Sennheiser HD800 S Impressions Thread (read first post for summary)
Jul 28, 2019 at 9:52 AM Post #4,816 of 8,576
This may help others not to destroy the pads...removal at 10:50...he actually mentions they are harder to remove and states "you can't just pull up with your finger".

As for the sound...we all have different shaped ears and canals and expectations (power of suggestion and the placebo effect can run rampant)...so our experiences will all be different, negative, positive or nothing at all...just the nature of this hobby...which can make it so frustrating at times or very rewarding.
 
Jul 28, 2019 at 10:17 AM Post #4,817 of 8,576
This may help others not to destroy the pads...removal at 10:50...he actually mentions they are harder to remove and states "you can't just pull up with your finger".

As for the sound...we all have different shaped ears and canals and expectations (power of suggestion and the placebo effect can run rampant)...so our experiences will all be different, negative, positive or nothing at all...just the nature of this hobby...which can make it so frustrating at times or very rewarding.


After the persons post the other day, I tried to take the pads off to see how hard they were to take off, my test resulted in the tip of the blue spudger tool breaking off.

These are hard to come off, but I did get one to, I didn't bother trying with the second. I started with that blue tool, got a corner off and then did try to run the spudger around the frame but it was not happening, I had to do a combination of the blue spudger, the dekoni twist and the wiggle jiggle before it finally came off.

They are held on good, but if you remove them a couple of times, the tight fit should ease up, I think.

Folks, do what the video says, never ever try to just pull up on these pads as you are likely to break something.
 
Jul 29, 2019 at 11:48 AM Post #4,819 of 8,576
So I've been A/Bing the benchmark dac1 and dac2 side by side with the 800 and 800S, and I honestly cannot hear the difference between dacs. Others on the forum claim this 'difference' between the two, stating the dac2 is so much better SQ wise, but I cant hear it. They're both excellent.
 
Jul 29, 2019 at 7:23 PM Post #4,820 of 8,576
Yes indeed , they were very hard to remove I almost broke my nails as I didn't have a proper tool.
I managed to pull them out only from the corners.

Not sure if you still have those pads on, but for £2.50 you can get these.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mobile-P...=3626387513719f410b183272456792b6b597646bf2ad

Damn thats a big link. It has a few spudgers and some other useful tool's for taking earpads off or fixing mobile phones or tablets or anything else. The tip of the spudgers are easy to crack or break, I have a couple of spudgers and one of them has a snapped off tip, it can still work, but maybe not for getting the initial corner to lift.
 
Jul 29, 2019 at 7:26 PM Post #4,821 of 8,576
This has been a long pad discussion.
 
Jul 30, 2019 at 11:09 AM Post #4,824 of 8,576
Hi all

Just need some quick advice.

My present cans are Focal Utopia and Meze Empyrean. Their sound signatures are very different, but i really like both of them.

I tried the HD800S for the first time in the shop last week; it was hooked up to a Benchmark dac3 and Benchmark HPA4. Somehow, the HD800S sounded very thin and hollow (in comparison to the empyrean which was also hooked up to the same setup).

My question is, would it be that I'm just not used to the HD800S sound signature, or it was just a bad pairing with the benchmark gear?
 
Jul 30, 2019 at 11:20 AM Post #4,825 of 8,576
I would compare hd800S to utopia, or at least on the same plain to see what your preference is, not that i have heard either but from descriptions empyriean is in-between 800S and lcd4. I won't test utopia as an example. I don't want competition but compliments. I think you have them at present as mine is a fully modded la900 to 800s, im set.. I have never tried those dacs and amps either. hd800s wideness could lead to construe a thin mid, but its solved by an excellent server. you get what you put in.
 
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Jul 30, 2019 at 12:59 PM Post #4,826 of 8,576
Hi all

Just need some quick advice.

My present cans are Focal Utopia and Meze Empyrean. Their sound signatures are very different, but i really like both of them.

I tried the HD800S for the first time in the shop last week; it was hooked up to a Benchmark dac3 and Benchmark HPA4. Somehow, the HD800S sounded very thin and hollow (in comparison to the empyrean which was also hooked up to the same setup).

My question is, would it be that I'm just not used to the HD800S sound signature, or it was just a bad pairing with the benchmark gear?
That sounds odd, because I love my 800S and 800 with benchmark gear.
 
Jul 30, 2019 at 2:49 PM Post #4,828 of 8,576
This has been a long pad discussion.

Pad discussions can never be too long. Ideally we would need roughly 1/4 of the internets entire storage space for pad discussions.

The other 3/4's is for Chord threads. :)
 
Jul 30, 2019 at 2:51 PM Post #4,829 of 8,576
I also love my HD 800S with Benchmark DAC 3 HGC (HPA2) and AHB2
I'd like to get that combo next, but I can't tell the difference between the dac1 and dac2 so the slight improvements with the dac3 would probably be lost on me. It's most likely my old ears as I'm over 40.

I'm actually going to hook the jds element dac up to the dac1 and see if I can hear a difference between those two dacs.
 
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Jul 30, 2019 at 3:09 PM Post #4,830 of 8,576
Pad discussions can never be too long. Ideally we would need roughly 1/4 of the internets entire storage space for pad discussions.

The other 3/4's is for Chord threads. :)
nooooo not chord threads......
 

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