[Audiolic]

Anybody please compare Stax LS700, hifiman X and HD800s 
 
those are mostly the one i'm interested in.. imaging is a must for me so this is why i'm hesitating against the HD800...
 
Square wav rendering also.. so LS700\hifiman x might be better there.. 
 
 think the LS700 is the best in those in term of resolution.. but i may be wrong vs the hifiman X  

bass should be better in the hifiman X.. comfort should be HD800s first and hifiman X second

 

[Dobrescu George]

  Anybody please compare Stax LS700, hifiman X and HD800s 
 
those are mostly the one i'm interested in.. imaging is a must for me so this is why i'm hesitating...
 
if not i think the LS700 is the best in those.. but i may be wrong

I have a vague impression that you are not entirely sincere here 

.
 
The differences are huge, the signature itself is very different. I mean, HD800s will be more on the bright side (even if less than HD800), while I am 99% sure that Hifiman X will be darker (by much) in comparation. 

 

[Audiolic]

your talking about only one 

  I have a vague impression that you are not entirely sincere here 

.
 
The differences are huge, the signature itself is very different. I mean, HD800s will be more on the bright side (even if less than HD800), while I am 99% sure that Hifiman X will be darker (by much) in comparation. 

your talking only about only one aspect of sound the frequency curve.. while i would prefer not i dont mind to EQ a little on my nanodigi minidsp pre-dac if needed... so for me this one can be fixed.. it's not like comfort, imaging,square wav rendering, resolution or impact/dynamic or distortion or center stability\channel matching or construction quality etc..... 

i dont want to compromise much.. i want a neutral tool for pro prod work.. tho i have good speaker to alternate.
 
personnaly i think those who compare headphones should also do another comparaison when EQ are matched (channel matched too and mostly neutral (pre-dac) before comparaison.. if not everything is squewed since different freq curve influence a lot in the perception of all the other sound factor. ( for example, not neutral with low mid give more distant imaging in the brain but less other stuff) .. too much high will also trick the ear in some ways ... etc.. so they should be tested on neutral EQ and as they are... 

 

[Dobrescu George]

  your talking about only one 
your talking only about only one aspect of sound the frequency curve.. while i would prefer not i dont mind to EQ a little on my nanodigi minidsp pre-dac if needed... so for me this one can be fixed.. it's not like comfort, imaging,square wav rendering, resolution or impact/dynamic or distortion or center stability\channel matching or construction quality etc..... 

i dont want to compromise much.. i want a neutral tool for pro prod work.. tho i have good speaker to alternate.
 
personnaly i think those who compare headphones should also do another comparaison when EQ are matched (channel matched too and mostly neutral (pre-dac) before comparaison.. if not everything is squewed since different freq curve influence a lot in the perception of all the other sound factor. ( for example, not neutral with low mid give more distant imaging in the brain but less other stuff) .. too much high will also trick the ear in some ways ... etc.. so they should be tested on neutral EQ and as they are... 

Oh, I get it now. 
 
Well, from your entire list, HD800S seems to be the most expensive, and from hearing HD800 against other flagships, I would place the highest bid on HD800S being the best as far as SQ goes. If they have the same build as hd800, comfort should be ages apart from everything else, the cups are huge, deep, and they are not overly heavy. 

 

[Beagle]

  I would describe them as neutral but slightly bright. From memory I can kind of hear that the 6k peak is reduced compared to the HD800, and maybe in direct comparison they could be perceived slightly warmer. However, there is still some peak left, that can be a bit harsh depending on the track. Too early for a final verdict on that, but so far it is definitely not a deal-breaker for me. Sound stage is amazing and they are fast and detailed. The music feels quite natural to me. Don't find the mids recessed, but that might be very subjective. Some say the HD650 have neutral mids, which I wholeheartedly disagree with.

  What I am missing a bit is the sub bass (~around and below 30 Hz). So far this is the only "weakness" that is apparent to me.

 
Cheaper for me to mod the HD800 than throw a fresh $2000 CDN at the treble problem. But I will await Peter's findings....those will tell the true tale for me

 

[whirlwind]

 

  I would describe them as neutral but slightly bright. From memory I can kind of hear that the 6k peak is reduced compared to the HD800, and maybe in direct comparison they could be perceived slightly warmer. However, there is still some peak left, that can be a bit harsh depending on the track. Too early for a final verdict on that, but so far it is definitely not a deal-breaker for me. Sound stage is amazing and they are fast and detailed. The music feels quite natural to me. Don't find the mids recessed, but that might be very subjective. Some say the HD650 have neutral mids, which I wholeheartedly disagree with.

  What I am missing a bit is the sub bass (~around and below 30 Hz). So far this is the only "weakness" that is apparent to me.

 
Cheaper for me to mod the HD800 than throw a fresh $2000 CDN at the treble problem. But I will await Peter's findings....those will tell the true tale for me

I am very interested in Peter's impressions, also.

 

[seehee2k]

   
Cheaper for me to mod the HD800 than throw a fresh $2000 CDN at the treble problem. But I will await Peter's findings....those will tell the true tale for me

 
Compared to the DT990 pro the treble far more pleasant. Not sure if I would refer to it as a problem at all, but you are right to wait for someone's impressions you can interpret better. 

 
It definitely does not smooth out sibilance or piercing cymbals, but it does not feel as is it adds to these either. Pretty faithful to the recording I guess.
 
Looking forward to more impressions, especially from someone who has both the 800 and the 800S.

 

[tungx2]

+1 with the headphone impressions on the 800s.
 
I sold my pair because of the piercing highs for vocals.

 

[joshk4]

Yes...eagerly waiting for comparison with the hd800.

 

[Deftone]

It's getting a bit confusing with people mentioning the HD800S and HD800s
Sennheiser really messed up with the namING this time

HD805 / HD810 would have been a much smarter choice, it still leaves plenty of room for a future HD850 / HD900

 

[citraian]

It's getting a bit confusing with people mentioning the HD800S and HD800s
Sennheiser really messed up with the namING this time

HD805 / HD810 would have been a much smarter choice, it still leaves plenty of room for a future HD850 / HD900

Let's hope they didn't mess the sound as well

 

[ThatNzGuy]

  Take my comparison with a grain of salt, please. I never owned HD800 and only heard them once with my music, but I guess they share some DNA after all.

They are the same drivers after all; so I doubt that a single acoustic absorber will completely change the sound signature. 
The only way to combat that problem [brightness, 6k peak] is to completely redesign the transducer, which they haven't done here.

 

[sheldaze]

 
They are the same drivers after all; so I doubt that a single acoustic absorber will completely change the sound signature. 
The only way to combat that problem [brightness, 6k peak] is to completely redesign the transducer, which they haven't done here.

I thought it was more a relation between the driver and the chamber - hence the mods for the original HD800 solving their specific peak issue.
I'm still highly optimistic, but waiting for reviews comparing the two - HD800 versus HD800S.

 

[madwolfa]

Is there going to be HD800S impressions thread?

 

[Sorrodje]

IMO the current HD800 thread shoud be transformed in HD800/800S thread.  I highly doubt the difference will be enough to justify a new thread.  it seems it's more two flavors of the same headphone.