[jsk ksj]

They look fine to me, I prefer the stock pads as well.

thanks all, that's £90 I can spend on something else

 

[TYATYA]

I hate to remove the pad every time.
Why did not design other way with ease for removing.

 

[tom807]

My guess is that Sennheiser thought that not having them fall off when in use was more important than ease of replacement. Sennheiser is a large company with talented designers & engineers - if they wanted to they could have thought of a way to have both - ease of replacement AND sturdy enough to not fall off when using them. But what do I know? I’m just a user

 

[shabta]

I hate to remove the pad every time.
Why did not design other way with ease for removing.

Because for almost every user the only time you remove the pads is when you replace them. I have omly had to do it once in 10 years. They didn't consider the insignificantly small number of users doing what you are doing. I can see why you find it frustrating, but it isn't a normal use case.

 

[SecretAgent]

How would you compare hd800s with zmf like atrium or verite that are also open back 300oms flagship hp? Which would you suggest for pure enjoyment of music?
I live in Europe and I must take into account that zmf is about 30% over msrp for me though...
Thank you very much folks.

 

[dpeterfy32]

How would you compare hd800s with zmf like atrium or verite that are also open back 300oms flagship hp? Which would you suggest for pure enjoyment of music?
I live in Europe and I must take into account that zmf is about 30% over msrp for me though...
Thank you very much folks.

zmf atrium is more musical and enjoyable, hd800s is more balanced and accurate.

 

[fidgeraldo]

I live in Europe and I must take into account that zmf is about 30% over msrp for me though...
Thank you very much folks.

Hmm, you've missed to "ask" Google
You have dealers in Europe for ZMF at prices pretty similar to those in the US—perhaps only 10% more.

Cheers!

 

[chesebert]

zmf atrium is more musical and enjoyable, hd800s is more balanced and accurate.

Totally agree if you are using bad/non compatible amps.

What’s your system? Still using violectric amps?

 

[steve468]

I found Atrium Open to be darker, richer, much more mid-bassy, but smoother and softer. MUCH thicker sounding, if that’s your thing. The soundstage is actually pretty similar - maybe HD800S is a bit wider. Treble on the Atrium is more rolled off, if you find the HD800S too bright.

Verites (had Open, still have Closed) are just about as fast and detailed as HD800, maybe more so actually. As extended top to bottom, with a slightly richer sound. There’s more of a 3d effect to the soundstage, like you’re on stage surrounded by musicians. I found the Senns to be a wider stage, but it’s more spread out in front of you, like you’re sitting a few rows back. I think there’s slightly more textural information in the Verite, you can hear more rosin on the bow as it were - but both Senn and Verite are great at that.

Verite and HD800 are actually kind of similar to me, but Senn is the light side and ZMF is the dark side. In terms of musical enjoyment, Atrium is great for electrified stuff, classic rock and the like. Verite and HD800S cover similar genres, anything acoustic. HD800S is the best I’ve heard for orchestral, but Verite produces the best violin I’ve heard. Verite does a little better with harder genres like speedy abrasive metal.

Hopefully that helps. This post ended up being…a lot longer than I expected

 

[Whazzzup]

hd800s is great on everything. i got no idea about zmf or atrium comparisons. hd800s has all the bass, imagery, space one could want. its not perfect but it scales like a machine. If your not getting it, its the rig or your preferences

 

[frkasper]

Used my HD800S for 2 years in a row as daily driver. When I wanted more viscerous bass, I discovered ChiFi. Problem solved.

But damn, the HD800S gives me the experience that no IEM can provide though.

But good luck for the folks seeking to find the all-in-one experience.

 

[headstef]

Used my HD800S for 2 years in a row as daily driver. When I wanted more viscerous bass, I discovered ChiFi. Problem solved.

But damn, the HD800S gives me the experience that no IEM can provide though.

But good luck for the folks seeking to find the all-in-one experience.

Well, it doesn't seem to be all that difficult nowadays. Neumann/Sennheiser have created the NDH 30 which offers a tremendous combination of musicality/enjoyment with very high resolution, accuracy, balance and pinpoint positioning. Definitely worth a serious listening for anyone seeking the all-in-one experience. Not the best headphone in the world but certainly up there with the best dynamics offered today.