[Shane D]

Thank you sir!
I've fallen on kind of hard economic times, but I set aside some savings, and I'm typing here to psych myself up to review the Apos Caspian (full-size dynamic headphone). I feel I'm rusty, you see, and I want to describe it justly. Not being a member of the trade does bring the opportunity to finally share thoughts about many brands and get back into reviewing! Hopefully my efforts will encourage more readers and more manufacturers to reach out to me to review stuff again

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Caspians. They have gotten lots of rough and mediocre reviews, but they still interest me.

 

[Evshrug]

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Caspians. They have gotten lots of rough and mediocre reviews, but they still interest me.

They seem to be made to appeal to a very specific audience. I think I have them figured out.

However, I haven’t read other reviews, and I don’t mean to let them influence me

 

[joespride]

Happy new owner of a pair of 8XX, Straight out of the box they were decent on my Felix Echo, Once my OG Kenzie with upgraded Jupiter Caps came in. It was still good but I was surprised the 8XX took on a brighter lean and picked up some grain. I decided to do the sticker mod as these cans will be with me till death. I finished the mod and have listened to them on the Kenzie for about 6 hours today everything from Boston to Jack White and the presentation is MUCH cleaner

I owned the original HD800 a few years ago and I liked them VERY MUCH, I considered those END GAME, I was saddened to find Sennheiser no longer offered the original HD800. I bought a used pair but sadly they were a bit to rough to justify the price so I sent them back. I struggled with the idea of buying any of the later 800 versions. Then this pair of 8XX came up on the bay for 675 plus all the fees, Tax, etc... Landed at my door 1 week later for just under 750.00. Happy I took the leap

My Kenzie is not a perfect match with only 2 taps at 32 and 600 Ohm, I use the 32 ohm and it works out just fine. more power than could ever need and experience some years ago with Justins very first Kenzie I knew I would be ok.........

 

[dracynical]

It is quite possible I can revert this into an actual 800S.
It's a bit more than just removal of that grill damping, but looks very possible since I been working on these drivers so long.

Looks like tha last drop price permanently devalued the headphones to below $800, even though it still selling higher on amazon, so yes it can be a deal..

I think I will get one, not only to measure, but to transform it to an 800S and measure, then update it to my 800SM which has true increases over an 800S, but I really don't like that dark blue ring which kills the lettering. Ugg.

I think it's a very nice price proposal for most people that bought the 8xx. If there is a possibility to change the 8xx into an 800s or a better version of it, I'd love to hear from your modding.

People seem to not understand that even if they like their 8xx tuning as it is, I personally am on the fence after having listened to it for more than a couple of months, that the possibility of such a mod is amazing and could extend the lifetime of a purchase.

I followed your 800sh modding and I'd definitely keep an eye on these kind of endeavors.

 

[davidtriune]

i did the mod with all stickers removed and foudn i liked the original better, lol. so i used wide double sided tape to stick them back on.

i think the effect is the samea s if you made an open back a closed back (or a half closed-back)

 

[NAD Fi]

I removed only the top sticker and the sound signature is very balanced. The hollowed out sound is gone and vocals have become lifelike. Soundstage is also noticeably better. The results are good enough that I won’t be removing any other stickers as I don’t wish to loose the mild warmth of the new sound signature. I encourage anyone performing the sticker mod to see whether you like my setup before proceeding further.

 

[VanHai]

Synergy, Synergy, Synergy !!! . DNA Sonett 2 + HD 8xx ( Only longest sticker removed, no more congested or nasal mids, clear as a whistle )= sublime sound. Just like peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

 

[Evshrug]

Synergy, Synergy, Synergy !!! . DNA Sonett 2 + HD 8xx ( Only longest sticker removed, no more congested or nosey mids, clear as a whistle )= sublime sound. Just like peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

I’ve always loved DNA’s blue amps, but haven’t had the chance to hear with one yet. May I ask, where did you get that headband pad? I’m in strong need of a replacement on my HD 800

 

[VanHai]

I’ve always loved DNA’s blue amps, but haven’t had the chance to hear with one yet. May I ask, where did you get that headband pad? I’m in strong need of a replacement on my HD 800

Hi, i got it from Amazon and here the link. https://a.co/d/eHVZiCy

Love my DNA amp, i have 5 tube amps: Ultrasonic Studios Oblivion, Woo WA22, WA6 SE, LTA MZ3 and DNA Sonett2. Only the DNA brought out the best of HD 800s family. A you tuber @tkddans came to my house and used his HD 800S on DNA and said " i am saving my money for a DNA amp".

 

[tranqfx]

So I was fairly happy with the 8XX and some EQ. but I was very curious about the sticker mod so I gave it a shot.

I peeled the black mesh off with my fingers. Then I used 99% isopropyl and Goo Gone with Q-Tips to remove the remaining adhesive, which is very thick. I found the Goo Gone to be quite difficult to clean off after, so for the second cup I only used isopropyl. It took a little longer but worked well. I recommend against using Goo Gone, due to the difficulty of cleaning it off. My one ear cup still smells like it.

To my ears the difference in sound is minor. They are slightly more open sounding, and the "narrow corridor" effect on voices is slightly reduced. The mid dip is still there, but doesn't seem as bad.

I took some measurements as I went along.

Stock

Bottom Sticker Removed

Top and Bottom Stickers Removed

Overlaid

Interestingly, the mid dip is still very much there, and it's actually slightly worse. It has shifted from 1.6k to 1.3k. Bass extension seems to be about the same. My measurements show some fluctuation but I think this is attributed to the positioning of the headphones on the test rig. The high peaks are now quite a bit higher but also evened out slightly, and more closely resemble the 800S.

I haven't tried removing the last sticker. It doesn't seem worth it, as the difference is so minor.

I think it is fair to say that the driver changes are the main difference to the sound and not the stickers in the ear cups, like people have been suggesting.

For those curious, the rig is this project that I modified to fit a UMIK-1. Probably not particularly accurate, but good enough to measure changes.

Overall, I don't think the mod is worth it. I will continue to use EQ.

Glad you were able to measure the sound for the sticker mod. Guess I sorta started the mod. Pretty fascinating the rig didn't show much of a change.
I still have one unmodded one, one modded and one original 800s and still prefer the modded one over the other 2. Most noticable on the A90D amplification and my ampsandsound bigger ben.

 

[tranqfx]

Told you the sticker mod works and the residue acts as a sticker since it is so damn thick. Glad you were able to get it removed and now you have a pair of HD 800s with better bass and a tamed upper end.

Glad to see the mod is working for people

 

[NAD Fi]

Deleted post.

 

[NAD Fi]

Glad to see the mod is working for people

The way I see it, if there was no difference in sound Drop would not have gone for the added expense & assembly efforts to add stickers. The HD8XX is somewhat like a semi open back and those metal covers appear to function as resonators. Adding damping to resonators will change the character, it’s just that I prefer the character with one less sticker.

 

[Evshrug]

Fair enough, and they do function as resonators from a certain perspective as they seal the steel mesh in certain parts and create more of a "semi-open" enclosure. It doesn't increase bass amplitude much, but it feels like more.

I find the HD 8xx to be educational.

 

[tkddans]

Hi, i got it from Amazon and here the link. https://a.co/d/eHVZiCy

Love my DNA amp, i have 5 tube amps: Ultrasonic Studios Oblivion, Woo WA22, WA6 SE, LTA MZ3 and DNA Sonett2. Only the DNA brought out the best of HD 800s family. A you tuber @tkddans came to my house and used his HD 800S on DNA and said " i am saving my money for an DNA amp".

I am! Someday I WILL get it. Best thing I’ve heard with a HD 800 S, full stop.