[daltonljj]

   
Thanks - appreciate the kind thoughts. Pick up the HD800S tomorrow and am chasing a repair on the blown driver. Should be able to get the HD800 repaired eventually.

Oooo ... that ain't that bad considering you can get it repaired. How much for the repairs though ?

 

[TonyNewman]

  Oooo ... that ain't that bad considering you can get it repaired. How much for the repairs though ?

 
Not sure yet. I believe both drivers might need replacement as Sennheiser use a matched pair - so that will get pricey. Still worth it as my HD800s are quite new and (apart from the blown driver) in great condition.

 

[daltonljj]

   
Not sure yet. I believe both drivers might need replacement as Sennheiser use a matched pair - so that will get pricey. Still worth it as my HD800s are quite new and (apart from the blown driver) in great condition.

 
Ouch to your wallet... shall change my previous statement.... may your wallet rest in peace Looking forward to hearing your impressions on the hd800s compared to the hd800 then.

 

[TonyNewman]

   
Ouch to your wallet... shall change my previous statement.... may your wallet rest in peace Looking forward to hearing your impressions on the hd800s compared to the hd800 then.

 
My wallet had a massive cardiac arrest from this hobby about 2 years ago. It is now living in hiding in the jungles of Brazil under an assumed name

 
This is weird - earlier I mentioned that I was getting a steely / glassy treble effect with my planars (Ether C / modded HE6). I came home tonight and started playing about with the gear - Vega DAC filter settings ... etc. Anyway, the treble now sounds fine, and I am 99.99% sure that the settings are back to where exactly where I started from. Either my brain is processing treble differently today from yesterday, or the power down / power up cycle fixed whatever was causing the steely / glassy treble effect. Very strange.

 

[raypin]

mmm......woot! My pre-ordered HD 800 S will be arriving next week, says my favorite headfi drug dealer here. Can't wait to compare it with my HD 800.

 

[Whazzzup]

Canada what a bummer no word yet.

 

[suponaudio]

Just purchased mine from Meier-Audio - can't wait to get them, also wanted to give Meier-Audio another thumbs up, the good things said here are accurate.

 

[reihead]

   
I tried the Anax mod as explained on the Inner Fidelity website. In France, the materials are slightly different so that could explain it, dunno. I found it took too much detail and air away. Seemed a little too muffled for my taste. For the second part of your question I would say yes it is closer in the sense that the resonance and ringing of the treble is tamed and no because I like both S and Classic better than modded.

 
Thanks for the answer. So far I found the same Inner Fidelity mod with very positive results on my HD800. An improvement without a doubt.
Thanks for your review and your impressions.

 

[shabta]

   
Thanks for the answer. So far I found the same Inner Fidelity mod with very positive results on my HD800. An improvement without a doubt.
Thanks for your review and your impressions.

It could be that I am not very good a putting small pieces of felt inside of stuff. I am not all that patient sometimes either. So it could be the materials, or I am a klutz or I wasn't in the right mood that day...probably all three. Judging from Sorrodje's graphs the S is better than the mod, anyway. 

 

[truelies]

What does 800s's 's' mean? Since it isn't named as something like 820 or 850, I assume sennheiser just changed the sound type a little from 800 like make it warmer, more bass,  but not an improvement on sound quality.

 

[phonomat]

What does 800s's 's' mean? Since it isn't named as something like 820 or 850, I assume sennheiser just changed the sound type a little from 800 like make it warmer, more bass,  but not an improvement on sound quality.

Supposedly it's just for "symmetrisch" = "balanced". *shrug*

 

[robm321]

  What does 800s's 's' mean? Since it isn't named as something like 820 or 850, I assume sennheiser just changed the sound type a little from 800 like make it warmer, more bass,  but not an improvement on sound quality.

 
Its an improvement if a warmer sound without a harsh spike in the treble is a preference. 
 
I'm guessing the S is taken from the iPhone naming convention. 

 

[wdh777]

Are these available in the U.S yet? I don't see them on the sennheiser web site and have not found a dealer yet to have the "s" version. Thanks

 

[phonomat]

I'm guessing the S is taken from the iPhone naming convention. 

Not quite. According to Tim Cook, the iPhone 4S's "S" is for "Siri".
You can try talking to your HD800S, of course, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for an answer.

 

[ubs28]

What does 800s's 's' mean? Since it isn't named as something like 820 or 850, I assume sennheiser just changed the sound type a little from 800 like make it warmer, more bass,  but not an improvement on sound quality.

The HD800S is an improvement while retaining the sound signature of the HD800.

It is pretty clear that the HD800S is a HD800 thus it should be named as such.