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The (new) HD800 Impressions Thread
Jul 18, 2019 at 2:33 AM Post #27,661 of 28,989
gLer said:
I can almost see the board meetings at Sennheiser before each of the new ‘flagships’:

“Alex, we realise you made the perfect headphone, but some customers are complaining it doesn’t play nice with their amps.”

Result: HD800S, which tries to ‘fix’ the ‘sound issues’ of the 800 by adding a resonator (same can be done with a $15 plastic upgrade, as we later discovered) but mainly by changing the tuning to play better with more amps. Hits the mark but loses some of the charm and technicalities of the original (like the new Lion King movie).

“Alex, our customers want a closed version of the HD800 for some reason. Oh, and give them more bass while you’re at it.”

Result: HD820, which tries to ‘mimic’ the original’s sound but falls well short, using smoke and mirrors (mainly glass) to make it look like it’s worth $1000 more when it really isn’t, at all. Not even close. (like the new Aladdin movie).
Click to expand...


LOL..."Alex, our customers have been waiting on an upgrade from HD800 for a long time. When do you think our next flagship HD900 will be released?" :deadhorse:
 
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:39 AM Post #27,669 of 28,989
gLer said:
I can think of worse fates in head-fi. Luckily HD800 is one of my endgame headphones, so it doesn’t really matter :)
Click to expand...

Luckily for all of us who think the same because with the headphones price racing the new HD900 is going to be untouchable!
 
Jul 18, 2019 at 4:05 AM Post #27,670 of 28,989
HiFiMan, Audeze, Abyss, etc are ridiculous in pricing...so they only have very small market shares.

I don't think Sennheiser will follow suit. As a major player in the market, they will keep their pricing reasonable in order to maintain their market share.
 
Jul 18, 2019 at 4:14 AM Post #27,671 of 28,989
sup27606 said:
I don't want to reign in the debate over which one is superior, but will put it like this, the S is probably more tolerant towards a wider variant of amps and DACs (and recordings) than the original 800 is.
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gLer said:
I agree with this, and will only add that if you get the upstream system right, the original is a better headphone than the S. Get the synergy wrong (which is easier done with the 800 than the S) and you’re in for a frustrating listen.
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I concur.
800's can be VERY revealing and the SQ dependent upon the upstream gear and setup.

Case in point, I am currently running a 45 tubeamp, and my DSP setup will need to be completely different, and perhaps not needed at all vs. the SS gear it was setup to be used with.

JJ
 
Jul 18, 2019 at 4:55 AM Post #27,672 of 28,989
cddc said:
HiFiMan, Audeze, Abyss, etc are ridiculous in pricing...so they only have very small market shares.

I don't think Sennheiser will follow suit. As a major player in the market, they will keep their pricing reasonable in order to maintain their market share.
Click to expand...
Umm, except for the HD820... horribly overpriced for what it is.
 
Jul 18, 2019 at 5:05 AM Post #27,673 of 28,989
Sennheiser next flagship is suppose (rumor) to be a planar tech headphone.

Hopefully it is a planar HD800! :)
 
Last edited:
Jul 18, 2019 at 5:25 AM Post #27,675 of 28,989
protoss said:
Sennisher next flagship is suppose (rumor) to be a planar tech headphone.

Hopefully it is a planar HD800! :)
Click to expand...

This would be very interesting if they dip their feet into planars...I will stay tuned.
 
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