[joseph69]

Goes to show you, there's a wrench for every nut.

First time I've ever heard this saying and I like it.

 

[Roger Dodger]

Have had the 820 about a week. Bought from TTVJ through the link on this website. Absolutely love them. They look as if conceived by an unrestrained imagination, fantastic. The way the ear cups attach to that gorgeously sumptuous headband on the 800 series of Sennheiser headphones just does it for me. The sound, transmundane. Jesus Christ, did I just spend 24 hundred dollars a pair of headphones. Wait, I better do some more listening and get back to you.

 

[wldcohso]

Have had the 820 about a week. Bought from TTVJ through the link on this website. Absolutely love them. They look as if conceived by an unrestrained imagination, fantastic. The way the ear cups attach to that gorgeously sumptuous headband on the 800 series of Sennheiser headphones just does it for me. The sound, transmundane. Jesus Christ, did I just spend 24 hundred dollars a pair of headphones. Wait, I better do some more listening and get back to you.

I’m surprised you paid retail, I’m currently contemplating getting them for 2k

 

[Roger Dodger]

Don’t think twice, do it. Enjoy, don’t analyze,

 

[Roger Dodger]

Yeah, should have shopped around but the were “coming soon” for so long I jumped at first available I saw.

 

[KaiserTK]

I tried these last week with a V281 and I like these over the Ether Flow C since it still retains some of that wonderful 800 crisp flavor.

Still, I wonder why Sennheiser went with the closed back instead of improving the 800 open HP line?

Also if anyone’s got 820 vs other closed backs impressions that would be awesome to hear.

 

[QueueCumber]

So, I’ve been contemplating the front to back 3D vs right to left stage width. I think front to back 3D is incorrect terminology for my previously noted experiences. Perhaps increased “presence” describes what I’m experiencing on the Utopia, and thats what gives the perception of more palpability to some instruments for me, particularly acoustic instruments.

Case and point on the differences along these lines, anyone who has these two headphones should put on Pink Floyd’s On the Run from Dark Side of the Moon. As far as sounds moving from side to side and back to front, the 820 extends further with both than the Utopia (as per the whirring sounds, footsteps, and other sounds that pan left and right and front to back). Movement around the soundstage has more realism of scale on the 820 than on the Utopia to my ears. However, the actual sounds themselves and not their movement in space have more realism of presence on the Utopia, but their movement doesn’t have very much realism of scale at all in comparison to the 820.

 

[pietcux]

So, I’ve been contemplating the front to back 3D vs right to left stage width. I think front to back 3D is incorrect terminology for my previously noted experiences. Perhaps increased “presence” describes what I’m experiencing on the Utopia, and thats what gives the perception of more palpability to some instruments for me, particularly acoustic instruments.

Case and point on the differences along these lines, anyone who has these two headphones should put on Pink Floyd’s On the Run from Dark Side of the Moon. As far as sounds moving from side to side and back to front, the 820 extends further with both than the Utopia (as per the whirring sounds, footsteps, and other sounds that pan left and right and front to back). Movement around the soundstage has more realism of scale on the 820 than on the Utopia to my ears. However, the actual sounds themselves and not their movement in space have more realism of presence on the Utopia, but their movement doesn’t have very much realism of scale at all in comparison to the 820.

The question is not so much how to describe the differences in presentation, it is more about what you prefer or which way of handling the music engages you more.

 

[QueueCumber]

The question is not so much how to describe the differences in presentation, it is more about what you prefer or which way of handling the music engages you more.

I gave my preference in previous posts.

As far as engagement, I have never understood people being engaged more by one decent headphone over another. Sure, if you’re listening to Sirius Sattelite and the signal keeps going in and out, you’re going to disengage from the music, but for me, with music, engagement is an internal thing based on my mood and focus, not something controlled by headphones.

I think if you start chasing engagement in external things like headphones your enjoyment of those things will always be at the mercy of your moods and focus (and you will spend a lot of money on unnecessary things not realizing that the problem is within and not without), whereas if you find engagement within, you can listen to music on a $10 radio and find your connection to the music. When you learn how to control your moods and focus (like with meditation), you can pretty much be engaged by any decent equipment if there aren’t glaring issues causing the experience to be painful.

For me it’s basically the difference between listening with my left brain, which approaches the listening experience analytically, and listening with the right brain, which immerses itself in the gestalt of the music. Generally, one side of the brain veils the other side when it is active. The act of analysis breaks the experience of engagement, while being engaged shuts down analysis.

That being said, I prefer realism in music playback, and that can be analyzed comparatively between headphones/speakers. It doesn’t increase my engagement, per se, but it can make the experience feel more lifelike and immersive. Perhaps people mean “immersive” when they use the term “engagement?” If that’s the case, then both headphones are immersive in different ways, it just depends on where you focus your attention (on the soundstage vs. on individual instruments), but neither is as comprehensively immersive as the Susvara.

 

[329161]

This reviewer's head is either tiny, or the 820 is humongous, or a bit of both....

 

[QueueCumber]

This reviewer's head is either tiny, or the 820 is humongous, or a bit of both....

Holy snoozefest! Let me save people some time and tell them to skip ahead to 12:54...

 

[FinBenton]

Wait what, boosted bass, elevated middle and elevated highs? How does that work

 

[QueueCumber]

Wait what, boosted bass, elevated middle and elevated highs? How does that work

It works like this I’m guessing:

 

[up late]

I gave my preference in previous posts.

As far as engagement, I have never understood people being engaged more by one decent headphone over another. Sure, if you’re listening to Sirius Sattelite and the signal keeps going in and out, you’re going to disengage from the music, but for me, with music, engagement is an internal thing based on my mood and focus, not something controlled by headphones.

I think if you start chasing engagement in external things like headphones your enjoyment of those things will always be at the mercy of your moods and focus (and you will spend a lot of money on unnecessary things not realizing that the problem is within and not without), whereas if you find engagement within, you can listen to music on a $10 radio and find your connection to the music. When you learn how to control your moods and focus (like with meditation), you can pretty much be engaged by any decent equipment if there aren’t glaring issues causing the experience to be painful.

For me it’s basically the difference between listening with my left brain, which approaches the listening experience analytically, and listening with the right brain, which immerses itself in the gestalt of the music. Generally, one side of the brain veils the other side when it is active. The act of analysis breaks the experience of engagement, while being engaged shuts down analysis.

That being said, I prefer realism in music playback, and that can be analyzed comparatively between headphones/speakers. It doesn’t increase my engagement, per se, but it can make the experience feel more lifelike and immersive. Perhaps people mean “immersive” when they use the term “engagement?” If that’s the case, then both headphones are immersive in different ways, it just depends on where you focus your attention (on the soundstage vs. on individual instruments), but neither is as comprehensively immersive as the Susvara.

i've found that there are some headphones which reproduce music in ways that engage me more than other headphones do. it's not a reflection on the music itself but the way in which it is presented. i'm pretty sure that i'm not alone in experiencing this.

 

[pietcux]

i've found that there are some headphones which reproduce music in ways that engage me more than other headphones do. it's not a reflection on the music itself but the way in which it is presented. i'm pretty sure that i'm not alone in experiencing this.

I hear you.