[snejk]

The neg comments on the looks are getting kind of tiring now. Yes, my first reaction wasn't positive but until I have seen and touched a pair I won't make any real judgement on that. Especially since the people that actually have tried them seem to like the appearance well enough.

 

[Audio-Omega]

It might be cheaper for me to buy from America as well, hopefully the australian dollar will stay strong.

 

[Thermionic]

Fair point, I will shut up now.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shamu144 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, difficult to guess but different sources seems to confirm this price tag of 1000GBP/EUR: A German forum, aprox 1.000 euros UK press release at 999.99GBP IMHO, it is much more realistic to see later adjustement to the US-MRSP (currently at $1.399), since all their associated costs are euros based (hand-made in Germany)... So US buyer, maybe it is a good moment to start buying.

Ah thanks for clearing that up. 1000GBP is still a rather large chunk of cash. The price suggests Sennheiser is going for gold here.

 

[davidhunternyc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thermionic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am not a metallurgist either so who knows, it’s just I find silver sprayed plastic something that typifies the very worst aspects of design, and something that should never be used in something that is supposed to be of quality. CNC milled-from-the solid is fine if you have to use a light alloy, painted plastic is just yack.

Yes, I completely agree. CNC machines are just incredible and really push the craft of metal work forward into the 21st century. As you have seen on my other post about spray painted plastic, I hate it too. There is another kind of plastic that I really like a lot though. It is rubberized plastic or "thermoplastic vulcanizate". I have a very elegant electric fan made with rubberized blades and because of this the fan doesn't need an OSHA standard safety grill. The point here is that there are options for the HD800 and silver spray painted plastic shouldn't be one of them.

 

[paulchiu]

david,

what fan is this?



Quote:

Originally Posted by davidhunternyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...... I have a very elegant electric fan made with rubberized blades and because of this the fan doesn't need an OSHA standard safety grill. The point here is that there are options and silver spray painted plastic shouldn't be one of them.

 

[zotjen]

Despite all logic and reason, I see myself owning a pair of these. The more I read about them and think about them, the more I want them. While I am fortunate enough to be able to afford them, I need to justify the purchase. To offset the guilt of spending so much, I will definitely need to sell some gear to go towards the purchase price.

I also want to hear a lot more impressions of the 800 especially used with different gear. If reports come in that indicate my source and amp may not be up to snuff, it will probably be a deal killer since I'm not upgrading those anytime soon. My other caveat is that the cable is a little too short to cover my entire listening area, so I'm worried what kind of an effect an extension cable will have on these.

I'm betting that those who want a pair but don't get in a pre-order may have a long wait ahead of them, but that's fine by me. It should give me enough time to decide if I really want/need them.

That said, I wonder how long it will be before a Chinese knockoff surfaces?

 

[davidhunternyc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulchiu /img/forum/go_quote.gif david, what fan is this?

It is called the Propello fan, by Black + Blum.

black + blum - Official website and shop

 

[hawat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zotjen /img/forum/go_quote.gif That said, I wonder how long it will be before a Chinese knockoff surfaces?

I dont think there' s a even a chinese knockoff of the hd580 600 and 650 so probably never for the hd 800.

 

[progo]

I believe this has been already posted (I checked three pages back), but to be sure. Nice first impressions on their end.

 

[Michgelsen]

This seems to be a very promising product. I hope Sennheiser will be producing them longer than they produced the HE60. If you think about it, the HE60 and HD800 are quite similar (both high-end, high-value cans). The HD800 is priced roughly the same as the HE60 was back then ($1500 IIRC). Judging by the 5-digit serial number of the HD800 (the HE60 has 4 digits though), Sennheiser surely isn't expecting huge sales. So, it might be a good idea to stock up a few HD800s and sell them when discontinued with great profit as NOS/unopened/whatever. I fear that Sennheiser will discontinue the HD800 as soon as demand declines.

By the way, somewhere in this huge thread, somebody said Sennheiser should have made an amp to go with the HD800. I think it's great that they didn't, because it shows that they have learned from the past. The quality of the HEV70 and internal pics of the HEV90 show that they haven't got the skill to do that the right way.

 

[grawk]

you don't think 99,999 $1400 headphones would be huge sales?

 

[powertoold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by progo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I believe this has been already posted (I checked three pages back), but to be sure. Nice first impressions on their end.

Ughh so much hype!

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidhunternyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Marketing hype. Anyone who thinks that plastic is harder than titanium is gullible.

Surface hardness, yes.

Tensile strength, no.

Titanium scratches and scuffs soooooo easily.

-Ed

 

[wharfrat1]

The more I read the more excited I get about these. I preordered mine last week as soon as they went up on the Headroom website on Thursday. I spoke with sales there on Friday and they said they will have at least 30 in the first run, and hopefully 40-45. I know that when I spoke with them on Friday morning I was 1 of 22 that had ordered so I know I am in on the first run.

In regards to HR, I am biased since I have bought all of my cans from them. I prefer to buy new, as I like to get the whole experience, burning in, etc. I have returned a bunch of stuff to them within the 30 day return period, and they have been great each time. No issues what so ever. In fact I am returning the RS-1's I've had for a little over 3 weeks today to help cover some of the HD 800 cost. With this return policy, I view giving the 800's a try a very low risk proposition. Anyways, I'm a huge 650 fan, so I absolutely had to have the 800's.

I understand the need to discuss looks as for the most part, we only have pictures to go by right now. With that said, I've never understood the preoccupation with looks that some have. Number one is do they sound good? From all that I've read, they seem to sound incredible. Now for $1400, yes aesthetics are a part of the package, but a very small one at best. I don't think they look that bad, and I'm going to be listening these in the cozy confines of my listening station in my home office. I could care less if the look like say K-1000's, as long as they are comfy and sound incredible. By all accounts, these sound great and are very comfortable.

Now, it's been stated by those that have spoken to the Sennheiser reps, and you can clearly read it in the brochure, that all of the materials used in this can were chosen for very specific reasons. With all of the time and money Sennheiser has put into this, I'm going to guess that they know a little bit more about headphone construction than any of us, and that if they used plastic, metal, etc. it was used with the very best sound quality in mind. Again, from all accounts, albeit brief, they have accomplished this goal.

Now I know this has been done with 20-25 minute listening sessions, mostly not from the best amp, but all have been (except 1 to my knowledge, and it was still mostly positive) have been absolutely glowing about how good these sound. On top of that, the reviews are from some of the most respected people in the Head-fi community. All this means is the middle to end of February cannot get here soon enough. At least I'll be getting my UE11's next week to help me bide my time until than.

Thank you Sennheiser for bringing something that sounds likes it's going to be pretty remarkable into the fold. I am fortunate enough to afford these, and I have a gut feeling that I will 99.99% think that these are worth the money (that .01% is just in case

).