[robo24]

800S and 820 pads are different and not interchangeable. The 800S pads are much thinner. If anything the 820 needs thicker pads. Or some other modification/trick to increase clamping force. Best I've been able to come up with is a giant rubber band wrapped around my head lol...

Nevertheless the HD800 pads from Dekoni fit my 820 just fine. They indeed are much thicker than stock 800 pads, but as I recall about as thick as the 820 pads so probably wouldn’t help with fit. I believe Sennheiser at some point actually suggested using a rubber band to clamp them together when not in use so that they fit more snugly. I agree that they really should have more clamp force and that this has really harmed the reviews they get. Some get little bass and describe them as honky without a good seal. I do see they mention only the 800 and not 800S, but I thought the pads on those two were the same.

https://drop.com/buy/dekoni-pads-for-sennheiser-hd6xx-hd700-hd800#overview

 

[FourT6and2]

Nevertheless the HD800 pads from Dekoni fit my 820 just fine. They indeed are much thicker than stock 800 pads, but as I recall about as thick as the 820 pads so probably wouldn’t help with fit. I believe Sennheiser at some point actually suggested using a rubber band to clamp them together when not in use so that they fit more snugly. I agree that they really should have more clamp force and that this has really harmed the reviews they get. Some get little bass and describe them as honky without a good seal. I do see they mention only the 800 and not 800S, but I thought the pads on those two were the same.

https://drop.com/buy/dekoni-pads-for-sennheiser-hd6xx-hd700-hd800#overview

Yeah the 800 pads physically fit on the 820, but stock vs stock, the 820 are thicker. So going with aftermarket 800 pads would be going in the wrong direction for me. I need thicker pads. Sennheiser should really have made the clamping force higher or made it adjustable in some way. All the moveable joints on the 820 (and the 800/800S) are quite loose and floppy. Maybe if everything were just tightened up slightly it would help. But no way of doing that after the fact as far as I can tell. These things were really made for people with wider faces.

If anybody offers thicker 820 pads at some point, that will definitely help. That said, these things sound so good right now that I'm willing to stick it out and not return them.

 

[robo24]

I understand, but if you look at their offerings in that link you’ll see those pads are thick and not like the 800 stock pads. The Elite Velour pads were as thick as my stock 820 pads and the images of the others appear just as thick. I agree though that they’d need to be even thicker to get a tighter fit. If they have a generous return policy (not getting from Drop) some other than the velour may be worth trying.

 

[FourT6and2]

I think I found a solution: https://vesperaudio.com/earpads
They make custom earpads and headbands to whatever size/spec you want.

 

[Law87]

stop buying earpads, if its not manufacture recommend then dont do it, it will change the sound sig. I rolled pad with my Mrspeakers Alpha Prime, none of them sound good, either too bassy or something is off.

If you wear this headset and feels like fit is not for you, then move on. Its an awesome headphone but its not worth the money to invest in pads.

 

[Slim1970]

stop buying earpads, if its not manufacture recommend then dont do it, it will change the sound sig. I rolled pad with my Mrspeakers Alpha Prime, none of them sound good, either too bassy or something is off.

If you wear this headset and feels like fit is not for you, then move on. Its an awesome headphone but its not worth the money to invest in pads.

I’m kind of in agreement with this. I’ve pad roll on a few of my headphones and always came back to the stock version or an alternate pad offered by the manufacturer. It’s much easier to EQ than roll pads to get a certain sound signature, but others may feel differently.

The HD820’s offers outstanding sound quality. It just needs a little more clamp force to improve the seal.

Does anyone know the method that Sennheiser recommends to improve the clamps force? Thanks in advance!

 

[FourT6and2]

Not trying to change the sound. Trying to change the fit. I've swapped pads on other headphones and it hasn't made a difference in sound. But that was with same size pads of different material (microfiber vs leather, etc.). I can see how going from stock pads to thicker ones might change the sound though since you're increasing the volume of the "room" formed between the driver and your ear.

 

[manueljenkin]

Anyone with hd820, can you listen to this (preferrably eyes closed) and let me know how realistic it sounds?

 

[FourT6and2]

Anyone with hd820, can you listen to this (preferrably eyes closed) and let me know how realistic it sounds?

That sounds really good. However, it sounds good on any headphones I try...

 

[Law87]

Anyone with hd820, can you listen to this (preferrably eyes closed) and let me know how realistic it sounds?

how do we know what "realistic" sounds like?

 

[Alex Soon]

Source: Sony NW-WM1Z DAP
Headphone: HD820

Anyone here tried using the FiiO Q5S with the HD820? How does it sound? Will it make any significant improvement?

I am contemplating purchasing the FiiO Q5S, not for boasting volume (@110/120 on the NW1Z it is more than sufficient for my ears) but to enhance the sound in term of wider sound stage, better imaging etc.

Thanks.

 

[FourT6and2]

Source: Sony NW-WM1Z DAP
Headphone: HD820

Anyone here tried using the FiiO Q5S with the HD820? How does it sound? Will it make any significant improvement?

I am contemplating purchasing the FiiO Q5S, not for boasting volume (@110/120 on the NW1Z it is more than sufficient for my ears) but to enhance the sound in term of wider sound stage, better imaging etc.

Thanks.

I have Q5S. Sounds fine. Only thing I can compare it to is HDV820 and Sony TA-ZH1ES. Slightly darker, slower than HDV820. Slightly punchier, faster than TA-ZH1ES. Powers the HD820 just fine. No comment on imaging and soundstage. I also tried the FiiO Q1 MII and the K3. The Q5S sounded better to me than either of those.

 

[musickid]

i tried the hd820 today at richer sounds out of the senn amp/dac. it ticked all the right boxes apart from the fact that the microfibre material made me itch with some friction. they are to be used with my Chord TT2. is there a way to solve this problem for eg leather pads which don't affect the sound of these headphones in any noticeable way or should i just give up now. the same problem occurred when i tried the open version some while back.

 

[kiling92]

Hello guys,I need your opinion about my situation.
I bought my HD 820 some time ago,in june;initially I drove the lady with my fiio x3+chord Mojo via optical;very good sound,a bit dry...but no addictive..and I tought che change the 820 with a focal stella (selling 820 and adding 1000 €).
But before selling the headphone I tried to change my source with a Sony wm1a using balanced output.
Tadan,the sound signature was really different!!Warmer and wider against the Mojo. Now it's a pleasure to listen my 820.
Recently I tried the stellia but I wasn't surprised (however the stellia hadn't the time to burn in,I have to admitt).
Reading in the Web many people opt for the stellia against the 820.
Should I give a chance to these stellia? I know that i'll sacrifice the soundstage,but I don't want to loose also the clear details too..your opinion?

 

[AppleheadMay]

Hello guys,I need your opinion about my situation.
I bought my HD 820 some time ago,in june;initially I drove the lady with my fiio x3+chord Mojo via optical;very good sound,a bit dry...but no addictive..and I tought che change the 820 with a focal stella (selling 820 and adding 1000 €).
But before selling the headphone I tried to change my source with a Sony wm1a using balanced output.
Tadan,the sound signature was really different!!Warmer and wider against the Mojo. Now it's a pleasure to listen my 820.
Recently I tried the stellia but I wasn't surprised (however the stellia hadn't the time to burn in,I have to admitt).
Reading in the Web many people opt for the stellia against the 820.
Should I give a chance to these stellia? I know that i'll sacrifice the soundstage,but I don't want to loose also the clear details too..your opinion?

"reading the web" and "many people" can mean hype.
I wasn't a big fan of the Stellia, I had it for a few weeks and posted my brief opinion here in the HD820 thread a few months ago.
Basically, it's no Utopia at all (great phone) and the bass was uncontrolled, even driven balanced with my Luxman.
Yes, my sample was burned-in. And it looks damn bling, not my style.
So my opinion: you'll add 1000 and lose the better phone.
And there will be different and contradictory opinions of course.