[zolkis]

Rtings came down on the 820 a bit based on the frequency curve - but do they understand the psychoacoustics of sound? Do they really know what curve is best?
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/tools/compare/sennheiser-hd-820-vs-bose-quietcomfort-35-ii/669/565

Pretty interesting ratings. I have quite many headphones from their list and there is some correlation between what I hear and what they rate.
However, indeed those ratings seem to have too technical focus, even for their "Critical listening" category. For instance the Bose QC-35ii gets very high ratings but it doesn't sound very refined or natural to me. The HD820 and a lot of other Sennheisers got worse rating but sound better to me than the QC-35ii (not that it's bad, no, it's good for what it has been designed for, i.e. listening to music on airplane, bus, train, car, street, office - though for office there are better ones).

To state the obvious, take the input and some grains of salt, but let personal listening in your own context be the deciding factor.

Anyway, based on my experience, problems in measurements sooner or later will also appear in subjective listening observations. Any bigger dip or peak in the FR or CSD or impulse anomaly will be heard and talked about, especially when a new model will fix them. Good measurements are the minimum requirement. If that is achieved, subjective listening is the next step. A few headphones out there can pull it off. I hope there will be more and more of them.

 

[up late]

So... for similar-looking graphs some can bash the Z1R and praise the HD820? Good thing Tyll retired. He probably would've called the HD820 "the best damn headphones in the world!" like he has for the last Sennheiser flagships.

the hd820 and z1r graphs have significant differences, and why bring tyll into this discussion when you know that he has retired from reviewing headphones? it is unlikely that we will ever know if he has actually heard the hd820, let alone what he thinks of it.

 

[Mark Up]

I find it odd that some people are defending the FR on this headphone. A -12db swing from 200hz to 300hz doesn't look like any target curve

When I listened to them they struck me as well balanced, more so than the FR Graphs. That said, I didn't spend hours and hours with them, those defects may have shown. Graphs are interesting and not always accurate. The Sony MDR-1A, stock, has a very full range sound. No big dips, not overly bright or rolled off, solid sub bass, with a mid bass boost. I'd changed those stock pads to Meze 99 pads. The treble is similar, the mids slightly more forward (in a good way) and very low sub bass is increased. These are some of the best headphones I've heard for pure sub bass enjoyment. The mid bass is about the same, but due to the increase in sub bass and true mids, comparatively it can seem to be less and is better controlled too. Brought them to CanJam 2018 to compare to cans. They are a reality check. Brought them to Dekoni's booth. Listened to the Blue Fostex mods they have now which were great but the subs did roll off a bit higher than I'd like. Put MY Sony cans on the dummy binaural testing head to get measured. It'd shown a large roll off just under 100 hz. That is simply not possible.

They're legit headphone enthusiasts, and I don't doubt the quality of their gear. For whatever reason, seal or I have no idea, they were not getting any accurate measurement. Also, Tyll stated, with FR curves, that the Audio Technica ATH-M50X had a bit less treble than the prior version. I'd tested several pairs of those against a few older pairs, and the treble I heard in those newer cans was the same if not even a bit more than the old. Other reviewers stated that. The graphs show a reduction I simply didn't hear. The graphs show the new ATH-M50X actually to be a warm sounding headphone, not the V shaped monstrosity it actually is. There are also many on the HD-58XX thread saying they can have a bit too much treble at times. Actually I agree but I'm hyper-sensitive to treble so HD-650 can be a bit trebly at times for me too. The majority will disagree with us, the graphs for the HD650 will show it having similar levels of treble as the ATH-M50X, which is nowhere near what you actually hear. Most of the time graphs don't lie, I had heard and seen that, but clearly there are exceptions to the rule.

 

[up late]

pitting one's subjective perception against objective measurements seems misguided to me. while our ears and personal preferences are the final arbiter in this hobby, we are not infallible. i regard headphone measurements as indicative rather than absolute. sometimes what i hear aligns with the measurements and other times it doesn't, which is fine given that i'm the biggest variable in this comparative exercise.

 

[Beagle]

pitting one's subjective perception against objective measurements seems misguided to me.

hardly surprising when you haven't heard them

 

[qtiefi]

How is the comfort of these compared to hd800s?

 

[Beagle]

About the same, maybe slightly heavier. Pads are bulkier but very comfy.

 

[money4me247]

How is the comfort of these compared to hd800s?

Comfort is good, basically the same ergonomics as the HD800s. The HD820 is noticeably heavier though in direct comparison.

 

[up late]

hardly surprising when you haven't heard them

that's both petty and beside the point (which is all too predictable) as i was commenting on the problem with listening to any headphone and then comparing that subjective experience to a graph of its measured performance

 

[Rchandra]

I think I am going to wait for sennheiser to work on a planer headphone they did recently file a patent for a planer design I believe. I think that I would personally feel better spending $2400 on a planar then on a dynamic driver. Especially from Sennheiser. I will wait and see but man this headphone has been such a roller coaster for myself. I hated them then loved them then eventually realized that I don't need them. Only because I have a hd800S and a z1r. I think the hd820 is awesome and I really do think that if people should spend more time with them to realize how good they are. But for now I'm gonna sign off on these and wait for another beast to come into town.

 

[Bastianpp]

hello, the speed of the driver from hd820 how fast it is?

ty

 

[GREQ]

hello, the speed of the driver from hd820 how fast it is?

ty

How good is your throwing arm?

 

[QueueCumber]

How good is your throwing arm?

Correct answer is: How fast do you like it?

 

[Beagle]

that's both petty and beside the point (which is all too predictable) as i was commenting on the problem with listening to any headphone and then comparing that subjective experience to a graph of its measured performance

actually it is to the point. it's an 820 thread. it's out there, go buy or demo then come back with something useful and on topic. No need for speculation any longer.

 

[QueueCumber]

actually it is to the point. it's an 820 thread. it's out there, go buy or demo then come back with something useful and on topic. No need for speculation any longer.

They make an ignore button for a reason. Some folks like to instigate arguments and grate people the wrong way for their own gratification. The best option is to remove their ability to do so. That’s what I do at least.