Sennheiser HD800 S Impressions Thread (read first post for summary)
Dec 1, 2021 at 5:38 AM Post #6,871 of 8,574
What's the point then for someone to buy such an expensive hp as Susvara if there are much cheaper (and sometimes better) alternatives in almost every aspect of sound presentation (but not in all at once probably)?
Preference, or we all own the same hp. Hd800S may or may not be better. with a proper music source and amplification it sounds great , but I still wonder about its thinness, but the sus shows ok no thinness gives us less response as a tradeoff. Some my prefer this that I realized in my analysis.
 
Dec 1, 2021 at 6:24 AM Post #6,873 of 8,574
From all the headphones I had, 800s was definitely the most impressive, the bad is that I just really don’t give up and enjoy music with them.
 
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Dec 1, 2021 at 7:04 AM Post #6,874 of 8,574
I had to go into a different price bracket (Abyss DianaV2/Phi and now Solitaire P) to hear improvements over the HD800, but it still has it for comfort and long term listening. Diana Phi had similar wide soundstage and incredible detail. Solitaire soundstage not as wide but more organised and layered. I found the HD800 could be a little disorganised on some music in that respect.
 
Dec 1, 2021 at 11:44 PM Post #6,875 of 8,574
What's the point then for someone to buy such an expensive hp as Susvara if there are much cheaper (and sometimes better) alternatives in almost every aspect of sound presentation (but not in all at once probably)?

I’d argue it’s a mistake to pay for a 3k+ headphone given the performance of cans like the LCD2, HD800S etc. I’ve owned almost all the TOTL cans and none of them, to my ears and equipment at least, produced a better overall sound than those two. Any technical improvements were always at the expense of overall musical enjoyment.
 
Dec 2, 2021 at 12:41 AM Post #6,876 of 8,574
I’d argue it’s a mistake to pay for a 3k+ headphone given the performance of cans like the LCD2, HD800S etc. I’ve owned almost all the TOTL cans and none of them, to my ears and equipment at least, produced a better overall sound than those two. Any technical improvements were always at the expense of overall musical enjoyment.
+1

Although I'm no one to judge (having owned some of these myself), the fact remains that going above the 800S the law of diminishing returns hits really really hard. Paying double or triple the amount for just "that much" increase in performance is just unjustified.

Case in point; last month my buddy and I went to meet this guy who was selling a Linn TT. Turned out that he had gotten into headphones and had a Abyss 1266 phi and a formula S (including the seperate power supply). I listened to his setup while they were geeking out on their TTs. Frankly I wasn't impressed. I mean it looked good (the part and component quality was to notch; the headphone cable was thick enough to pull a cart, amps chassis solid and premium) but the sound wasn't anything "above and beyond" what I had already heard before. Not saying that it was bad in any way but it wasn't mind blowing either. Infact certain tracks lacked the detail and nuance that I'm used to on my setup (especially with metal). The bass was better for sure but still it wasn't that "head over heels" feeling, if you know what I mean. This was by all means a no expenses spared rig and yet the overall performance wasn't (add adjectives) good. Maybe it was the source (hugo tt2 over roon nucleus plus). Anyway I came home unimprssed and grateful for what I have.

TLDR; there is only this aura of "high-end" sound. In the end it's only about what you like (or can like) at your budget. This goes double if you're listening to digital and you're not a computer nerd.
 
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Dec 2, 2021 at 12:58 AM Post #6,877 of 8,574
What's the point then for someone to buy such an expensive hp as Susvara if there are much cheaper (and sometimes better) alternatives in almost every aspect of sound presentation (but not in all at once probably)?
You answered your own question.
 
Dec 2, 2021 at 1:01 AM Post #6,878 of 8,574
Dec 2, 2021 at 1:21 AM Post #6,880 of 8,574
I’d argue it’s a mistake to pay for a 3k+ headphone given the performance of cans like the LCD2, HD800S etc. I’ve owned almost all the TOTL cans and none of them, to my ears and equipment at least, produced a better overall sound than those two. Any technical improvements were always at the expense of overall musical enjoyment.
Well said.

I am glad that I made a good purchase going with the HD800S. But what to do for the bass slams/low-end fun that I miss sometimes. Do you think keeping something like Arya along with the HD800S is a good choice?
 
Dec 2, 2021 at 1:49 AM Post #6,881 of 8,574
I’d argue it’s a mistake to pay for a 3k+ headphone given the performance of cans like the LCD2, HD800S etc.
Depends on who you ask. :wink:

I bought HD800 and LCD-2f new in 2017 together with Yggdrasil and Ragnarok and Glenn OTL amp and Feliks Audio Euforia. That year I could have said that's good enough and just call it a day. 6 months later I bought ZMF Eikon and Atticus. Later the LCD-2f was sold and I got LCD-3f. Eventually LCD-3f gave way for LCD4. Then my son bought Arya and I had a good listen and a few months later I bought He1000se and also heard my friend's He1000v2.

A month ago I bought the HD800S so now I have both the original HD800 and HD800S..... and I love both.

Then I audition Susvara with Hugo TT2 + M'Scalar + Auris Nirvana. What the fish, this package is $32,000 aussie dollars. :) It's good though just a lot of frigging cash.

Then I audition LCD5 with Naim Uniti Atom at Addicted To Audio this year and that was great too.

Anyway I've currently LCD4, He1000se, HD800S and HD800 ...... and I am taking a pause. :ksc75smile: I am very satisfied with what I have no doubt about it but that doesn't mean that I won't consider a money guzzling TOTL headphone later. If my interest in head-fi hasn't died.

Needless to say more amps have come and gone than headphones for me. That's the way it is.
 
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Dec 2, 2021 at 2:32 AM Post #6,882 of 8,574
I’d argue it’s a mistake to pay for a 3k+ headphone given the performance of cans like the LCD2, HD800S etc. I’ve owned almost all the TOTL cans and none of them, to my ears and equipment at least, produced a better overall sound than those two. Any technical improvements were always at the expense of overall musical enjoyment.
Well said.

I am glad that I made a good purchase going with the HD800S. But what to do for the bass slams/low-end fun that I miss sometimes. Do you think keeping something like Arya along with the HD800S is a good choice?

I haven’t heard the Arya.

I do think if you want bass that an Audeze might be nice. In my opinion the LCD2 is the best overall Audeze headphone. The bass on the 4 is special though. What the LCD2 does is tame the HD800S soundstage a little so that the music has less of a hollow or surround sound quality but not enough to make it sound closed in. I’ve yet to hear a more enjoyable listen. That and the HD800S and you’ve covered your bases.

The LCD4, while having better bass, DOES make the sound too closed in, and that ruins most of the music for me, in spite of its phenomenal bass.

It is worth mentioning that some amps can “compensate” for the frequency dip of the LCD4 sufficiently to eliminate much of the problem, so if you’re eager to spend money you could always try mixing and matching until you’re happy. If not for the dip, the 4 would blow the 2 out of the water. As I said: all these TOTL headphones seem to have one or another flaw which makes them problematic in one way or another.

EDIT: the 2 has a more tamed treble that’s less fatiguing than the 4 to my ears. That’s another reason I like it so much more overall. The fact that it’s only $1k after I spent a small fortune looking for headphone perfection makes me laugh. Lol.
 
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Dec 2, 2021 at 7:01 AM Post #6,884 of 8,574
Is there any headphone which is as comfortable as HD800S? One of the best things about it is that you can put them on for a long time and you won’t even feel anything. The pads, the headband, the negligible clamping force, everything is so comfortable. Weighs nearly 330gms. Something good in this weight range is rare to find.
 
Dec 2, 2021 at 7:13 AM Post #6,885 of 8,574
Is there any headphone which is as comfortable as HD800S? One of the best things about it is that you can put them on for a long time and you won’t even feel anything. The pads, the headband, the negligible clamping force, everything is so comfortable. Weighs nearly 330gms. Something good in this weight range is rare to find.
Solitaire P-SE, I found this to be as comfortable although just a little heavier. Lots of ear space!
 
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