[Hennyo]

HD 800 or LCD-2. Both excel with this. Watch it in full screen and blow your mind.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHjpOzsQ9YI&list=UUyC_4jvPzLiSkJkLIkA7B8g&feature=plcp
 
She's from Utah.

So is Devin Graham. ! More great music!
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNZCZsHJIR8&ob=av3e
 
For our 800's / LCD's. Yin and Yang.

 

[satanigatan]

I'm finally an owner of these beauties! 
 
I don't know what to say, these are some of the best sounding headphones I've ever heard. I sort of feared them being really harsh (treble),and being really flat/dry. But I don't find that to be the case at all. I actually love the sound signature on these, even for rock. They are extremely light and airy, and just one of the most comfortable experiences I've ever had listening to music. I don't have the best ear for things, so maybe why I'm not able to hear some of the things that bother others with these (I've heard these are super harsh on poor recordings).
 
The only downside I have to these, is my ears get kind of fatigued. But it's not your normal fatigue.  What's strange is, I never get fatigue while listening to them. Like I said, they are one of the most comfortable listening sessions I've had. I'll go hours listening to various music, and losing track of the time. My ears never hurt while listening, in fact they are very comfortable.
 
But hours later (hours after not using them), my ears slowly start to get sore. It's weird. I've only had these two days though, so we'll see. Maybe it's just from long listening sessions, and I probably need to lower the volume.  At least I hope so! I've heard of others complaining of fatigue. But my general experience with fatigue, is that you get it when listening to them. Not hours after. So here's to hoping! 

Either way, madly in love with these. 

 

[ac500]

Welcome to the club! Your impressions sound very similar to mine. I'm not sure what it is, but some people I think just like emphasized bass and reduced treble, even in the audiophile community -- they just fear the associations of being called a "basshead" or anything similar, and evade the issue, but in the process unjustly put down incredible headphones like the HD800, in their arguments trying to claim headphones like the LCD2 are neutral (having heard the LCD2, my response to that claim is usually, at least internally: ha. ha ha. hahaha.)
 
I also agree that I prefer them for rock. I don't know if it's that I listen to a different variety of rock than most people (Dream Theater as an example) but I find bassy headphones vastly detrimental to rock music, not the other way around. Guitar need that precise treble detail, and bass needs sub-bass, not muddy midbass thump that overwhelms the intricacies of the rest of the music.
 
> But hours later (hours after not using them), my ears slowly start to get sore.
 
IMO (and what most people will tell you will agree) the HD800 have one weakness, and that's that their main deviation from neutral is slightly emphasized upper treble by a few DB. This is IMO its only "problem", unfortunately, to what would otherwise be IMO literally the perfect neutral headphone. Fortunately, my amp happens to be dark in the upper treble, reducing it by a few db, so I do not suffer the fatigue issue. As a result, my HD800 has only very very very slightly emphasized treble, and I like it that way most of the time on some of the songs I play. I'd recommend you either get a dac/amp that slightly reduces treble if this becomes a problem, or do what I do sometimes (heresy and/or defiance of the hifi bloodline [source] purity gods): software equalization. Just do it right and you won't sacrifice sound quality, despite what some will tell you.

 

[satanigatan]

Thanks for the reply! 
 
For me, the HD-800 are the first headphones that really sound  DRASTICALLY different to me. I mean, obviously headphones each have their own sound signature. And I've had a chance to try out many, and hear those differences. But I just love the HD-800 sound.
 
I also agree with you on the bass. A lot of people love the LCD-2's bass, and I do too. But based on what I've read, I expected the bass to be awful on these. And love the bass! Like you, I'm actually preferring most of my Rock on these cans. Love love the clarity of all the instruments.
 
Wish I was better at explaining, I'm just a casual music listener in all truth. So not the best at describing in technical terms. But let's just say I'm really happy and being wowed by these. I also like that I can start to build my set up around these later down the line. I'm currently using a Schiit Lyr + Bitfrost. 
 
What amp/dac are you using? 

EDIT: Looked at your sig: : Audio-gd NFB-12.
 
I'll have to look into these. Probably going to be a month of two before I start upgrading my set up.  
 
Quote:

Welcome to the club! Your impressions sound very similar to mine. I'm not sure what it is, but some people I think just like emphasized bass and reduced treble, even in the audiophile community -- they just fear the associations of being called a "basshead" or anything similar, and evade the issue, but in the process unjustly put down incredible headphones like the HD800, in their arguments trying to claim headphones like the LCD2 are neutral (having heard the LCD2, my response to that claim is usually, at least internally: ha. ha ha. hahaha.)
 
I also agree that I prefer them for rock. I don't know if it's that I listen to a different variety of rock than most people (Dream Theater as an example) but I find bassy headphones vastly detrimental to rock music, not the other way around. Guitar need that precise treble detail, and bass needs sub-bass, not muddy midbass thump that overwhelms the intricacies of the rest of the music.
 
> But hours later (hours after not using them), my ears slowly start to get sore.
 
IMO (and what most people will tell you will agree) the HD800 have one weakness, and that's that their main deviation from neutral is slightly emphasized upper treble by a few DB. This is IMO its only "problem", unfortunately, to what would otherwise be IMO literally the perfect neutral headphone. Fortunately, my amp happens to be dark in the upper treble, reducing it by a few db, so I do not suffer the fatigue issue. As a result, my HD800 has only very very very slightly emphasized treble, and I like it that way most of the time on some of the songs I play. I'd recommend you either get a dac/amp that slightly reduces treble if this becomes a problem, or do what I do sometimes (heresy and/or defiance of the hifi bloodline [source] purity gods): software equalization. Just do it right and you won't sacrifice sound quality, despite what some will tell you.

 

 

[vrln]

Ah, the LCD-2. Once hailed on Head-Fi as the destroyer of everything out there, the poster boy FOTM. I actually sold my first HD 800 to get one of those (R1) without hearing it. What a huge mistake, taught me a lot though. Luckily they were so hyped at the time I had no problems getting my money back by reselling it instantly.
 
Horrible soundstage (like good IEM´s but worse) and inaccurate, not to mention the comfort close to wearing a large coca cola bottle on your head. The LCD-2 to me is overpriced even at 400 dollars (HD 650 is much better in almost every way, except bass depth and maybe punch). The HD 800 is in a way, way different league. With every single genre. At one point I would be flamed nonstop for saying that, maybe it´s safer now that it´s no longer the FOTM. The next FOTM will probably be the HD 700, the R2 version of LCD-2 never seemed to get the same kind of hype.
 
That said, this hobby is subjective so I´m fully aware many will think I am on crack for making that statement Main thing: buy the headphones you like, noone else can help much with that.

 

[satanigatan]

Couldn't agree more. It really does just come down to what satisfies you. But I'll admit, if you don't have a place to try out headphones in person, you have to do a lot of research and go off what others say.
 
And I fully expected to like the LCD more based on everything I read. And don't get me wrong, I still like them. But for me, HD-800 is just kicking its ass. First impressions though mind you. I know there can be a bit of a bias, seeing as I. I just bought these and II. I've only been with them a couple days.
 
But just on my initial impressions, HD-800 is pretty opposite of what others said (for me). Really like their sound.
 
 
Quote:

Ah, the LCD-2. Once hailed on Head-Fi as the destroyer of everything out there, the poster boy FOTM. I actually sold my first HD 800 to get one of those (R1) without hearing it. What a huge mistake, taught me a lot though. Luckily they were so hyped at the time I had no problems getting my money back by reselling it instantly.
 
Horrible soundstage (like good IEM´s but worse) and inaccurate, not to mention the comfort close to wearing a large coca cola bottle on your head. The LCD-2 to me is overpriced even at 400 dollars (HD 650 is much better in almost every way, except bass depth and maybe punch). The HD 800 is in a way, way different league. With every single genre. At one point I would be flamed nonstop for saying that, maybe it´s safer now that it´s no longer the FOTM. The next FOTM will probably be the HD 700, the R2 version of LCD-2 never seemed to get the same kind of hype.
 
That said, this hobby is subjective so I´m fully aware many will think I am on crack for making that statement Main thing: buy the headphones you like, noone else can help much with that.

 

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

And I fully expected to like the LCD more based on everything I read. 

Same happened to me.  Almost never even bothered trying the HD800 based on reports here.  Hearing the LCD2 r.1 changed my head-fi barometer.
 
Oddly enough, I hear expectation bias thrown around a lot by certain folks around here.  IME, since I joined Head-fi, my expectation bias has most often resulted in disappointment.
 

 

[vrln]

The HD 800 are a lot like wine, they only get better with age as you get used to the sound signature. I loved everything about them from day one EXCEPT the treble spike. My new HD 800 doesn´t have a treble spike as annoying as the previous one, so now I´m just happy The treble representation still isn´t completely neutral, there is some sibilance for example that isn´t on studio monitors in a near field setup, but it´s close enough for me not to become annoyed by it every day.

No headphone is perfect, but not having heard the Stax high end stuff I feel the HD 800 is the best compromise. Stax Lambdas of course do some things better (and some things worse), but now that the treble spike isn´t a complete dealbreaker anymore I think they are pretty much at a tie with the HD 800 - and HD 800 wins in the end for me due to the removable cord and more amp options. Too much risk to keep Stax stuff around with an active cat that sometimes likes to chew cords.

 

[skeptic]

 
Satanigatan - really happy to hear how much you are enjoying your new hd800's (and that we didn't lead you astray over in the hd650 thread)!  They are keepers for sure, and my guess is that listening at a slightly lower volume, as you mentioned, will resolve the post-listening fatigue you are experiencing.  Truth is, you don't really need to crank these beauties to hear all the amazing detail they have to offer. 
 
Vrln - I'm right there with you in preferring the hd650's to the LCD's.  After reading all the hype, I thought I was dead set on purchasing them but decided to drive out to the west-side to DXC (now sadly closed) to audition them first.  After an hour or so of going through a long list of my test tracks, in an otherwise empty shop, I walked away shaking my head.  They're good phones, no doubt, but I was really surprised to find that I liked my 650's better.  I picked up my 800's a week or so later. No regrets whatsoever.
 

 

[dleblanc343]

Wow reading through this thread is really making me want to just jump at them for 950 bucks. I've auditioned them about 6 times now on my spare time at work, with various high end speaker amps; but I've always preferred the sound my HE500's spat out on the same set-ups. I'm going to have to bring my own equipment and take a longer listening break to compare the headphones, then I'll know whether I should just end the game and get me some HD800's.
 
Oh Head-Fi you...

 

[pikasu321]

I just joined the HD800 club with #11147  
 
Since joining Head-Fi, I've gone through: HD600, AKG K1000, K701, HD800, and a bunch of iems.  I owned the AKG K1000s for several months and really enjoyed the sound quality, but eventually ended up selling them because they were just so damn uncomfortable.
 
So far, I'm totally loving the HD800s.  I found it to be a perfect mix of fidelity and comfort.  It also sounded less "harsh" than both the K1000s and K701s.
 
I am current using the my HD800s with a DAC1 (the only dac and/or amp th.  Can you guys give me some suggestions for possible upgrades? (amps, dac, cables, etc).
 
Thanks!

 

[zeroakuma]

where is the best place to buy them new or used?

 

[Wingstrike]

Best place to buy them used would probably be here, in the for sales forum

 

[ac500]

Quote:

What amp/dac are you using? 

EDIT: Looked at your sig: : Audio-gd NFB-12.
 
I'll have to look into these. Probably going to be a month of two before I start upgrading my set up.  

Keep in mind the NFB-12 is not particularly a highly recommended DAC/amp for the HD800. I like it good enough that I have no intention of upgrading for a while (also it makes me feel better to space out my audiophile expenditures ) because the HD800 is just stunningly good, and the NFB12 is slightly dark which "synergizes" well towards making the HD800 a bit more neutral as opposed to it's slightly trebly normal self.
 
In terms of sheer quality though, everyone tells me the HD800 opens up a lot with better amplification, and that I believe 100%. Out of my macbook it sounds rather bad, out of my NFB12 it's just stunning, and from listening at a meet from a Beta22 I'm pretty sure the bass and overall detail became significantly better yet although it was hard to say precisely due to the background noise / crowd chatter of the meet.

 

[Hennyo]

$1,200.
Ygpm, for good source. =-)