Sennheiser HD820
May 12, 2021 at 8:56 AM Post #3,496 of 4,341
So, you don't need any more clamping force? How's sound leakage and bass performance? Would you wear them somewhere in public or they leak too much for listening in public?
Nope the clamping force is perfect given the extra weight the hd820 has over the hd800s

The sound leaks a decent amount (it's purposefully only a partially sealed design to avoid the boominess that most fully sealed designs have)

Bass performance is slightly better than the hd800s

I wouldn't wear them in public because wearing $2399 headphone with part-glass earcups in public/transportation doesn't sound like an intelligent idea, especially when it needs more power than a phone can deliver to sound good. I use these at home when the home environmental noise is too high for the hd800s.
 
Last edited:
May 16, 2021 at 1:04 AM Post #3,497 of 4,341
they need to send us some stickers. improve the quality. so the one sticker on mine that failed is the silver part is still on the headphone and the plastic transparent film part came off. some silver is still stuck on there. i don't want to super glue it back rather just remove it completely lol. if they send a cutout sticker i woudln't mind paint it silver, not sure what they are thinking. either don't use anything at all or paint it. at this price it should be a metal engraving type if logo. i saw the news sennheiser got bought out by some company. not sure that's just one sector or the whole headphone department.

what's a clamp force mod? is there one or still wanting for someone to come up with something? i haven't have much time listening to mine it's now collecting dust again like all my other headphones lol. still waiting for the end of month to move to new home and can take out the big dac and amps to listen to the hd820.

any cheap aftermarket cable that sounds better than the stock? i sold a very nice ALO chainmail HD800 cable a while go. wish i kept that. it was super long like 5m and worth quite a bit of money. but again it's really big cable and so darn long.

i have another cable ALO audio silver looking big cable that came with an audeze purchase. i am now out of audeze headphones and this is only thing left. maybe i should convert it to hd800. wonder using adapter is a good idea. last time i saw the adapter cost more than the cables.
Does the ALO chainmail sound better than the cardas clear or the clear light?
 
May 21, 2021 at 12:42 AM Post #3,498 of 4,341
Does the ALO chainmail sound better than the cardas clear or the clear light?
all this cable thing i am still a bit uncertain if i can hear the difference. but for audeze i prefer the alo silver cable vs the stock. it's hard to describe i feel like it sounds better, like more fun sounding not as dry.

HD800 i didn't compare much when using the chainmail, it is just a nice made and looking cable so i only use that. then i got cheap home made balanced cable and that sounds better because the audiogd device i got sounds better through balanced.

one cable that made some difference is an usb cable for chord hugo 1, i used this audioquest cinamon and i feel like it is better than stock cable. could be all phycological since i got all these cables included in the headphones i buy and they are special made for audio i think the brain just think it's better. i do want to try cardas clear cable seems very popular for hd800 or any big headphones.
 
May 29, 2021 at 10:53 AM Post #3,499 of 4,341
all this cable thing i am still a bit uncertain if i can hear the difference. but for audeze i prefer the alo silver cable vs the stock. it's hard to describe i feel like it sounds better, like more fun sounding not as dry.

HD800 i didn't compare much when using the chainmail, it is just a nice made and looking cable so i only use that. then i got cheap home made balanced cable and that sounds better because the audiogd device i got sounds better through balanced.

one cable that made some difference is an usb cable for chord hugo 1, i used this audioquest cinamon and i feel like it is better than stock cable. could be all phycological since i got all these cables included in the headphones i buy and they are special made for audio i think the brain just think it's better. i do want to try cardas clear cable seems very popular for hd800 or any big headphones.
Thanks, Sometime the investment in cables has minimal returns. Notice this with the cardas clear light over the stock cables
 
Aug 15, 2021 at 3:54 AM Post #3,500 of 4,341
Couple of words and a star-map for 820
Senn.png


From the first sound, the character of the 800 S is recognized. Except that some booming characteristic of closed headphones is initially annoying, but very soon the brain switches - it stops to highlight this moment. So perhaps even at the level of the difference between the instances with 800 S, it is possible to estimate the volume of the difference, with some "correction to the wind" - a slightly smaller soundstage and a slightly more cheerful bass.

Personality. The treble is sharp-ish, slightly more embossed than the old version of the 800. The bass is clearly and unambiguously present, is sufficient in volume, without going over the border, fast and structured, from the best that I have ever met in dynamic cans. Mids perhaps a little smoother and exactly closer to the listener than in the 800 without S. The soundstage is quite standard, not bad in volume for closed cans, but without "stadium" vastness.

For comparability of the results, I listened to headphones with a 6.3 stockcable. But for real-world listening, I strongly recommend changing the stock cable immediately. In my case, the replacement was the RLS-7 Art-Cables XLR-4 version. Everything is getting better in the sound – greater clarity of mids, more balanced treble, more legible and faster bass (without loss of volume), a wider soundstage. Of the disadvantages – only the weight of the cable.

Metal
Black, Death, Grindcore
. Is the consciousness completely poisoned by isodynamics so much that it does not allow dynamic headphones to reach to the highest heights on extreme metal? Even despite being painted black? Perhaps this is the case. From the objective side, we will add a slightly lower speed than that of the champions and the absence of a "feature" that allows you to climb up due to a certain coloration (adding raw rage, for example), we have a too monitor approach similar to the 800 S.
Thrash, Alternative. On thrash and alternative, the impression is different from the 800 S, which seemed too calm - 820, unlike them, they fall in enthusiastically and moderately fun.
Doom. 820 is played with a sufficient proper fat level for the Doom. No, I can't call the performance uber-outstanding and throwing isodynamics into the dust, but it is quite satisfactory for the top level cans.
Sludge, Stoner. On the sludge - everything is great without any reservations. Undoubtedly heavy metal, sludge is among the sweet points of 820.
Progressive, Symphonic. Prog and symphonic - simpler than 800 S. Naturalness, balance and calmness, thoughtful and measured. But it is less spacious than the 800 S can do.
Power. Lack of a dash of cheerful stupidity for an ideal.
Goth. Melancholy is a good place, but too flesh-saturated melancholy. Not quite meeting expectations, an imperfect hit.
Industrial. Cool-cool, fast and mobile, moderately voluminous and percussive bass. Delicious. To make it absolutely delicious for me, I would prefer a smoother sound signature, to slightly remove the meat in mids / mid-bass.

Electronica
On electronic music, perhaps both the 820 and 800S and the good old 800 are equally beautiful. 800 is a little nicer on ambient or something minimalistic and thoughtfully unhurried. The calmer and more sprawling nature of the 800 allows you to inhale Oxygene from Jean-Michel Jarre with a wide chest amplitude, with taste in every inhale and exhale, a tickle in the stomach. 820/800S is noticeably preferable on more vigorous genres, energy and drive are charged more efficiently, acceleration of electronic charges is enough to penetrate into the farthest corners of the listening body. Even in winter, Infected Mushroom will wake up the desire to grab a mushroom picker's combat machete and rush into the woods to collect a fragrant harvest of aspen, birch, and other white and black pears.

Jazz
Good, but no more. Although no less. Everything is in place - on the one hand, it is impossible to be sure of any obvious technical mistakes. But there is not enough "spark" to make it really good, to a really outstanding result on the genre.

In a word – very, very good closed headphones. I don't really understand the disappointment that I met in some reviews on them. I would boldly recommend it to fans of the generic sound signature of Sennheiser, who want to get them in a closed format.
 
Aug 15, 2021 at 4:15 AM Post #3,501 of 4,341
You must be joking🤪
The reason why most Sennie fans don’t get along with the HD820 is because it doesn’t sound like a Sennie at all..least of all the 800. Most fans of the HD800S that I personally know hate it with a passion. Unlike the original it comes with a bass akin to that one finds in the DT770, though a tad more refined.
For fans of the HD800S I’d strongly recommend something like a Shure SRH940 instead if they need a closedback. The 820 is an entirely different sounding beast.
 
Aug 15, 2021 at 4:32 AM Post #3,502 of 4,341
You must be joking🤪
The reason why most Sennie fans don’t get along with the HD820 is because it doesn’t sound like a Sennie at all..least of all the 800. Most fans of the HD800S that I personally know hate it with a passion. Unlike the original it comes with a bass akin to that one finds in the DT770, though a tad more refined.
For fans of the HD800S I’d strongly recommend something like a Shure SRH940 instead if they need a closedback. The 820 is an entirely different sounding beast.
Well it depends on a point of view ) Picture above is a part of this starmap. So in terms of overall headphones ladscape 800 S and 820 - actually not so "entirely different sounding beasts" )) And I have to say, that Sennheiser from 600-650 to 800-800S-820 and Orpheus definitely have some house sound signature, not so common in other brands.
Probably some bias in my conclusion is connected with facts, that I like and own 800 (s/n 19xxx) and 820 and don't like much and don't own 800 S.

HP-starmap-20210730.png


https://www.head-fi.org/threads/headphones-starmap.953011/post-16485460
 
Aug 15, 2021 at 4:38 AM Post #3,504 of 4,341
You must be joking🤪
The reason why most Sennie fans don’t get along with the HD820 is because it doesn’t sound like a Sennie at all..least of all the 800. Most fans of the HD800S that I personally know hate it with a passion. Unlike the original it comes with a bass akin to that one finds in the DT770, though a tad more refined.
For fans of the HD800S I’d strongly recommend something like a Shure SRH940 instead if they need a closedback. The 820 is an entirely different sounding beast.
Agreed! 820 Doesn’t even sound anything like 800 or 800s to begin with. It doesn’t even matter what the roadmap say or Sennheiser is saying. What matters is how people is receiving it
 
Aug 15, 2021 at 5:05 AM Post #3,505 of 4,341
I can also make some drawings in order to prove that men and women are the same. Two ears, a nose, heartbeat and feet😛
In these terms you are correct. Men and women are the same - humans. 940, LCD-2, Sennheiser 800 and 820 also are the same - headphones. And not-audiophole person probably would find them the same, except for the looks )) But if we start compare headphones segments a bit deeper, we start to find something common or different in sound. I am sorry if I come to touch some sensitive points of common beleifs of this (and 800) thread. But my point is - that these headphones have more in common than different (compared to other brands and models). But their differences obviously made in a way unacceptable to many 800/800S fans, alas to Sennheiser and hope they'll rework 820 in a way more acceptable to their brand fans. But looking a from a point of view of non-800-S-fan person I also find what to appreciate in 820 even if this is not mainstream position for now. Our hobby is very subjective and personal any way )
 
Aug 15, 2021 at 5:13 AM Post #3,506 of 4,341
Agreed! 820 Doesn’t even sound anything like 800 or 800s to begin with. It doesn’t even matter what the roadmap say or Sennheiser is saying. What matters is how people is receiving it
Right, still there is room for subjective ideas. The man has his very own star-map for gods sake! I just would like to know how he drives the headphones in the star-map, as we all know they can sound somewhat different amp to amp. I have never heard the HD820, but it’s interesting. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had original impressions of a headphone! Just saying.......

Edit:
Actually I guess how he drives them is in his signature?
 
Last edited:
Aug 15, 2021 at 6:34 AM Post #3,507 of 4,341
Right, still there is room for subjective ideas. The man has his very own star-map for gods sake! I just would like to know how he drives the headphones in the star-map, as we all know they can sound somewhat different amp to amp. I have never heard the HD820, but it’s interesting. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had original impressions of a headphone! Just saying.......

Edit:
Actually I guess how he drives them is in his signature?
For now mostly I use Chord QBD76HDSD + Beta22 by Hellium (in taste, one of most neutral sounding amps).

This starmap in a way follows up to my threads about headphones on different genres ("best headphones for metal" is most vivid and discussed here). @Redcarmoose, I think we met in this thread some time ago and already discussed matters like we discuss here )
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/headphones-for-metal-music-ultimate-solution.715478/
 
Aug 15, 2021 at 9:38 AM Post #3,508 of 4,341
Didn't like the 820 at all. Couldn't get a good fit (only headphone that ever caused me that problem). Even when I held the cups tight to my ears the bass was pretty sad. Sterile, kind of Grado Prestige style bass. Not for me, and not for the money the 820 sells for.
 
Aug 15, 2021 at 9:39 AM Post #3,509 of 4,341
Am I the only one here who happens to like all of the above mentioned headphones - hd800, hd800s, hd820 and srh940. The sennheisers are very fit dependent, hd820 being the most sensitive to placement. Can sound disjointed with improper placement. With proper placement it sounds very nice with a lot of weight and effortless detail. I personally found hd800s I listened to at a demo to be brighter than the hd800 i have, while also having more low end grunt to the sound. Srh940 is my favourite of the list. Amazing with live music and binaural and spatially very accurate, sounded as if I it connected directly to the position of the mic.
 
Last edited:
Aug 15, 2021 at 10:31 AM Post #3,510 of 4,341
Not for me, and not for the money the 820 sells for.
Probably one of the reasons I like my 820 - aftermarket price tag, that I had )

Am I the only one here who happens to like all of the above mentioned headphones - hd800, hd800s, hd820 and srh940. The sennheisers are very fit dependent, hd820 being the most sensitive to placement. Can sound disjointed with improper placement. With proper placement it sounds very nice with a lot of weight and effortless detail. I personally found hd800s I listened to at a demo to be brighter than the hd800 i have, while also having more low end grunt to the sound. Srh940 is my favourite of the list. Amazing with live music and binaural and spatially very accurate, sounded as if I it connected directly to the position of the mic.
Never heard 940, but for many years proud owner of 840, great headphones for it's money. But with all respect - 840 no rival for 820. If I would look for closed cans really better than 820, my personal choice for now - Kennerton Rognir.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top