[Sonic Defender]

  Holy ****. I just shipped a DAC to UK and i'm worried for it's life... 
 
Anyway, congrats! In time, could you compare it with your Ether Flow? Not many people have both.

Yes that would be a good comparison to have.

 

[MattTCG]

  Holy ****. I just shipped a DAC to UK and i'm worried for it's life... 
 
Anyway, congrats! In time, could you compare it with your Ether Flow? Not many people have both.

 
Case reported and filed with UPS.
 
As far as the comparison between the 800 S and Flow. I've only had about an hour but here are some initial thoughts. 
 
Ether Flow has a bit more body to the sound. Flow bass is a little more textured defined and extended. Sound staging w x dx h is appreciably better with the 800 S. Imaging and instrument separation/placement is too close to call. Mids are fantastic on both. I prefer the treble on the 800 S particularly with classical music. 
 
The Flow has a compelling quality with it's near stat like speed and decay. It's addictive. 800 S is a strong competitor so I'll need some more time. 
 
**based on Gumby>mjo2>balanced cables on both

 

[wahsmoh]

You can never be too generous with bubble wrap. The pawn shop on eBay that sold me my Theta DS Pro progeny version A must have used 15 feet of bubble wrap to package my DAC.
 
But when my box arrived the damned thing was nearly busted. Every corner on the cardboard box had been roughed up and banged around. I opened the box and saw how it was full of packing peanuts and the bubble wrap was atleast 2 or 3 inches thick. That's part of being a reliable seller and to be expecting the worse and prevent it by all means necessary.

 

[snk8699]

Bought a pair of 800 S and they arrived today, woohoo!! Waited all day for the ups guy. The package was due by 8pm, so yeah, he came rolling up to the drive at 7:45.  :mad:   Our driveway is too small at the bottom for a big truck to turn into so they usually just park in the road and run the package up to the house. As soon as I saw him on the way down the road I walked to the end of the drive. Well, he's in the back getting the package and doesn't know that I'm standing there. All of the sudden my very expensive package comes flying mid air from the back and "bam" hits the floor by the front door of the truck. I'm not sure what hit harder, the package he threw or my jaw on the ground. I honestly just stood there in amazement. The the dude walks up to the front of the truck and grows wide eyed as he spots me standing there.

So I look at him and say, "dude, that's a $1200 package!" Trying to recover he says, "um, sorry about that I tripped." Now laserbeams are firing from my eyes at him. I pick up the package off the floor of his truck and start to walk away, but can't help myself so I turn back at him and retort, "I guess you missed the big red stickers all over the package that say FRAGILE, huh?" 

Big props go to the seller of this package who wrapped it in lots of bubble wrap. Lesson for today, expect these shippers to treat your expensive package like they stole it. 

He probably would've immediately regretted it if he knew they were a pair of HD800S, but people always manage to surprise me.

I'm so sorry to hear about this experience, but this is exactly why I package my headphone merchandise so thoroughly with bubble wrap and extra household towels and whatever else is necessary depending on the size/weight. I have come to heavily rely upon the expertise at my local UPS as they know how anal I am and let me watch them prepare my package. After the first two times they already knew to just do it because I kept telling them how expensive it is.

I guess it's true that fragile stickers posted all over a package should just read: please kick me Ace Ventura style! I didn't even ask for the fragile stickers too. I just gave them the product description, the value, and they immediately slapped stickers all over the box while audibly scoffing at how someone in their right mind could spend that much on headphones.

 

[AnakChan]

Hi all, some Off-Topic posts have been deleted and edited. Please be reminded of Head-Fi's Posting Guidelines :-
 

We don't allow discussion of moderation on the forums. 

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Such a policy isn't limited to Head-Fi but common with other forums adopt similar/same policies. Any concerns, please raise to me, @Brooko, and/or @AxelCloris

 

[hutzelmeier]

Back to the topic. I've got the HD800S on my desk since two weeks. I gave it my usual 50 hours of playing without listening too much and since then I'm really becoming a fan of those headphones. I also have a HD650 since three months and a T1.1 since 1.5 years.
 
The HD650 was ok out of the box. With the T1.1, I heard initially a strong and puzzling metallic colouration that meanwhile completely disappeared, so either my ears or the headphones adapted (or both). I was so impressed with the T1.1 that I gave my K701 that I had used for about six years to my father-in-law, who listens to classical music only and is really happy about it.
 
However, I became slightly sensitive to treble recently (perhaps because my youngest daughter discovered her only weapon against the two older girls is her voice). I also found that I less and less listen to classical music with the T1.1, perhaps because trebles were too strong. I checked the LCD3, which to me was not acceptable because especially with classical music, I missed almost all the information in the higher frequencies. I then bought the HD650 that got almost all of my head time in the last months. Although it certainly has much less detail than the T1, it is just such a relaxing listening experience.
 
However, I now must say that at least to me, the HD800S opens up a completely new world. It offers all the detail that the T1.1 has, but without any sharpness in the treble. The bass might be somewhat less structured than with the T1.1 (which probably comes with the somewhat smoothed treble). I initially heard a certain 'plastic' colouration, probably because of the relatively flat mids. Again, either me or the headphones adapted. I now could really imagine to live with the HD800S for the years to come. The T1.1 has a much deeper soundstage than the HD650, but the HD800S indeed offers something I never heard before with a headphone: Sound in three dimensions. Imaging is just as good as with the T1.1, but I am now really sitting in the audience or even among the musicians.
 
Because the overall colouration is very smooth, I don't find the soundstage fatiguing at all, and I can listen for hours. Because of the soundstage and because of the detail, I can listen at really low volumes, which contributes to the relaxing listening experience (and probably to maintaining health). I am currently experiencing all my favourite recordings like I would hear them for the first time, the relatively treble-intense stuff like Oceansize or Porcupine Tree, the more dark tunes like Amplifier or Tool, and classical operas sound great. I'm not yet sure about violin tonality, perhaps I find them missing some spike in the treble compared to the T1.1.
 
I will therefore probably keep the other cans as well, which offers a nice gradient of treble intensity from HD650 to HD800S to T1.1. However, I feel that my mate for everyday life will be the HD800S!

 

[Arniesb]

Back to the topic. I've got the HD800S on my desk since two weeks. I gave it my usual 50 hours of playing without listening too much and since then I'm really becoming a fan of those headphones. I also have a HD650 since three months and a T1.1 since 1.5 years.

The HD650 was ok out of the box. With the T1.1, I heard initially a strong and puzzling metallic colouration that meanwhile completely disappeared, so either my ears or the headphones adapted (or both). I was so impressed with the T1.1 that I gave my K701 that I had used for about six years to my father-in-law, who listens to classical music only and is really happy about it.

However, I became slightly sensitive to treble recently (perhaps because my youngest daughter discovered her only weapon against the two older girls is her voice). I also found that I less and less listen to classical music with the T1.1, perhaps because trebles were too strong. I checked the LCD3, which to me was not acceptable because especially with classical music, I missed almost all the information in the higher frequencies. I then bought the HD650 that got almost all of my head time in the last months. Although it certainly has much less detail than the T1, it is just such a relaxing listening experience.

However, I now must say that at least to me, the HD800S opens up a completely new world. It offers all the detail that the T1.1 has, but without any sharpness in the treble. The bass might be somewhat less structured than with the T1.1 (which probably comes with the somewhat smoothed treble). I initially heard a certain 'plastic' colouration, probably because of the relatively flat mids. Again, either me or the headphones adapted. I now could really imagine to live with the HD800S for the years to come. The T1.1 has a much deeper soundstage than the HD650, but the HD800S indeed offers something I never heard before with a headphone: Sound in three dimensions. Imaging is just as good as with the T1.1, but I am now really sitting in the audience or even among the musicians.

Because the overall colouration is very smooth, I don't find the soundstage fatiguing at all, and I can listen for hours. Because of the soundstage and because of the detail, I can listen at really low volumes, which contributes to the relaxing listening experience (and probably to maintaining health). I am currently experiencing all my favourite recordings like I would hear them for the first time, the relatively treble-intense stuff like Oceansize or Porcupine Tree, the more dark tunes like Amplifier or Tool, and classical operas sound great. I'm not yet sure about violin tonality, perhaps I find them missing some spike in the treble compared to the T1.1.

I will therefore probably keep the other cans as well, which offers a nice gradient of treble intensity from HD650 to HD800S to T1.1. However, I feel that my mate for everyday life will be the HD800S!

Thats good to hear that New S model don't have highs problem. I should join the club too in friday if all goes well. If i wouldn't have selled my HD650 i would have had it same trio as yours

 

[Sonic Defender]

Damn, does this headphone ever render texture and tone well! I'm listening to some Depeche Mode, (Delta Machine) and the level of texture and detail previously hidden is now revealed, and I mean revealed in a very positive way. Yummy.

 

[Dionysus]

Agreed of all the headphones Ive audition, there is no headphone that's better than an HD800 in term of detail retrieval and soundstage.

 

[Randy Myers]

I was speaking with the CEO of NuPrime yesterday.  He told me they use HD800 and HD800S when designing their headphone amps and their new high end portable coming out in December.

 

[acap13]

Agreed of all the headphones Ive audition, there is no headphone that's better than an HD800 in term of detail retrieval and soundstage.

I think the same too...despite, there will be people who are going against it and try to convince other people that HD800/S' soundstage being extremely wide and unnatural..For what i know,i dont think HD800/S is unnatural..It is people preferences..

And i believe HD800/S will always be on any amplifier designers' list of headphone to tune their product with given their natural reference characteristics and scalability potentials..

 

[Sonic Defender]

I don't get that criticism of the 800S or 800, I don't find the soundstage in-natural sounding. Maybe I'm just not listening for it, but too me the 800S sounds very natural. The detail that is retrieved is there in the recordings, it isn't created by the headphone and in my mind if the detail is there, it is natural sounding to hear it. It is a different thing whether or not you like hearing as much detail, but the idea that retrieving the detail makes the sound unnatural is silly.

 

[acap13]

I know right..theres the detail retrievel and soundstage with imaging accuracy..i could hear layers of performers inside the image and each of them are individuals..how could the thing being unnatural is beyond me..and not to forget, this headphone is super resolving too.which keeps my ear happy for long listening

 

[Whazzzup]

Im lost in the lights in the sky by peter gregson. From sub bass to violin highs

 

[MickeyVee]

I thought I was at end game

..
But I have been following this thread since inception and I am really intrigued by what I have been reading about the HD800S. I have seen them in person but have not auditioned them on my system.  Love the black look and feel of the original HD800.  My current system consists of the McIntosh MXA-70 {Same as the MHA-100 but with the McIntosh speakers}.

With the Mc, I have Bass Boost which I have permanently set to +2.5db and I'm pretty much in heaven with some exceptions of poor recordings.  The Mc is forgiving and the Bass Boost helps. I have/listen to a lot of 70's, 80's 90's stuff ripped from CD to losses format. Would the HD800S be a little more forgiving of these recording?
 
Would I be giving up anything going to the HD800S? After years of this HeadFi thing, I've decided that I'm a One HP kind of guy so would be selling the HD800 to get the HD800S. A friend of mine has the HD800S and will be coming over at the end of October {we're gong to the Toronto Audio Video Show TAVES}  so I will get to hear them on my system and probably answer my question.
Source with be the McIntosh MXA-70 and Naim DAC-V1.
Thoughts, Comments?
Tx, M