[Jpnichiban]

[size=medium]Hey guys! I am new to this forum just wanted to greet you all. I have a question.

I am about to purchase a pair of Sennheiser HD800's which I'm excited for, but I was wondering, are they good for their price, or is their better options? please let me know, and all advice would be appreciated.

So is the Sennheiser HD800 worth it? I finally saved up the money, now I feel hesitant to spend it. I have a Bose quiet comfort 15's, Am I right in thinking that these will be a huge step-up?

Also I found some reviews for it, and here is someone's blog or something that explains the Sennheiser HD800's as if they were god.
http://www.squidoo.com/great-headphones
Is he correct?

Thanks in advance,
Jpnichiban[/size]

 

[MomijiTMO]

Pros: They sound good.

Cons : $$$

Buy them. Buy a dedicated amp. Buy a quality source. Alternatively BHSE + 009.

Cheers.

 

[MEDO]

i suggest you give your music preference to get a clear answer, like what you care about most; sound stage, treble, bass and midrange if you know what i mean. HD800 is one of the best, no, it is actually the best in some areas but be careful though it may not suit you. and a quick question; how do you find the bass on you bose headphones ?

 

[Moostrkraaft]

If you're not planning on spending at least another $2K on a DAC and amp (preferably closer to $3K-$4K), then there are far better options out there like the LCD-2, which doesn't have nearly the same upstream requirements. On most amps, the HD800s will sound bright and the bass will sound lean.

 

[Bolardito]

Quote:

If you're not planning on spending at least another $2K on a DAC and amp (preferably closer to $3K-$4K), then there are far better options out there like the LCD-2, which doesn't have nearly the same upstream requirements. On most amps, the HD800s will sound bright and the bass will sound lean.

Not entirely true..let's see I spent U$ 780 on a used V200 amp and U$700 on a Yulong D18 DAC (total U$ 1480) and I'm not getting a bright sound at all nor the bass sound lean..what I'm getting is terrific SQ

 

[rgs9200m]

Well, it sounds as if you are tight for money and can barely make it to the cost of the 800s. 
That's a problem because the 800s can be finicky and can sound less than stellar (bright or a little mechanical in the midrange) if you just plug them into any old amp and source.
(I've gone through 2 pairs myself with several different cables on them, along with different amps, tubed and otherwise).
 
If that's true, you might want to consider saving up some more and trying the Fostex TH900s, which, in my experiments (I own them also) mate well with different amps,
and compete head-to-head with HD800s for quality sound (although it is a very different sound, a more closer in first row sound, along with stronger but not as transparent bass,
but very natural mids, vocals, and highs, overall very liquid as opposed to a less liquid HD800). Images are larger to me on the Fostex than the Senns, too.
This is of course just what I hear.
 
But I want to repeat, I have never heard the TH900s sound bad on any of the amps I tried, and that cannot be said for the HD800s.
I actually love the HD800s, but it took a lot of work to get to this point.
 
Oh, by the way, my wife has the Boses, which I actually think are quite pleasant, but won't give you the insight of a high end headphone setup.

 

[SONIC BOOM]

well with the hd800 you also need a good amp and dac too go along with the headphones. You can't just plug them into a iphone and get amazing sound. I don't know if that's what your looking for but if it is then you should look at the denon d7100 or ultrasone edition 8

 

[rgs9200m]

And by the way, reading a "professional" review for any audio piece is just a start; try to plow through the forums to divine some sort of truth nuggets, but don't look for consensus, that will never happen.
Everything will be loved by someone, hated by others. Welcome to the nightmare. For years, headphone perfection according to Stereophile was a pair of HD650s and a Headroom Max amp.

 

[Eric_C]

I'm concerned you're rushing into a purchase. That "review" you linked to--was that your main motivation for wanting the HD800? Because it says very little about the headphones, how they sound, what's good about them technically, and what "better than iPod sources" it's referring to. Also, who's the reviewer? It reads like it could have been written by anyone. If you're buying something >$1k, surely you want to know that it's recommended by someone you can trust, right?

 

[Jpnichiban]

Quote:

Not entirely true..let's see I spent U$ 780 on a used V200 amp and U$700 on a Yulong D18 DAC (total U$ 1480) and I'm not getting a bright sound at all nor the bass sound lean..what I'm getting is terrific SQ

 
I knew that I would have to buy a good amp and DAC, but I had no idea about the spending 2-3k. I may need to rethink this through. Thanks for the info
Quote:

Well, it sounds as if you are tight for money and can barely make it to the cost of the 800s. 
That's a problem because the 800s can be finicky and can sound less than stellar (bright or a little mechanical in the midrange) if you just plug them into any old amp and source.
(I've gone through 2 pairs myself with several different cables on them, along with different amps, tubed and otherwise).
 
If that's true, you might want to consider saving up some more and trying the Fostex TH900s, which, in my experiments (I own them also) mate well with different amps,
and compete head-to-head with HD800s for quality sound (although it is a very different sound, a more closer in first row sound, along with stronger but not as transparent bass,
but very natural mids, vocals, and highs, overall very liquid as opposed to a less liquid HD800). Images are larger to me on the Fostex than the Senns, too.
This is of course just what I hear.
 
But I want to repeat, I have never heard the TH900s sound bad on any of the amps I tried, and that cannot be said for the HD800s.
I actually love the HD800s, but it took a lot of work to get to this point.
 
Oh, by the way, my wife has the Boses, which I actually think are quite pleasant, but won't give you the insight of a high end headphone setup.

Thanks for the insight, What you say makes lots of since, I think I will look into the Fostex TH900's. Thanks for the comparison with the boses as well, I needed that. If i got the Fostex TH00's are you saying that I would most likely have to spend less for the amps and DAC?

 

[rgs9200m]

Yes, I think the odds are in your favor as far as saving on upstream investment on the Fostex vs. the Senns from my experience owning both.
(Not that the Fostexes don't benefit from a better food chain, it's just not as critical as with the 800s.).
So you will still have the opportunity to improve things later on when funds permit.
And, just speculating, I think the Fostexes are better from an investment perspective, as the Senns are 3 years old now and much more
widely available than the TH900s (although both are pretty easy to sell, but I think the TH900s, for now, will hold their value better).
 
The Fostexes are a little more fragile though, so you have to be a little careful with them. I would not carry them around as a portable phone.
Use the Boses for that.

 

[SONIC BOOM]

Quote:

 
I knew that I would have to buy a good amp and DAC, but I had no idea about the spending 2-3k. I may need to rethink this through. Thanks for the info
Thanks for the insight, What you say makes lots of since, I think I will look into the Fostex TH900's. Thanks for the comparison with the boses as well, I needed that. If i got the Fostex TH00's are you saying that I would most likely have to spend less for the amps and DAC?

the fostex are far less sensitive than the hd800, I have a $2000 set up I got just for the hd800s.