[Dobrescu George]

It's just a way for people who don't like Sennheiser to hate. People say the lack of treble extension in the 598, 600, and 650 conveys a "veil" that makes them sound muffled like the music is being filtered through a pillow. But then they say the 800 has piercing and artificial treble that only gives the illusion of detail but not real detail like the Utopia (what the hell ever). And then you read the cult of AQ Nighthawk that has a huge dip in upper mids but they say it is perfectly detailed without artificial treble boost. Whatever. It's all snake oil and haterade to defend the product that they're invested in. The simple truth is that the 800S is simply one of the best headphones in existence at any price point. And the fact that the 598, 600, AND 650 are still relevant today, after all this time, speaks volumes to their quality for their price point. And as a former owner of the Nighthawk, I'd take the 50 year old HD 600 or 650 over them any day of the week and twice on Sunday ;-}

I am totally with you. HD800S is one of the best headphones ever created (You gotta hear HE-1 at some point, especially before trying to define the absolute best, HE-1 is incredible), but I would also take HD600 and even HD650 over Nighthawks easily and any day.

I'm one to avoid disliking or talking bad about a product, and Nighthawk is incredibly comfortable, but I was bored by its sound and it doesn't carter to me. HD800S, HD600, ie800 and others are excellent choices for me and with the right amplifier, HD600 and HD800S both have staggering sound, they are incredible in every way, aspect, and dimension.

 

[endgame]

I am totally with you. HD800S is one of the best headphones ever created (You gotta hear HE-1 at some point, especially before trying to define the absolute best, HE-1 is incredible), but I would also take HD600 and even HD650 over Nighthawks easily and any day.

I'm one to avoid disliking or talking bad about a product, and Nighthawk is incredibly comfortable, but I was bored by its sound and it doesn't carter to me. HD800S, HD600, ie800 and others are excellent choices for me and with the right amplifier, HD600 and HD800S both have staggering sound, they are incredible in every way, aspect, and dimension.

Absolutely.

 

[Topspin70]

Excellent read.

I get it now.

Well, I do prefer HD600 over HD650, but neither didn't sound veiled to me. With Sennheiser's Momentum line, there is absolutely no veil to speak about. Maybe there was a bit with their Urbanite line, at least I recall some people saying that, but with HD600, and everything above, and even Momentum, I don't really hear that veil.

Agree. I always felt comfortable with the Sennheiser sound, from the basic earbuds to the high end models. They're differ sonically, but never in a way that takes away from the music (presumably what a veil does).

I think @endgame rightly summed it up. It certainly sound like a term people use to make something seem less to make their own choice seem better. Brings to mind the term "over inflated soundstage" that was brought up some posts up. It's like saying Porsche is an overly powerful car, much better if they had smaller engines.

 

[ubs28]

For those that are still looking for a DAC & amp for the HD 800 S, it seems that the HDVD 820 will be released next month. It might be worth giving it a shot.

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/sennheiser-hdvd800-headphone-amplifier.605444/page-198

 

[Topspin70]

Great news. Seems like my credit card has gone into hiding.

 

[dadracer2]

It is absolutely down to individual preference. I don't like the Momemtums either comfort or sound wise. I prefer the PXC550. I am not a big fan of the HD650 or 600 although I prefer the 600 if I had to choose. I prefer the HD800S to the Focal Utopia even if the prices were matched and I prefer the HD800S over the HD800 only when in balanced mode.

 

[Topspin70]

To me that's a great way to put it. Preferring A over B. For reasons so and so. And not putting some label over the ones we don't like. Subjective tastes and preferences are what make this hobby of ours so interesting, and has spawn so many different brands, cans, sonic characters for us to enjoy. We should be glad that people have very varying tastes.

To that point, I too prefer the HD600 over the HD650. Much to my surprise. I thought a warmer, thicker, bassier, more forgiving sound would be more up my alley. Maybe the HD800S has steered my preference to cleaner, more detailed sounds.

 

[ra990]

Hi All, new HD800 S owner and forum member here. I have been so engrossed in these forums reading about various DACs and amps, cables, balanced/unbalanced...it's been fun. I haven't gotten any work done all week.

Apogee Groove vs Audioquest Dragonfly Red:

I thought I would contribute a bit about my brief experience with these headphones. So far, I have tried them with two portable dac/amps, the Apogee Groove and the Dragonfly Red. I came away with the following conclusion after extensive A/B testing. The Dragonfly Red sounds more transparent and clear than the Apogee Groove, but it doesn't get loud enough for a lot of songs I tried. The Apogee Groove sounds pretty decent, but it's a tiny bit more tame with the sound stage and also a little less detailed than the Dragonfly Red. The Apogee Groove does drive the HD800S very well, with it getting louder than I need on any music I threw on. Bass feels stronger with the Apogee Groove. I think the "constant current drive" they are using in the Apogee Grove is working pretty well for the HD800S, but the DAC is better in the Dragonfly Red. The Apogee Groove uses a 28bit ESS Sabre DAC, the Dragonfly Red uses one of the newer 32bit ESS Sabre32 DACs with bit perfect volume control. Apogee also makes a Groove "Anniversary Edition" in gold or silver that uses the same 32bit DAC that the Dragonfly Red uses, so that would be the best of both worlds - but they charge a ridiculous $600 for it, double what the regular Groove costs. I would grab the anniversary edition in a heartbeat if I found it used for around $300. I have settled on the regular Apogee Grove as my portable solution to use with my android phone and the HD800S.

Seeking Advice about a desktop DAC/AMP:

Now...I'm currently looking for a nice desktop dac/amp in the $500 range that would be a step up from the portable solutions I tried above. So far, the Grace Design m9xx/m900 and the Schiit Audio Jotunheim have caught my eye. The impression I get after reading about them is that the Grace m9xx has a better DAC and the Schiit Jotunheim has a better amp. I do like that the Jotunheim provides a fully balanced solution at this price range, letting me use that XLR 4 cable with my HD800S and experience the benefits of balanced audio (assuming there are audible benefits and it's not just the placebo affect). People have claimed that the Jotunheim isn't that great of a match with the original HD800, but I didn't read anything specifically about the HD800S. I also found out about the iFi micro iDSD Black Label today and it looks intriguing. It could be an option as well, but I haven't done my research on it yet. Anybody have any advice for me between these three?

Ultimately my goal will be to get the new Sennheiser HDVD 820 that was just announced since that seems to be the ideal matching with the HD800S, but I'm going to have to work my way up to that and really enjoy the journey.

Other questions about the HD800S:

I bought a used pair from someone at a great price. They were in great condition but I'm noticing that the clamp strength and the right side ear cup height adjustment seems to be pretty loose. Anybody else have this issue? I assume they all become like that with regular use, but I would have liked a bit more resistance to the height adjustment on the right side, specially since the left side is nice and tight. Whenever I try to adjust them while on my head the right side falls most the way down before I can even move the left side one notch. Any tips on tightening that up again? Very minor issue, but thought I'd ask.

Thanks!

 

[Topspin70]

Hi All, new HD800 S owner and forum member here. I have been so engrossed in these forums reading about various DACs and amps, cables, balanced/unbalanced...it's been fun. I haven't gotten any work done all week.

Apogee Groove vs Audioquest Dragonfly Red:

I thought I would contribute a bit about my brief experience with these headphones. So far, I have tried them with two portable dac/amps, the Apogee Groove and the Dragonfly Red. I came away with the following conclusion after extensive A/B testing. The Dragonfly Red sounds more transparent and clear than the Apogee Groove, but it doesn't get loud enough for a lot of songs I tried. The Apogee Groove sounds pretty decent, but it's a tiny bit more tame with the sound stage and also a little less detailed than the Dragonfly Red. The Apogee Groove does drive the HD800S very well, with it getting louder than I need on any music I threw on. Bass feels stronger with the Apogee Groove. I think the "constant current drive" they are using in the Apogee Grove is working pretty well for the HD800S, but the DAC is better in the Dragonfly Red. The Apogee Groove uses a 28bit ESS Sabre DAC, the Dragonfly Red uses one of the newer 32bit ESS Sabre32 DACs with bit perfect volume control. Apogee also makes a Groove "Anniversary Edition" in gold or silver that uses the same 32bit DAC that the Dragonfly Red uses, so that would be the best of both worlds - but they charge a ridiculous $600 for it, double what the regular Groove costs. I would grab the anniversary edition in a heartbeat if I found it used for around $300. I have settled on the regular Apogee Grove as my portable solution to use with my android phone and the HD800S.

Seeking Advice about a desktop DAC/AMP:

Now...I'm currently looking for a nice desktop dac/amp in the $500 range that would be a step up from the portable solutions I tried above. So far, the Grace Design m9xx/m900 and the Schiit Audio Jotunheim have caught my eye. The impression I get after reading about them is that the Grace m9xx has a better DAC and the Schiit Jotunheim has a better amp. I do like that the Jotunheim provides a fully balanced solution at this price range, letting me use that XLR 4 cable with my HD800S and experience the benefits of balanced audio (assuming there are audible benefits and it's not just the placebo affect). People have claimed that the Jotunheim isn't that great of a match with the original HD800, but I didn't read anything specifically about the HD800S. I also found out about the iFi micro iDSD Black Label today and it looks intriguing. It could be an option as well, but I haven't done my research on it yet. Anybody have any advice for me between these three?

Ultimately my goal will be to get the new Sennheiser HDVD 820 that was just announced since that seems to be the ideal matching with the HD800S, but I'm going to have to work my way up to that and really enjoy the journey.

Other questions about the HD800S:

I bought a used pair from someone at a great price. They were in great condition but I'm noticing that the clamp strength and the right side ear cup height adjustment seems to be pretty loose. Anybody else have this issue? I assume they all become like that with regular use, but I would have liked a bit more resistance to the height adjustment on the right side, specially since the left side is nice and tight. Whenever I try to adjust them while on my head the right side falls most the way down before I can even move the left side one notch. Any tips on tightening that up again? Very minor issue, but thought I'd ask.

Lastly, my serial number is 0926#. The guy I bought them from said he purchased them very recently. Anybody purchase a brand new unit recently that would tell me what serial numbers they're up to now? Just trying to get an idea of how old these are.

Thanks!

The BL and HD800S pairing is extraordinary, esp if you upsample to DSD for playback. So good that I hardly pair the cans with my yggy + ifi stack. You'll see in the BL thread quite a few people using HD800S. I think it'd be a very nice 'interim' until the HDVD 820 comes along.

Mine is #975 and I bought it more than a year ago. Maybe Sennheiser can advise if original warranty was extended to person you bought from. That would suggest he's the first and only owner.

 

[ra990]

The BL and HD800S pairing is extraordinary, esp if you upsample to DSD for playback. So good that I hardly pair the cans with my yggy + ifi stack. You'll see in the BL thread quite a few people using HD800S. I think it'd be a very nice 'interim' until the HDVD 820 comes along.

Mine is #975 and I bought it more than a year ago. Maybe Sennheiser can advise if original warranty was extended to person you bought from. That would suggest he's the first and only owner.

Thanks! I just ordered a BL from Amazon. Can return it easily if I don't like it. I'll let you know what I think after I spend some time with it.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Thanks! I just ordered a BL from Amazon. Can return it easily if I don't like it. I'll let you know what I think after I spend some time with it.

Knowing the sound of iDSD BL and how sweet it sounds together with HD800S, I think that you're in for a lot of fun! iDSD BL is one of my first choices when it comes to driving HD800S properly since so far I preferred it even better than full blown desktop amplifiers, the sound is magical for my ears.

 

[SP Wild]

So I am starting to really enjoy these HD800S of mine. Last night I was like... If my memory serves me right the Grado HF2s have that same clarity sound with more musicality.

So I put the HF2s on and my memories have served me wrong. All I hear is less clarity and more distortion.

The HD800S is miles better.

 

[Topspin70]

So I am starting to really enjoy these HD800S of mine. Last night I was like... If my memory serves me right the Grado HF2s have that same clarity sound with more musicality.

So I put the HF2s on and my memories have served me wrong. All I hear is less clarity and more distortion.

The HD800S is miles better.

Welcome to the club!

 

[Dobrescu George]

So I am starting to really enjoy these HD800S of mine. Last night I was like... If my memory serves me right the Grado HF2s have that same clarity sound with more musicality.

So I put the HF2s on and my memories have served me wrong. All I hear is less clarity and more distortion.

The HD800S is miles better.

Well, all I can say is that I'm glad you're happy with your HD800S!

Having only heard Grado's low end models, I know that their sound is very different from HD800S and that I strongly prefer HD800S in the long run, especially due to soundstage, detail level and the bass, which on HD800S extends very well.

 

[WraithApe]

For those that are still looking for a DAC & amp for the HD 800 S, it seems that the HDVD 820 will be released next month. It might be worth giving it a shot.

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/sennheiser-hdvd800-headphone-amplifier.605444/page-198

I'm holding out for Hugo 2 820 was on my radar earlier this year, and I'll still be interested to hear peoples' impressions, but the offer of a decent trade-in price for my old Hugo was too good to resist! Not sure how Hugo 2 and HDVD 820 will stack up.