[GuyDebord]

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnwmclean /img/forum/go_quote.gif If seems Sennheiser unleashed a beast that can only be tamed by few

.... that have spent 5k+ on cabling and select amping + other 5k on source.

I tried many combinations when I had them, including an 8k+ source and a 3k amp and never brought musical soul. My point is, that if you need to buy 500% more expensive gear to enjoy some ugly headphones then they are not worth it!

HD800 Defenders: Im talking from an audiophile perspective and comparatively to the other HP's in the top, of course the hd800's sound better than grado's or skullcandies.

 

[achristilaw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scootermafia /img/forum/go_quote.gif This does not apply to HD800s. They are not a subtle upgrade, they're a radical departure (in a good way) from every headphone I've ever owned. They are big, transparent, lifelike, neutral, real, involving...

Agreed! I had hoped before the release that it might have some special quality or attributes...I didn't know that it would change how I thought Music must be played and enjoyed. So much so I'm narrowing and honing the performance parameters for one specific phone! You can build synergy and a single system around the HD800!

I'm just waiting for the responses from Beyer and AT....and perhaps AKG, the bar has definitely been raised

!

 

[scootermafia]

Well, the stock cable is half the problem. Silver plated copper is not a good match for HD800, let alone bad quality SPC that is 32+ gauge. I'm listening to rock and electronic and I'm as happy as a clam. Doesn't hurt that the Diverter kicks ass though. There's nothing that any of my old headphones can do better than HD800, besides the HD650's ability to produce boomy, gooey sounding bass that is occasionally entertaining. The HD800 can produce some seriously deep bass notes when given the right source material and gear - the Headroom graph showed practically no dips below 0db from 0-100hz.

 

[Hopstretch]

I like the HD800s for rock. Yes, I found them sharp and spitty at first but either my pair broke in or my head did. Still choose Grados now and again, but less and less often. The real eye-opener (ear-opener?) was trying to go back to HD6X0s -- which I'd previously lived with happily for years. Sweaty, sludgey, slow. Bleah.

 

[Orcin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuyDebord /img/forum/go_quote.gif HD800 Defenders: Im talking from an audiophile perspective and comparatively to the other HP's in the top, of course the hd800's sound better than grado's or skullcandies.

Wow... they sound "better than skullcandies"?

Going back to the OP's point, this phone seems to be developing a group of haters.

 

[John Willett]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragornmustdie /img/forum/go_quote.gif does this mean that serious audiophiles are those listening to jazz and classical? And rock music can't be considered audiophile? Sorry I'm not in my best mood.

I think you misunderstood Erik.

I read it as an audiophile that listens to Jazz and Classical as opposed to an audiophile that listens to Rock, etc.

 

[Sebhelyesfarku]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you want to rock out with your genitals out,

Hey, stop spying on me!

 

[Seamaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio-Omega /img/forum/go_quote.gif It seems like HD800 is similar to HD650 where it needs a good source and amp to shine.

That's right. A lot people saying HD650 is veiled. But I can roll the tubes to make them very bright to a point I can't stand it.

 

[Seamaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif The HD-800's market is for a serious audiophile who mostly listens to jazz and classical.

Don't you hate it every time they did that??!! Some those audio reviewer put in couple of classical and Norah Jones CD and call it good. After that the whole market is drifting to that direction.

 

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by achristilaw /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's not actually the HD800 being hard to service...it's the HD800 showing the service level of the rest of the chain.

Thanks for saving me the trouble of a long-winded post saying exactly the same thing.

For any revealing speaker/headphone, its job is to show you the best it can, what's ahead in the chain....and if the chain is up to snuff....music!

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif People seem to lose sight of the point that not every headphone can be everything to everyone. There's a presumption that if something costs $1,400, it better meet their every last hope and expectation. But life doesn't work that way.

Best comment of the thread. This is what people need to remember when buying nearly any component, but particularly transducers. No one item will be perfect for everything and everyone. A good rule of thumb is to do some research on the person posting. Does such and such a person prefer music genre A or B or C? And if A, why? What has their associated gear been over the years (if available) and how have they commented about other components? In this way, one gets a better foundation as to what a person prefers and how those views relate to one's own.

Beyond hard specs, gear is a means to provide music to people. The appreciation is variable precisely because we are not all the same and therefore subjectivity does reign in the end. It is smart to keep that in mind, at the end of the day, this is all about preferences and having pissing contests, to paraphrase UnkleEric is futile and ridiculous.

 

[Beagle]

My opinion here would be that if a headphone cannot reproduce (or let through) the energy and sonic signature inherent in (and unique to) the performance/recording for all types of music, it is fundamentally flawed. For that, you need a perfect headphone and it ain't be.

 

[omigawsh_lollercoaster]

Mine work to my complete satisfaction on everything from Bach solo piano to Zep Achille's Last Stand.



Disclaimer:
This is not a rebuttal of anyone's opinions, experiences or expectations.
YMMV, IMHO, I'm the rubber and you're the glue, etc. etc.

 

[achristilaw]

Reasons have to be found to justify NOT purchasing any component also! And the purchase of a top phone first, without consideration for the rest of the sound chain, is one short-cut that you will probably regret later.

This is true for most (not all) of the flagships available. If you are simply a music lover you won't need to travel the top rungs of the ladder. It's often frustrating and always expensive, and to many, distracting from the first love... Music.

I'm stunned how many folks exclaim "The HD800 isn't perfect"! I don't for an instant imagine the designers believe this statement Headphone is perfect. But it was a noble effort to conquer most of my complaints I levied against Headphones that had previously made their way to Market. I have more than a few Headphones collecting dust after the arrival of this phone. That's probably the single best accolade that can be said for any transducer! And the phones collecting dust? I don't miss them...and when they do get an occasional visit....it's very brief then back to the HD800! The other phones sound like that phone first...obvious colorations that interfere with the Music and distract from the performance.

Performances aren't enhanced because of phone colorations...that's another lesson of the HD800! It offers the least amount of harm to the Music signal IMO.....

 

[LUMIERE]

I'm not divided on one side or the other... I highly respect this headphone.... but, I will make an informed opinion from my experience with them. The HD800 are an amazing set of headphones. They DO so many things right, in fact almost anything you could ask for. Except, for soul or should I say heart. They are an amazing transducer... but, that's where it stops. Yes, like many have said it will pass on what is feed to them through the audio chain upstream. The only thing that it does not bring to the table is soul. It's intangible, and maybe it's just not possible to engineer that aspect into a headphone... but, it's simply missing. Or maybe it's too perfect in that it has no human flaws to which we can empathsize with. Or flaws of which we can enjoy musically. Sometimes it's better not to be too perfect. Perfection is only in the eye of the beholder or listener.

I couldn't live without the soul, and searched elsewhere. It lead me to the Qualia 010. I found soul, although it cost me and arm and a leg.