[music_man]

i see some other people are going to compare them to the dt880. to me on my setup i am much happier with the dt880 pro. the hd800 is technically superior but it just doesn't have the punch,imaging,liquidity, and resolution of the dt880 pro for me. the hd800 is more neutral.

do what did. convince yourself first that you paid $300 for the hd800 then compare them to the dt880. i think the pro might be a lot different though. anyhow, i always beleive that more expensive has to be better. that is why i keep buying these things. i guess that makes the ps1000 even better?

even better compare ones you 'dont' own!

i do listen to the hd800 but they are not my very favorite phone. they are better than hd6xx though imo.

in case no one remembered i was using a fully moded gcha or an ear hp4,lavry gold,a g08, and valhalla. the hd800 has the stock cable. the dt880 pro has a cable that may or may not be better than stock.

music_man

 

[John Willett]

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyearle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Would this instruction sheet enable a regular non-tech guy to correct this ping issue at home, or would one need to send in the phones? If it's an easy DIY, where can I find these instructions? I have serial #360, and the pinging is usually when I tilt my head too much, so it's something I figured I could easily live with as it's not such a frequent problem while listening. But it would be nice to eliminate completely, and swing my head around wildly without worry.

Sorry - missed this when it was posted.

The click cure is a free-issue kit of new springs which are slightly different from the originals. Best to get the fix done by your local Sennheiser agent.

If you really want to do it yourself, you can ask Sennheiser USA if they will send the kit and instructions to you - personally, I would have it done by the experts.

 

[myk7000]

Loved the d7000 (probably my favorite after the hd800).

However, didn't have the funds to keep all 3-- will probably be selling the hf2 as well because of how expensive the hd800 is-- unless it can be bought for 850 What??

If I had the money though, I would only keep two headphones: D7000 and HD800. Great combo!

 

[Quaddy]

love the hd800, it manages to keep your attention for a long time, my sessions have been longer than with any other phones, and its not intentional

i am thankful that the difference between the k1000 is very obvious so as to justify both, the hd800 plays very nicely with everything i throw at it, whereas the k1000 is a little cranky with some music and more unforgiving

i understand, enjoy and respect the hd800 for all its technical prowess, but place it 2nd to the veteran akg, the k1000 has masses of air around it and doesnt feel claustrophic at all. the hd800 is more 'muddy' and bassy than the nimble k1000

but both masters of their genre. both keepers!

 

[DoYouRight]

cough up the info on these sub grand hd800 sources?

 

[immtbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif to me on my setup i am much happier with the dt880 pro. the hd800 is technically superior but it just doesn't have the punch,imaging,liquidity, and resolution of the dt880 pro for me. the hd800 is more neutral. do what did. convince yourself first that you paid $300 for the hd800 then compare them to the dt880.

I used my 300 ohm version (which I like better than the HD600's) and even if I imagine that I paid $300 for the Senns, there is no comparison, in any way, shape, or form, IMHO.

 

[music_man]

i just don't get it. either it is my setup or my ears. i don't see why everyone is raving about the hd800 or ps1000. i find my beyers and my l3000 to be all there is these days. i put the beyers on the level of the l3000 but with a different sound. $2,600-$300? i must be crazy. in fact i am sure most of you like the hd800 better than the l3000 which should at least be competition at twice the price of the hd800. i just don't get it. i honestly just don't like the hd800 very much. i never liked the hd6xx either. now the hd800 will collect dust with my hd600 and 650. before you ask, they are not for sale. i am a packrat i buy stuff and keep it. i don't even care for the stats anymore. they do some stuff well but not enough things.

a lot of people think the qualia is great. i think they are about as good as bose. i think this works in reverse as well. i think $319 headphones are the best there is. or they just have the right synergy with my system.

to that end i ask what would be ideal to power the hd800? cd>(dac)>amp>(cable for hd800?),ic's. apparently they are highly dependent on your setup.
ss or tubes? i also much prefer my modded gcha to my hp4. maybe i am losing my hearing i don't know. i am not giving up on the hd800 sounding as you all have descrbed it however. i must just need different equipment.

music_man

 

[Geek]

music_man,

Coming from a guy that plays live music, the HD800 sounds like live music a few rows from the stage. Doesn't have a colored sound, and to me audiophile equipment shouldn't be colored, that doesnt make sense, I suppose that's why it's popular - to my ears the 800 trumps the orpheus, no easy feat for a dynamic phone in the sub 10k range. I've said it a hundred times already but they produce a garbage sound if you have bad equipment. I always thought that my source was good, for instance, but the HD800 sounded great on a source at headroom and bad on my firewire, so I upgraded the source and I'm experiencing good sound.

Who am I to argue that being an audiophile means liking sound in its natural state? There are many who would disagree, and rightfully so. But most audiophiles define 'like real life' as an important (and oft-elusive) requirement for their gear. That's why the HD800 rocks. All genres. I can totally see you not liking the HD800 if you hate the 6xx series - 6xx series is extremely natural, and the HD800 sounds identical except with more spatial cues and way better bass extension. Not liking natural sound = not liking HD800.

Not sure about the PS1000, haven't heard them, but the HD800 definitely has natural sound, and to my ears proves dynamic headphones dominate electrostatics without a doubt. Just got done playing Gershwin piano concerto with the Helena Symphony, practicing for Rachmaninoff's 2nd symphony in Bozeman, Montana... yeah, the sound of being in the symphony is more like HD800 than other phones. Sorry it's not for you!

 

[fraseyboy]

I can't believe I was lucky enough to be able to hear the HD800's.

Man that soundstage is BIG. It was beside the HD650's and in comparison the HD650's sounded compressed, too dark and dare I say veiled. It was a night and day difference.

Was it $1900 better than my AD700's? No. But it was damn good.

 

[Geek]

Oh, and on the DT880..

Awesome headphone, but it's not as refined as the HD800. The high end and upper mids are blurry, bass is a little bloated, when compared to the HD800 sound, but not in a significant fashion, i.e. I really do like the DT880 sound. Not totally colored beyond reality like the DT770/990 with too much midbass and high end and a "hole" in the upper mids. At least Beyer made a good attempt, the DT880 is a headphone to be respected. Having said that there's nothing it does that the HD800 can do better, if and only if you want natural sound.

Other headphones I have heard don't hold a candle to the 800s except for the orpheus (haven't heard any other megabuck headphones, just the orpheus through some wadia player), which doesn't have accurate bottom end and a slightly metallic high end compared to the HD800.

Can you tell I like these phones? My only wish is I had a better source, my $333 headroom micro DAC rocks but it's not designed for such a great headphone... need the higher end headroom DACs.

 

[Uncle Erik]

music_man, I'm in complete agreement with Geek. I grew up playing several instruments and spent years in marching bands and community orchestras. The HD-800 sounds like the real deal. So good, they've been displacing the Quad ESL-63s I'm also passionate about.

I think the key to the HD-800 is amplification. I'm a tube guy and find that the HD-800 performs best with single-ended triode amps that are transformer coupled. There's something sexy and gorgeous about the sound. What really does it for me is the HD-800 on directly heated triodes... just stunning.

Those amps cost a bit, so I'd recommend taking your HD-800 to a meet or two and plugging them into a variety of amps. I think you'll be surprised at how different they sound depending on the amp.

It almost goes without saying, but you need quality hi-rez digital or vinyl to get the best from the HD-800. They are so revealing that poorly recorded material will be ruthlessly displayed.

I am glad that you're keeping them. Give them a try with a variety of amps and your opinion will likely be challenged.

 

[myk7000]

I enjoy the Dt880s. Just because of the comparison you made music man, I decided to pull them out and compare them side by side with my hd800.

Indeed the dt880s are excellent headphones- especially balanced. They are indeed among the top tier of headphones when properly amped.

Then when I put on the HD800, I just cannot help but feel that everything the dt880 does, the hd800 just plainly does better. 1100 dollars better? Probably not. However, I cannot say without being dishonest that the dt880 is a objectively a better headphone than the hd800- not by a long shot!

Of course you are entitled to your opinion but I'll be keeping my hd800 and selling the dt880 because I feel the hd800 is just bounds better.

 

[myk7000]

I enjoy the Dt880s. Just because of the comparison you made music man, I decided to pull them out and compare them side by side with my hd800.

Indeed the dt880s are excellent headphones- especially balanced. They are indeed among the top tier of headphones when properly amped.

Then when I put on the HD800, I just cannot help but feel that everything the dt880 does, the hd800 just plainly does better. 1100 dollars better? Probably not. However, I cannot say without being dishonest that the dt880 is a objectively a better headphone than the hd800- not by a long shot!

Of course you are entitled to your opinion but I'll be keeping my hd800 and selling the dt880 because I feel the hd800 is just bounds better.

 

[SleepyOne]

Uncle Erik - music_man uses an EAR HP4.

 

[music_man]

edit: i just saw what sleepyone mentioned. i am not using the hp4 with the dt880 pro or the hd800 right now. the hd800 for the reasons mentioned below and the dt880 pro because it is too slow and does not have as much punch. i am using a highly moddified gcha. the dac is a lavry da924. cd is g08. cables, valhalla.

the hd800 is a more neutral and technically superior headphone than the dt880 pro. i'll give you that. what i find amazing about the dt880 pro that just draws me in is the unnatural soundstage. which precludes it from being neutral of course. it is creating something that is not there. in fact i find that they do what ultrasones claim to do but do not for me. they have an amazing holographic 3d effect. yes, this is physcoacoustics and not at all true to the source. i just have not heard another headphone that does this and right now i find it stunning. i will probably grow tired of it. the channel seperation is like i have not even heard on the highest end loudspeakers. i do not know if i have a strange pair of dt880 pro or if they all do this. maybe they do, it certainly helps pick out exactly where an instrument is in the mix. they are "pro" so i can see why they do this. i don't know if the pro is different but others that have compared to the hd800 apparently did not have the pro dt880.

i will also say that the orpheus is total hype but nice eye candy. many headphones are better, for stats the sr007 o2 is much better. like i said though stats do some things very well(like airy) but do not have an overall balance of doing enough things great. for one thing they lack a huge bottom end. that leads me to another thing, the bass is there on the hd800. however, on the dt880 pro the bass is lower and tighter. on the dt880 pro i do not hear the bass so much as feel it. which is also amazing for headphones.

i'd say that the dt880 pro and the hd800 are both in the top of the heap. headroom agrees. they are their two top picks. what differentiates them is one is $319 and the other is $1,399. they are very different but i wouldn't say one is clearly better than the other. just two different animals. both of which are world class.

i can see where the hd800 is involving to some people. it is boring to me. again, it is a top headphone because achieving this level of neutrality is no easy feat. it just doesn't wow me. i think i should listen to what i enjoy.

i notice most people with the hd800 are listening to acosustic classical or jazz. indeed it kills the dt880 pro in those genres. i am listening to synthesizer music. progressive jazz,techno,pop. even on paul simmons graceland (extra tracks) i found the dt880 pro to please me much more. not surprising, that is also laiden with synth tracks. that brings me to the speed. the dt880 pro are much faster at this music. now, on old cat stevens vinyl the hd800 mostly beat the dt880 pro. that is the extent of what i listen to. it may simply be better tailored to "raw",ie. acoustic music. that is well recorded. the hd800 will make a mess of prince(self titled). where the dt880 pro brings it to life. i can think of several reasons why. there of course is no doubt which is the superior headphone. garbage in, garbage out. what i listen to tends to not be well recorded,recorded in studios, synths that are not mic'd. you can see where i am coming from.

i am not bashing the hd800. it is suprerior to the dt880 pro. not through a ss amp playing what i lsiten to though. again, to the reference of ultrasone. they never worked for me. i did not get the "soundspace" effect. or whatever they refer to it as. the dt880 pro bring this in busloads. the hd800 just pipe the music to your ears as it is. my listening preference needs something "more".

i am not a fan of tubes even though i have the hp4 and hev90. i don't see why one would relish that the hd800 is so neutral and then go warm it up with tubes. if you add that lush roundness and sizzle that seems to me that so neutral is not what one is actually looking for. maybe the combination rounds out well. for me it does not. the hd800 just get sloppy and muddy for me with tubes.

does anyone here listen to what i do on the hd800 and love it with a steril ss amp and dac?

music_man