[daltonlanny]

Initial impressions, fresh out of the box, using a marantz cd6005 cd player, oppo bdp-95, and fully balanced beta 22 amp with sigma 22 power supply, and a load of different genres of music, are as follows:
The Sennheiser HD 800 S is slightly bright, but the clarity, detail, openness, and soundstage are absolutely breathtaking.
The bass is great, but not outstanding. Coherence, top to bottom, is really good but again, not outstanding. Dynamics are really good.
The modded HE-6 competes really well, and also has great detail, clarity, and punch. The HE-6 has better coherence top to bottom, and a slightly punchier, and maybe slightly more extended bass, but it simply cannot compete with the HD800 S in imaging or soundstaging.
The 800 S also sounds slightly more open, and airier than the HE-6.
Both are slightly on the the brighter side.
I don't have a clear pick here.
Compared to the 800 S, the HD650 is warmer, slightly more coherent, more organic, and smoother, but again, it simply cannot compete with the 800 S in imaging, staging, ultimate detail retrieval, and openness.
The HD650 sounds somewhat murkier, more closed in, and is actually more forward sounding from about 2khz to 4khz than the 800 S.
The HD650 sounds like its bass is about as extended, but it also has a slight mid bass hump compared to the 800.
I still love the HD650. It is an excellent headphone, scales extremely well, is very coherent and detailed. The 800 S is an outstanding headphone, but its not $1,200.00 or so better than the HD650. I'm definitely keeping the HD650 as well, especially for brighter music.
The HD800 S is also a definite improvement over the regular 800 I tried out for a week or so.
So far, I really like the S.

 

[Mediahound]

Interesting tidbit, The Eagles "Hotel California" has been Sennheiser's demo track for like 30 years. I guess it's a pretty dynamic track that was recorded and engineered really well. 
 
(I have the CD but thinking about buying a high-res 192k version of the song.)
 
 

 

[iDesign]

  Interesting tidbit, The Eagles "Hotel California" has been Sennheiser's demo track for like 30 years.

 
Interesting. Do you have a source that states for 30 years? The only mention I see is in relation to the US media presentation of the HE-1: 
 
http://www.businessinsider.com/listening-to-sennheisers-55000-orpheus-headphones-is-like-going-to-the-moon-2016-1

 

[Mediahound]

   
Interesting. Do you have a source that states for 30 years? The only mention I see is in relation to the US media presentation of the HE-1: 
http://www.businessinsider.com/listening-to-sennheisers-55000-orpheus-headphones-is-like-going-to-the-moon-2016-1

Well, you can hear the Sennheiser rep say it in this video:
 

 

[Magick Man]

How are the HD800S with EDM or other electronic music? 
Boards of canada, Moderat, Atoms for peace, Jamie XX, just to name some

I've not found a single thing they don't excel beautifully with. They're truly amazing `phones, the best of the breed, as it were. For flavoring I use different amps, but they are the baseline for the best dynamic headphone experience you can buy today.

 

[potkettleblack]

For all 800S owners:

I highly recommend the Ifi idsd micro with the 800S. FANTASTIC pairing. It does some impressive things with the bass and really adds a hint of organic, thick texture to the treble.

 

[EuropeanEar]

  How are the HD800S with EDM or other electronic music? 
Boards of canada, Moderat, Atoms for peace, Jamie XX, just to name some

I listen to electronic music 90% of the time and I'm also a BoC fan.  The HD 800S work really well with these.

 

[Topspin70]

For all 800S owners:

I highly recommend the Ifi idsd micro with the 800S. FANTASTIC pairing. It does some impressive things with the bass and really adds a hint of organic, thick texture to the treble.

I pair my HD800S with ifi gear although not the idsd. Very special indeed. A rich addictive musical tonality that I don't get from a more expensive amp that is now left in a corner gathering dust.

 

[daltonlanny]

My HD 800 S seems to be getting better and better.
Do these have a break-in period?

 

[madwolfa]

My HD 800 S seems to be getting better and better.
Do these have a break-in period?

 
Your brain sure does. 

 

[ETanner]

I'm starting to think about my primary listening setup now so I can move my Schiit Bimby, Valhalla 2, HD600s into another room. I'm playing the "what's next" game now. Do I get the HD800S to use single ended in tandem with the HD600s or go ahead and get a Yggdrasil immediately to use with the Valhalla and HD600s for a few months before continuing upgrades. Is anyone using the HD800S with my current setup?
 
Obviously the setup will be incomplete no matter what for a few months but I'm wondering where I'll get the most immediate pleasure. Conventional wisdom says new phones but I'm wondering if the Yggy and Valhalla 2 with my current HD600s might be just as fun.
 
I listen to jazz, acoustic, and classical mostly using lossless files from a dedicated, but un-tweeked MacMini through a Lifatec Toslink. I noticed a significant difference between the Monoprice cable I used for several months and the Lifatec I installed a couple of weeks ago. I tend to listen for two to four hours a day pretty intentionally. By that I mean I'm observing what's happening in the music, discovering what is going on in the ensemble, and being aware of when I get caught up in it. I have no complaints with my current setup but expect the soundstage and separation to be the greatest benefits to an upgrade. (Perhaps the Yggy will be more transparent eventually.) I also stream using Tidal through my Roon subscription. All the power is conditioned.
 
While I've considered the original HD800 I'm not inclined to mod or EQ unless I find something really wrong with a hardware combination. I haven't tried the HD800S but expect purchasing a set will be my primary way to decide, unless someone can tell me what dealer in Seattle might have a set on hand. I'll be out there again in June but I'd like to do something before then.
 
Thanks for any feedback you can give.

 

[suponaudio]

After reading a lot of the recent posts regarding the HD 650's and their glory, I just gave them a several hour listen, following up with the HD 800 S's on the same tracks.
 
For some background, the HD 650's were my first "audiophile grade" headphones, purchased back in 2012 and were the only headphones used until I acquired the HD 800 S's. I've experienced them grow and scale with all the pieces of equipment I've bought over the years, truly amazing what they are capable of for the price.. and I would say I know them quite well.
 
As much as I loved them, as much as I praised them, recommended them (still do for the value) the HD 800 S's just absolutely crushes them. To the point where I don't even find them enjoyable anymore, and the only reason they will stay in my possession is for testing (DIY components, etc).
 
But hey, that's just my experience/opinion.

 

[Sorrodje]

   
 
Thanks for any feedback you can give.

 
Considering what you're listening to and what improvement you're looking to,  I think the HD800S will do the trick . 
 
 

 
As much as I loved them, as much as I praised them, recommended them (still do for the value) the HD 800 S's just absolutely crushes them. To the point where I don't even find them enjoyable anymore, and the only reason they will stay in my possession is for testing (DIY components, etc).
 
But hey, that's just my experience/opinion.

 
Just make sure you HD650 pads are the new ones  (black and stiffer) and new.  brand new pads make a huge difference in my experience. 

 

[suponaudio]

  Just make sure you HD650 pads are the new ones  (black and stiffer) and new.  brand new pads make a huge difference in my experience. 

 
 
I actually purchased new replacement pads (directly from Sennheiser, like $70 for some damn ear pads) a few weeks before I acquired the HD 800 S's as I had no idea they were right around the corner of release.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Zorrodje,
 
did you sell your HD650s?