[Anonanimal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvdunhill /img/forum/go_quote.gif Probably breaking them in. That 1000 hours really goes by slowly and they're pretty much unlistenable before then.

Bwahaha!

I hope that he's doing the sensible thing and ignoring all of us to enjoy his gift.

 

[amb]

FedEx made a late delivery today. I had just gotten home and haven't opened the box yet. Pics will follow soon.

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amb /img/forum/go_quote.gif FedEx made a late delivery today. I had just gotten home and haven't opened the box yet. Pics will follow soon.

I know you're not big on subjective impressions, but any thoughts on the sound would be fun to read.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvdunhill /img/forum/go_quote.gif Probably breaking them in. That 1000 hours really goes by slowly and they're pretty much unlistenable before then.

Oh, come on!

People and their headphone burn-in. With the AKG K701 said they needed hundreds of hours of burn in. I never noticed any dramatic changes, maybe none at all. And the HD800 I certainly didn't hear anything I couldn't attribute to just getting used to the phone. 1000 hours... that's just funny. These headphones are anything but unlistenable at any point during ownership.

Ti, enjoy your headphones from hour 0. Glad to hear they arrived safely!

 

[joneeboi]

From my reading of head-fi over the years, I gathered that the HD650 was the reigning champion of dynamic headphones. However, after listening to the HD800 at the most recent Edmonton meet, I could tell there was a tangible difference in quality between the two. The HD800 is truly a step up, and you can almost feel it when you AB it with anything else. You can't really attribute it to any one thing, but if you did, the whole listening experience was better with the 800. The way your ears fit inside the chambers, the softness of the cushioning, the way the drivers were positioned towards your ears. What an amazingly balanced sound. Really aggressive when it needed to be too. No slouch in the rock genre at all, and really great with vinyl. I couldn't really sense the "Sennheiser veil" paired with any amp, and it even sounded okay right out of the iPod's headphone jack. I know you were more wondering amb's impressions, but I thought I'd share anyways.

Plus, imagine how much greater it sounds on all that legendary amb equipment.

 

[amb]

Opening the shipping carton:

Well the box sure is luscious! The HD800 nestled in there looking very precious. Definitely fitting for headphones of this class:

Individually serial-numbered on the handband:

 

[komi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Opening the shipping carton:

There You go

Enjoy m8 ...

 

[johnwmclean]

bee line it to the Beta22, enjoy!

 

[amb]

Thanks to all the contributors, this is a very special gift indeed.

4season, aamefford, AffeX, akcrusier, aloksatoor, amc, amphead, anetode, Anonanimal, Anonymous-01, AtomikPi, bada bing, Beefy, cankin, cfcubed, ChrisX, CodeToad, Covenant, dazzer1975, dBel84, diditmyself, digger945, dpmiller, Dreadhead, dude_500, ecclesand, El_Doug, Elephas, episiarch, erd, FallenAngel, fishski13, fordgtlover, Fuzzy OneThree, gabriel-dan, gspence2000, GWorlDofSPACE, HeadphoneAddict, Henmyr, hiker101, Hottuna_, h.rav, Iniamyen, itsborken, JamesL, jantze, jeremyrp, Jim Hamley, j-n, johnwmclean, joneeboi, jopagi, julius_the_cat, K3cT, kklee, komi, Koyaan I. Sqatsi, krmathis, KT88, Lil' Knight, limpidglitch, linuxworks, Listen2this1, Magsy, Malvin, Mariuslk, MASantos, mattcalf, Menisk, Mercator, mideel, MisterX, MoodySteve, mrarroyo, MrMajestic2, MrSlim, naamanf, nattonrice, n_maher, odigg, oneplustwo, pabbi1, Pars, pdupiano, pistolsnipe, pixeljedi, Polacchini, Possédé, Postal_Blue, PScal, qusp, rds, Reighlok, reod, rockcod, Rooford, sandbasser, scootermafia, sergery, ShinyFalcon, shldn, SiBurning, Sinwerm, Skubasteve, smeggy, SoapSeller, SoupRKnowva, steven2992, stew1234, stixx, strid3r, tacitapproval, tcpoint, technetium, Tedro, TeraHz, The Monkey, thrice, ting.mike, tintin47, tomb, trumbldw, TwinFinnley, TzeYang, ujamerstand, UKToecutter, Uncle Erik, user18, vilts, Volkum, Voltron, wap32, wink, xxbaker, XXII, Ynis Avalach, Zaubertuba, Zombie_X

And especially to IpodPJ for your thoughfulness, time and effort to organize this.

"You didn't have to (ahem) like you did, But you did, And I thank you".

 

[IPodPJ]

I sincerely hope you enjoy them, Ti! I know how much you liked listening to them at CanJam. Make sure you register them so you can get your personalized frequency response certificate. The web address is in the manual.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks to all the contributors, this is a very special gift indeed. 4season, aamefford, AffeX, akcrusier, aloksatoor, amc, amphead, anetode, Anonanimal, Anonymous-01, AtomikPi, bada bing, Beefy, cankin, cfcubed, ChrisX, CodeToad, Covenant, dazzer1975, dBel84, diditmyself, digger945, dpmiller, Dreadhead, dude_500, ecclesand, El_Doug, Elephas, episiarch, erd, FallenAngel, fishski13, fordgtlover, Fuzzy OneThree, gabriel-dan, gspence2000, GWorlDofSPACE, HeadphoneAddict, Henmyr, hiker101, Hottuna_, h.rav, Iniamyen, itsborken, JamesL, jantze, jeremyrp, Jim Hamley, j-n, johnwmclean, joneeboi, jopagi, julius_the_cat, K3cT, kklee, komi, Koyaan I. Sqatsi, krmathis, KT88, Lil' Knight, limpidglitch, linuxworks, Listen2this1, Magsy, Malvin, Mariuslk, MASantos, mattcalf, Menisk, Mercator, mideel, MisterX, MoodySteve, mrarroyo, MrMajestic2, MrSlim, naamanf, nattonrice, n_maher, odigg, oneplustwo, pabbi1, Pars, pdupiano, pistolsnipe, pixeljedi, Polacchini, Possédé, Postal_Blue, PScal, qusp, rds, Reighlok, reod, rockcod, Rooford, sandbasser, scootermafia, sergery, ShinyFalcon, shldn, SiBurning, Sinwerm, Skubasteve, smeggy, SoapSeller, SoupRKnowva, steven2992, stew1234, stixx, strid3r, tacitapproval, tcpoint, technetium, Tedro, TeraHz, The Monkey, thrice, ting.mike, tintin47, tomb, trumbldw, TwinFinnley, TzeYang, ujamerstand, UKToecutter, Uncle Erik, user18, vilts, Volkum, Voltron, wap32, wink, xxbaker, XXII, Ynis Avalach, Zaubertuba, Zombie_X And especially to IpodPJ for your thoughfulness, time and effort to organize this. "You didn't have to (ahem) like you did, But you did, And I thank you".

Glad they made it fast and safe. We hope you enjoy them!

 

[K3cT]

I hope you enjoy them Ti. I'm looking forward to your next project!

 

[Cankin]

Congratulation!! Hope you will enjoy your new HD800.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Alright Ti, which amp was first?

 

[amb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Alright Ti, which amp was first?

γ2 -> β22 of course!

I've been listening for a bit now, and my recollection of auditioning the HD800 at CanJam still holds true. The immediate difference in sonic signature between the HD600 and HD800 is in the upper mid/lower treble region. Where the HD600 is laid back, the HD800 has more presence. It's not excessively forward by any means, and seems "just right" with well-recorded music. But some recordings that are too hot in that region may come across as aggressive while the HD600 would mask it. I think HD800 is the more accurate headphone, and as such it doesn't "wow" you on first listen. It simply does its job conveying the recording without reinterpreting it. Everything is there, in proper detail and proportion, but nothing jumps out at you. To me that's how good audio gear should be.

The bass seems a bit leaner than the HD600, but I think this may be because it's brand new and needs time to loosen up. Most headphones and speakers seem to need some play time to come into its own, especially in the bass.

HD800 is much more comfortable than HD600. The big earcups rest nicely around the ears with room to spare, and has none of the skull-crusher tightness I felt when the HD580/600/650 series is new. Even after four years my HD600 still isn't as comfy as the new HD800. As large as the HD800 is, it is not at all heavy or bulky. This is a pair of headphones that I could wear for hours.

The HD800's build quality is superb and the construction/styling leaves no question that this is an absolutely first class headphone. Even the stock cable and connectors are leagues nicer than any previous Sennheiser models.