[bearFNF]

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The only way to verify that is to have fresh, just out of shrink wrap pair blindly tested against burned in pair.
But why bother, this is not cable, burn in is free and inevitable whether you want it or not, unless you bought them just as a desk decoration.

Wouldn't it suck if you liked the non-burned-in ones better?

You'd have to buy new ones every few weeks just to keep the sound you liked...

 

[RustA]

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I do believe in burn in. But the only thing that I can say may have changed with my now 3 week old Senn's, is the soundstage. It does seem to be wider now than it was straight out the box. I know this because I compared my K701's and they were wider at the time. But not now. The HD800's for me have shown the least burn in difference in comparison to pretty much all my other quality hp's that I've bought brand new. Makes me wonder if they do go through some sort of burn in process at the factory.

 
Interesting... I have never experienced burn-in with any headphones/amp/DAC/whatever before getting HD800. Soundstage is the same for me but that slight sibilance with female voices was gone after several days

 

[zigy626]

Have had the HD800 for about 2 weeks now and cant say I hear any sign of burn-in. But I have experienced  burn-in with other headphones especially the HD650, it was a different headphone after about 200hrs.

 

[Solude]

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It's no too much sensitive, but still enough to take care of headphone position.
If you look at the gray curves from innerfidelity, you see  that  the biggest variations are in the treble region:
 

 
Look closer.  The curve stays the same, the dB changes scaling up or down but the same curve.  If you read the IF review Tyll mentions it.

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

 
Look closer.  The curve stays the same, the dB changes scaling up or down but the same curve.  If you read the IF review Tyll mentions it.

I  notice a difference , without using such measurements.
And I'm not the only one, if you read a bit that thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/476161/hd800-driver-positioning-suggestions
 
I don't trust too much Tyll reviews, he bashed the srh940 ; which is a crime , considering how good they are for the price.

 

[Solude]

What can I say, old truths die hard.  Most dynamics are cones and centre shot... moving the sweet spot changes the sound.  HD800 are a ring, no middle, sound arrives like a ring of smoke, no point source.

 

[bearFNF]

Quote:

What can I say, old truths die hard.  Most dynamics are cones and centre shot... moving the sweet spot changes the sound.  HD800 are a ring, no middle, sound arrives like a ring of smoke, no point source.

Oh crap!! You mean they are blowing smoke in my ear!!  So that's what I was smelling 'er' hearing???....

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

What can I say, old truths die hard.  Most dynamics are cones and centre shot... moving the sweet spot changes the sound.  HD800 are a ring, no middle, sound arrives like a ring of smoke, no point source.

You could actually put your ear on the side of the ring, considering that  the pads are much bigger than the drivers.
There's some tolerance, but if your ear is not well placed , it sounds  worse.
Should I re-use the weak argument from Bourneperfect :
"Love how the sceptics change the reasoning of their 'logic' to fit their hatred of the fact that other people can sometimes hear things they themselves cannot. "
It actually works in both ways, depending of people raving or criticizing.

 

[BournePerfect]

You could actually put your ear on the side of the ring, considering that  the pads are much bigger than the drivers.
There's some tolerance, but if your ear is not well placed , it sounds  worse.
Should I re-use the weak argument from Bourneperfect :
"Love how the sceptics change the reasoning of their 'logic' to fit their hatred of the fact that other people can sometimes hear things they themselves cannot. "
It actually works in both ways, depending of people raving or criticizing.

Agreed-except you provided 2 weak unrelated arguments to support your criticisms, while I said nothing 'raving' to support the other side. Sorry, but reading comprehension is apparently my forte today, not yours. Bummer cuz I thought we could have an intelligent conversation there for a moment.

In other news, I did find all 3 of my HD 800s to improve with burn in- but not nearly to the degree of my K702, Pro 900, or Pro 2900.

-Daniel

 

[Solude]

Pads have 60mm openings, ring is 56mm.  That's a 2mm or 0.08in gap from driver to pad per side.  If you look at every other freq graph on IF the pattern is clear.  HD800 holds its freq resp, dynamics based on cones don't.  For example, Senn's own HD600 freq resp can vary by as much as 10dB based on position.  All that to say the variance from positioning is so small... the level of caffeine in your system will alter the freq resp more than position will

 

[extrabigmehdi]

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 All that to say the variance from positioning is so small... the level of caffeine in your system will alter the freq resp more than position will

I notice a non-negligible difference, when I stick ear on side (either if it's too  ahead / back, or depending of headband height).
And I'm not convinced regarding your argument regarding the graph: it's not a scaling up or down of the same curve.
It's look a bit messed up, but there are clear parts were you can see that shape of curve vary.
Especially near 8khz/9khz, the difference of curve is obvious.

 

[ericfarrell85]

This headphone, when properly amped, is the only headphone that allows me to put aside my impression that Stax simply trounces every other headphone when it comes to transparency. The HD800 really just disappears when driven by a Zana Deux > Beta 22. What makes it stunning is not so much the detail that it extracts, but the way it's liquid in its frequency transitions. Unlike a properly driven HE6 and T1, the HD800 does not jump out at you with unrelenting clarity, but weaves it into a natural, effortless soundscape. Funny how I once felt a little cold about this headphone...

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

This headphone, when properly amped, is the only headphone that allows me to put aside my impression that Stax simply trounces every other headphone when it comes to transparency. The HD800 really just disappears when driven by a Zana Deux > Beta 22. What makes it stunning is not so much the detail that it extracts, but the way it's liquid in its frequency transitions. Unlike a properly driven HE6 and T1, the HD800 does not jump out at you with unrelenting clarity, but weaves it into a natural, effortless soundscape. Funny how I once felt a little cold about this headphone...

 
 
+1 
 
totally agree
 
i feel the same way with the HD 800 and the right tubes on the WA6-SE, when its not well driven, its liquidity becomes muddy, smearing details while having a hotness in the treble. the soundstage may seem artificial and forced, and its presentation lifeless in nature. 
 
with the right tubes, i agree,  the headphones just disappear, the music is all around you, as if it was just coming out of thin air, and its liquidity is something that i begin to appreciate more and more, the music just blends so perfectly together, its something quite unique to the HD 800, i haven't heard another headphone that does it so perfectly. its not super detailed or fast like a T1, or warm and full like an Audeze, its just the liquid decay which adds an extra texture to the music.

 

[ericfarrell85]

Yeah, it's really something isn't it. 

 

[PleasantSounds]

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 I don't remember reading anyone trying the WA7... anyone try it with the HD800s??

 
I have just tried this combo and to me it sounded fantastic. The soundstage is maybe somewhat less precise than on some higher end amps, but the tonality is just perfect. The sound is delicate, effortless and precise. The bass is rich, deep and well controlled, mids quite smooth. Treble has no signs of harshness. I have noticed some sibilance, but that may well be the source material. 
 
If there's enough interest in this combo, I can put together a more detailed review.