[Idespa]

I mean I'd love to get into the world of Stax or Audeze or Hifiman but the thing I love about the HD800s is that they're normal dynamic headphones and I don't need any special equipment (besides a baller amp) to use them.

 

[wink]

If you are happy with that, go for it.

 

[leadbythemelody]

I so regret selling mine -_-

 

[jdandy]

I have almost 35 hours on my new Sennheiser HD800, half powered by the Musical Fidelity X-Can V8P tube headphone amp and half powered by the new Sennheiser HDVA 600 headphone amplifier that arrived yesterday.  Both amplifiers made the HD800 sing but the HDVA 600 took the HD800 headphone to another level all together.  I believe the HD800 will likely require 100+ hours to be considered fully broken in and I expect the Sennheiser HDVA 600 amplifier will require the same or perhaps a bit more break-in.  I also installed the Sennheiser CH 800 S balanced headphone cable when I received the HDVA 600 amp.  I have about 18 hours on the HDVA 600 amplifier at this time. 
 
Despite the fact that neither the HD800 or the HDVA 600 are anywhere near being completely broken in I am completely floored at the high quality performance they are delivering.  The frequency response is well balanced from bottom to top.  Bass is firm, deep, defined and impactful.  The midrange is airy with lots of space between instruments and voices and no smearing of individual sounds.  Everything has its own space.  The extreme top end is full of life with cymbals shimmering and decaying very authentically, room ambiance and voice reverb are clearly audible when present.  The dynamic impact is substantial at all volume levels any sane person might listen to.  Despite some comments I have read saying the bass was shy, I don't have any sensation of that.  What is clear to me, the HD800 and the HDVA 600 headphone amp are quite neutral and completely source dependent.  If the source is rich, full and resolving, that is exactly what you hear.  If the source is light in the bass, compressed, or otherwise compromised, that is what you hear.  In my opinion the HD800 with the HDVA 600 tells it exactly like it is, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  When the source is good this headphone rig is phenomenal.  As it is set up, the HDVA 600 gets an analog signal from the Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 via balanced Wireworld Silver Eclipse 7 interconnects.  The W4S DAC2 is fed via a Wireworld Silver Platinum USB cable from a Sony Viao i7 laptop using JRiver Media Center 19.  The DAC2 is also fed via a Wireworld Starlight digital coaxial cable from an Oppo BDP-83 that is used strictly as a transport.  I am extremely impressed with this headphone station.  Once I begin listening it is difficult to take the HD800 headphone off my head and do anything else except select more music.  Color me a happy camper.
 
 

 

[roguegeek]

  Hey all. Got some news from www.razordogaudio.com. They'll be no longer carrying Sennheiser products. But while they still have stock, all Sennheiser products over $250 will get 20% off while supplies last, including the HD 800! Use coupon code RAZORDOG20. 

 
Brings the HD 800 down to $1,199.96. How good is this price? How low has it gotten in the past?
 
Also, is this the main HD 800 thread? I see an appreciation thread that's been closed for a year and I see this one as well, but it doesn't seem like it's as active as it should be.

 

[wink]

Check the High End Audio Forum.

 

[HPiper]

Are the cables on the 800 detachable? I saw something like that recently but wanted to confirm. Makes replacement or upgrades kind of hard if that's true.

 

[DavidSilvaa]

yes they are.

 

[paulchiu]

Very easy to upgrade HD800 cables.  Plenty of hi end balanced and un-balanced cables from many cables specialists.  Even Sennheiser is offering upgraded replacement cables for the HD800.
 
Quote:

  Are the cables on the 800 detachable? I saw something like that recently but wanted to confirm. Makes replacement or upgrades kind of hard if that's true.

 

[donedj]

So I listened to these today for about half an hour, and can say that these are probably the cream of the crop. Amazing sound, they do everything so well that I was in awe, did not want to take them off my head. The price is a stiff one no doubt, but only if I had the budget for them, I would definitely get a pair. Those who own them are truly lucky.

 

[Noah99]

  

 

[Noah99]

   
Brings the HD 800 down to $1,199.96. How good is this price? How low has it gotten in the past?
 
Also, is this the main HD 800 thread? I see an appreciation thread that's been closed for a year and I see this one as well, but it doesn't seem like it's as active as it should be.

The moment you announced it my chance of purchasing one dropped to zero, due to "Sorry! This product is SOLD OUT!"

 

[Gibalok]

Hello everybody. I just said goodbye to My AT ATH-AD1000 which I wasnt able to use every day with a comfort because of its harsh highs and abscent of bass. I tried to ensure myself during 2-3 years of using that but ultimately i have given up. 
 
But in the same time I cant justify to spend 1200-1300$ for HD800 since I better upgrade an integrated amp  for my hi-fi with additional 1500-2000 $ which I need to spend for HD800 and cable (which I will dool over on for sure).
 
So im trying to ensure myself that HD650 + maybe a upgraded balanced cable for $150-200 is a perfect buy for my Matrix X-Sabre + Matrix Quattro connected balanced.

 

[Mambosenior]

Hey everyone, Sonic Sense here. [COLOR=222222]
We thought the Sennheiser's (HD-800) performed pretty well, but you have to be sure to use them with an amp.

I wasn't aware this was a mystery! (?)

 

[SonicSense]

You might think so! It's a little surprising how many returns we get from people who don't realize they need an amp with their headphones. I guess on here it's almost common knowledge though 

.
 
Either way, The HD800's perform pretty well. I guess our old post about these was removed because of links, so I'm editing this post to let you all know about our comparisons!
 
We just launched our new Headphone comparison library that features over 100 headphones tracked with the same audio montage. Everything was tracked at 24-bit 96 kHz and with a special system we designed for recording headphones. We used DPA microphones, Grace Design preamps, and Benchmark Converters. 
 
Specifically, we just created a premium headphones comparison that features the Sennheiser HD800 compared to some other popular headphones in the same range. You'll have to do a google search for the Sonic Sense Resource Center or just visit us at sonicsense.com and click the green play button to get to our comparison library.
 
The HD800's feel really sturdy, and they definitely stand out in the Premium Open Back headphones comparison. In the open back comparison we feature the Sennheiser HD800, AKG K812, Beyerdynamic T1, Ultrasone Edition 12, Sennheiser HD700, Audeze LCD X, and the Audeze LCD2. We were definitely impressed with the results we achieved with this comparison, so we'd love to hear what the Head-Fi community thinks! We really want to be a great resource for comparisons, so we're always looking to improve our libraries!