[whirlwind]

  For all you young people on here,be thankful,that you can hear the 6k peak on the old hd800. I am nearing 76 years old, and i can't!!, so i do not think i will be changing.

 
Ha ha ha.......

 
Yeah, I listen to my SN 19XXX,  no mods at all.....I do have a Draug 2 cable....love it!

 

[phonomat]

Hi,

In my opinion, no one should expect others to read the entire thread before posting. Searching for answers to questions previously asked is a good practice, but don't feel bad about posting it and don't bother to delete it, either. Leaving it could actually lessen the probability of it being posted again.

By the way, thanks for sharing something humorous.

 
Right on. Also, I still can't for the life of me figure out what would be offensive, let alone "borderline discrimantory" about it. Not to open that can of worms, but if someone would like to explain me via PM or whatever, I'd be interested. What seems to be the problem, the appropriation of the original content by way of subtitles or the original TV footage per se? I'm clueless.

 

[zilch0md]

  For all you young people on here,be thankful,that you can hear the 6k peak on the old hd800. I am nearing 76 years old, and i can't!!, so i do not think i will be changing.

 
LOL
 
In a way you're blessed - experiencing that much less of the spectrum in which to be disappointed.  

 
I read your profile and got a good laugh from the "About Me" section.  My first good laugh of the day, thanks!
 
And I'm envious of your dwelling, as it (and the surrounding land) probably looks something like this - which would be my cup of tea, for sure:
 

(Photo by Alan Rolfe)
 
Carry on youngarthur!  

 

[pearljam5000]

Can anyone compare HD800S to T1 V2 and McIntosh MHP1000?
Thanks.

 

[elvergun]

  For all you young people on here,be thankful,that you can hear the 6k peak on the old hd800. I am nearing 76 years old, and i can't!!, so i do not think i will be changing.

 
 
I'm nowhere near 76 years old, and I am also not bothered by the 6k peak. 
 
Here's to our crappy ears...and all the money it saved us. 

 

[obsidyen]

  For all you young people on here,be thankful,that you can hear the 6k peak on the old hd800. I am nearing 76 years old, and i can't!!, so i do not think i will be changing.

 
Wow... You must be a cool grandfather.

 

[sghound]

can't wait for the 800 to drop in price

 

[Whazzzup]

can't wait for the 800 to drop in price

It already has in Canada

 

[shabta]

Continuing onto some classical piano...
 
I spent all day yesterday listening to only the HD800 S to reprogram my ears a little before moving to critical comps between classic HD800 and youngster. 
 
Unlike rock, rap and electronica, i think when it comes to solo piano I have a better idea of what sounds natural. Electronic instruments can be manipulated all kinds of ways. But I live with a steinway baby grand. So although classical music recordings still sometimes have lots of engineering wizardy going on, the reference is a live piano in a room. 
 
Igor Levit's recent release in Hi-Res, Bach, Bethoven and Rzewski is not only amazing music but very well recorded. With this music I find the comparison a little more difficult. The classic gives a more lit up presentation, which makes certain nuances of the attack of hammer on the string really much easier to discern. That is really cool. There is an open airiness to the presentation with HD800 that is seductive. It also seems just a hair's breath short of completely realistic. It comes closer to right than any headphone I have heard except maybe the Stax 009 for solo piano. But when I ab'ed stax and HD800 side by side a year or so ago, they were really slight differences of the same general idea. But both seemed just a teeny tiny bit tilted up which gave this really compelling you can hear every nuance. Ok so how does the youngster sound?
 
The S sounds warmer, a little richer, it goes a little deeper when he hammers away on the left end of the ivories. The decay seems more like it sounds when I sit on the couch and someone plays the piano in the living room about 2 meters (6 feet) away. It is also little less clear and a little less airy than the classic. I actually ran over to the piano and started banging on it and then listened again to the recording. Its not really the same piano and a different room etc. Buts it is always good to hear what the real thing sounds like. On richness, I gives to the S. On detail, I gives to the classic. On which is more natural? I thinks I gots to say the S. But some will definitely like the classic better here. It is the more fun headphone on Igor Levit's recent recording of Beethoven's diabelli variations. Did I just say the classic is the more fun headphone? No one ever says the HD800 is the more fun headphone on head-fi. But here I am saying it, on head-fi, in this particular case. On hip hop, funness is totally with the youngster, Does anyone who listens to classical piano care about funness? Maybe in this case. I dunno we are splitting hairs anyway, but that is a big part of the funness here at head-fi: Making a big deal out of small diffs. 
 
Hope this helps...

 

[seehee2k]

  Continuing onto some classical piano...
 
I spent all day yesterday listening to only the HD800 S to reprogram my ears a little before moving to critical comps between classic HD800 and youngster. 
 
Unlike rock, rap and electronica, i think when it comes to solo piano I have a better idea of what sounds natural. Electronic instruments can be manipulated all kinds of ways. But I live with a steinway baby grand. So although classical music recordings still sometimes have lots of engineering wizardy going on, the reference is a live piano in a room. 
 
Igor Levit's recent release in Hi-Res, Bach, Bethoven and Rzewski is not only amazing music but very well recorded. With this music I find the comparison a little more difficult. The classic gives a more lit up presentation, which makes certain nuances of the attack of hammer on the string really much easier to discern. That is really cool. There is an open airiness to the presentation with HD800 that is seductive. It also seems just a hair's breath short of completely realistic. It comes closer to right than any headphone I have heard except maybe the Stax 009 for solo piano. But when I ab'ed stax and HD800 side by side a year or so ago, they were really slight differences of the same general idea. But both seemed just a teeny tiny bit tilted up which gave this really compelling you can hear every nuance. Ok so how does the youngster sound?
 
The S sounds warmer, a little richer, it goes a little deeper when he hammers away on the left end of the ivories. The decay seems more like it sounds when I sit on the couch and someone plays the piano in the living room about 2 meters (6 feet) away. It is also little less clear and a little less airy than the classic. I actually ran over to the piano and started banging on it and then listened again to the recording. Its not really the same piano and a different room etc. Buts it is always good to hear what the real thing sounds like. On richness, I gives to the S. On detail, I gives to the classic. On which is more natural? I thinks I gots to say the S. But some will definitely like the classic better here. It is the more fun headphone on Igor Levit's recent recording of Beethoven's diabelli variations. Did I just say the classic is the more fun headphone? No one ever says the HD800 is the more fun headphone on head-fi. But here I am saying it, on head-fi, in this particular case. On hip hop, funness is totally with the youngster, Does anyone who listens to classical piano care about funness? Maybe in this case. I dunno we are splitting hairs anyway, but that is a big part of the funness here at head-fi: Making a big deal out of small diffs. 
 
Hope this helps...

 
Thanks, very interesting to read as are your other impressions! 

 

[elvergun]

It already has in Canada

 
What is the price difference between the two?

 

[iDesign]

  Continuing onto some classical piano...
 
I spent all day yesterday listening to only the HD800 S to reprogram my ears a little before moving to critical comps between classic HD800 and youngster. 
 
Unlike rock, rap and electronica, i think when it comes to solo piano I have a better idea of what sounds natural. Electronic instruments can be manipulated all kinds of ways. But I live with a steinway baby grand. So although classical music recordings still sometimes have lots of engineering wizardy going on, the reference is a live piano in a room. 
 
Igor Levit's recent release in Hi-Res, Bach, Bethoven and Rzewski is not only amazing music but very well recorded. With this music I find the comparison a little more difficult. The classic gives a more lit up presentation, which makes certain nuances of the attack of hammer on the string really much easier to discern. That is really cool. There is an open airiness to the presentation with HD800 that is seductive. It also seems just a hair's breath short of completely realistic. It comes closer to right than any headphone I have heard except maybe the Stax 009 for solo piano. But when I ab'ed stax and HD800 side by side a year or so ago, they were really slight differences of the same general idea. But both seemed just a teeny tiny bit tilted up which gave this really compelling you can hear every nuance. Ok so how does the youngster sound?
 
The S sounds warmer, a little richer, it goes a little deeper when he hammers away on the left end of the ivories. The decay seems more like it sounds when I sit on the couch and someone plays the piano in the living room about 2 meters (6 feet) away. It is also little less clear and a little less airy than the classic. I actually ran over to the piano and started banging on it and then listened again to the recording. Its not really the same piano and a different room etc. Buts it is always good to hear what the real thing sounds like. On richness, I gives to the S. On detail, I gives to the classic. On which is more natural? I thinks I gots to say the S. But some will definitely like the classic better here. It is the more fun headphone on Igor Levit's recent recording of Beethoven's diabelli variations. Did I just say the classic is the more fun headphone? No one ever says the HD800 is the more fun headphone on head-fi. But here I am saying it, on head-fi, in this particular case. On hip hop, funness is totally with the youngster, Does anyone who listens to classical piano care about funness? Maybe in this case. I dunno we are splitting hairs anyway, but that is a big part of the funness here at head-fi: Making a big deal out of small diffs. 
 
Hope this helps...

 
Interesting review. My observation has been that the HD 800 earcup has some resonance (ringing) that is sometimes apparent in classical piano recordings. The Anaxilus modification seems to help in that regard but I'm curious if Sennheiser's acoustical absorber makes any difference-- I suspect it does not because the resonance is likely related to the earcup design and its unchanged between the HD 800 and HD 800 S.

 

[shabta]

 
Interesting review. My observation has been that HD 800 earcup has some resonance (ringing) that is sometimes apparent in classical piano recordings. The Anaxilus modification seems to help in that regard but I'm curious if Sennheiser's acoustical absorber makes any difference-- I suspect it does not because the resonance likely related to the earcup design and its unchanged between the HD 800 and HD 800 S. 

Yeah, I know what you mean by the HD800 and ringing. I suspect my hearing has degraded some so I am not as sensitive as I used to be, which is probably why I have loved the HD800 all these years. But I have heard it on less well recorded stuff or some times when the pianist is hammering on the tinkly, right end of the piano keys. Actually I should have mentioned it in this review. There were a very few places where Igor hit the tinkly keys pretty hard and the seeming air and clarity gave way to a slightly too sharp sound. It is lessened on the S for sure. Senn engineers claim that the S has a better solution to the problem than the anax mod. From my last few days of listening (going at it for 4-8 hours/day), I have to say I like it better than the Anax mod. I removed the mod from my HD800. But it could also be because available materials in France are slightly different than in the US and that means my mod is slightly different than the ones people on yonder shores are employing.

 

[Dobrescu George]

I found what the video was supposed to have been. Freaking amusing, dudes! 

 

[LEntless]

   
What is the price difference between the two?

Probably a few hundred bucks. 
 
I just bought a used HD800 for $1k CAD. They can be found pretty cheap on the used market. Now the wait..