I'm having trouble finding the answer to this... are the cables between the HD 800/S and 820 interchangeable?
Attended Rocky Mountain Audio Fest and finally got a chance to hear these bad boys for the first time. Out of all of the headphones I sampled these really stuck out in particular. Does anybody know of any cans that have a bigger soundstage than these? Wow! I'd love to get my hands on a pair for home use. They did seem very source dependent though, otherwise I could imagine them bringing out any imperfections (for better or for worse) in the track.
No surprise there! I wish the Sennheiser booth had the original HD 800 there to sample alongside the S. They seemed to be selling very well as they didn't have anymore on hand and were only taking orders. Is there anything the non-S model does better?
Doesn't sound particularly pleasant! I've heard the original is super picky as for what amplifier you use with it. Have you found the S model to be as well?
800 has a deeper scene, have higher quality low frequencies and better high frequencies. This is about listening to Sennheiser HDV820
Not at all. The S does still have elevated treble, but it doesn’t have any narrow peaks and valleys, so it’s a very high quality treble without any sibilance. It also has a higher quantity of bass than the 800, so you don’t need to throw gobs of power at it to try and bring that out. I think the S sounds good from a multitude of amps and it doesn’t matter if they’re tubes or solid state. The most recent eye opener for me was how good the S sounds directly from the Audioquest Cobalt. I 100% know that the Cobalt is under-powering them, based on its specs, but it still sounds great! In fact, I prefer it to my Ifi Micro BL which is tremendously more powerful. Go figure.
As someone who has owned both, side by side, I couldn’t disagree more. But you’re entitled to your opinion! I’m glad you like the 800.
From my experience with both, the 800 has a cleaner/tighter mid-bass and crisper treble. The 800S has a more diffuse bass (causing a noticeably warmer tonality) and more depth in upper mids and treble. Mids/vocals are presented a bit more forward/intimate with the 800S. 800sdr has less treble and bit more warmth than the 800 but at a significant reduction in soundstage and some transparency.
They 're just quantifiably bigger, but the quality is worse. Again, it concerned a ligament with Sennheiser HDV820.
I don’t disagree with this comparison, but let’s be very clear when you say the 800S bass is diffuse. It may not be quite as nimble as the 800, but that is also because the 800 bass is so anemic. The 800S bass is not wooly or loose in any sense. It is very tight and articulate but more meaty than the 800 for sure.
Again, I disagree. There’s no difference in quality between them. It’s just that the 800 bass is thinner and more anemic. But if you like that sound signature, then more power to you!
Of course I was saying that in comparison with the 800. Compared to say the Focal Clear or ZMF Aeolus, the 800S has cleaner bass tonality.
