[Gr8Desire]

I received a new pair of HD800's this week via Amazon Prime. The idea was: I would listen to them, confirm all the reported deficiencies, send them back within the 30 day return window, and happily go back to my planar HE-560s confident that the HD800s are just not very good.

It is not working out that way.

I read the following knocks against the HD800 countless times:

1. No bass
2. Too much treble
3. Shrill
4. Hard to drive
5. Must use tube amps; SS is just not viable
6. Liveless and without soul
7. Bad cables
8. Easily scratched
9. Unforgiving to lesser recordings
10. Too expensive

After a few days of listening I am surprised - and a bit angry.

Surprised at how much I like the HD800s. The base is spot on and accurate. The treble is revealing and accurate too. The DH800s are easily driven by my Oppo HA-1.  I don't care much for tubes - I  prefer use my own EQ instead that statically substituted by a given tube; The music is amazing; the cables work as they should (would a manufacturer purposely use bad cables at this price point?) . They are as rugged as any tier 1 phone I have tried.  Lesser recording sound like they should to me = interesting if not perfect.  And yes, the HD800's are too expensive  

I am angry because I listened to detractors so long. 

Anyways,  I am now an HD800 owner when I never thought it possible.  

Anyone want to buy a very nice pair of HE-560's??

 

[Sorrodje]

One advice : wait a bit before to sell your HE560.. the HD800 provides a wow effect than can diseappear quickly.... you have to opportunity to return it within the 30 days return window : Make you a favor and take your time. Things can be a bit less paradisiac after Two or three weeks 

 

[AlanU]

@taowolf51 : definitely agree with that. But IMO there's not so much flagship I really consider as true summit-fi... my summit-fi at least...

 
I've yet to listen to the top tier of headphones. However the in the $2000+ level they all have a house sound that can be subjectively enjoyed from individual to individual. 
 
So far I've yet to hear anything as engaging using headphones compared to a 2 channel hifi setup. There is definitely something special about 2 channel that headphones can never match.
 
However for individual personal enjoyment without disturbing others ...... only solution is headphones. 

 

[icebear]

Welcome to the club

If the HD800 sounds crappy, usually it's either the source or the recording in the first place. They just let you hear into the recording on a level that is beyond a lot of other gear. They reveal flaws and doctored, stitched together mix and mastering, consequently such material doesn't sound pleasant. It's not the fault of the headphone though. I have the HD800 for 1.5 years now and recently got a GSX-Mk2 and I had no idea what the HD800 are really capable of. I liked them but now, I usually shake my head - most likely my mouth also opens when I listen to recordings the first time with the headamp. So the SS IS a solid option, just not any SS

and not with any source.

 

[Gr8Desire]

  One advice : wait a bit before to sell your HE560.. the HD800 provides a wow effect than can diseappear quickly.... you have to opportunity to return it within the 30 days return window : Make you a favor and take your time. Things can be a bit less paradisiac after Two or three weeks 

No kidding.  Been down that road before.  

Headphones often lose their wow for me. My tryouts with the Beyer T1 & T5p, Grado GS1000e, and Oppo PM-3 each lost their lustre within 30 days.
 
The HD800 is hanging in there. I will use the full 30 day trial period  

 

[lukeap69]

No kidding.  Been down that road before.  


Headphones often lose their wow for me. My tryouts with the Beyer T1 & T5p, Grado GS1000e, and Oppo PM-3 each lost their lustre within 30 days.

The HD800 is hanging in there. I will use the full 30 day trial period  

Can you provide comparisons of HE560 and HD800?

 

[rawrster]

So my HD800 are delivered and like a fool I'm here stuck at work..
 
It's a good thing it came on Friday at least since I'll have all weekend 

 

[Gr8Desire]

Can you provide comparisons of HE560 and HD800?

Ha!  I am still in the initial HD800 infatuation and appreciation phase so there is some bias.

FWIW: My music is mostly jazz,  prog rock and some classical. And please understand, I am a dedicated user of EQ.  I listen loud and I listen quiet. I use different component combinations.  I think  EQ is an essential element.
 
HE-560 versus HD800 
 
Bass Extension: Surprise. Roughly the same;  Slight nod to HE-560 with rock music but that comes at the cost of clarity. I add at least 10 db of EQ with both depending on listening level,
 
Treble Extension: No contest - the HD800 is in a different solar system.  Best I have ever heard. Better than my former fav, the Beyer DT990; 10 db of EQ needed for the HE-560' a few less for the HD800 depending on listening level.

Clarity: HD800 wins across the entire spectrum; I thought the HE-560 had a great midrange; not so much now.
 
Soundstage Width: The HD800 is better but not by much;  HD800 is roughly on par with my DT990s.  The HE-560 is a reasonable second place. My Audeze EL-8Cs are a distance third.  Clarity is a important element again .  Instruments seem to stand out because they are well isolated as opposed to far apart (which can come from simple L-R channel differences).
 
Forward and Back Soundstage: (trick category) Sorry I don't believe 2 driver headphones can do this with 2 channel source material .  The HD800 creates more perceived stage depth for sure but I attribute that to very large drivers and not something that was present in a recording.

Efficiency: HE-560 wins by a small margin. My Oppo HA-1 amp is happy with both. Neither is fully driven by my Oppo HA-2 portable amp (not a configuration I need anyways)  

That's about all I can hear after 3 days.  I am a scientist dammit, not an audio reviewer  Maybe more later.  27 days to go on my trial.

 

[negura]

   
Bass Extension: Surprise. Roughly the same;  Slight nod to HE-560 with rock music but that comes at the cost of clarity. I add at least 10 db of EQ with both depending on listening level,
 

 
It's interesting to note preferences and that you find the need to add that to the Hifiman. Well I guess the HD800 should be plenty good then too.
 
But yes no surprise the HD800 can make quick work off the HE-560, as the former are in another class of technicalities and a true flagship. However I would suggest do try to listen across all the genres you'd normally listen to and all kinds of recording quality.

 

[TokenGesture]

I got a good deal on these and now rotate them with my LCDX, primarily for classical (cliche). I don't want to derail the thread but to the cable believers, any tips on cable upgrades?

 

[preproman]

   
Soundstage Width: The HD800 is better but not by much;  HD800 is roughly on par with my DT990s.

  The HE-560 is a reasonable second place. My Audeze EL-8Cs are a distance third.  Clarity is a important element again .  Instruments seem to stand out because they are well isolated as opposed to far apart (which can come from simple L-R channel differences).
 

 
 
This one is interesting to me.  And here I'm thinking the HD800s has an exaggerated soundstage width.  Do you have any mods on your HD800s?

 

[ubikutz]

I use a headphone/microphone splitter that came with my Mixamp. That splitter plugs into the headset output on the Mixamp. From there you plug your microphone (I use an Antlion Modmic) into the microphone portion of the splitter and your headphone amplifier into the headphone portion of the splitter.

For the Mixamp volume, I have it fully maxed out and control the volume using my headphone amp. Works with no problems but I have read things in the past where people set there Mixamp volume to 80% or something along those lines.

I would not use the stream out port of the Mixamp at all. It is basically meant for combining everything from your Mixamp (game audio and microphone audio) and sending it to a line in on your computer for live streaming purposes. Even for that purpose I find the stream port to have very bad quality sound for some reason.

thanks for the info!
my mixamp is about to arrive; will see how the mixamp, ifi micro dsd and hd800 like to sing together in CoD

 

[Gr8Desire]

   
It's interesting to note preferences and that you find the need to add that to the Hifiman. Well I guess the HD800 should be plenty good then too.
 
But yes no surprise the HD800 can make quick work off the HE-560, as the former are in another class of technicalities and a true flagship. However I would suggest do try to listen across all the genres you'd normally listen to and all kinds of recording quality.

 
I will attenuate that comment by saying 10 dB on my iTunes mixer.  I have no idea what that translates to in reality.

I routinely listen at low volume so 10 dbB EQ is essential. I am a whacko believer in the shoddy and unscientific work of Fletcher and Munson 80 years ago.  People who insist on flat playback will get 'better' results but I can live with that. 

 

[rwalkerphl]

I just received my HD800's today, and am currently on HE560's. All I've heard on the HD800's hasn't rung true so far:
 

• BASS: I threw on Martin Garrix Animals for fun, and the bass extension was perfect!
• TREBLE: It's sounding just right to me - what I did notice is that I am hearing things I didn't before - timbre on the edges of the synths, squeaks from the bows of violins and cellos, etc - the realism is just great!
• SOUNDSTAGE - I also didn't notice the soundstage to be overly wide, more that everything sounded right where it is.

 
I'm having un right now as I have them hooked up to a Little Dot MK IV SE, and I have been tube rolling since I received them - I've settled on Hytron 6AK5's from the 1940's right now, and I have a big smile on my face
 
Ultimately for me though. I purchased the HD800's for mixing, and the fact I could hear such detail and space in the sound tells me they will be perfect for the job!

 

[Gr8Desire]

   
 
This one is interesting to me.  And here I'm thinking the HD800s has an exaggerated soundstage width.  Do you have any mods on your HD800s?

I guess it is a preference.

I believe soundstage width is the integration of two elements found in normal two channel (stereo) mixes:  

1. Discrete differences in  L-R channel content.
2. Time delayed content in either channel - typically sounds that were produced further from a mic than others in the same mix at the same time base.

With inward facing HP drivers, these two types of content overlap (some enhancing and others cancelling out) but results are generally perceived as a wider sound stage when the mix is correct.

In any case, the result is not 100% accurate.  Some people will like it - others will recognize that something is spatially wrong.  With headphones, I can live with (I prefer really) a wide soundstage so long as other elements are correct.