[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

My pair was an early production too (21xx), at first 50-70h they did have shrillness and thin-body in their sound, but after 150h my pair sounds much better. Except for rock music, i would take the hd800 over my LCD rev2 (and my old rev1 too) any day on any amp i owned or had a chance to test. The sound from these HD800s is so airy, so detailed, and the sense of space is out of this world. Side by side, to my ears, the LCD 2 sounded muffed, unnatural because of its dark signature and the fit is awful.

Some of that will vary with source and amp, for instance my HD800 clearly outpace my LCD-2 rev1 out of my ZDT amp and I hear what you hear, but if I switch to my DACmini the LCD-2 come into their own.  Nevertheless, the HD800 out of my ZDT amp come very close to my HE-60 out of my KGSS amp, and I love them to death.  
 
PS:  My HD800 are #660 and they were in the 1st production batch handed out at CanJam 2009.  I'm using a Locus-Design Hyperion cable.
 

 

[grokit]

It's hard to go back and forth with the LCD-2 and the HD800, they are so different in their presentation that you really have to re-acclimate yourself every time you switch. Unless the music really calls for it that is. But barring extreme differences in the music, I would agree that the LCD-2 can sound muffled right after the HD800, and conversely the HD800 can sound thin right after the LCD-2 (out of the same rig). They're both great headphones in their own right though.

 

[purrin]

For what it's worth, effects of some mods:
 
Purple - Stock
Blue - Two layers of adhesive backed felt applied to metal ring and one layer of adhesive backed felt applied to plastic on inside back of frame
Orange - Two layers of adhesive backed felt applied to metal ring and one layer of adhesive backed 2mm dense foam applied to plastic on inside back of frame
Yellow - One layer of adhesive backed 2mm dense foam applied to metal ring and plastic on inside back of frame
Green - Save as above except dust guard covers removed
 
 

 
 

 

[olander08]

A bit less than two months ago, I stumbled upon this thread by accident and when I first saw the HD800s I really fell in love with their looks. I felt that I just had to have them, but of course, $1500 felt like it was simply too much to spend on a pair of headphones as an unemployed student. I did, however, feel a need to upgrade my Razer Megalodons for something better sounding (as I had read that they apparently were pretty bad, even though they did sound very good to me at the time). Naturally, I purchased the HD650s along with an E9 to go with my E7 that I had bought for use with my six months old IE8s previously.
 
The HD650s did sound a lot better than my previous headphones and my IEMs, even though it was only driven by the E7. When I got the E9 a week later, the difference in sound was simply huge compared to only the E7, with the biggest difference being the increase in bass response. However, after a mere week I cought the upgraditis virus and the HD650s felt like they were a bit too veiled for my taste, so I wanted to try to improve the sound more by getting a better source and amplifier. At first, I was intent on buying the mf m1 hpa after some reading from the local hifi store, but when I visited the store it wasn't in stock and wasn't expected until later that afternoon. Lucky for me though, as on my way towards the other hifi store that did have them in stock I decided that it was too big of an investment for me at the time. Another couple of days went by and I couldn't help but keep looking for other amplifying options when I noticed a used Lehmann BCL being sold here on head-fi. After some thought, I pulled the trigger on it along with a mf v-dac ii and as the DAC arrived, I visited the hifi store for some interconnects. The last time I was there, the demo HD800s had been lent out to a customer who had bought them, but this time it was available for me to listen to. I was pretty much hooked after a single song and knew that I had to get them in the future. The future turned out to be the following day as I bought them relatively cheap from amazon for <€800. I received them a couple of days later along with the BCL and now I'm sitting here happy and content.
 
These headphones are truly awesome and what I love most about them is the huge soundstage and details that they deliver. I'm also able to appreciate many more genres that I wouldn't have like pre-HD800 just because the sound is so good. I feel that even though the investment has been huge thus far, I will keep reaping the return on my investment for many years to come.
 
I just thought I'd share my appreciation for them, this being an appreciation thread and all...

 

[WindyCityCy]

Congrats on your purchase and enjoyment of it.  The HD800 are really a great headphone!
 
Quote:

A bit less than two months ago, I stumbled upon this thread by accident and when I first saw the HD800s I really fell in love with their looks. I felt that I just had to have them, but of course, $1500 felt like it was simply too much to spend on a pair of headphones as an unemployed student. I did, however, feel a need to upgrade my Razer Megalodons for something better sounding (as I had read that they apparently were pretty bad, even though they did sound very good to me at the time). Naturally, I purchased the HD650s along with an E9 to go with my E7 that I had bought for use with my six months old IE8s previously.
 
The HD650s did sound a lot better than my previous headphones and my IEMs, even though it was only driven by the E7. When I got the E9 a week later, the difference in sound was simply huge compared to only the E7, with the biggest difference being the increase in bass response. However, after a mere week I cought the upgraditis virus and the HD650s felt like they were a bit too veiled for my taste, so I wanted to try to improve the sound more by getting a better source and amplifier. At first, I was intent on buying the mf m1 hpa after some reading from the local hifi store, but when I visited the store it wasn't in stock and wasn't expected until later that afternoon. Lucky for me though, as on my way towards the other hifi store that did have them in stock I decided that it was too big of an investment for me at the time. Another couple of days went by and I couldn't help but keep looking for other amplifying options when I noticed a used Lehmann BCL being sold here on head-fi. After some thought, I pulled the trigger on it along with a mf v-dac ii and as the DAC arrived, I visited the hifi store for some interconnects. The last time I was there, the demo HD800s had been lent out to a customer who had bought them, but this time it was available for me to listen to. I was pretty much hooked after a single song and knew that I had to get them in the future. The future turned out to be the following day as I bought them relatively cheap from amazon for <€800. I received them a couple of days later along with the BCL and now I'm sitting here happy and content.
 
These headphones are truly awesome and what I love most about them is the huge soundstage and details that they deliver. I'm also able to appreciate many more genres that I wouldn't have like pre-HD800 just because the sound is so good. I feel that even though the investment has been huge thus far, I will keep reaping the return on my investment for many years to come.
 
I just thought I'd share my appreciation for them, this being an appreciation thread and all...

 

 

[Aizura]

Hi guys, I just got my new HD800 and I'm loving the sound. I noticed though that the cable connectors in the headphone are kinda wimpy. I can slightly move the connectors around in the headphone's socket. It doesn't affect the sound or anything, but I'm wondering if this is normal? Aren't the cables supposed to click in really tight without it having any give to move around slightly?

 

[olander08]

Quote:

Hi guys, I just got my new HD800 and I'm loving the sound. I noticed though that the cable connectors in the headphone are kinda wimpy. I can slightly move the connectors around in the headphone's socket. It doesn't affect the sound or anything, but I'm wondering if this is normal? Aren't the cables supposed to click in really tight without it having any give to move around slightly?

It's the same for me, serial no 12XXX, so you're not alone and there's likely nothing wrong with your pair.

 

[oqvist]

Same here . Take quit some effort to remove the cables though so I don´t get the sense there is a sloppy connection.

 

[Aizura]

 Quote:

It's the same for me, serial no 12XXX, so you're not alone and there's likely nothing wrong with your pair.

Quote:

Same here . Take quit some effort to remove the cables though so I don´t get the sense there is a sloppy connection.

Have you guys ever removed the cables? I've had the HD800's in my hands before, and that one only had 1 connector which was very slighty movable, the other connector was rock solid, I couldn't move it even the slightest bit in the socket.
I get the feeling that, once you remove the cables (which requires quite a bit of force), you put a lot of stress on the sockets, which causes the connectors to fit slighty loose after you put them back into the headphone.
 

 

[s4nder]

I don't think a properly designed socket would lose its integrity after a single reconnection. My pair is # 7000+ and the connectors of my Cardas cable are slightly loose as well. This seems normal though, the connection is solid but there is a little give sideways. Someone who hasn't removed their cable at all should perhaps chime in.

 

[oqvist]

10900 here. It does appear normal due to the design to me but I don´t know how loose your connector is. Mine wasn´t new when I got it though.

 

[.Sup]

#221 
connectors are fine, never removed them though

 

[Aizura]

I contacted the seller about my HD800's and it turned out they sold me a pair that had been used for demonstration purposes. I assume the cables had been removed numerous times.
The replacement pair they sent me has perfectly solid connectors. I'm happy

 

[Audio-Omega]

Sylvania Bad Boy 6SN7GT tube tones down the brightness of HD800 and it has a softer treble.  

 

[.Sup]

I just picked up my HD800 that I sent for repair. I didn't have a receipt but they repaired it anyway free of charge. The problem with mine was the spring above the cup that goes into the headband. It was making loud popping metallic sounds when cups were moved. Thanks to Slovenian Sennheiser branch and Sennheiser Germany! Top service, I will continue to be your customer (5 products and counting)!