[number1sixerfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangen /img/forum/go_quote.gif My brow is furrowing. I just don't hear that. What's going on here? This should be really easy to agree on, so I doubt it's subjective. Phone variation? Amp? I don't have the recordings you mention, so I can't align with your experience that way.

I don't hear any as well, and I've put them through Jazz, Rock, Old School Soul, R&B, etc.

I don't discount the fact that maybe others are hearing it, but I am not though. My only problem is the weight to the music, which most people don't seem to be having a problem with.

Anyone want to provide a track that they are hearing bad cases of sibilance?

 

[Hopstretch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangen /img/forum/go_quote.gif My brow is furrowing. I just don't hear that. What's going on here? This should be really easy to agree on, so I doubt it's subjective. Phone variation? Amp? I don't have the recordings you mention, so I can't align with your experience that way.

Could also just be individual sensitivity to it. But, like I said, previously sibilance was something I'd read about in passing but never experienced myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone want to provide a track that they are hearing bad cases of sibilance?

As mentioned, try "Misguided Angel" off The Trinity Session by the Cowboy Junkies. Pretty much a reference live recording and one I'd enjoyed dozens of times previously without hearing the ssssssizzle I do now.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wait. So you aim for a treble roll-off by standard by utilisation of this amp? If the answer is yes, then why? If the answer is no, then why are you using an amp with a design flaw? Both of my options, btw, contain deliberate oversimplifications, but no more oversimplified than the mantra that tube amps have softer treble than solid state ones...

No, no, no...that wasn't my point. My point was that I am *NOT* using a SS with a tipped-up treble response. The Singlepower Extreme has a nice, smooth, extended treble. The point was the amp ISN'T the problem.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanuthead /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think he was being facetious...

What I thought at first, just hard to tell online.

 

[fallsroad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Beats me. It's my girlfriend's CD and I just ripped it with EAC. But I can check when I get home. I can guarantee you that she purchased it within the last 3 years, if that helps any.

Both the MFSL remaster and the recent reissue are significantly better sounding than the original CD release.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelvinz /img/forum/go_quote.gif John I agree with you the treble is perfectly fine on my pair perhaps it has something to do with our amplification. Skylab what source/amplifier are you listening with?

Source is Denon CDP and amp is Singlepower Extreme. It's not the amp, and IU really doubt it's the source. Plus, I have listened to dozens of headphones on this rig...

 

[boomana]

Skylab, I've been listening with my SP Extreme Platinum and two sources: Exemplar modded Denon 2900 and APL modded Phillips SACD 1000. I am also quite sensitive to treble emphasis and sibilance. With the Denon, I have nice extension, clean and detailed, but smooth smooth smooth. With the Phillips, the treble has an edge bordering on harsh with some noticeable, but minor sibilance in comparison on the same tracks. I've been throwing everything from classical (chamber, choral, and full orchestra), small combo jazz, single instrument acoustic, plus lots of female vocal music, and all the way to poorly recorded metal and 80s hardcore at them. I'm going to mess around with tubes, but won't have time to play until mid next week. For the first couple days, I was only able to listen with my pico and macbook, which was also perfectly smooth in the treble, and I was strangely surprised on how well the 800s did with the pico as I'm not fond of how it drives other Senns.

 

[johnwmclean]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif Source is Denon CDP and amp is Singlepower Extreme. It's not the amp, and IU really doubt it's the source. Plus, I have listened to dozens of headphones on this rig...

What about your 337? It could be a pairing thing, the Singlepower Extreme just might not be the “right” match.

 

[vcoheda]

i'm back to single ended (for now). still sound amazing. i have done at least one comparison to all my other dynamics and the 800 has beat them all. the headphone that fared the best was the 650. it held its own quite admirably. of course, future comparisons could yield different results, but i somehow doubt it. i could see myself selling most of my other headphones in the coming months.

the next step is to get the O2/KGSS out and see how that fares. hope to do that this weekend.

 

[The Monkey]

I look forward to that comparison, vcoheda.

 

[madmax7]

I have yet to hear a single trace of sibilance with the HD800. I even tossed in some old school hardcore punk for kicks. Like, Subhumans, Angelic Upstarts, Adolescents, Channel 3, Youth Brigade and more, and while of course some of these recordings are lets say, not audiophile (LOL) not a trace of sibilance. Just my experience of course.

 

[wakeride74]

Ok, so I've been away for a little while and am trying to catch up on some of the new products. Can someone save me some trouble of searching through countless threads and posts and give me the skinny on the 800's?

What other headphone does their signature resemble? How are female vocals on them? Has he bass improved since 650? thx

 

[RedBull]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif I sure hope that is true (and I *definitely* believe burn-in is necessary), for I am finding the treble in the HD800 too hot, and emphasizing sibiliance on recordings that it should not be. The midrange is terrific, and the soundstaging is amazing. But the treble...ummmm...well, I am worried. And I am using a tube amp. There are about 50 hours (approx) on the pair I have now, so I won't panic for another 100 hours or so...what are people finding is the point where the break-in benefits tail off?

i'm glad you finally came

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif I sure hope that is true (and I *definitely* believe burn-in is necessary), for I am finding the treble in the HD800 too hot, and emphasizing sibiliance on recordings that it should not be. The midrange is terrific, and the soundstaging is amazing. But the treble...ummmm...well, I am worried. And I am using a tube amp. There are about 50 hours (approx) on the pair I have now, so I won't panic for another 100 hours or so...what are people finding is the point where the break-in benefits tail off?

Around 250 hours for me.

I think with the right tubes or amps the HD800 treble is just right, and the treble is not as hot as my modded D2000 or re-cabled RS-1. When the HD800 had 24 hours on them from CanJam and the Head-direct HiFiMan EF2 amp was also fresh, they definitely sounded a bit hot in the treble.

Kevin Gilmore says he measured a lot of inductance in the HD800 and recommended an amp with low dampening factor to control it, like an SS amp or transformer coupled tube amp, but not an OTL tube amp. All I have here is tube hybrids and transformer coupled tube amps or SS.

 

[John Willett]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sillysally /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am not crying fire yet, but I have hit the 100 hour mark last night. The sibiliance is still there, and If anything the treble has gotten hotter. But that may be caused by the static I was feeding the HD800 prior to using them last night. I changed from static to music when I was done using them last night, so tonight when I use the HD-800 should tell me a lot more.

What do you mean by "static"? If you don't use music you should use pink noise (NB: not white noise) as pink noise includes all audible frequencies and you need bass as well to properly burn in (the designer recommended 48 hours on pink noise).


Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm in a similar situation, on some tracks there is horrid sibilance, the worst I've ever heard on headphones.

The HD 800 are revealing headphones - you may very likely find that this is more of a recording thing and the choice of microphone and voice, rather than the headphones - the headphones just showing what has been recorded on the CD.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not sure it should matter whether pink noise is used or music. I'd be interested to know what amp you're using, and if the music makes a difference though.

Burning in should use a wide range of frequencies, hence the recommendation of pink noise - but a variety of music should work well as well.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I mentioned the sibilance to some people, they said they'd not heard any sibilance with the HD-800, so I'm not entirely going to discount my C2C as being a partially bad match, but it's not sibilant with any other cans, and it's certainly not under-driving them (though obviously it's not in balanced Beta-22 territory).

It could be the amp, or just as easily the microphone used for the original recording.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Hopstretch /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've found the HD800s quite sibilant, too, after never really noticing the issue at all with any of my prior headphones (HD600, HD650, RS-2, HF-1, HF-2). In large part, I think, this is likely because the 800s are so much more resolving. I've noticed that the phenomenon can vary widely -- from genuinely painful to quite imperceptible -- on different songs by the same artist on the same album. That, to me, suggests an artifact of the recording itself. Live performances also show this quite well. Try "Misguided Angel" off the original Trinity Session and then off Trinity Revisited. Same singer, same venue, same arrangement, different recording, very different results.

An indication that it may be more of a microphone thing, I think.