[FiGuY1017]

Wow all this reinforces my happiness with the stock sound ,I wouldn’t personally change anything for my set up...actually both of my set ups. Probably the music I like plays into the equation as well.

 

[treebug]

Zero stress on cable. Remove and install the cable daily will cause wear off the coating on contact pins, which applied for improve electric transfering

Where did you get the Sennheiser stand?

 

[Amberlamps]

Howdy gents,

I'm evaluating whether to keep the HD800. I think I will, for the usual mind-blowing reason, but I could use some help evaluating the frequency graph (attached at the bottom) and EQ suggestions. I'm blind, so it'd be great if one of you could "read" the graph for me by stating it in dB. I understand the graphs are very smoothed out, but maybe it will provide some useful info to me. Similarly, EQ discussions are always carried out using images. It's a bit awkward buying $1000 headphones that I don't like listening to without EQ, but that's the story. Mids are too thin for violins and cellos to have body, tiz and sibilance are bad. WHat's not to dislike? The lightning transient response and imaging, of course.

Playing with EQ, I've learned two things. First, my disdain for EQ was premature, since I'm fairly stunned by the good results with the HD800, even using a simple 31-band GEQ in Foobar. Second, I've learned that I suck at predicting what bands correspond to which sonic characteristics--lack of experience.

What I've roughed out so far is the following:
* -6 dB @6kHz. Kill it, kill it, kill it until it's dead!
* Next, I took literally everything else down about 2 dB to give me some room to play with boosting.
* Brought up the low bass just for fun.
* Brought 2.5 kHz up to 0 dB for a Grado-like spike--sheepishly, because I sold my SR-225i years ago to get away from this spike. I think I need to bring up surrounding bands, since the highs are now unnaturally spotlighted.
* Importantly, I progressively dropped bands from 800 Hz down to 200 Hz by very slight amounts each time to add fulness to the fundamentals.
...That's pretty much the story so far. Comments and suggestions, particularly in relation to how this seems when juxtaposed on the individual frequency response graph?
For context: According to my ears, the HD600s are "correct" and my gear shoots for neutral, though I have all Bur Brown DAC chips in everything by choice. Amp is TEAC HA-501, said to be neutral.

A couple of other questions:
* What's with the diamond-shaped raised area on the screens inside the ear cups? Are we decorating ear cups now?
* Early HD800 impressions didn't report the 6kHz spike, and there are at least some suggestions that the trend in drivers is toward more treble since 2013, either intentionally or just batch variation? Did early adopters just not hear the spike and bright treble because they couldn't see it on the graph, was it something that became more of a real problem in the drivers along the way, or do newer owners just hear it as more profound because they are already listening for it? I know I legitimately cringe at the spike. I just kind of worry about the possibility that I either have an extreme unit, perhaps even a fake (EBay), or that newer units just ain't what they used to be.

Thats the same dudes signature that signed my 800S’s off.

I bet you he is sick of hearing HD800/S headphones.

 

[TYATYA]

Where did you get the Sennheiser stand?

Bought 2 pcs in my local, in an AVshow. Made of Aluminum. Laser mark in back : Design by elago in California made in Korea.
It looks very elegance in real life.

Edit : here is 90% close, just lack of Senn vinyl label

elago H Stand [Silver] - [Premium Aluminum][Scratch-Free Padding][Perfect Height] - for Gaming and Audio Headphones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WGFBAGK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3Og5BbN3QZSQY

 

[treebug]

Thanks for that, looks great. I thought it might be a Senn stand!

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

One of these days I need to devote a whole day to compiling my HD800/K1000 review into something postable...or /more/ postable.

 

[yates7592]

One of these days I need to devote a whole day to compiling my HD800/K1000 review into something postable...or /more/ postable.

Yes please, would be most welcome.

 

[xenithon]

Quick question - I typically use Sonarworks on Audirvana with the HD800. I wanted to ask if any uses something like FabFilter (or a similarly customizable EQ) with the HD800 and, if so, if you have recommended EQ settings that are similar to what SW achieves?

 

[johnjen]

Since no one else has responded, I'll chime in with what I came up with.

I use Tone Boosters TB FLX4 and TB FLX which are parametric EQ plugins that have been installed in Media Center in the DSP Studio section.

I have written up the settings I use and posted them here, along with a couple of 'companion' tweaks that dovetail well with the EQ I'm (and others) are using.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-diyrs-cookbook.781268/page-15#post_12300653
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-diyrs-cookbook.781268/page-24#post_12489775

But by itself Sonarworks is a really good introduction into what is possible using EQ, and what I've done, using the Tone Boosters EQ, is to 'adjust' the FR curve of my 800's to be closer to flat and along with adding the SSBB, which brings up the extreme bottom end all the way up to ≈ 100Hz, the results are most gratifying.

JJ

 

[xenithon]

Since no one else has responded, I'll chime in with what I came up with.

I use Tone Boosters TB FLX4 and TB FLX which are parametric EQ plugins that have been installed in Media Center in the DSP Studio section.

I have written up the settings I use and posted them here, along with a couple of 'companion' tweaks that dovetail well with the EQ I'm (and others) are using.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-diyrs-cookbook.781268/page-15#post_12300653
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-diyrs-cookbook.781268/page-24#post_12489775

But by itself Sonarworks is a really good introduction into what is possible using EQ, and what I've done, using the Tone Boosters EQ, is to 'adjust' the FR curve of my 800's to be closer to flat and along with adding the SSBB, which brings up the extreme bottom end all the way up to ≈ 100Hz, the results are most gratifying.

JJ

Thank you so much for that feedback!

Would the resultant EQ settings effectively look like this?

Hz Gain Q
12 +16 0.55
60 +2.0 4.0
362 -2.0 1.29
1358 +4.5 0.98
2130 +2.1 2.12
3556 -0.8 5.0
5023 +3.5 5.0
6306 -5.0 5.0
14550 -4.3 5.0

 

[johnjen]

It looks like this

And what you don't see is that this is running with a wet/dry mix of 90% (which I'm still fussing with, to dial it in).
This curve is fairly closely matched to what my 800's 'need' as a set of not just corrections but enhancements as well, (think the harmon curves) and a good portion of other EQ adjustments are handled by separate DSP functions so they aren't shown in this one parametric EQ graph.

And I started with an actual curve of my 800's so this curve is actually closely matched to how my 800's actually perform.

I have found that DSP is actually, when used well, quite handy at a variety of audio tweaks.
Think SSBB and PRT and clipping monitor etc.

JJ

 

[AutumnCrown]

Question: Does the recent serial number (45xxx) HD800 come with the USB drive with the graph? I don't think mine did, unless I lost it.

 

[Ichos]

I believe that the the usb with the graph is only for the HD800s.

 

[ColtMrFire]

That was just a rumor. The sound difference people were hearing was the older earpads being squished & used up vs a pair with brand new ones.

Though I think there was a revision in tuning, but that was from the first batches of HD800 a decade+ ago. I think the first few hundred produced.

I was led to believe (or read somewhere), that unlike the HD6x0, the HD800 doesn't change with the condition of the pads. Anyone able to clarify this area?

 

[johnjen]

I have repeatedly changed my ear pads, from well used to new, and have not noticed such changes.

However there are changes in SQ simply by the placement on my head.
Perhaps this is what is being noticed.

JJ