[ubs28]

Now the question becomes, does an EQ'ed HD 800 and HD 800 S with more bass added beat the Utopia (more bass means thicker sound) for Tyll his prefered sound signature.

 

[greggf]

I've owned the HD580, HD580 Jubilee, HD600, HD650, HD800, Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro80, Beyerdynamic DT880, AKG 701, Audeze LCD-2, STAX 407, STAX 507, STAX L700, STAX 007, STAX 009.  I've had some of these more than once, some many times.  Oh, and the Koss electrostats.  I'm forgetting some others.
 
For amps I've owned the Naim Headline, the PS Audio GCHA, the Woo 6SE, the Melos SHA-1, the Luxman P1u, and the STAX 727II and 007tII.  I'm forgetting some amps, too.
 
I have the HD800S now, with the Bryston BHA-1.  The 800S is the most neutral headphone I've ever had.  Before this, the HD600 easily would have been the most neutral.  
 
By neutral, I mean a sound that doesn't add or take away from the recording, but gets out of the way and helps me forget that I'm wearing headphones.  fwiw, I found the regular HD800 intrusive - that treble!  
 
So yeah, guess "the absolute sound" is dead at Innerfidelity.  Consumers will be done a disservice if "expert" advice over there is just some kind of personal whim from now on.  I think there IS an absolute sound, a neutral one, and most people can recognize it.  So can Tyll.  He just won't give it awards from now on because he'd like some editorializing in his phones.
 
As an aside, I wonder how loudly he listens?  Neutral gets thinner-sounding at higher volumes.  So do stats.

 

[Youth]

  What gets me wondering, that is there an planned "HD850" etc. release? (I know they aren't that stupid to bring new headphone after 1. opinion, and successor to HD800 did take them 6 years)  But how many times i though about it, it gets me wondering: what they can really improve on the HD800S?
 
- The treble spike they fixed No.
- They added color to the bass (also increasing it)
- They have the biggest soundstage and imaging
- Treble is totally smooth now. No.
- Mids have never been issue in the HD800 Yes, it has.
 
Only thing Tyll is mentioning is that they are too "thin and analytical" but that's preference. In the original HD800 some said that it was "too sterile" and "too bright". Sennheiser didn't "fix" this because its personal preference. 
 
This is quoted from Tyll: 
 
"Sennheiser HD 800 S - Thin and uninvolving when compared directly. Things sound disembodied and distant and lack the presence and heft of the Utopia. Astonishingly, the Utopia's treble sounds cleaner and more natural; in comparison I can easily hear how the over-emphatic 5kHz area on the Sennheiser disrupts the naturalness of the sound here. I'm sick of fighting with the HD 800. How many man-hours do you think have gone into fixing the fatal flaws of this otherwise world-class headphone? *sigh*"
 
BTW Some have said that HD800S changes when paired with balanced cable.  Ether Flow only comes with balanced cable (?) And Tyll never tested HD800S with balanced mode...? IMHO not an fair 1-1 comparison. Unless the amplifier he used to evaluate is designed to be used balanced it doesn't matter, at all.

So, being neutral is bad thing... according to Tyll. What is neutral?  

 

 

[fapman]

   

About the treble spike and the treble of the HD800S:
 
Even Tyll said that the treble is flawless in the HD800S in LCD-4 review. Only problem in the HD800 treble was the spike at 6khz, witch Sennheiser fixed better than the mod did. 

And how is the Mids problem on the HD800S/HD800?

Neutral: Headphones present the sound without any color in the sound. It presents you the sound how it was recorded. Yes, some may say that distortion in the bass "gives color" but it's a really little. 
 

 

[24grant24]

the 800s has 20db more bass distortion than the original hd800. It is still better to buy an 800 and mod it with felt or cork or whatever than to buy the 800s

 

[Oldfella]

I have the 800. I tried the 800S. For my 76 year old ears,( Not getting into detail.) i prefer the 800.A lesson i learnt, was, read all the forums/reviews,( Tyll included) then, listen for yourself, and make your own mind up. 

 

[LarryMagoo]

I run a balanced cable with my 800S and my Oppo HA-1.  One of the reasons for this is the HA-1 doubles the power with a 4-Pin XLR and gives them all the thump you want....

 

 

[icebear]

  the 800s has 20db more bass distortion than the original hd800. It is still better to buy an 800 and mod it with felt or cork or whatever than to buy the 800s

20db ... that sound like an awful lot

where did you get that number from?

 

[icebear]

  Am I being uncharitable when I notice how little Sennheiser advertising there is in STEREOPHILE and how many full page Focal ads there are, issue after issue?  Or is that paranoid??

Nope ... that's right on the money I'd say

 

[LarryMagoo]

20db is simply not accurate ...not even close....

 

[ubs28]

the 800s has 20db more bass distortion than the original hd800. It is still better to buy an 800 and mod it with felt or cork or whatever than to buy the 800s

A home made in the back of your garage mod won't be as good as the anti resonance that Sennheiser engineered.

 

[TMRaven]

Actually it works nearly as well, and you don't have to deal with the extra bass distortion of the HD800 S.

 

[fapman]

I know i have but this on the table before in this thread, and almost caused axes and fires - fight in the "another forum"

But how likely is that Sennheiser would bring successor to the HD800S in 2016/17? 

"Is HD800S safe bet to pull trigger now" 

 

[icebear]

  I know i have but this on the table before in this thread, and almost caused axes and fires - fight in the "another forum"

But how likely is that Sennheiser would bring successor to the HD800S in 2016/17? 

"Is HD800S safe bet to pull trigger now" 

Absolutely safe to pull the trigger, nobody will get hurt ... but your wallet.
 
Seriously though

do you like the HD800S so much to shell out ...what's the going rate $1700 - $1800?
Will you not like it when a next generation HD8XX come out?

 

[Rob80b]

  I know i have but this on the table before in this thread, and almost caused axes and fires - fight in the "another forum"

But how likely is that Sennheiser would bring successor to the HD800S in 2016/17? 

"Is HD800S safe bet to pull trigger now" 

Senns are normally a safe bet, how long have the H600 been out and still going strong...the 800s were released in 2009 and we're probably looking at 2020 before any rumours of  a successors on the 800 series.
If the "S"s in your budget... they're a jalapeno of a good phone and not a flavor of the month and should keep most happy for years ...... unless of course you're hardcore head-fier..... then 6 months.