[Audio-Omega]

HD800 is excellent for movie scores.  

I have been listening to Blade Runner Trilogy: 25th Anniversary edition.  

 

[Windsor]

Quote:

I've had my HD800 for over 3 years, having brought them home from CanJam 2009 as one of the 1st pairs sold.  I'm keeping them forever even if they don't sound great on every amp I have.  I've been rediscovering them since I found out how well they pair with the Nuforce DAC-100 in my bedroom.  I used to have to go downstairs to my main rig to listen to them on the ZDT, while my bedroom rig was more convenient but didn't have a DAC amp that was 100% right for them.
 

 
I've had the Hd 800 for around 6 months now after trying many other flagship headphones. Since I've stopped analysing headphones as much and have just been listening presently, I'd say my whole listening experience has changed for the better, especially with the HD 800, which now is to me the perfect reproduction tool for the music of any recording I feed it. Everything sounds crystal clear and sonic details are revealed with amazing clarity. I love how the HD 800 are great at portraying the whole picture of the music so well, too. 
 
I'd say the HD 800 are a keeper. 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dleblanc343
 
How can you describe the sound of the nuforce dac 100? My nuforce rep has been hyping this product up for weeks now and I couldn't really believe nuforce synergizing well with the hd800's...!
 
Well, I'd say that the DAC-100 + HD800 combination is well balanced, with good solid and deep bass, spacious soundstage, transparent mids, and smooth refined highs.  However, I am using an aftermarket cable which smooths out the highs a little bit over the stock cable.  These phones just need a slight nudge to fix that issue, and my cable did help a bit (Locus-Design Hyperion).
 
When I switch to my DACmini the HD800 sound a little brighter with a slight grain to the treble, and the soundstage and upper mids are a little more forward.  Same thing with my HDP, but the differences are a little more exaggerated than when I switch to the DACmini.  So, basically when I go to listen with the DAC-100 I don't get listening fatigue after a short period of time, and don't have the urge to take the HD800 off to take a break as often as with the other amps.  And, I really do feel the HD800 bass is stronger with the DAC-100.  
 
Don't get me wrong, I love the DACmini that I'm comparing to, and it's a great bang for the buck which I've enjoyed immensely with every phone I have, except for the HD800.  But with HD800 I was happier to feed the DACmini RCA outputs into something like the ALO Amphora to smooth the phones out a little.  At the RMAF CanJam last year I loaned my HD800 to the DACmini vendor for the weekend, only because they were better than his DT-880, and I preferred HE-500 and LCD-2 to use with my own DACmini at the show.  On the other hand, the DAC-100 is more open and spacious sounding via the headphone out, with stronger bass, while being more grain free.  IF I was to bring a solid state amp to RMAF this year it will probably be the Nuforce DAC-100.
 
The only other amps at home that really excited me with the HD800 have been my $2500 Eddie Current ZDT or a Luxman P-1u that I had on loan for review.  I have many amps that can play nice with them but aren't perfect.  My Woo WA6 currently has a tube set that is better suited fLCD-2, HE-500 or HE-300, and HD600 (Sylvania VT-231 and Sophia Princess 274b), so I have to change out all the tubes to use the HD800 (RCA 6DE7 and Hytron 5U4G) but I don't want to change tubes every time I change phones.
 
I still have a lot of headphones to try with the DAC-100, but every time I sit down with it and listen with the HD800 I forget to review it with everything else.

 

[K3cT]

I may not like the overall tonality of the HD800 but if there is one thing that these headphones do exceedingly well, it's their imaging abilities. I have finally auditioned the SR-009 and BHSE not too long ago and while it eats the HD800 (and all other headphones too including the STAX's little brother, 007) for breakfast in all other areas, I think the HD800 still images better.
 
Or am I going crazy? 

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Or am I going crazy? 

 
Nope.  I still prefer the 800 to the 009 in other areas as well tbh.
 
As for the treble grain issue, I've begun to wonder whether it's the 800 or the source/amps.  The more I listen to better and better gear I'm beginning to think it's not the phones fault at all.

 

[Nordwestlicht]

Quote:

 
Nope.  I still prefer the 800 to the 009 in other areas as well tbh.
 
As for the treble grain issue, I've begun to wonder whether it's the 800 or the source/amps.  The more I listen to better and better gear I'm beginning to think it's not the phones fault at all.

 
Same here. My uncle's SR009 + T2 didn't impress me in some areas as much as his HD800 out of his Eternal Arts OTL.
 
But you have to be careful to come to inevitable conclusions, because the brain is the main reason for hearing differences.
 
In my setup, sometimes there are some highs I can't stand together with the HD800, other days/times with the same music and volume they simply aren't there for me and the music just sounds perfect.
 
Maybe that's the reason why people also believe in the sounding of cables, what is -simply said- just ridicoulus, including from a technical point of view.
 
My personal "conclusion" after nearly two decades of using headphones, is the following, atm.:
 
mood/situation/daytime ("condition" of the brain) >> recording quality >>> headphones >>> / >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> positioning of the headphones + different pads + individual head shape >>>>>>>>>>> amp (solid state) / >>>>>>> amp (tubes) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> source (if digital and at minimum ~320kbps mp3) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> cables & rest of voodoo
 
If no. 1 (mood/situation/daytime) "fails", everything after it will just not be as good, as it could be. And so on. Cables have simply no importance after all, except for a placebo effect.
 
Im a big fan of measuring things, and it can be very helpful, but it's sadly only one aspect of the whole headphones-story.
 
With changing parts in this chain, you always get another sound, from slightly/barely different to very different, but the brain comes first, always!
 
Also you have to be aware of, that some headphones or their pairing with different (tube!) amps just always sound better with specific recordings, than others, simply because of their FR.
 
Now you can always use an EQ to correct that for your individual likings, to a certain degree.
 
This whole matter is indeed very complicated and it's within the nature of this concern, that there can't be a perfect headphone or headphone/amp combo, if you use to listen to different recordings and musical styles.
 
But if you only listen to one CD or even only one song, there might be indeed the perfect headphone for you, I think... as long as your brain is on your side... 

 

[Anaxilus]

Um...yeah, very true but to be clear that wasn't what I was referring to w/ the treble grain.  I've heard the same amp w/ two different sets of transformers.  The one set that had the better treble extension had no grain w/ the HD800 which the lesser performing one was grainier.  There's also other science and engineering behind this possibility but not here for discussion.
 
The best I had heard the 009 was w/ the T2 as well but it wasn't an overwhelming argument for me.  There is a stat amp coming out that I prefer even more actually so I'll revisit the question then.  Honestly I prefer the presentation of Senn stats more than more current Stax anyway so it might not matter.  

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

I may not like the overall tonality of the HD800 but if there is one thing that these headphones do exceedingly well, it's their imaging abilities. I have finally auditioned the SR-009 and BHSE not too long ago and while it eats the HD800 (and all other headphones too including the STAX's little brother, 007) for breakfast in all other areas, I think the HD800 still images better.
 
Or am I going crazy? 

 
Spot on.

 

[Mad Dude]

Does anyone else equalize their HD800? If yes, what are your preferred settings?
 
I've been playing around with different settings the last few days (well, since I got the HD800) and I've more or less settled on a broad rise of  +3db from 100 to 250 Hz, and then considerably lowered treble: - 3db on 6.3 kHz, -7db on 8-10 kHz, -4db on 12.5 and 16 kHz. No change at 20 kHz since I can't hear anything above 17 kHz.

 
I've not yet decided whether the slight bass bump is necessary or not, the lowered treble on the other hand is a must. I won't say that the non-equalized HD800 sounds terrible, but it certainly is not enjoyable to my ears, not at all. I've rarely heard a more tinny, hollow sounding headphone. But then again, this can be corrected, and I have to say that an equalized HD800 is really, really good. Will do some more experimenting to see what settings work best.

 

[Nordwestlicht]

Quote:

Honestly I prefer the presentation of Senn stats more than more current Stax anyway so it might not matter.  

 
I think I get what you mean.
 
And I really hope they will offer again a decent pair of stats incl. a newly developed dedicated stat-amp in the near future.
 
I already heard something like this, but what I heard could maybe also be wrong.
 
Sennheiser invited us (German hifi-forum) for a presentation @ IFA 2012 (Berlin), but I think they will only show the new HDVD800 and new IEMs there.
 
But who knows.... hope springs eternal.

 

[Nordwestlicht]

Quote:

I've rarely heard a more tinny, hollow sounding headphone.

 
I always knew that there's something wrong with you Swiss people.

 
To me the HD800 is because of its very resonant free way of playing music one of the least tinny sounding headphones on the market.
 
EQing the HD800 -in a similar way as you described it- can be helpful, but it's not necessary in the most cases, I think. At least for my taste.
 
I think you might have bought the absolutely wrong can, Dude.

 

[Mad Dude]

Quote:

I think you might have bought the absolutely wrong can, Dude.

 
I can assure you, I've bought the HD800 being fully aware that it sounds this way - and I don't regret it one bit.

I have heard the HD800 before, and while I really liked its overall presentation, I couldn't stand this "hollow" sound, caused by a strong treble emphasis. For this reason I've always kept away from the HD800. However, I've added an Equalizer to my system some time ago, and after I had confirmed that it did not affect the sound in any negative way, the HD800 followed.
 
There are several reasons that make me think that a properly equalized HD800 is superior to many other headphones. While the treble can be calmed down using an equalizer - the changes I've described above alter the sound in a considerable way, making it much more full-bodied and what I'd call natural - it retains its other characteristics, such as the excellent soundstage, resolution, and istrument separation. These qualities cannot simply be implemented in other headhones, while adjusting the frequency response is a relatively simple affair.
That said, I think that the equalized HD800 is truly excellent.
 
About being tinny: I was exaggerating of course, but the "stock" HD800 does sound very hollow and unnatural to me. Mind that I'm coming from the HD600, which sounds entirely different. I have no doubts that one can get used to the non-equalized HD800, and enjoy it. But I do strongly recommend to try using an EQ - a simple software can suffice for testing purposes.
As always, a matter of taste.

 
 
 
PS - I've just read your very interesting HD800/T1 comparison. Thanks for the write-up - But I wonder why you mention sibilance so very often? I've yet to hear any annoying sibilance with my HD800, unless I forget to switch on the EQ...

 

[hekeli]

Oh yeah EQ all the way. I'm still interested if HD800 could match or surpass my LCD-3's - for my needs. Hopefully I can try it sometime soon at a local shop.
 
More comfort and soundstage would be cool, but what I'm most curious about is if it has enough EQ potential in the bass section (for EDM, movies..). TH900 is also interesting but it's still a closed phone and I doubt it offers anything to me over LCD-3's, except maybe comfort.

 

[MomijiTMO]

I'm actually looking into a graphic EQ for my HD800. Vintage units are cheap. Can't hurt to try .

 

[Nordwestlicht]

@Mad Dude
 
You're welcome.

 
Yeah, I know, but those were a few days of testing and mostly it was a slightly hint of sibilance, I could detect with the HD800 and T1, except for some bad recorded pop/rock songs.
 
Well, never mind, I think the HD800 is not really that sibilant overall. Only really bad recordings might provoke it.
 
Btw. I just tried out your EQ-settings and have to say, that the HD800 sounds totally veiled now. Not good, IMHO.
 
But yes, tastes differ and if you're liking it, it's the only thing that counts.
 
Having HD600 and HD650, too, I think you should learn to accept and love the better/other sound of the HD800 without EQ and it will grow on you.
 
For me it makes no sense to make sort of a technically advanced HD600 out of my HD800.
 
Probably it can sometimes make sense to raise the 20-80 Hz region slightly and also to raise the 10 kHz region very slightly while lowering the 6.3 kHz region... also only slightly.
 
But it's not necessary.
 
I made a picture of a possible EQ setting with the HD800, you might want to try out:
 

 
With this or a similar EQ-setting, the HD800 -to me- sounds kind of like a more open and more refined Denon D7000 with some T1 qualities, but still with its Sennheiser sound signature.
 
Uhm... well maybe my sound description is crap, you'll have to try it out for yourself to make your individual judgment about it.
 
Some recordings will surely benefit from this.