with the same intensity.
Not too full bodied nor too lean.
Plenty of air around the vocalists, good sense of space.
I like it.

 

[jotaku]

Anyone else try the sticker mod mentioned in this review by tranqfx?
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/drop-sennheiser-hd-8xx.25588/reviews

I'm curious what other combinations of sticker removal would do to the sound.
@tranqfx how difficult do you think it would be to reinstall the stickers for testing different combinations?

 

[Pigeon X]

Anyone else try the sticker mod mentioned in this review by tranqfx?
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/drop-sennheiser-hd-8xx.25588/reviews

I'm curious what other combinations of sticker removal would do to the sound.
@tranqfx how difficult do you think it would be to reinstall the stickers for testing different combinations?

Very interesting. Not sure I'm brave enough to try. But it sounds like the stickers leave behind a lot of glue, so I'd guess you would be able to reattach.

 

[jotaku]

My pair of 8XX arrived with a faulty left driver/connection so I'm waiting for my replacement to be shipped. Otherwise I'd try it myself. I was surprised to see that they shipped with the cable connected to the headphone. I would think that would put it more at risk of damaging the cable or the internal connection during shipping hazards. Did anyone else's come like that?

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

How easy is it to EQ the 8xx to sound like/ close to the 800s? I'm not really into EQ, I appreciate differences in sound signatures of different headphones. However, given that the 800s has either been sold out, or available at full retail $1600 for a while now, I'm thinking about grabbing the 8xx.

Perhaps I'll enjoy the stock sound (I tend to dislike overly bright signatures), but in the worst case scenario where I hate it, I wanted to see what the easiest way to EQ them would be. I've read a bit about Equalizer APO and it looks fairly easy to use. Can anyone give feedback specifically with the 8xx?

Edit: now that I own one I can answer my own questions.

1. Extremely easy to EQ them to sound like HD800s using EqualizerAPO and Peace GUI.

2. I do indeed enjoy the stock sound lol

 

[jotaku]

How easy is it to EQ the 8xx to sound like/ close to the 800s? I'm not really into EQ, I appreciate differences in sound signatures of different headphones. However, given that the 800s has either been sold out, or available at full retail $1600 for a while now, I'm thinking about grabbing the 8xx.

Perhaps I'll enjoy the stock sound (I tend to dislike overly bright signatures), but in the worst case scenario where I hate it, I wanted to see what the easiest way to EQ them would be. I've read a bit about Equalizer APO and it looks fairly easy to use. Can anyone give feedback specifically with the 8xx?

If you are on a PC, then Equalizer APO + Peace GUI. You can easily import and adjust other peoples EQ settings or create your own.

I usually start off with someone's EQ settings like Oratory1990's EQ profiles for whatever headphone I'm using and then tweak it to fit my preferences if necessary. https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/

If you are on Android I like Poweramp Equalizer. You do have to pay like $3 but it is totally worth it in my opinion. Don't know what options there are for iOS or Mac since I don't run those for my music listening.

 

[Voohoo]

My pair of 8XX arrived with a faulty left driver/connection so I'm waiting for my replacement to be shipped. Otherwise I'd try it myself. I was surprised to see that they shipped with the cable connected to the headphone. I would think that would put it more at risk of damaging the cable or the internal connection during shipping hazards. Did anyone else's come like that?

Mine came plugged in.

So my 30-day return window ends tomorrow. I'm just not ready to return them even though they are not clear winners over my, um, Clear. I'm okay with selling at a bit of a loss to listen to these for a couple more months. The sound presentation is so...transparent, I think is the word? It feels like the 8XX was engineered to pull sound waves from the ether. To me the sound delivery feels like it transcends the physical headphones. When I switch back the the Clear it sounds very traditional but as my perception adjusts the image does become quite holographic but lacks the sense of space of the 8XX. I prefer the 8XX in many ways over the Clear, especially with the build quality and comfort and soundstage, so really it's the lack of bass of impact that's holding me back from loving it. I'd say for 90% of songs the 8XX sound complete for me but for the rest I yearn for the Clear.

 

[jotaku]

Mine came plugged in.

So my 30-day return window ends tomorrow. I'm just not ready to return them even though they are not clear winners over my, um, Clear. I'm okay with selling at a bit of a loss to listen to these for a couple more months. The sound presentation is so...transparent, I think is the word? It feels like the 8XX was engineered to pull sound waves from the ether. To me the sound delivery feels like it transcends the physical headphones. When I switch back the the Clear it sounds very traditional but as my perception adjusts the image does become quite holographic but lacks the sense of space of the 8XX. I prefer the 8XX in many ways over the Clear, especially with the build quality and comfort and soundstage, so really it's the lack of bass of impact that's holding me back from loving it. I'd say for 90% of songs the 8XX sound complete for me but for the rest I yearn for the Clear.

I guess it's good to know that that is how they are shipping them. I don't agree with the fact that they are shipping that way, but oh well.

I've heard that Focals tend to have really nice punch/slam compared to other headphones. I know that I'm not getting that from the 8XX, and that's ok for me. I have other cans that will give me the bass if I want that meaty bass hit.

 

[Ichos]

I have both HD8XX and Clear Mg and for some strange reason my hand is always reaching for the HD8XX...

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

Finally decided to try EQ for the first time. Downloaded equalizer APO a d Peace GUI. Surprised how easy it was to apply an EQ. I just found Oratory 1990 2018 Harman target for my 660s and 560s and input the values (I can't figure out how to import it without having to manually punch in, if anyone can help with that!)

Im now comfortable ordering the HD8xx knowing I can EQ if needed. Placed my order today. Worst case I dislike the stock sound and EQ them to sound like the 800s, or to Harman. Very excited to check them out. Will check back in here once I receive them and compare to the headphones I currently have. Thanks to those here who suggested I look into EQ