[Khragon]

HD800S is imho leagues ahead of Elear.  I heard it when it first came out and it got no treble at all, my first second impression was, whoa, where's my treble!  Wait until the hype die down, my prediction is as more people bought Elear they will find that it's no good.  
 
Tyll made me doubt myself with his overwhelming like for Elear, so I'll try to listen to it again.  However, I don't recommend buying Elear blind.

 

[fapman]

   
I think you are missing the point that for $700 cheaper Tyll prefers the Focal Elear. Therefore for him the the HD800S is not a good value. It is not just in comparison to the Utopia.

If this is true, its absurd.  In the HD800S soundstage is much better, micro details are lot better (so is imaging therefore), overall HD800S is better headphone.  (According to people on the internet, not just Tyll)

Users have compared the Elear to the HD600/650. It's not on the same level with HD800S. Utopia and HD800S might be comparable with each other. Elear however isn't.  

And oh, you can read the user impressions of the Elear.... Spoiler alert: they are not so positive as Tyll indicated
 

 

[swspiers]

One thing that I hope does not get lost here is that Tyll has always been upfront about his preference for certain sound signatures, most importantly the Harmon curve. He has never, to my knowledge, misled the headphone community on anything, or done anything other than represent his honest opinion and experience to the community. We may disagree with him, and I frankly disagree with him quite often. But he is such an important part of this hobby that I would hate to have his opinion misrepresented in any way.

Yes, I am confused about his sudden and abrupt change regarding the HD800S/800 relative to other headphones. But he is still being consistent with his preferences.

Since he is so influential, at least in this community, one option I wish you would consider would be to stop removing headphones from the WOF. They don't remove the inductees from any other _____ of Fame that I am aware of. Maybe he has gotten big enough that it would be a good idea to keep the classic headphones up there. After all, they are classics for a reason.

Just my two cents....

 

[pctazhp]

I have a lot of respect for Tyll. I'm sure like all of us he is subject to his own preferences and motivations. But I'm also sure he is doing what he thinks is best - which of course is his right.
 
I guess it is not surprising this has become the central subject of discussion on this thread. But as for me, and notwithstanding my respect for Tyll, I'll decline joining his flock of sheep - which of course is my right 

 

[TempestX]

Like all other H.O.F., if you are in the hall or W.O.F., you should not be removed, but others are in addition to said entries.
 
 
Sorry about your wallet.
Happy listening!

 

[GearMe]

If this is true, its absurd.  In the HD800S soundstage is much better, micro details are lot better (so is imaging therefore), overall HD800S is better headphone.  (According to people on the internet, not just Tyll)


Users have compared the Elear to the HD600/650. It's not on the same level with HD800S. Utopia and HD800S might be comparable with each other. Elear however isn't.  


And oh, you can read the user impressions of the Elear.... Spoiler alert: they are not so positive as Tyll indicated

 

Have you heard the Elear?

 

[24grant24]

that 20db higher bass distortion figure I quoted for the hd800s is from measurements on a site that is verboten on head-fi, but innerfidelities measurements show the same bass distortion in less detail. deny it all you want though if it makes you feel better.

 

[acap13]

I have heard both Elear(out of Teac UD301 i believe) and Utopia(out of Naim Dac V1) at Focal booth during last KLIAV show. while i was impressed with what i heard with Elear,not so much on Utopia. Elear and Utopia werent give HD800S run for their money at all especially for the Utopia. I own HD800S and paired it with humbly Chord Mojo and i dare saying HD800S is playing a league or two above the Elear.

 

[swspiers]

that 20db higher bass distortion figure I quoted for the hd800s is from measurements on a site that is verboten on head-fi, but innerfidelities measurements show the same bass distortion in less detail. deny it all you want though if it makes you feel better.

I don't think anyone is denying that they played with the bass a. But 20 dB is a number you have yet to verify. Deny it all you want...

 

[icebear]

  that 20db higher bass distortion figure I quoted for the hd800s is from measurements on a site that is verboten on head-fi, but innerfidelities measurements show the same bass distortion in less detail. deny it all you want though if it makes you feel better.

 
Usually distortion figures are given in % and not db.
So if a distortion figure in db pops up, providing a source to substantiate where this is coming from is the way to go. If "verboten" sources, take it to pm.
I looked at a site and saw some measurement graphs post posted by a French member who is also around here.
 
That chart combines a frequency graph on top (units: db, scale on the left) and below distortion figure graphs (units: %, scale on the right).
If you look a the distortion lines and connect to the left db-scale instead of the right %-scale ... then yeah, there you have "distortion numbers in db".

 

 

[fapman]

I know that there are small changes on the headphones and i have huge respect for Sorrodje. He has but a lot work into his HD800S compared to HD800 review. But the one thing that Tyll's and Sorrodje's review don't much up is that Sorrodje didn't notice any difference in bass. 

Now Tyll said that there is second harmonic distorsion in the bass that adds boost to bass. 

How is other HD800S's in this regard? 

Original post:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/795365/sennheiser-hd800-s-impressions-thread-read-first-post-for-summary/240#post_12350999

 

[ubs28]

  I know that there are small changes on the headphones and i have huge respect for Sorrodje. He has but a lot work into his HD800S compared to HD800 review. But the one thing that Tyll's and Sorrodje's review don't much up is that Sorrodje didn't notice any difference in bass. 

Now Tyll said that there is second harmonic distorsion in the bass that adds boost to bass. 

How is other HD800S's in this regard? 

Original post:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/795365/sennheiser-hd800-s-impressions-thread-read-first-post-for-summary/240#post_12350999

 
I have been saying that since X-mas last year that the HD 800 S has more bass than the HD 800 (I was one of the very first people who had the HD 800 S). But maybe my ears are better than average if some people can't hear it 
 
I was quite suprised to find out that it was caused by 2nd harmonic distortion when the measurements were made available.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Sorrodje improved the HD800 better than all others so far and decided to keep the HD800 in its Superdupont variant as it goes better with his preferences (separation in classical music for instance and cleaner bass). Now the thing is that some people clearly exaggerate the 2nd harmonic distortion just to sh.. on the HD800S. Borderline driveby so hats off to Sorrodje for his dedication, effort and great comparison while also not being driven by confirmation bias. 
 
Even HD800SD and HD800S is about tradeoffs in the end. Cleaner bass, a bit more excitement and separation vs. cleaner, more natural treble and warmth, also due to higher bass distortion (which was already pointed out is not measured in dB but nice try to the dude for parroting something he failed to comprehend)
 
I've got the SD mod incoming (maybe this week) and will check it out. Looking forward to it.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Well I just joined the 800S club! Should have mine by Monday. I have a nice OTL amp (La Figaro 339) and a great SS option so I should be able to really enjoy the 800S. If not I'll sell it quickly. I am expecting to very much enjoy it, but I am into bass and I like to EQ open headphones up about 2-3db down low so I hope this reported bass distortion won't be an issue when I try this. I do lower the preamp gain by as much as my boosts total so that may help.

 

[pctazhp]

  Well I just joined the 800S club! Should have mine by Monday. I have a nice OTL amp (La Figaro 339) and a great SS option so I should be able to really enjoy the 800S. If not I'll sell it quickly. I am expecting to very much enjoy it, but I am into bass and I like to EQ open headphones up about 2-3db down low so I hope this reported bass distortion won't be an issue when I try this. I do lower the preamp gain by as much as my boosts total so that may help.

Good luck with your S. I love mine, but I'm not sure you have chosen the best for bass EQ. But time will tell