[sysfail]

Haha ok I get the idea, thanks!

 

[TonyNewman]

  Lol, oh goodness NO NO NO!!! Both headphones are far more alike than different...just imagine the HD800 without the troublesome treble etch that can get in the way of the music and a tad more heft down low. Soundstaging, quickness, openness, transparency all about the same.

 
+1. Nailed it.

 

[Pete Siebenand]

Lol, oh goodness NO NO NO!!! Both headphones are far more alike than different...just imagine the HD800 without the troublesome treble etch that can get in the way of the music and a tad more heft down low. Soundstaging, quickness, openness, transparency all about the same.

Exactly.

Having heard both back to back this is also my impression.

 

[Nicklikesmusic]

You know there have recently been more than a few people who just happen to mention their 'favourite dealer' when giving their listening impressions..

 

[Pete Siebenand]

You know there have recently been more than a few people who just happen to mention their 'favourite dealer' when giving their listening impressions..

I quoted where I listened to the cans, I have no affiliation with said establishment and will probably be buying the HD800s from another source.

 

[raypin]

mmmm.....off-topic: ha ha ha! Guilty. I try to mention the name of my favorite headfi drug dealer (EGGHEAD AUDIOHUB), whenever appropriate, because I like that shop. I like it a lot. Unlike Hong Kong ,where my favorite headfi drug dealer is JABEN HONG KONG is , there are only two reputable headfi shops in my country. So, yeah. As a consumer (with no business affiliation or pecuniary interest in either shop), I try to support them every way I can by buying my stuff there and recommending them to my friends who are into this hobby.

 

[shabta]

  Lol, oh goodness NO NO NO!!! Both headphones are far more alike than different...just imagine the HD800 without the troublesome treble etch that can get in the way of the music and a tad more heft down low. Soundstaging, quickness, openness, transparency all about the same.

 
It is refreshing to hear someone else pointing out that many TOTL cans have more in common with each other than differences relative to the vast majority of cans out there. It is the nature of the beast that when we try to explain differences in writing, it exaggerates them.
 
Having said that, it is important to point out the the so called "troublesome treble etch" of the classic is a feature on well recorded acoustic music, often delightfully sharpening the instrument separation and and air around the instruments. You give a little of that up on the S.Take this next part with a grain of salt if you wish, because of the significant variation between pairs of LCDs that are supposedly the same model, but you give even more of that up on any LCD I have ever heard including X and 3F. However,I haven't heard these headphones back to back with the S.The differences between young dude and classic are slight but easily detectable. But the difference between sounstage HD800 classic (which is the same as the S) and LCD 3f or X is easily detectable as different and isn't that subtle, the LCD being smaller. Bass slam on the LCDs is much greater than either Senn. Delineation between instruments is more different on the HD800 vs LCD than  Classic vs. the young dude. Inner detail is generally noticeably better on the HD800 than either LCD, the price being the over emphasis of silbilants on the classic. Since the S is 98% of the classic (w/o the overemphasis) in this regard I would be surprised to find it is closer to an LCD that the classic.
 
In short, I thought the most accurate piano was on the classic until I heard the S. For me, the LCD was definitely behind. 

 

[complete]

Does he deserve the HD 800s price?

 

[TonyNewman]

I quoted where I listened to the cans, I have no affiliation with said establishment and will probably be buying the HD800s from another source.

 
That's odd. Meier Audio promised me free headphones and foot massages for life. Also a bonus $1,000 every time I mention Meier Audio on HeadFi.
 
Did I mention Meier Audio?

 

[Pete Siebenand]

That's odd. Meier Audio promised me free headphones and foot massages for life. Also a bonus $1,000 every time I mention Meier Audio on HeadFi.

Did I mention Meier Audio?

.

Who?

 

[Pete Siebenand]

Does he deserve the HD 800s price?

Personally I'd have dropped the 800 to 800 and the S at a grand. There doing it for 1200 cos the balanced cable.

 

[ubs28]

Personally I'd have dropped the 800 to 800 and the S at a grand. There doing it for 1200 cos the balanced cable.

If the HE-1000 is $3000, then the HD800 S is too cheap on this market. At the current price the HD 800 S is still a steal.

 

[shabta]

Personally I'd have dropped the 800 to 800 and the S at a grand. There doing it for 1200 cos the balanced cable.

Well sure that would be nice. But when you have the market filled with similar headphones that are way more expensive (stax, LCD, Hifiman) and people snapping them up, why would you do that? Senn's price given the market seems pretty good. Plus with the Senn's you get a much higher quality of build and a proven track record of being able to service very old headphones (along with Stax)... For, yes, a lower price than most of the competition. The only one that seems to come in lower are the Beyer T1s ( another german company) and personally I think the S and classic sound better. Since Beyer was having trouble competing in the TOTL headphone category, it makes sense that they dropped their price. 

 

[Youth]

  Well sure that would be nice. But when you have the market filled with similar headphones that are way more expensive (stax, LCD, Hifiman) and people snapping them up, why would you do that? Senn's price given the market seems pretty good. Plus with the Senn's you get a much higher quality of build and a proven track record of being able to service very old headphones (along with Stax)... For, yes, a lower price than most of the competition. The only one that seems to come in lower are the Beyer T1s ( another german company) and personally I think the S and classic sound better. Since Beyer was having trouble competing in the TOTL headphone category, it makes sense that they dropped their price. 

 
When you look at it that way then it could seem so but in my opinion it's wrong to compare HD800S pricewise to other TOTL headphones when the market is pretty bad. Now, I'm not gonna comment on the price on HD800S since I haven't heard them yet but I don't like that the move Sennheiser made by adding a cable.

 

[TonyNewman]

   
When you look at it that way then it could seem so but in my opinion it's wrong to compare HD800S pricewise to other TOTL headphones when the market is pretty bad. Now, I'm not gonna comment on the price on HD800S since I haven't heard them yet but I don't like that the move Sennheiser made by adding a cable.

 
Just to say that it is a very nice cable (the XLR version with the HD800S). The Sennheiser cables with the HD800 and HD800S are very good quality and also quite long. I was pleased that an XLR version was included with the HD800S.
 
If you belong to the 'cables make bugger all sonic difference' camp, then getting these nicely built + long cables with the HD800S headphone is welcome.