[Mathewsa]

I just got the HD 7 DJ today, and they are great. Sennheiser really did good with the HD 7 DJ.

 

[BruinAnteater]

Damn it guys...just when I thought I was completely done buying Sennheisers:

Started with HD650s, then PX360s, then Momentums, Amperiors, HD429, HD449, Momentum On Ears, and finally HD700s.

I love my HD700, and thought that would be it for me in the Sennheiser line: on the top end the HD700s were a big step up in detail and soundstage kver the HD650 (which I didnt think was possible), with the bass being a bit more clear and tight, but less impactful, so I didnt feel like Id enjoy the 800s, which may have even more detail and widersoundstage but even less bass for a whole lot more money than the HD700.

On the portable end I didn't think Id need more bass than Momentums and didnt think I could get a better all around portable performer than the well priced can than the Amperior: detailed, rich sound, tight bass and impactful bass that doesnt bleed into mids, overall aggressive sound and easy to drive.

But from all accounts here, it seems like the HD8s are just as detailed and aggressive as the Amperiors, have more bass than the Momentums (really?) yet the bass is much more controlled than Momentums. Apparently more comfortable than the Momentums (certainly HAS TO BE more comfortable than the Amperiors, thier only drawback). Seems like the only drawback to the HD8 is the impedence (95ohms or 150?) which wouldn't be a problem for me: the FiiO X3 on High Gain has the nuts to drive the 650/700s, and if I prefer a tighter sound, I can just use my FiiO E12.

Damn you Sennheiser for reading my mind and designing a headphone outside your usual sound signature, just as soon as you knew I was considering moving on to another brand just to try something different (though I thought the Momentums and 700s were a bit different for Senn). I got my eyes on these HD8s.

Lets hear some more from peeps who have HD650s, 700s, Amperiors and Momentums that also have HD8s for some more impressions. Enjoying the thread, even if my back account is already crying for mercy.

 

[Eugguy]

I just got the HD 7 DJ today, and they are great. Sennheiser really did good with the HD 7 DJ.

Good to hear, now you need the HD8 too!

 

[Mad Max]

Damn it guys...just when I thought I was completely done buying Sennheisers:

Started with HD650s, then PX360s, then Momentums, Amperiors, HD429, HD449, Momentum On Ears, and finally HD700s.

I love my HD700, and thought that would be it for me in the Sennheiser line: on the top end the HD700s were a big step up in detail and soundstage kver the HD650 (which I didnt think was possible), with the bass being a bit more clear and tight, but less impactful, so I didnt feel like Id enjoy the 800s, which may have even more detail and widersoundstage but even less bass for a whole lot more money than the HD700.

...

But from all accounts here, it seems like the HD8s are just as detailed and aggressive as the Amperiors, have more bass than the Momentums (really?) yet the bass is much more controlled than Momentums. Apparently more comfortable than the Momentums (certainly HAS TO BE more comfortable than the Amperiors, thier only drawback). Seems like the only drawback to the HD8 is the impedence (95ohms or 150?) which wouldn't be a problem for me: the FiiO X3 on High Gain has the nuts to drive the 650/700s, and if I prefer a tighter sound, I can just use my FiiO E12.

Damn you Sennheiser for reading my mind and designing a headphone outside your usual sound signature, just as soon as you knew I was considering moving on to another brand just to try something different (though I thought the Momentums and 700s were a bit different for Senn). I got my eyes on these HD8s.

...

 
The regular Momentums?  I'm not finding the on-ear Momentums all that "different" for Sennheiser.  Honestly not different at all, it reminds me of HD380, HD360, HD25, and HD280, perhaps a bit too much.  It just doesn't feel like a noteworthy addition to my Senn collection, lol.
 
Both Amperior and HD700 have a treble peak close to 7kHz, how did you find HD700's peak versus Amperior's?  I'm interested in trying out 700 later.

 

[bapyers]

So B&H is selling the HD7 for $190 (after rebate i believe) until April 30th.  Now Ive had the HD25 for about a month now and its great but i could use more bass and above all more comfort.  Unfortunatly, the HD8 is out of my price range. You think I would still like the HD7 over my 25's?  I cant justify spending almost $400 for the 8's when i could get the 7 for $200.  Id probalby have to sell my 25's too if i decided to snag the 7's.

 

[DJ Felix]

After rigorous all night testing and switching back and forth between the 25s and HD 8 , here are my impressions as a pro DJ that owns aiaia tma 1 , v Moda 100, Ultrasone sig DJ, senheiser 25. I just wanted to see how they compared to my favorite 25s.

Result:
Sound Quality . About 15% better hd 8
Sound Isolation About 10% better hd 8
Fatigue : 25 much lighter and easier to have around the neck.
One ear listening: HD 8 more comfortable
Overall , good DJ headphones, but not entirely ready to give up 25s just yet )

 

[PWNatorPWNED]

Hello,
I signed up today at Head-Fi. I have a few questions about the HD 7/8.
 
1. Do these require a amp/DAC? I usually plug in headphones in my laptop and phone.
2. Would I dig these if I use a Beats Mixr (don't judge )
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[BucketInABucket]

  Hello,
I signed up today at Head-Fi. I have a few questions about the HD 7/8.
 
1. Do these require a amp/DAC? I usually plug in headphones in my laptop and phone.
2. Would I dig these if I use a Beats Mixr (don't judge )
 
Thanks in advance.

• I think they do require an amp since they are designed for professional use, and a dac is always good to avoid double-amping.
• Depending on your music preferences, you'll be at least surprised at the awesome sound quality and at most squirming in audio joy.

 

[grizzlybeast]

After rigorous all night testing and switching back and forth between the 25s and HD 8 , here are my impressions as a pro DJ that owns aiaia tma 1 , v Moda 100, Ultrasone sig DJ, senheiser 25. I just wanted to see how they compared to my favorite 25s.

Result:
Sound Quality . About 15% better hd 8
Sound Isolation About 10% better hd 8
Fatigue : 25 much lighter and easier to have around the neck.
One ear listening: HD 8 more comfortable
Overall , good DJ headphones, but not entirely ready to give up 25s just yet

)

 
man I want these even more than the he-560 for some reason. 
how do they fair against the sig dj. i know its  a huge difference.

 

[hekeli]

 

• I think they do require an amp since they are designed for professional use, and a dac is always good to avoid double-amping.

 
That doesn't mean anything.
 
If you look at the specs, they are quite sensitive at 115dB/1V (which converts to 104dB/mW). The little higher impedance of 95 ohms helps to reduce impedance mismatching, bad amp behaviour, hiss etc, nice to see someone doing it right (they say "for optimum compatibility with DJ equipment" but all benefits are generally true).
 
My Dell E6430 plays HD8 well and very loud at 50% volume. On my Samsung Galaxy II loud volume is achieved at 80-90%, sounds perfectly fine for what it is.

 

[BucketInABucket]

   
That doesn't mean anything.
 
If you look at the specs, they are quite sensitive at 115dB/1V (which converts to 104dB/mW). The little higher impedance of 95 ohms helps to reduce impedance mismatching, bad amp behaviour, hiss etc, nice to see someone doing it right (they say "for optimum compatibility with DJ equipment" but all benefits are generally true).
 
My Dell E6430 plays HD8 well and very loud at 50% volume. On my Samsung Galaxy II loud volume is achieved at 80-90%, sounds perfectly fine for what it is.

All cans require an amp. What I mean by this is all headphones require the signal from a line-out device to be amplified by a sufficient amount in order to produce sound that enables us to enjoy the music.
 
External amps are desirable not due to inadequate volume, but due to how dirty the signal is from generic devices with built-in amps not specifically designed to power headphones properly. I assumed (possibly wrongly) that since the HD7 is a professional set of headphones, they have an unforgiving nature and therefore a bad signal coming from a built-in amp will be apparent when using them. 

 

[BruinAnteater]

   
The regular Momentums?  I'm not finding the on-ear Momentums all that "different" for Sennheiser.  Honestly not different at all, it reminds me of HD380, HD360, HD25, and HD280, perhaps a bit too much.  It just doesn't feel like a noteworthy addition to my Senn collection, lol.
 
Both Amperior and HD700 have a treble peak close to 7kHz, how did you find HD700's peak versus Amperior's?  I'm interested in trying out 700 later.

The regular over ear Momentums (but also the on ears, since they are similar). I actually dont own or have heard the Senn's you listed, but I found the Momentums to be much more bass heavy than any of the Senns I own (HD429/HD449/PX360/Amperior/HD650/HD700), which is what I wanted from them. Although the HD650 and Amperiors have good bass, with the Amps having the harder hitting and the HD650 the smoother more controlled bass, I found the bass on Momentums more sloppy, sometimes affecting the lower mids. So I felt they were a bit different from the Sennheiser sound of the other cans I own.
 
As far as treble peaks go, both do have a bit of harshness right arround 6-7kHz, it just seemed a bit more pronounced on the HD700. I don't know if that's because the HD700 does a better job of giving more detail, and seperation, it just seems more noticeable on the HD700; its like I notice the treble peaks on both, but it just bugs me more on the HD700.
 
Other than that, I love the HD700s: if price was no object, they are easily my best headphone, while the Amperiors are third (second being HD650). Those positions switch if I factor in cost (especially cost of needed/recommended equipment): I paide $350 for the HD650, $220 for the Amperior and $650 for the HD700. The HD700 is a great headphone, but its not twice as good as the HD650, more like 25% better. 
 
Plus, to tame some of that treble peak,I feel like you need a good amp and dac (I got the Schiit Asgard2 and Bifrost, an additional $670). With a good amp/DAC, the HD700 starts to pull away from the HD650 (the HD650 just needs an amp with a lot of power, and E9 did me fine for over 2 years). The Amperiors are pretty much game out of the box, with no additional equipment needed, any DAP, Laptop, phone, headphone out would work just fine. They also sound damn good, and I think they sound miles ahead of the Momentums which cost me $300.

 

[Mathewsa]

  Good to hear, now you need the HD8 too!

Hahaha, If only my wallet could take it xD 

 

[hekeli]

  All cans require an amp. What I mean by this is all headphones require the signal from a line-out device to be amplified by a sufficient amount in order to produce sound that enables us to enjoy the music.
 
External amps are desirable not due to inadequate volume, but due to how dirty the signal is from generic devices with built-in amps not specifically designed to power headphones properly. I assumed (possibly wrongly) that since the HD7 is a professional set of headphones, they have an unforgiving nature and therefore a bad signal coming from a built-in amp will be apparent when using them. 

 
Look, if we want to generalize to the extreme: all portable devices, laptops etc have amped ports and can drive atleast basic portable headphones. Labeling something as "professional" means absolutely nothing, the real specs matter. These days many devices have decend if not excellent clean dacs and amps. And it's not like the HD6/7/8 are HD800. But as always, this is Head-Fi and some people would carry a backpack full of "portable" stuff for tiny improvement. HD8 will work more than fine for trips using my phone/laptop.

 

[PWNatorPWNED]

Bit off topic, what would be a good portable amp/DAC for the HD8?