Sennheiser HD820
Jan 10, 2020 at 9:05 AM Post #2,926 of 4,356
at least the Z1R is like many sony, coming down in price quite fast, I do think how the 820 has inflated price over 800s doesnt helpt it much.
me myself i quite like the 800s by quite a bit, the 820? err... It just add nothing breathtaking for the premium I guess?
 
Jan 10, 2020 at 2:30 PM Post #2,927 of 4,356
The HD820 is terrible. I am not sure what Sennheiser was thinking pricing it similar to the Focal Stellia. I have had a few good laughs though.

I do not even include the HD820 anymore when I do shootouts between closed headphones as it is that bad (but maybe I will include the HD820 again when I get my hands on the AFC 2).
 
Jan 10, 2020 at 3:22 PM Post #2,928 of 4,356
Must be in the minority here but I quite enjoy the HD820. At first they sounded off but after a while I got used to the tuning and a good seal is imperative otherwise you might as well forget about it.
They sound very good out of the HDV820 and even better out of the Hifiman EF6.
In comparison to the HD800(S) they are intimate and have a deeper holographic layering/imaging together with more body/bass to the music. Clarity and resolution is still staggering but not as obvious because the tuning in tonality is a notch down compared to HD800S.
Once you have figured out a proper seal and have powerful amplification, this headphone will give nothing but enjoyment.
 
Jan 10, 2020 at 3:27 PM Post #2,929 of 4,356
Must be in the minority here but I quite enjoy the HD820. At first they sounded off but after a while I got used to the tuning and a good seal is imperative otherwise you might as well forget about it.
They sound very good out of the HDV820 and even better out of the Hifiman EF6.
In comparison to the HD800(S) they are intimate and have a deeper holographic layering/imaging together with more body/bass to the music. Clarity and resolution is still staggering but not as obvious because the tuning in tonality is a notch down compared to HD800S.
Once you have figured out a proper seal and have powerful amplification, this headphone will give nothing but enjoyment.

could not agree more! Well said. They are fun as hell when:
- driven well
- you have a good seal
 
Jan 10, 2020 at 4:43 PM Post #2,930 of 4,356
Must be in the minority here but I quite enjoy the HD820. At first they sounded off but after a while I got used to the tuning and a good seal is imperative otherwise you might as well forget about it.
They sound very good out of the HDV820 and even better out of the Hifiman EF6.
In comparison to the HD800(S) they are intimate and have a deeper holographic layering/imaging together with more body/bass to the music. Clarity and resolution is still staggering but not as obvious because the tuning in tonality is a notch down compared to HD800S.
Once you have figured out a proper seal and have powerful amplification, this headphone will give nothing but enjoyment.

Good observations about the HD820 and 800S.
I really like the soundstage you get with the 800S but the 820 has quite a big soundstage for a closed headphone as well with well controlled deep bass.
I had both the HDV820 and HDVA600 and found them to be pretty good amps with a little warmth in the mids, quite a pleasing sound.
 
Jan 10, 2020 at 8:41 PM Post #2,931 of 4,356
The HD820 is terrible. I am not sure what Sennheiser was thinking pricing it similar to the Focal Stellia. I have had a few good laughs though.

Really funny how much different people hear things. I owned both and thought the exact opposite as you. Couldn't sell off the Stellia fast enough once I got the HD820. Heck, not only the Stellia, I sold off the Empyrean and Hifiman 1000SE, too...

Seeing all the comments on how seal dependent the 820's are, I'm guessing I'm lucky enough to get a perfect seal or I'm pairing with the right amp (Sony TA-ZH1ES).
 
Jan 10, 2020 at 9:44 PM Post #2,932 of 4,356
The HD820 is terrible. I am not sure what Sennheiser was thinking pricing it similar to the Focal Stellia. I have had a few good laughs though.

I do not even include the HD820 anymore when I do shootouts between closed headphones as it is that bad (but maybe I will include the HD820 again when I get my hands on the AFC 2).

I had both and it wasn't a debate on which to keep. I really wanted to like the Stellia, love everything about its design. But sound, while detailed, was a big letdown. 820 much livelier and bigger/more open sound. For Stellia being made by a speaker company, the 820 sounds a heck lot more like a speaker on your head.

The Stellia edges the 820 slightly analytically (except for a metallic hint in the upper midrange), but 820 is overall the better package, and at $600 less.
 
Jan 13, 2020 at 12:11 PM Post #2,933 of 4,356
I compared the Sennheiser HD820 against some budget headphones again as I got quite suprised that people claim that these headphones are actually good.

Just like I remembered, even $799 headphones like the AFC 1 with tuning pads is better than the HD 820.

However I tried to press the HD 820 against my head with both hands as I read about potential seal problems and it started to sound more normal.

So I would suppose these HD 820 have indeed a huge design flaw. This just again confirms that the Focal Stellia is a superior headphone as the Stellia sounds fine without me needing to press it with both hands against my head.
 
Jan 13, 2020 at 12:36 PM Post #2,934 of 4,356
So I would suppose these HD 820 have indeed a huge design flaw. This just again confirms that the Focal Stellia is a superior headphone as the Stellia sounds fine without me needing to press it with both hands against my head.

This is really funny. The seal on my Stellia unit was even looser than the 820. I remember saying that I would have to press the cups against my head to hear the best SQ, where I don't on the 820.
 
Jan 13, 2020 at 12:41 PM Post #2,935 of 4,356
Well, it still sounds good.

The Z1R also has a “light” clamp but it sounds normal still (except for a peak that bothered me).

The HD 820 sounds wrong to a point were even a $799 headphone sounds better.

Sennheiser obviously did something wrong in the design department.
 
Jan 13, 2020 at 12:55 PM Post #2,936 of 4,356
could not agree more! Well said. They are fun as hell when:
- driven well
- you have a good seal
That's a big "when". Never could get one consistently.
 
Jan 13, 2020 at 1:19 PM Post #2,937 of 4,356
Well, it still sounds good.

The Z1R also has a “light” clamp but it sounds normal still (except for a peak that bothered me).

The HD 820 sounds wrong to a point were even a $799 headphone sounds better.

Sennheiser obviously did something wrong in the design department.

The Z1R is a boom box, pretty similar to a pair of Beats.
 
Jan 13, 2020 at 1:26 PM Post #2,938 of 4,356
The Z1R is a boom box, pretty similar to a pair of Beats.

Yes (so you know the seal is good), but the point is that the Z1R has no problems with the seal despite having a light clamp.

Also $799 headphones do this correct. The sound does not change if I press the AFC 1 with both hands.
 
Jan 13, 2020 at 4:21 PM Post #2,939 of 4,356
Jan 14, 2020 at 10:21 AM Post #2,940 of 4,356
This is really funny. The seal on my Stellia unit was even looser than the 820. I remember saying that I would have to press the cups against my head to hear the best SQ, where I don't on the 820.
Well that’s what creating a universal design got you, some people is closer to ideal some way out.
I do think it’s kinda lame Sennheiser uses the exact same build as the 800s despite it changed completely to a closed back.
Something tells me Axel didn’t make that shape thinking it’d be a shell for a closed back in the future..
Or they just don’t design the pads well enough to compensate for it. How it also gets that look in Josh video when it age doesn’t really inspire confidence at all.
The Z1R is a boom box, pretty similar to a pair of Beats.
Some people call it Beats sound taken to its utmost best form, I don’t really disagree with that.
 

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