[up late]

I don't think they're bass heads at all. The guy on the right owns and loves the 800S and the guy on the left has indicated he likes a touch of warmth (as does Tyll of Innerfidelity).

Agree, I respect Lahclan's opinions based on all the videos he has posted over the years. Plenty of us here like the warmer sound (including Jude LOL) with some elevated bass. Anyway, i sense some "negative" connotations to the word basshead. I am sure there are different levels of "bassheads" out there and guess what, some of them also like TOTL headphones too. I like my bass too, I have the Sony Z1R and currently enjoying the beautiful sounding Dianas. just saying

Nothing wrong with being a bass head or liking a bit extra, but the connotation I got from the post I quoted was that a "bass head"'s opinion wouldn't be worth as much about a flagship, or that flagships are always "neutral", whatever that is. Ironically Campfire's Cascade flagship is a basshead's dream.

disparaging so-called "bassheads" while owning and praising the z1r seems contradictory to me - just sayin'

 

[QueueCumber]

Yesterday I enjoyed the latest Stanley Clarke album on the Z1R. A bass heads dream. Today I listen to exactly the same album using my AKG K501. First session, where is my bass? Second session, evolving good but still bass shy. Third session ok, my bass is back. Not basshead quality but more than ok. So I am obviously able to eq my listening system in my brain. A I the only one?

The brain works on template systems with the perception of senses and patterns. When something is close to the template the mind doesn’t notice a difference. When it varies greatly from the template, the brain either assimilates, accommodates, and/or integrates it with its current template. I think it’s fairly normal brain functioning for someone to “eq” the sound from any reasonable audio source over time. The brain noticing perceptions far outside the usual parameters is evolutionary and useful for survival, and being able to integrate those differences over time is useful when the changes aren’t threatening.

 

[Beagle]

I don't think they're bass heads at all. The guy on the right owns and loves the 800S and the guy on the left has indicated he likes a touch of warmth (as does Tyll of Innerfidelity).

I should have put that in proper context. Dude on the right likes neutrality it would seem, but the guy on the right admits he likes his bass big.

Bottom line with me. If I get the 820 adjusted so I get a proper even seal, I hear a mid/upper bass bump. If I lower the cups, I get a weaker seal and lighter bass but inconsistent sound.

 

[8bitme]

Beagle again sadly it's very obvious you are not experiencing these headphones the way they should. I would return them if I was you.

 

[Beagle]

Beagle again sadly it's very obvious you are not experiencing these headphones the way they should. I would return them if I was you.

I am more puzzled as to why some others are not hearing what I am hearing (with regards to the bass....everything else is wonderful). It seems quite obvious. I don't think mine are defective. The graph (for what it's worth) seems to bear this out.

 

[up late]

@jude posted that his measurements "look rather different"...

 

[329161]

Yesterday I enjoyed the latest Stanley Clarke album on the Z1R. A bass heads dream. Today I listen to exactly the same album using my AKG K501. First session, where is my bass? Second session, evolving good but still bass shy. Third session ok, my bass is back. Not basshead quality but more than ok. So I am obviously able to eq my listening system in my brain. Am I the only one?

Sounds like a natural phenomenon going from relatively bass heavy to relatively bass light. I've read countless other similar accounts over the years. I think the brain notices the contrast in bass level rather than appreciating what bass there is.
Re: the hd820, it is relatively more warm and bassy than the others in the 800 line, and this may lead some to think the bass hump is too large? Just speculation.

 

[8bitme]

I am more puzzled as to why some others are not hearing what I am hearing (with regards to the bass....everything else is wonderful). It seems quite obvious. I don't think mine are defective. The graph (for what it's worth) seems to bear this out.

It's such a weird thing to say but sadly I think it comes down to the shape your head. When I put my 820 on I get a even seal right away where everything is consistent. If I would however then push the headphones towards my head I will also get that bass bump that you seem to be experiencing but this is obviously not how these headphones are supposed to be heard. It sounds much better when I just put them on.

 

[syke]

Again I don't have these issues so I love the design for me but if you can't get a proper fit this would certainly be a terrible choice for a headphone to buy for you.

Absolutely. It will work for some, and not for others. But just looking from a high end manufacturer's point of view, why? I know in terms of manufacturing cost, it will be fabulous, recycling the HD800, HD800S design. But what happened to you Sennheiser, you are supposed to be the hi-fidelity greatness. You are now turning a portion of people away with that crazy fit.

 

[Mark Up]

disparaging so-called "bassheads" while owning and praising the z1r seems contradictory to me - just sayin'

I think you've totally misread what you quoted that was written by those two people. They are standing up for the validity of those of us who like full, extended bass being lumped into bass head territory by fans of the Grado or older AKG sound (ie. bass light, early roll off) as if "bass head" is a bad thing, that invalidates your ability to make judgements about other aspects of the sound. I'd say a majority prefer having full bass, and good extension, reviewers addressing those concerns aren't a bad thing. I think they'd agree with you about the value of the bass.

 

[Maelob]

Just love bassheads reviewing flagship cans.

Just want to clear things -
I read the quoted post as a sarcastic comment disparaging bassheads- but maybe it was a literal praise.I am a bass head! I am not the one disparaging bass heads

 

[Maelob]

I think you've totally misread what you quoted that was written by those two people. They are standing up for the validity of those of us who like full, extended bass being lumped into bass head territory by fans of the Grado or older AKG sound (ie. bass light, early roll off) as if "bass head" is a bad thing, that invalidates your ability to make judgements about other aspects of the sound. I'd say a majority prefer having full bass, and good extension, reviewers addressing those concerns aren't a bad thing. I think they'd agree with you about the value of the bass.

Thanks that’s what I meant

 

[Malfunkt]

Graph honestly isn’t that crazy. The bump in the bass is what many people wanted from an 800, the dip before the mid range is common in closed cans to separate the low end a bit from the mid range.

It isn’t like Sennheiser made a mistake with the frequency profile. It is absolutely measured and by design. Just like the 800 has its linear curve the 820 has a different character. Which is actually great news because we already have two iterations of the same headphone and it’s great that this is different than the 800/800S with some family similarities.

Now, there are some very linear closed backs. For instance, D2000 (semi-closed) is actually very linear from bass through to treble - though with a darker tilt. Heck even some Bose headphones are more linear in their graphs than the 820. Yeah, let that sink in.

 

[Beagle]

Just want to clear things -
I read the quoted post as a sarcastic comment disparaging bassheads- but maybe it was a literal praise.I am a bass head! I am not the one disparaging bass heads

Again, not bassheads as in Beats overblown crap but a preference for higher than "neutral" in a particular area of the bass range. I can live with a bit extra 50hZ and below but when the bump is at 100 and upward, it sticks out like a sore thumb for me, and infiltrates into other areas of the FR. Some others might like this.

But you could always build a natural, neutral, even response phone and EQ in what you like more of. This way everyone "starts" on an "level playing field".

Graph honestly isn’t that crazy. It isn’t like Sennheiser made a mistake with the frequency profile. It is absolutely measured and by design. Just like the 800 has its linear curve the 820 has a different character. Which is actually great news because we already have two iterations of the same headphone and it’s great that this is different than the 800/800S with some family similarities.

Maybe I had the wrong expectations. I predicted (and hoped for) a closed 800s with pretty much the same fr balance, since they called it the '820', rather than renaming a completely different headphone.. AKG did this with the K812/872....they share a similar fr.

 

[Beagle]

@jude posted that his measurements "look rather different"...

What do you think of the 820?