[Swolern]

Well guys, Ive got a brand new pair of HD-800s coming and along with an Eddie Current Super 7, with some apparently sweet NOS tubes. So I am about to join the club. Gonna do some lengthy comparisons against the HV and 009s


 


Edit: though both the amp and headphones will be in here a week or so, my dac, the master 7, is on the same slow boat as my KGSSHV and 009s, so it won't be here for like 3 more weeks at the soonest. So I guess I will be using my computers headphone out till then 

 


I was eye-balling that Super 7 in the sales thread really hard. Looks like you bought it before i could blow my money. Congrats on an end-game setup.

Sorry about the 3 weeks of hell you are going to have to listen to using on-board audio........

 

[SoupRKnowva]

 

  Well guys, Ive got a brand new pair of HD-800s coming and along with an Eddie Current Super 7, with some apparently sweet NOS tubes. So I am about to join the club. Gonna do some lengthy comparisons against the HV and 009s
   
  Edit: though both the amp and headphones will be in here a week or so, my dac, the master 7, is on the same slow boat as my KGSSHV and 009s, so it won't be here for like 3 more weeks at the soonest. So I guess I will be using my computers headphone out till then 

 


I was eye-balling that Super 7 in the sales thread really hard. Looks like you bought it before i could blow my money. Congrats on an end-game setup.

Sorry about the 3 weeks of hell you are going to have to listen to using on-board audio........

 
Yeah I bought Radio_head's Super 7.
 
Yeah, it'll probably end up being pretty rough, and it wouldn't even be worth it to buy something else cheap to use till then, it'll only be a few weeks, I'll make it!

 

[LugBug1]

  Which specific freq band do you boost ?

If I can just chip in here... Its relatively easy to eq bass compared to treble where you can do a lot more damage than good if you don't what you are doing.
 
Try and aim for the largest peak at 100-200hz and make a gradual curve. Looking at the headroom graphs for reference is helpful
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/sennheiser-hd-800.php 
Try and emulate what the freq line is already. Adding or taking away 2 db but 3 at the most. I say this because any more and you risk distorting everything.

 

[roguegeek]

So first sorta full night of listening to the HD 800 and I'm still not ready to give impressions about sound, but I can give impressions on fit and comfort.
 
The HD 800 is fairly light on my head. Unlike most full-sized Sennheisers, these have a very light clamping force. Too light. Leaning my head forward or back shifts the cups around my ears and I don't like that. If I look down at my desk, I shouldn't have to worry about a shift of the cans on my head. It's unfortunate. The pads are comfy, but they do take a second to settle in place before the outside material and inside foam set to make a good seal. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but because the stability of these cans on my head and their ability to shift, I feel like I'm having to press the cups to my head far too many time to keep the seal. I have a feeling it will get better over time as the pads soften up, but I don't think there can be much done about the clamping force.
 
Maybe it's just something to get use to or maybe I'm just spoiled from the HD 700 fit. In this specific regard, the HD 700 just waxes the floor with the HD 800 as it is a much more comfortable and secure can on my head. The sonics, though? Well, I'll get to that later.

 

[Swolern]

Hmm. The HD800 never moves around on my head when looking down. Maybe I just have a big head.


Also it took weeks for me to like the HD800 as I didn't like it at first. You really have to find, not only a good amp/DAC match for it, but the hd800 is very picky in the types of music that in shines with. Some music just sounds flat with the hd800. But when you find music that goes well with the hd800 it's magical and something no other headphone that I have heard can reproduce.

 

[roguegeek]

Hmm. The HD800 never moves around on my head when looking down. Maybe I just have a big head.


Also it took weeks for me to like the HD800 as I didn't like it at first. You really have to find, not only a good amp/DAC match for it, but the hd800 is very picky in the types of music that in shines with. Some music just sounds flat with the hd800. But when you find music that goes well with the hd800 it's magical and something no other headphone that I have heard can reproduce.

There is very literally not a thing that isn't impressive with the sonics of the HD 800, but I don't want to be that guy that gushes all over a new can on the first day, so I'm going to give it a little time before I say much. The fit and comfort is a safer topic for now.

 

[Chodi]

  So first sorta full night of listening to the HD 800 and I'm still not ready to give impressions about sound, but I can give impressions on fit and comfort.
 
The HD 800 is fairly light on my head. Unlike most full-sized Sennheisers, these have a very light clamping force. Too light. Leaning my head forward or back shifts the cups around my ears and I don't like that. If I look down at my desk, I shouldn't have to worry about a shift of the cans on my head. It's unfortunate. The pads are comfy, but they do take a second to settle in place before the outside material and inside foam set to make a good seal. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but because the stability of these cans on my head and their ability to shift, I feel like I'm having to press the cups to my head far too many time to keep the seal. I have a feeling it will get better over time as the pads soften up, but I don't think there can be much done about the clamping force.
 
Maybe it's just something to get use to or maybe I'm just spoiled from the HD 700 fit. In this specific regard, the HD 700 just waxes the floor with the HD 800 as it is a much more comfortable and secure can on my head. The sonics, though? Well, I'll get to that later.

The fit should be tighter than you suggest. The cups move on two planes but they are a bit stiff so you may have to grab the cup to adjust it on each side to conform to your head. You will find that the lower you pull the cups down the less the clamping force. So try to keep them set as high as possible for your head. Last, you can bend the headband gently to make the fit tighter or looser. In my case I had to loosen them up a little as the clamp was too tight. Hope that helps.

 

[TwoEars]

  So first sorta full night of listening to the HD 800 and I'm still not ready to give impressions about sound, but I can give impressions on fit and comfort.
 
The HD 800 is fairly light on my head. Unlike most full-sized Sennheisers, these have a very light clamping force. Too light. Leaning my head forward or back shifts the cups around my ears and I don't like that. If I look down at my desk, I shouldn't have to worry about a shift of the cans on my head. It's unfortunate. The pads are comfy, but they do take a second to settle in place before the outside material and inside foam set to make a good seal. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but because the stability of these cans on my head and their ability to shift, I feel like I'm having to press the cups to my head far too many time to keep the seal. I have a feeling it will get better over time as the pads soften up, but I don't think there can be much done about the clamping force.
 
Maybe it's just something to get use to or maybe I'm just spoiled from the HD 700 fit. In this specific regard, the HD 700 just waxes the floor with the HD 800 as it is a much more comfortable and secure can on my head. The sonics, though? Well, I'll get to that later.

 
Congrats!
 
Strange though, I can move my head without the HD800 sliding around. I think I have  a pretty normal head....
 
Granted - I'm not headbanging or moving my head fast when I have headphones on.
 
The clamping force isn't much, just enough to make contact.
 
I think you'll get used to them, I personally find them to be the most comfortable headphones I've ever tried or owned. Together with the HD650/600/590 that is.... Sennheiser knows how to make comfortable headphones! Hifiman could take a couple of lessons from them.

 

[James-uk]

On the subject of the fit, what number notch do you have the headband set to? I can have it set anywhere from 4-6 but I find 4 the tighter more secure fit but my ears are probably slightly below the middle of the cup. Basically I'm just trying to gauge if I have a big head !

 

[TwoEars]

On the subject of the fit, what number notch do you have the headband set to? I can have it set anywhere from 4-6 but I find 4 the tighter more secure fit but my ears are probably slightly below the middle of the cup. Basically I'm just trying to gauge if I have a big head !

On the sixth click from fully compressed on both sides is what I like. Puts the center of the round headphone outer shell right at the level of my ear canal, and gives me very good fit. Fairly medium sized head I think.
 
The sound changes quite a lot depending on how you move them around so you might want to experiment.

 

[LugBug1]

I have one notch lower at one side. I have one ear lower than the other

 

[David1961]

When I first got my HD-600's, I found them to be tight fitting, but after using them a few times the tightness went away to which I now find them to be extremely comfortable.
When I did the mod to my SR-009's and LCD-XC's, I used two complete replacement headbands, one for the HD-600 and the other for the HD-650.
Comfort wise, I find both my 009's and LCD's to be as comfortable as my HD-600's, even though both headphones are quite a lot heavier than the HD-600's.

P.S. The two headphones I'm referring to are on my Avatar.

 

[James-uk]

I have one notch lower at one side. I have one ear lower than the other

I forgot to mention I also do that . Stupid non symmetrical head. I read somewhere once that the more symmetrical you are the better looking you are......... :-/

 

[Sorrodje]

  I have one notch lower at one side. I have one ear lower than the other

 
 

 
 

 
 
@Roguegeek : I've the same problem. I much prefer tighter clamp  

 

[James-uk]

:tongue_smile:


@Roguegeek : I've the same problem. I much prefer tighter clamp  

Pmsl!