The (new) HD800 Impressions Thread

[K3cT]

I have posted a few ones here and there. Got limited time right now. Might drop a review here on head-fi sometime to coverall the curiousity. All in all absolutely worth it if you love the original product and seek the perfection of it rather than a transformation into something else. Projects like that all failed.
The JAR800 is a love letter to the HD800.

What you basically get is:

More even tone and linearity in general, special emphasis is upper mid to lower treble transition, openness and transparency. Vocals are laid bare and the already superb technical foundation gets its proper spotlight.

More low level information through the cleaner presentation. More gold in your hands, way less dirt if we made a Klondike analogy. That's the beauty of it. Effortless detail retrieval and how it's presented. The HD 800 drivers always had enormous potential, we knew that.

Better delineation, the stage fades out, no hard borders. Image precision upped, diffusion eliminated.

Subbass is the way it its, don't expect a HE1000SE but look forward to a nice careful uplift in the slam and some upped resolve even there.

Thanks, I quite liked the HD800 (with SDR mod, without mod the sibilance was too much) but the HD800S not so much. Have you ever compared JAR800 with the Focal Utopia?

 

[Fegefeuer]

Yes, I'd pick any JAR800v3 (non S) over it.

 

[Failed Engineer]

I'm not big on writing impressions but the Utopia had long been my favorite headphone. The JAR800v3 bests it. The v2 traded blows and would likely have been a preference thing but the open-ness, clarity, and bass punch of the v3 went up a notch and closed the gap on the macrodynamic strength of the Utopia.

 

[LoveKnight]

I just checked the webiste maybe I am wrong but I saw on the webiste that the price for a Sennheiser HD800 modded by JAR to become a JAV800v3 is over $2k without headphone included (that means someone has to ship his or her HD800 to him). Am I correct? Thank you.

 

[K3cT]

I'm not big on writing impressions but the Utopia had long been my favorite headphone. The JAR800v3 bests it. The v2 traded blows and would likely have been a preference thing but the open-ness, clarity, and bass punch of the v3 went up a notch and closed the gap on the macrodynamic strength of the Utopia.

Does the JAR mod get the bass performance closer to Utopia? I don’t expect planar like supreme sub bass extension and details but something like the Utopia will do.

 

[Failed Engineer]

I just checked the webiste maybe I am wrong but I saw on the webiste that the price for a Sennheiser HD800 modded by JAR to become a JAV800v3 is over $2k without headphone included (that means someone has to ship his or her HD800 to him). Am I correct? Thank you.

This is accurate, I paid $2500 for the v3 mod and purchased a used HD800 for $700. I acknowledge this price is a bitter pill to swallow and buys you any used headphone in production in good condition as well as many good OOP models. But this is the best headphone on the planet to me (my ears, your ears disclaimers).

The modder, JAR, will work with you to tune the HD800 to your preferences. I've had the opportunity to try different JAR800 versions and there are differences. He will build a fully customized tuning and will spend as much time communicating with you to dial the sound in. You can talk about headphones you already have preferences for, etc.

I told him the dynamic slam and the open-baffle type sound of the Utopia is what made it my favorite headphone but then maybe also open it to a larger headstage but retain it's pinpoint imaging. He nailed it.

It's a big leap to think one should spend 3.5x what the headphone costs on mods. I'm not sure how many are floating around, but there are people buying it. That said, I do not suggest it to those that don't appreciate it stock. If you prefer planars, the JAR800 won't change your mind.

If you find the HD800 to be really good but ultimately deem the treble nasties to be a dealbreaker, buy it. The JAR800 fully corrects the sibilance problem. If you find the HD800 to suffer from fuzzy imaging because of it's unnaturally large soundstage but enjoy it's tone, buy it. The staging is a bit smaller but a lot better defined and the imaging is astoundingly improved.

 

[Failed Engineer]

Does the JAR mod get the bass performance closer to Utopia? I don’t expect planar like supreme sub bass extension and details but something like the Utopia will do.

Yes. This is one of the key areas the mod improves. The bass punch is a differentiator. Extension to my ears remains similar to stock as likely a driver limitation but the texture and punch are much improved. I haven't had a Utopia in over a year so I can't say if it is up to Utopia level as that is one of its strengths but it moves it in the Utopia's direction. As I mentioned in the above post, if you tell him you want it tuned in the direction of the Utopia he will do that. In fact you can ask him to tune it like mine is.

 

[longbowbbs]

I am glad I am happy with the stock HD800 sound!

 

[Peti]

I am glad I am happy with the SA modded HD800 sound!

 

[LoveKnight]

Well. I do not judge anyone in this audiophile hobby. Before I entered this hobby I used to think that spending thousand dollars on audio systems are just wasting money. Now I have spent a lot like over $10k Australia dollars already and intend to spend more in the future. I am thinking about upgrading my Sennheiser HD800 6.3mm cable to Cardas beyond headphone cable and this cable is about over $2k Australia dollars.

 

[K3cT]

Yes. This is one of the key areas the mod improves. The bass punch is a differentiator. Extension to my ears remains similar to stock as likely a driver limitation but the texture and punch are much improved. I haven't had a Utopia in over a year so I can't say if it is up to Utopia level as that is one of its strengths but it moves it in the Utopia's direction. As I mentioned in the above post, if you tell him you want it tuned in the direction of the Utopia he will do that. In fact you can ask him to tune it like mine is.

Can we just use any used HD800 for the job? I was reading the other forum and apparently some SN group is more desirable than other.

Basically we are probably in the similar boat, HD800 with Utopia DNA is something that I will like.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Just shoot Jupiter an e-Mail and he will guide you from there.

 

[chesebert]

Can we just use any used HD800 for the job? I was reading the other forum and apparently some SN group is more desirable than other.

Basically we are probably in the similar boat, HD800 with Utopia DNA is something that I will like.

But why? Utopia has the best and most advanced dynamic driver in the business.

 

[K3cT]

But why? Utopia has the best and most advanced dynamic driver in the business.

I think I've used mine since 2019, it's about time to try something new.

 

[chesebert]

I think I've used mine since 2019, it's about time to try something new.

I agree - may I suggest a new dac?