Sennheiser HD800S Unveiled!
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:06 PM Post #256 of 6,504
I don't get it. It's like people are kind of requesting higher prices. So many threads were the manufacturer is clearly expecting feedback on price by the community and suggestions of absurd prices start to pop up instead the opposite. Maybe I'm poor, or perhaps I'm just not satisfied about the direction the hobby is heading.


Absolutely agree. It's like they're (okay, we're) lambs begging to be slaughtered.
There is no reason this should be considerably more expensive than the original (except perhaps for the additional cable). It's not a new headphone, it's a tweak; hence the name.
However, the fact that Axel Grell made a point of stating that it does not sound different but in fact better has me slightly worried about the direction they'll be going with their pricing.
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:08 PM Post #257 of 6,504
   
 
Btw - wanna play with your HD700?  Here, a treat for you:
 
 
Get yourself a 31 band EQ for foobar 2000 and use this data. All data here are measurements of headphone FR's, basically graphs turned into raw numbers that can go straight into the EQ, just pick any headphone, and compare the data of the HD700's to the data of that headphone, and input the differences into the 31 band EQ.  It doesn't work always,but in some cases it's really great.  I can report for example that T1's EQ'd to pretty much every other open back headphone sound very similar to that headphone, not identical obviously, but similar. Can't EQ a closed back to sound like an open back or vice versa, but it's fun to play around with. I assume you will be able to EQ the HD700's to sound more similar to 800's, 600's or 650's. My favorite one is the DT880 EQ'd to sound like a GS1000 Grado, now that's a fun sound and a massive improvement with just an EQ. There's even a Harman target curve data in here, but you'll have to find raw (uncompensated) FR's online in order to apply it, I only have the raw data for HD800's, HD600's and T1's.

 
I just finished EQing my PM-3s to sound like my post-EQed HD800s; is great fun.
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:11 PM Post #258 of 6,504
   
I just finished EQing my PM-3s to sound like my post-EQed HD800s; is great fun.

 
Didn't have luck getting good results when EQ'sing closed back headphones to match the open back's frequency response, but I guess with some stuff it might work out well.
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:16 PM Post #259 of 6,504
Absolutely agree. It's like they're (okay, we're) lambs begging to be slaughtered.
There is no reason this should be considerably more expensive than the original (except perhaps for the additional cable). It's not a new headphone, it's a tweak; hence the name.
However, the fact that Axel Grell made a point of stating that it does not sound different but in fact better has me slightly worried about the direction they'll be going with their pricing.


I got worried about Sennheiser when I saw they were charging $380 for their run-of-the-mill balanced cable for the HD800. I actually talked to one of their product people who said, "it's less expensive than some of the other cables out there!" It seems that was their pricing strategy. "It's possible to spend more, so this is a bargain!"
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:20 PM Post #260 of 6,504
There are some very excitable posts. Did anyone watch the video posted on the first page? The exact words by Axel was "a little bit better". No hyperbole and very honest. There is no reason to get hysterical. Certainly not before the price is known.
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:27 PM Post #261 of 6,504
Today, with todays technology, headphones like HD800's are easier to design and manufacture if you start from scratch than HD580's were 25 years ago, yet, they were sold for 300-400 dollars, not 2000. That's my point. Prices are too high, and advances too small.  When you go from a BMW 5 series to a 7 series, you get a considerably better car, in every way, yet, you only pay 30% more, not 4-5 times more for a small improvement. All markets function in that way, except for hi-fi markets. Why? Because the consumers allow it. Not only allow it, some love the fact that they're paying a lot of money for headphones and own something very exclusive that most people can't afford.

Yep! Or you could just be patient and not be an early adopter.

Let's see $30 for M80s, TF10s for $99, D600s for $150, IE80s for $199, HD600s for $260, HD650s for $290, HE400i for $399, and T1s for $629 (debated for a month on these)...roughly $2000 'worth' of headphones -- new/warrantied and they used to sound pretty good until the mega-dollar cans ruined them for me!

Please visit my postings in FS thread for all of these...but first I need to sell a kidney to get the latest TOTL headphones and a proper dac/amp combo to drive them. :wink:

Strike that...will probably chicken out on the surgery and just buy the Vahalla 2 like originally planned...rumor has it those old HD6X0s sound pretty good on it.
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:32 PM Post #262 of 6,504
Wondering if I should hold out for the 800SEL or 800SX version. 
wink.gif

 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:35 PM Post #263 of 6,504
My point wasn't about the HD800S price at all as the price is not known yet, but about the trend of higher prices in the hobby and the feeling that some in the community approves it. Maybe not the best place to start this kind of discussion.
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:38 PM Post #264 of 6,504
Get yourself a 31 band EQ for foobar 2000 and use this data.

 
I'm a firm believer in EQ, but would prefer parametric. What you are suggesting could be automated in an app, if you just had the raw data, as you said, and then people could quite easily set up an EQ with the supplied parameters. I know a few companies have offered something like this, but I haven't seen a serious effort yet.
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:43 PM Post #267 of 6,504
Yep! Or you could just be patient and not be an early adopter.

 

 
 
I know what you mean man. The latest member of my headphone family is a HD600, 12 years old, but barely used and spent 80% of that time in a box, and doesn't have a single spot on it that would suggest any wear. Got for it a price so low that buying new earpads for it feels like too much money. :p   Same story with K701's that I got 2 years ago, also used but in like-new condition, also for a fraction of a price. To be honest, for a price of a new HD600 or HD650, I got myself a K701, HD600 and DT990 in the last 2 years. Sure, none of them sound quite as good as my T1's, but in terms of value for money, there's no contest, and yes, if you're careful and know what you're doing, nowadays you can put a system together for 300-400 dollars that would have been considered "as good as it gets" just 5-6 years ago.
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:45 PM Post #268 of 6,504
   
I'm a firm believer in EQ, but would prefer parametric. What you are suggesting could be automated in an app, if you just had the raw data, as you said, and then people could quite easily set up an EQ with the supplied parameters. I know a few companies have offered something like this, but I haven't seen a serious effort yet.

 
Yes, parametric is superior usually, but in this case, it can't be used. Well, it could, but matching one FR to another would be a pain, this way, you just input data into a 31 band EQ and you're done. You can even just use excel or some other spreadsheet software to input data and automatically calculate differences between two graphs, and just put that directly into an equalizer plug-in.
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:49 PM Post #269 of 6,504
My point wasn't about the HD800S price at all as the price is not known yet, but about the trend of higher prices in the hobby and the feeling that some in the community approves it. Maybe not the best place to start this kind of discussion.

l haven't been a part of this forum/hobby for too long, but l have already noticed that "bumping up the prices like crazy" trend. l jumped off that train 'before l even took it', believe me. The new Hifiman $3000? Come on! Let alone the LCD-4, that is ridiculous (IMO, of course). l can pay a lot for a product, but there is a point where l feel l am being considered a fool. As usual: YMMV. 
 
Oct 24, 2015 at 5:50 PM Post #270 of 6,504
Am tipping it'll be the current RRP price of the HD800 plus the price of the cable, less 5% as a bundle.
 
So, $1600 for the cans, plus $380 for the cable = $1980, less $100 (5%) as the bundle and it comes in under $1900
 
$1,849.00 would be reasonable. $1,899.00 if they want to do a nominal increase.
 
Leaves the original at $1,600 (possible discount/reduction) and still a valid option while they keep it available.
 

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