[329161]

The 800 and 800s are affordable to me, but being open-backed, I wouldn't use them much. However, I'm not prepared to spend quite what the projected price is for the 820. Just a bit too much for my taste. Curious as hell to hear it though.

 

[FastAndClean]

 

[Whazzzup]

Drooling

 

[trellus]

Basically nothing about the sound at all beyond Sennheiser’s claim that it sounds like an open set, but I still enjoyed seeing the headphones “live” and in use.

 

[Dulalala]

The representative specifically used the term "closed back flagship", so I guess that sort of reiterates that the HD820 is not supposed to be a successor to the HD800S.

I was also hoping they changed the material of the alcantara headband too, but unfortunately, it seems like they haven't. These headbands don't last that long, they start peeling pretty fast.

 

[Dulalala]

This was mentioned on the HD820 Sponser thread:

"Soon after that I began to focus on the project from 2012. Our goal was to" realize the sound of HD 800/800 S with hermetically sealed headphones "as it was It was not easy task because I could repeat the prototype to do what is "reasonable", but when I was not able to reach the result I was convinced about, I had no choice but to participate in another project Once, I kept my closed development projects with my colleagues and kept on getting involved in element technology research. "

Original article is in Japanese and translation was done with Google translate.

https://www.phileweb.com/sp/interview/article/201801/10/524.html
________

Assuming this is correct, I would assume this dispels any notion that the HD820 is meant to be a successor to the HD800S or about a different tuning for the HD820.

 

[headr]

If Sennheiser referred to the HD 800 as their "open back" flagship and the HD 820 as their "closed back" flagship, what could you infer about the product positioning? Which one does Sennheiser think is better? Seems like you could partially look at the product code (820 > 800). You could partially look at the price (HD 820 more expensive than HD 800), and so on. Not to mention, the HE 1060 is technically Sennheiser's current "open flagship". What does that say about Sennheiser's opinion of the HD 820, if they can say it occupies a flagship role alongside their HE 1060! Wow! Huge endorsement. (Sarcasm alert)

If we are pulling poorly translated quotes out of interviews, I think you've lost the plot. What does it matter what the "successor" relationship is? If you like how the HD 820 sounds, and it sounds better to you than the HD 800, you should buy it. If you prefer the sound of the HD 800, buy that. It's really quite simple. All that really matters is that the HD 820 and the HD 800 sound different, Sennheiser has brought a new option to the marketplace, and it's up to you to evaluate whether you like it or not. Philosophical pontificating about successor relationships seems to be entirely beside the point. If you would sleep better at night knowing the HD 820 is not a successor to the HD 800, I think the Sennheiser marketing department would be totally OK with that if indeed that allows you to get better sleep.

Getting back to impressions, it seems the HD 820 are getting almost universal praise from the early initial responses around the web. Good bass extension, extremely clear and transparent. Besting an open design with a closed form factor - leave it up to Sennheiser to pull it off. Can't wait to hear them.

 

[JamesCanada]

these things are magnificent!

 

[trellus]

Getting back to impressions, it seems the HD 820 are getting almost universal praise from the early initial responses around the web. Good bass extension, extremely clear and transparent. Besting an open design with a closed form factor - leave it up to Sennheiser to pull it off. Can't wait to hear them.

I’m excited - and optimistic - but unless I’ve missed something big, the universe from which this praise has been noted is really, really tiny so far, no? In fact, I think I’ve seen all of two very brief impressions cited in this thread so far...? If you have more sources, please share them so we can satiate our desire to know more.

 

[7onyMustDive]

Not going to lie...... I might just get these because I personally think they are the best looking headphones on the market. Music is probably good on them too .

 

[headr]

I’m excited - and optimistic - but unless I’ve missed something big, the universe from which this praise has been noted is really, really tiny so far, no? In fact, I think I’ve seen all of two very brief impressions cited in this thread so far...? If you have more sources, please share them so we can satiate our desire to know more.

Very limited impressions. I've read maybe 4 or 5 so far, and half of which commented on the noisy CES exhibition floor making accurate impressions impossible.

I also want to highlight a quote from the above linked Japanese interview (apologizes for the google-level translation):

Listen to the prototype ■ . In other words, "sound that is not different from HD 800 S" The model which was exhibited at CES could also be auditioned with a set with HDV 820. Mr. Grell said, "We made the prototype in time for the show, but the sound quality is not yet in the final stage," but as I was impressed with it, I tried listening thought that I wanted to check it even with just the taste.

So it seems the version at the show is not yet the final product which will be on sale this summer, so whatever limited impressions we'll get from CES, we will have to re-evaluate anyway in the summer.

 

[ubs28]

Not going to lie...... I might just get these because I personally think they are the best looking headphones on the market. Music is probably good on them too .

I will only get them if they fixed the bass of the HD 800 / HD 800 S. Else I will wait for the Focal closed headphone.

 

[Dulalala]

If Sennheiser referred to the HD 800 as their "open back" flagship and the HD 820 as their "closed back" flagship, what could you infer about the product positioning? Which one does Sennheiser think is better? Seems like you could partially look at the product code (820 > 800). You could partially look at the price (HD 820 more expensive than HD 800), and so on. Not to mention, the HE 1060 is technically Sennheiser's current "open flagship". What does that say about Sennheiser's opinion of the HD 820, if they can say it occupies a flagship role alongside their HE 1060! Wow! Huge endorsement. (Sarcasm alert)

If we are pulling poorly translated quotes out of interviews, I think you've lost the plot. What does it matter what the "successor" relationship is? If you like how the HD 820 sounds, and it sounds better to you than the HD 800, you should buy it. If you prefer the sound of the HD 800, buy that. It's really quite simple. All that really matters is that the HD 820 and the HD 800 sound different, Sennheiser has brought a new option to the marketplace, and it's up to you to evaluate whether you like it or not. Philosophical pontificating about successor relationships seems to be entirely beside the point. If you would sleep better at night knowing the HD 820 is not a successor to the HD 800, I think the Sennheiser marketing department would be totally OK with that if indeed that allows you to get better sleep.

Getting back to impressions, it seems the HD 820 are getting almost universal praise from the early initial responses around the web. Good bass extension, extremely clear and transparent. Besting an open design with a closed form factor - leave it up to Sennheiser to pull it off. Can't wait to hear them.

Nowhere have I mentioned that the HD800S was better than the HD820. Apart from your stupendous fixation on how the HD820 must be better, due to the fact that's it's a number higher meaning in you're book, the HD1000 must be the best Sennheiser headphone. My point is that the HD820 is not meant to replace the HD800S and according to what Axel Grell has said in the interview (I'm sure Google knows how to make a decent translator), the HD820 is tuned to be similar to the HD800S which some maybe looking for and others not.

 

[headr]

Dualala - I'm not sure why you are so fixated on figuring out the "successor" relationship here, can you explain? Sennheiser marketed the 650 as a successor to the 600, it was priced higher in the line, it was marketed as superior by Sennheiser, and yet the HD 600 was produced alongside the 650 for the entire production run. Now, the 660 and the 650 are being sold side by side, with Sennheiser clearly marking the 660 as a successor (and the 650 potentially being discontinued but not confirmed yet, ironically potentially outliving it's "successor" the 650).

What exactly do you hope to achieve by dissecting marketing materials concerning this topic, and how is it relevant to the HD 820?

 

[Dulalala]

Dualala - I'm not sure why you are so fixated on figuring out the "successor" relationship here, can you explain? Sennheiser marketed the 650 as a successor to the 600, it was priced higher in the line, it was marketed as superior by Sennheiser, and yet the HD 600 was produced alongside the 650 for the entire production run. Now, the 660 and the 650 are being sold side by side, with Sennheiser clearly marking the 660 as a successor (and the 650 potentially being discontinued but not confirmed yet, ironically potentially outliving it's "successor" the 650).

What exactly do you hope to achieve by dissecting marketing materials concerning this topic, and how is it relevant to the HD 820?

the HD820 is tuned to be similar to the HD800S which some maybe looking for and others not.

The HD650 was kept alongside the HD600 because both sold well along side each other, which is probably the same thing that will happen to the HD660S. Either way, this is going nowhere. Let's just bury it and move on. Just to clarify, my main point is, as I said above, because if the HD820 is not meant to succeed the HD800S and is supposedly tuned similar to the HD800S, some people are going to be disappointed. You can obviously disagree if you want, but we both know neither you nor I have tried em so let's just give each other the benefit of the doubt and wait for more impressions and specifications.