[zunman]

I like it!

 

[moonboy403]

I took a K1000 over HD800 and I'll gladly take the R10 over the HD800 too.

 

[SteveM324]

It is nearly impossible to fairly compare the K1000 to HD800. The system requirements to optimize the sound of these two headphones are completely different so to compare them fairly one would have to use two completely different systems. That can probably be said about comparing any 2 headphones but when the K1000 is 1 of the 2 headphones being compared, it is a totally different story. IMO, to optimize the K1000 you need to drive it with a speaker based amp and most likely that amp doesn't have a headphone jack directly off its speaker taps to drive the HD800.

 

[Drumonron]

The HD800 IS the best dynamic headphone currently in production today for me....the best I've ever heard.

 

[raif]

As far as producing an "audiophile" sound, the hd800 dethroned all other contenders for me. I am actually in the process of unloading some gear inventory to budget for them.

I must admit that I haven't given the jh13s a proper listen due mostly to the fact that I already own a pair of custom iems and there is no way I could get that past the significant other. Other than that, the omega IIs were my previous champion and after comparing the hd800 to an omega / bhse combo*, the hd800 sounded more natural.

* disclaimer: this comparison was done in meet conditions

 

[NWRain]

I have mixed feelings on the HD800. I initially gushed over the HD800, but the spring creak issue drives me nuts.

 

[vcoheda]

the 800 is definitely a top-tier headphone and rivals the O2 for best in production.

 

[Geek]

The HD800s are ridiculously good, offering an ultra-revealing, speakerlike presentation one step away from K1000s, neutral tonal balance, earth-shattering low end, wicked, precise highs... I find them to be very dynamic as well. The high end is a departure from the HD600/650 sound and is both the greatest strength and weakness of the 800s as it's simply too revealing for a lot of folks.

I find them to be foot-tapping at low volumes (55-65dB) and mind blowing at moderate to high volumes (80-90dB). At higher volumes I get a 'live music' feel and they make incredibly good cinema phones / gaming phones, offering pinpoint imaging. Imaging on regular headphones can sound a little blurry even with crossfeed, but that's generally minimized on 800s.

The 800s can be fatiguing at high volumes with recordings that have a boosted high end (listen to trance written by Above & Beyond and your ears are going to feel like they got stuck in an oven), but are absolutely incredible with a neutral recording of pop/electronic (The Crystal Method - Vegas), and are great reference phones for classical recordings, especially piano (Barenboim's Chopin Nocturnes).

Jazz lovers should consider auditioning the 800s. Whether it's due to the woven steel backends, unique new driver, or driver properties, they reproduce drums and metal instruments - vibrophones, cymbals, brush drums - much better than HD650s, which sound on the dull side in A/B comparisons.

My recommendation would be to listen to the HD800s before buying - they present a new sound that die-hard Sennheiser fans may or may not like, trumping the Sennheiser Orpheus for detail and offering what I would compare to other Sennheiser high-end phones a slightly experimental tonal balance - it just doesn't sound rounded at the lows and highs, sort of a "you guys do nothing but whine about the veil, well... eat this, kids" statement. You may like it or hate it - don't go out on a limb and buy before trying!! I did my due dilligence and listened carefully to them before buying, too.

Bassheads will delight in the 56mm drivers: buzz-free and fully extended without sacrificing articulation down to monstrous sub-bass lows - on some (bass-heavy) recordings it feels like the subwoofer is strapped to your head, it's a noggin tickling experience which shockingly doesn't distort the midrange or high end... you can't get this sound by EQing HD650s, which are already bass kings. People looking for headphones capable of reproducing the RumbleFX effect without sacrificing other aspects of the sound could EQ the HD800s instead of buying a subwoofer to compliment another set of phones like K701s, HD600s, etc.

Try the HD800 with a headroom amp and DAC - they really shine with a neutral, articulate amp and source. They sound terrible with a lot of equipment out there - unlike the 650s or DT250-80s they are source, amp, and recording dependent, more so than HD600s, a real "tell it like it is" headphone. I loved my HD650s through a source that sounds awful with 800s.

For reference purposes, I'm a pretty big fan of the Sennheiser sound, but also like and respect the DT250-80s, K701, DT880, Sennheiser orpheus, and can understand why people would like Grados, though I don't prefer them. Give the 800s a shot if your tastes are similar to mine and you have a neutral to slightly warm sounding amp / source combo.

 

[feifan]

Geek, your explanation comes closest to my experience of the HD800. Thanks for putting it all into words. This is a fitting "Ode to the HD800"!

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Albinoni /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you think the Sennheiser HD800 is the best sounding headphone in the world, as acclaimed by some Hi Fi experts and magazines. Or would you say there are others out there that are just as good and can give the HD800's a good run for their money eg from AKG, Grado, Ultrasone, Beyer Dynamic etc. If you had money to burn would the HD800 be the one for you ? I actually read in a Hi Fi mag once and the writer said "though today the HD800 is the best sounding headphone in the world, the AKG K701 will still go down in history as being one of the best sounding headphone ever prouced"

I still want the Q10 over the HD800.. Never heard either.. Just going by their strength... Speed.. Clarity..Detail mean the most to me, so the Q10 seem right for me.. Minus the tonal issues..

 

[ysyung]

agreed with Geek

 

[ford2]

I thought the HD800 thread's had been done to death.

Just waiting for the FB's to start popping out of the woodwork.

Yet another thread just waiting to get locked.

 

[John Willett]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NWRain /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have mixed feelings on the HD800. I initially gushed over the HD800, but the spring creak issue drives me nuts.

This was only on a small number of headphones and Sennheiser have re-designed the spring to prevent this happenning - if you have headphones with clicking/creaking springs there is a free fix for it - contact your Sennheiser agent.

 

[jherbert]

Just sold K1000, AH-D 5000 (MarkL), HA-DX1000, O2Mk1. Had SR-303, DT880, K701 and others before. Kept HD800. Guess that says it all.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveM324 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is nearly impossible to fairly compare the K1000 to HD800. The system requirements to optimize the sound of these two headphones are completely different so to compare them fairly one would have to use two completely different systems. That can probably be said about comparing any 2 headphones but when the K1000 is 1 of the 2 headphones being compared, it is a totally different story. IMO, to optimize the K1000 you need to drive it with a speaker based amp and most likely that amp doesn't have a headphone jack directly off its speaker taps to drive the HD800.

A few of us can. The Moth Si2A3 is a headphone amp with speaker taps. I can connect the K-1000 to the speaker taps and put the HD-800 into the headphone jack.

It's a tough call which is better - I'm keeping both.

I also think I'll be able to plug both into the Millett SRPP ECC99 amp when I get a chance to build it. It's designed specifically to drive the K-1000 (plans and info are at Pete Millett's DIY Audio pages) and it also has an impedance switch so you can plug other headphones into it. Maybe by the end of the year. I've got all the parts to build it and the office has been consuming almost all of my free time. Fortunately, the Moth is good company in the time I get to enjoy it.