[Whazzzup]

It doesn't sound thin to me, I think Mac hero meant hd800 was shelved a bit, now he listens to the S more often.

 

[fperra]

  I've been lurking here for a very long time and this will be my first message. So, hello!
 
I've been tracking the availability of the HD800S in the US on a variety of fronts for months now. Today I finally got the news I have been waiting for.
 
In response to an inquiry I sent to Sennheiser USA, they replied today,
 
Upon reading this, I picked up the phone and called my local Best Buy (which has a Magnolia Design Center) and discovered they are now available for order there. So, I drove down and placed the order which the salesperson said should be available for pickup in store by the third week in March.
 
If you've been waiting to order in the US, make some calls. It seems they are now becoming available.

I received mine yesterday. Ordered  from Hi-FI Prestige in Italy. A great price and free overnight UPS shipping. I did have to pay the UPS guy $79 for customs duty, but still less than USA MSRP. My prior cans are HD650's. Rating on a scale of 1 to 10 I would give the 650's a 7.5. The 800S's are a 10.

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
Are you saying that the HD800 S is "thin"? Bass not extended?

Neither. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

It doesn't sound thin to me, I think Mac hero meant hd800 was shelved a bit, now he listens to the S more often.

The HD800S has a bit more bass than the HD800, neither had what I would describe as thin bass. I no longer own the HD800 headphones as the HD800S hits on more cylinders for me. To confirm, when I said "shelved", I literally meant: on my shelf and not used.

 

[grizzlybeast]

^Dude the HD800S bass is absolutely thin. Compared to most headphones there is a 70% chance it will be the one to have less bass. However, It is very controlled and has the same odds of being tighter and detailed against most headphones. The amount of bass is actually very close to the original HD800, it is just better perceived sans the nasty treble of the original. 
Quote:

I ordered mine from TTVJ on Saturday. They are arriving tomorrow. When I emailed Todd they had two pairs. Really, looking forward to hearing these.

Ditto I ordered mine from Him too. It was here in no time. @Todd Is very cool to deal with and very helpful with all of my questions. I have to admit though I am a little bias because we have the same last name. Green stands for benevolence. 

 

[TheDuke990]

  The HD800S has a bit more bass than the HD800, neither had what I would describe as thin bass. I no longer own the HD800 headphones as the HD800S hits on more cylinders for me. To confirm, when I said "shelved", I literally meant: on my shelf and not used.

 
Correct. The bass of HD800 or HD800S neither lacks of quality or quantity. Most of the headphones like Audeze, Hifiman, Denon, etc. have an overpowered bass to my ears. At least it is my opinion.

 

[dharma]

SENNHEISER HD800S impressions thread is there http://www.head-fi.org/t/795365/sennheiser-hd800-s-impressions-thread-read-first-post-for-summary

 

[leng jai]

I really wonder how much bass people need when they claim the HD800s are "thin" or "bass light". They have incredible depth and sound quite full for most recordings - it's almost entirely dependent on the recording. What most people don't seem to get is the a lot of modern recordings actually have poor bass, so obviously the HD800 is going to sound accordingly. If you really want to hear a bass light pair of headphones, try the AKG K701s. Now they have almost zero bass slam.

 

[Whazzzup]

I'll a test to good bass slam in 800s, if the recording warrants, it's a nice tight slam. Th900 could scare the bejesus out of you, but the 800s is just in the right place and it doesn't hang around longer than it should.

 

[grizzlybeast]

I really wonder how much bass people need when they claim the HD800s are "thin" or "bass light". They have incredible depth and sound quite full for most recordings - it's almost entirely dependent on the recording. What most people don't seem to get is the a lot of modern recordings actually have poor bass, so obviously the HD800 is going to sound accordingly. If you really want to hear a bass light pair of headphones, try the AKG K701s. Now they have almost zero bass slam.

You mean me!

Go listen in a real studio where the music is made. You will hear the difference. Even Tyll says its bass light.

The reality is that the HD800S is bass light and that is why soo many people are trying to pair it with amps that give it body. It has an overall thin sound.

What's true is that you guys have grown accustomed tp bass light music. Why is it that I can go in a high end studio and play both rap and classical without eq and still enjoy it. But on a pair of HD800S I can't? Because the HD800S is bias towards recordings without a lot of bass and tracks that aren't recorded hot. That means it's not nuetral.

 

[TMRaven]

I was a planar head prior to owning the original HD800.  That meant I valued effortless and controlled bass extension all the way down to 30hz and below.  Did the HD800 satisfy me?  Yes.  Its bass is more powerful and extends lower than most people give it credit for.  However, I still ended up EQ'ing the bass +5db at 32hz, and +3db at 64hz, to accommodate for some of its natural rolloff.

 

[grizzlybeast]

I enjoy the HD800S with a bass boost in similar areas and dbs because its bass is not neutral otherwise. I thought that would be obvious but audiophile nuetral and studio nuetral mean different things. Funny, the professional world is what is making what audiophiles listen to. Its like going to a top dollar restaurant and asking them to rinse the seasoning off yout food. Eq just puts the seasoning back on, yet doesn't get it quite right. Or you need the right flavored amp to give the recording back what was lost.

Its not wrong to not like bass... but instead of calling it nuetral incorrectly, just say you don't like bass.

 

[Whazzzup]

 

I really wonder how much bass people need when they claim the HD800s are "thin" or "bass light". They have incredible depth and sound quite full for most recordings - it's almost entirely dependent on the recording. What most people don't seem to get is the a lot of modern recordings actually have poor bass, so obviously the HD800 is going to sound accordingly. If you really want to hear a bass light pair of headphones, try the AKG K701s. Now they have almost zero bass slam.

You mean me!

Go listen in a real studio where the music is made. You will hear the difference. Even Tyll says its bass light.

The reality is that the HD800S is bass light and that is why soo many people are trying to pair it with amps that give it body. It has an overall thin sound.

What's true is that you guys have grown accustomed tp bass light music. Why is it that I can go in a high end studio and play both rap and classical without eq and still enjoy it. But on a pair of HD800S I can't? Because the HD800S is bias towards recordings without a lot of bass and tracks that aren't recorded hot. That means it's not nuetral.

well i can't reference what you are listening to and sure its balanced bass and light compared to monster like th900, but through chord hugo TT which has good fast bass slam, detailed mids, and play some monster bass thump like vermont habits of mind, sense of reality or the engineers. Or tolga findan say the song berg, The bass of HD800S sounds nice. Balanced, full, yet appropriate. It doesn't reach into the mids and take away some 3d detail where the magic happens. Now th900 will slam that bass and sub bass like your head quakes, your standing in front of a marshall stack, and sure the bass pressure is figurative but the next best thing. It also hangs around like that annoying relative that just doesn't get the hint. Now granted as a percussionist hobbiest I totally like the 900 but having not been to a studio I imagine hd800S is portraying what is meant to be...IMO. I also find it warmish and soft...
 
I don't equalize and feel no need to with th900 or hd800S. Granted i use different amps, cables, and did a dampening mod on th900 so... 

 

[WraithApe]

  well i can't reference what you are listening to and sure its balanced bass and light compared to monster like th900, but through chord hugo TT which has good fast bass slam, detailed mids, and play some monster bass thump like vermont habits of mind, sense of reality or the engineers. Or tolga findan say the song berg, The bass of HD800S sounds nice. Balanced, full, yet appropriate. It doesn't reach into the mids and take away some 3d detail where the magic happens. Now th900 will slam that bass and sub bass like your head quakes, your standing in front of a marshall stack, and sure the bass pressure is figurative but the next best thing. It also hangs around like that annoying relative that just doesn't get the hint. Now granted as a percussionist hobbiest I totally like the 900 but having not been to a studio I imagine hd800S is portraying what is meant to be...IMO. I also find it warmish and soft...
 
I don't equalize and feel no need to with th900 or hd800S. Granted i use different amps, cables, and did a dampening mod on th900 so... 

 
Yeah I'm with you on this one - I don't find the S lacking in bass quantity in the slightest (driven by the Hugo). It's got plenty of slam on electronic music (e.g. house, techno) which is what I probably listen to most of. I thought I might have the need to EQ the low end, but that just hasn't been the case. It's not that the S is lacking in terms of its bass reponse, it's that some other hps, like TH900, are over-emphasized - if that's what you're used to, then perhaps the S might sound thin. It doesn't to me though.

 

[ubs28]

Use an EQ if you want more bass, it's really simple.