[raybone0566]

If you have a good DAC and amplifier, big chance you won't even use the HD 650 anymore if you get the HD 800 S. Atleast mine is gathering dust, even on bad recordings the HD 800 S sounds better.

But also check out the Hifiman edition X. According to my ears, it's an excellent upgrade over the HD 650. Too bad Fang won't lower the price though

Not always the case. I've got the 800, T1, & 560 and 650 get as much time as the rest.

 

[Arniesb]

If you have a good DAC and amplifier, big chance you won't even use the HD 650 anymore if you get the HD 800 S. Atleast mine is gathering dust, even on bad recordings the HD 800 S sounds better.

But also check out the Hifiman edition X. According to my ears, it's an excellent upgrade over the HD 650. Too bad Fang won't lower the price though

Thats amazing achievement of Sennheiser that HD800S can sound great with even average quality music! I see in one video one of the Sennheiser employers said that one of their goals was to make HD800S more forgiving.

 

[knorris908]

Not always the case. I've got the 800, T1, & 560 and 650 get as much time as the rest.

Speaking of which, I largely agree with much of what is being said. I love my HD-650 with Blues and some jazz more than my T1 ver.2 or HD-800. Say maybe 15% of what I listen to goes to the HD-650, 65% goes to the T1 as my favorite, and the remaining 20% goes to the HD-800 when that huge soundstage is truly appropriate. If I were to rank them according to levels of awesomeness for me personally, T1=9.5, HD-800=9.45, and HD-650=8.5. All clearly above any of my other headphones, but the HD-650 isn't quite in the same league. But there IS "something special/endearing" about them to me. So for me, it's like saying I will only ever use a Phillips-head screwdriver.... There are times when a flat-blade or a torx is just the right tool for the application no matter HOW good or enjoyable to use the other ones may be. Just my 2 cents-worth.

 

[Mr Rick]

Speaking of which, I largely agree with much of what is being said. I love my HD-650 with Blues and some jazz more than my T1 ver.2 or HD-800. Say maybe 15% of what I listen to goes to the HD-650, 65% goes to the T1 as my favorite, and the remaining 20% goes to the HD-800 when that huge soundstage is truly appropriate. If I were to rank them according to levels of awesomeness for me personally, T1=9.5, HD-800=9.45, and HD-650=8.5. All clearly above any of my other headphones, but the HD-650 isn't quite in the same league. But there IS "something special/endearing" about them to me. So for me, it's like saying I will only ever use a Phillips-head screwdriver.... There are times when a flat-blade or a torx is just the right tool for the application no matter HOW good or enjoyable to use the other ones may be. Just my 2 cents-worth.

I'm in the same camp as you. I use the HD-650s primarily with Blues. I like to choose a genre that I think sounds best with each headphone in my collection. Even my HD-800s spend most of their time reproducing Opera. I do have a headphone that I find I use as an 'all-rounder', but it's from another manufacturer so I won't mention it here.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

  I always wonder if I should get a hd800(or the S now) and EQ it. I already EQ the hd650 and my favorite sound is somewhere in between those 2 signatures. I find both comfy and light enough so that's like 80% of what matters to me. but then if it's to still end up with the signature I enjoy with EQ, is the price difference something I can justify? I have a hard time saying yes. I've been leaning toward one direction then the other for the better of the last 2 years. the main difference is that I could use the hd650 without EQ. but I can't stand the hd800 as is. but no doubt the hd800 is an amazing headphone when it comes to signal fidelity out of a dynamic driver, it's really there at the top.

 
Anex mod maybe?  Or wait on a larger group of impressions of the "S".  That's what I'm doing...

 

[Youth]

   
If you have a good DAC and amplifier, big chance you won't even use the HD 650 anymore if you get the HD 800 S. Atleast mine is gathering dust, even on bad recordings the HD 800 S sounds better.
 
But also check out the Hifiman edition X. According to my ears, it's an excellent upgrade over the HD 650. Too bad Fang won't lower the price though

 
Did you find the HD800 to be sibilant? I'm curious about the HD800S. I don't think I'll ever sell my HD650 ever though.

 

[knorris908]

   
Did you find the HD800 to be sibilant? I'm curious about the HD800S. I don't think I'll ever sell my HD650 ever though.

The HD-800 wasn't sibilant to us unless we had the wrong mix of under-powered amp, innnate, strident highs in the track itself, and poor mastering/sampling resulting in a harsh music file.  The HD-650s cover for this a bit, the T1 and HD-800 plays what's there.
 
And agreed.  While my HD-650s are no longer my sole audiophile cans, I do not foresee selling them ever.  Especially since I still prefer Blues and Jazz through them over anything the HD-800 or T1 does for those genres.  It "just feels right".

 

[castleofargh]

 
Quote:

  I personally never EQ, but I'm certainly not one of those people who are against the idea. I just never find a need to and/or I am too lazy.
 
That said, I always think that EQing is great for tweaking something you already like to be near perfect (so improving on positives), or to make your only available piece of crap headphones sound tolerable because you're stranded on a remote island and EQing is the only thing you have available (so making the negatives tolerable). However, to EQ a headphone that you just don't really like to something tolerable, even though you have plenty of other options available that you already like without EQing... I personally wouldn't buy that headphone. And that's even disregarding the price difference.
 
Just my two cents.
 

of course EQ isn't just a magic fairy that turns things into others. else I wouldn't ponder about getting the hd800 at all ^_^. I would go and EQ a porta pro.

but in this case, I would mostly reduce the high-mids and trebles of the hd800(what everybody has been doing with warm rolled off amps), something an EQ does very well without creating much "negatives". well a little phase shift with an analog EQ but the same as a colored amp would do, exactly the same. and the same or without phase shift, and with less distortions on a good digital EQ.
 
 I guess I'll have to try and steal a pair from a willing victim so that I can try. guessing will only leave me with doubt. (not that I'm crying because I'm "forced" to use the hd650 ^_^)

 

[pietcux]

of course EQ isn't just a magic fairy that turns things into others. else I wouldn't ponder about getting the hd800 at all ^_^. I would go and EQ a porta pro.h34r:
but in this case, I would mostly reduce the high-mids and trebles of the hd800(what everybody has been doing with warm rolled off amps), something an EQ does very well without creating much "negatives". well a little phase shift with an analog EQ but the same as a colored amp would do, exactly the same. and the same or without phase shift, and with less distortions on a good digital EQ.

 I guess I'll have to try and steal a pair from a willing victim so that I can try. guessing will only leave me with doubt. (not that I'm crying because I'm "forced" to use the hd650 ^_^)

You should rush to get a used HD800. With the French or Super Dupont mod published, nobody will likely sell their HD800 to get the new "S" version. It seems to be quite easy to create a Helmholtz resonator in the center of the doughnut shaped driver.

 

[whirlwind]

Thinking about selling my HD650......want to offer them up here first, before posting in the B/S/T forum.....just pm me....they are in pristine shape
 
I know that i will revisit these for a third time someday....more than likely.

 

[iancraig10]

Exactly....... 'You'll be back' ...........

 

[ubs28]

Did you find the HD800 to be sibilant? I'm curious about the HD800S. I don't think I'll ever sell my HD650 ever though.

If the recording is good, the old HD 800 isn't sibiliant. It definetly can become sibiliant when the recording is bad.

I think if you hear the Hifiman Edition-X, you'll sell the HD 650. Atleast that was what I wanted to do untill I discovered how much that headphone cost.

 

[Youth]

If the recording is good, the old HD 800 isn't sibiliant. It definetly can become sibiliant when the recording is bad.

I think if you hear the Hifiman Edition-X, you'll sell the HD 650. Atleast that was what I wanted to do untill I discovered how much that headphone cost.

 
Allright. I have heard the HD800 many times on differents systems but never my own, most of the times I found them to be sibilant - even on good recordings. But I'd like to try them on my own system since that includes R2-R DAC which could explain why I found them sibilant before perhaps. Or perhaps I'm just sensitive to treble, I don't like most of the Beyerdynamic headphones either. Apart from the treble I absolutely love the HD800 hence my interest in HD800S. 
 
I've heard other people compare HEX to HD650 and I'd love to hear them one day but I'm never gonna buy them for that price. That might seem weird to say when I haven't even heard them but my experience with hifiman tells me the price is too high.

 

[Music Path]

   
Allright. I have heard the HD800 many times on differents systems but never my own, most of the times I found them to be sibilant - even on good recordings. But I'd like to try them on my own system since that includes R2-R DAC which could explain why I found them sibilant before perhaps. Or perhaps I'm just sensitive to treble, I don't like most of the Beyerdynamic headphones either. Apart from the treble I absolutely love the HD800 hence my interest in HD800S. 
 

Not what it used to be... 

 

 

[Youth]

  Not what it used to be... 

 

 
Yeah. My perception of sound has changed since then