I've had my HD800S for a couple years now and I adore them. They're a fantastic headphone, though they do have a few quirks and wouldn't necessarily be ideal for a "daily driver" or "main" headphone, unless you have a forgiving tube amp driving them. But they do make a fantastic addition to a collection of headphones, and fit their chosen role nicely.
The HD800S is essentially the "Official" SDR modded version of the original 800, and retains many qualities of the original. Some would argue that the lowend is slightly more 'bloomy' compared to the original, and i'd agree, but its a small margin and for the tamed high end and vastly improved overall enjoyment I get from the S revision, its definitely worth it.
The 800S detail is just as good as the original, no doubt about it. The original at first listen might sound as though it may edge it out, but I'm convinced this is simply due to the upper end of the frequency range being more aggressive in comparison, and not due to any ACTUAL additional detail resolution.
This detail is both the defining feature of the 800/800S, and also its main drawback.
For tracks that are mastered really well, or laid back, the 800 sounds simply incredible. Every little nuance of the music is displayed with fantastic transparency. And with the addition of its incredible soundstage, this makes it truly sublime for orchestral music.
Where this incredible detail can be a drawback though is on tracks that are poorly mastered. If there are flaws in the mastering, if the track is sibilant, or if there is anything about the track that isn't perfect, YOU WILL KNOW ABOUT IT!
Listening to "More than you know" by axwell ingrosso is a track I use to test sibilance on headphones, as apparently no one who worked on this track at any point has even heard of a de-esser. On the 800S it is quite frankly PAINFUL and I can't make it more than 30 seconds into the song at a normal volume.
This is an extreme example of course, the 800S would be considered a sibilant headphone by some, but with the right dac/amp choice it can be tamed immensely, and is mostly a result of the incredible detail retrieval.
Overall, what I like most about the 800S is that it isn't trying to be the "ultimate headphone", or to do everything the best, it does detail, and soundstage, and it does those well. It's a headphone that has been designed to excel at certain genres. And whilst this means that its not ideal for "general" listening in my opinion, in genres like orchestral, it really is hard to beat unless you're willing to spend several times the price on something such as a STAX setup, and even then, the HD800 ABSOLUTELY holds its own.
If you're thinking about the 800S as your main headphone, i'd say probably don't, unless you have a warm tube amp driving them. Something such as the Hifiman Aryas are MUCH more enjoyable for most genres. But if you want something that has unrivalled detail, and are ok to spend some time experimenting with sources for these very source-picky headphones, they will reward you for it.
Saw quite a few pics of HD800S paired with Norne cable but I wonder what changes do they make.
