HD800s
Extremely overrated trash. Tried it with Sennheiser HDV820 amplifier. Very narrow soundstage. Doesn't sound bad but not impressive at all. I can't understand the hype.
I think HD800s is far from a very narrow soundstage. what headphones do you own/ have you extensively listened to in comparison? I sold my 800 and my 800S because I felt the headphone was uncomfortable and preferred the speaker-esque sound of the Focals. Everyone's ears are different but im just surprised to see someone call them trash and to have very narrow soundstage.
HD800s
Extremely overrated trash. Tried it with Sennheiser HDV820 amplifier. Very narrow soundstage. Doesn't sound bad but not impressive at all. I can't understand the hype.
I think HD800s is far from a very narrow soundstage. what headphones do you own/ have you extensively listened to in comparison? I sold my 800 and my 800S because I felt the headphone was uncomfortable and preferred the speaker-esque sound of the Focals. Everyone's ears are different but im just surprised to see someone call them trash and to have very narrow soundstage.
HD800s is the first TOTL open back headphone I tried. Demoed it with their amp HDV 820. It sounds decent but far below my expectations after hearing years of hype about this headphone.
I mostly listened to classical and HD800s did a terrible job at instrument seperation and soundstage.
That's weird, as the original HD800 was known for its wide soundstage and detail.
My disappointements:
Not bad, just had some aspects that didn't go down well with me enough that I could live with them: DCA Ether 2: So far anyway. Technically an improvement over the Ether, but they seem to have the 4 kHz issue, where if it is too forward, the headphones sound simply "wrong". I need to see about getting the alternative pads for my review. DCA Voce: I'd still like to give these a proper run, but at meets they simply sounded like everything was coming from the centre. Sony MDR-Z1: Botched tonality that ruined the treble. AKG K812: Been too long to remember, but just didn't cut it in the end.
Disastrous: Final Sonorous X: Again, at meets. I think this was a product tuned originally by their old, late CEO, who had very weird ideas about sound. Tonality was completely off, sound detail was not there, price was way too high. Not sure if they've been updated since. A complete contrast to their new A8000 IEMs which are excellent. Ultrasone Edition 10: This is going back a few years. A f-up of epic proportions. See Tyll's old video on them. Cringe-worthy bad tonality. I remember the one person on the forums who did like them would go crazy if anything bad was said about them. Clarion ZH700FF: Shockingly bad. I guess they didn't make it outside Japan, and are possibly not being made any more. These were honestly like someone had put a $20 pair of headphones in some kind of fancy wireless set-up and tried to sell them for over $1k. Spirit Torino Ragnarr: Put 2 Grado-like drivers, one behind the other, in each cup, and sell it for over $3k.
HD800s
Extremely overrated trash. Tried it with Sennheiser HDV820 amplifier. Very narrow soundstage. Doesn't sound bad but not impressive at all. I can't understand the hype.
No kidding, and I warned everybody NOT to get the HDV820. Not worth it. Way overpriced. At that price(and below and way below), you have lots of good sounding options to not have the HD800S sound as trebly as it sounds.
Avg amp with way above avg price.
There's should not be any hype with this amp at all.
HD800S sounds trebly with neutral amps, you need something that softens the treble. The sound stage and airiness is superb, but the treble lift and upper-mids diffuse response makes the makes the mids not highly resolute. It's definately not a neutral response, but treble emphasized. Not natural details or real tonality. Excellent with electronic and jazz, with the right amps that is. If something does well mainly in those categories tells us about it's tonal response. Not really balanced. So, it's not without it's flaws is what I'm sayin.
Great thread! Keep it up guys. Keep the complaints coming. The most real thread I've been on here.
I received my LCD4 today. Now I'm 100% spoiled by by LCDx/LCD3 and LCDi4. (selling LCDx and LCD3 right now). In the end, I'm a little bit disappointed by LCDx's $1800 price tag, not disappointed by LCD3 and LCD4, and was overwhelmed by LCDi4.
Though the website referenced earlier says it uses drivers from a special binning with different requested parameters. Like the logo plates for sure, maybe inherent tuning is different too? Also the upgraded ragnaar magnets; whatever that means.
Though the website referenced earlier says it uses drivers from a special binning with different requested parameters. Like the logo plates for sure, maybe inherent tuning is different too? Also the upgraded ragnaar magnets; whatever that means.
I was wondering about the drivers. I'd seen them before, as I have DIY headphones using the Symphones drivers. Rhydon was charging $400 for his full mod back in the day, so including a pair of Grados, you were looking at somewhere around $700.
From what I recall, using a Hugo 2 in Tokyo, the Spirit Torino headphones were seriously lacking in detail retrieval. Their basic, single-driver model sounded ok, but if they were selling that for a few hundred dollars, I reckon it would have been reasonable. But their top models for more money than a HE2k, Utopia or Empyrean? No way.
Headphones of the 70s,80s,90 and well into the 2000s all were design for classical music. Bass was never a designer specialty. People beg and wish for the legendary headphones to be revive today. If you are not a classical listener, than thats ones of the worst wish list to ever ask for.
Only Dre Beats are truly bass headphones for your genre taste. Most audiophile companies only care for the classical listener. Unless you want Audeze? Than its a 5 to 10% better than beats.
Headphones of the 70s,80s,90 and well into the 2000s all were design for classical music. Bass was never a designer specialty. People beg and wish for the legendary headphones to be revive today. If you are not a classical listener, than thats ones of the worst wish list to ever ask for.
Only Dre Beats are truly bass headphones for your genre taste. Most audiophile companies only care for the classical listener. Unless you want Audeze? Than its a 5 to 10% better than beats.
Gotta disagree. My TCs have outrageously good bass. Also, my th900mk2s have outrageously good bass. Those are true basshead headphones. Much better than Beats, which I’m assuming was supposed to be some sort of shot at me
Headphones of the 70s,80s,90 and well into the 2000s all were design for classical music. Bass was never a designer specialty. People beg and wish for the legendary headphones to be revive today. If you are not a classical listener, than thats ones of the worst wish list to ever ask for.
Only Dre Beats are truly bass headphones for your genre taste. Most audiophile companies only care for the classical listener. Unless you want Audeze? Than its a 5 to 10% better than beats.
Headphones of the 70s,80s,90 and well into the 2000s all were design for classical music. Bass was never a designer specialty. People beg and wish for the legendary headphones to be revive today. If you are not a classical listener, than thats ones of the worst wish list to ever ask for.
Only Dre Beats are truly bass headphones for your genre taste. Most audiophile companies only care for the classical listener. Unless you want Audeze? Than its a 5 to 10% better than beats.
Gotta disagree. My TCs have outrageously good bass. Also, my th900mk2s have outrageously good bass. Those are true basshead headphones. Much better than Beats, which I’m assuming was supposed to be some sort of shot at me
I agree that the Fostex TH900 series (MK1 and MK2) are true basshead headphones and they are TOTL from Fostex.
They have so much bass that classic music lovers complain the bass is too much.
For classic music there are better headphones out there, the Fostex TH900 are not ideal here in terms of mids and heights.
I don't think Dre Beats are TOTL headphones as the thread is focussed on. There are of course other basshead headphones that are not TOTL.
I'm going to say the HD800S and the orignal HD800 are a disappointment for me. I managed to demo them at a local Sennheiser store. The sound felt...off? like putting a bucket over your head and listening to music. That's when I realized I prefer a more full bodied sound in my music, not bassy, not boomy, commanding. I wouldn't consider my self a bass head per se, since I also value details and instrument separation. However, I definitely prefer headphones that; when called upon, can shake your jaw off with bass.
My ideal sound signature is the Campfire Vega running balanced on my Sony WM1A, high gain, with a +2 in middle, +3 on Treble in tone control, no turntable effects, no upsampling, no sound normalizer and with Type A-Low Phase linearization. Please don't judge me. I'm waiting to be in a better financial spot and just go for the Fostex TH-900 and just be done with this hobby.
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