[bobeau]

I found EQ'ing those peaks down help lessen the bright tonality these have... You can apply a bass shelf to make the bass slam, or use an analog bass processing like what iFi amps are doing. I find the Micro BL XBass boost gives the missing thump in the HD800 for modern genres.

FWIW, Amirm over at ASR just began measuring headphones, and naturally being primarily a speaker site, was none too pleased with the FR and ended up EQ'ing the living bejeesus out of them.... after which he declared them revalatory.

 

[descloud]

FWIW, Amirm over at ASR just began measuring headphones, and naturally being primarily a speaker site, was none too pleased with the FR and ended up EQ'ing the living bejeesus out of them.... after which he declared them revalatory.

Because applying proper EQ on these fixes the tonality and doesn't touch its most prominent technicalities (assuming you know how to EQ to your preferred target curve)

 

[ishmaelk]

I've been thinking these last few days listening to the HD800S. We often talk about the law of diminishing returns.
But, where's the headphone that will get you 95% of the experience with the HD800S at, say, half the price?
It's not a rhetorical question.
I've listened to a few headphones under the HD800S price, including the Ananda, which has been compared to the HD800S and is supposed to hold its own against it. That wasn't my opinion. It was nice, yes, but the difference was obvious to me and so, not a good example of that headphone that will get you almost there for a much lower price.
Does anyone know a headphone that will give you most of what the HD800S does well (clarity, detail, soundstage) for half the price or somewhere low enough to proof the diminishing return of getting the 800S?

 

[DuncanDirkDick]

@ishmaelk HD800. If you're not into restoration you might be able to find them new, but that's very rare now.

 

[ishmaelk]

@ishmaelk HD800. If you're not into restoration you might be able to find them new, but that's very rare now.

Thanks, @DuncanDirkDick. I am definitely not into restoration. I don't have the time now for it.
So the only thing for a lower price that will get you almost there... is the previous version?
I managed to find an open box offer for 950 euros, so I can't complain.
But I'm really interested in examples of headphones that would proof the law of diminishing returns with the 800S.

 

[DuncanDirkDick]

I think the problem is very HD800 specific since that headphone is very unique in regards to soundstage and imaging.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

I've been thinking these last few days listening to the HD800S. We often talk about the law of diminishing returns.
But, where's the headphone that will get you 95% of the experience with the HD800S at, say, half the price?
It's not a rhetorical question.
I've listened to a few headphones under the HD800S price, including the Ananda, which has been compared to the HD800S and is supposed to hold its own against it. That wasn't my opinion. It was nice, yes, but the difference was obvious to me and so, not a good example of that headphone that will get you almost there for a much lower price.
Does anyone know a headphone that will give you most of what the HD800S does well (clarity, detail, soundstage) for half the price or somewhere low enough to proof the diminishing return of getting the 800S?

You are approaching this from the wrong perspective. This hobby is all about tastebuds so if you dig the HD800s there is little chance you are going to find something that competes. Personally I think the Sundara is a far better headphone for my tastes...but it’s not ‘better’. It’s just different and a way more suitable fit for me

 

[ubs28]

They will soon become free as people on head-fi say the APM is better than the HD800S.

 

[Sefelt103]

Does anyone know a headphone that will give you most of what the HD800S does well (clarity, detail, soundstage) for half the price or somewhere low enough to proof the diminishing return of getting the 800S?

A headphone that's often quoted as 'a poor mans HD800' is Beyerdynamic's venerable DT 880 (600Ω):
less clarity, less detail and much less soundstage (which for me is a large bonus, I dislike any sort of soundstage) at approximately 0.1x the price with huge availability. It seems a common desire of people to want lower cost versions of famous headphones. I'm sure I've seen a video comparing lower cost alternatives to flagship headphones. There is also a thread about someone's search for a headphone that sounds similar to Sennheiser's electrostatic HE90 which I found interesting. Unfortunately headphones are usually completely unique with their values for a whole host of parameters, finding very similar headphones requires similar dimensions, acoustics, earcups, earpads, grilles and maybe even cables. With the HD800/S being something called a 'ring radiator' for its technology that's going to be hard to find something comparable. I'm starting to go off my DT 880 (600Ω), its sonic window is too far to the right (too bright) with its mount Beyer peaks.

 

[ishmaelk]

You are approaching this from the wrong perspective. This hobby is all about tastebuds so if you dig the HD800s there is little chance you are going to find something that competes. Personally I think the Sundara is a far better headphone for my tastes...but it’s not ‘better’. It’s just different and a way more suitable fit for me

I don't think it's the wrong perspective. You don't need to remind me the obvious. We all know this is about individual preferences.
But I don't believe just because I like one headphone (which is not the same as JUST one) I won't find anything close to it for less. The same would apply to higher priced headphones then, I guess.
I'm not saying Sundara is a bad headphone at all. It's 4 times cheaper and it's quite good, even more pleasing than the HD800S in certain recordings. Even my Fidelios X2HR sound better than the HD800S when I want to listen to Raw Power.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

The DT880 600 ohm or the Q701 will take you the closest to the 800 on a budget

 

[DuncanDirkDick]

I think the HD700 is probably closer than the DT 880

 

[ishmaelk]

The DT880 600 ohm or the Q701 will take you the closest to the 800 on a budget

I've read this several times, but I don't know what to make of it.
My experience with Beyerdynamic cans is very limited. I bought an Amiron Home and had to get rid of it due to the treble intensity. It was exhausting after an hour, although I thought they were quite nice.
I don't have much trouble with the HD800S treble, but the Amiron was too much for me.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

I've read this several times, but I don't know what to make of it.
My experience with Beyerdynamic cans is very limited. I bought an Amiron Home and had to get rid of it due to the treble intensity. It was exhausting after an hour, although I thought they were quite nice.
I don't have much trouble with the HD800S treble, but the Amiron was too much for me.

That is basically why I wrote what I wrote earlier on. If and when one finds a headphone that genuinely suits one’s tastebuds it’ll be extremely difficult to find that exact same experience over some other headphone. It’s possible to get something akin to the presentation one goes for...but in the end it will be different.
There are many folks who find the 800’s treble sharp and offensive yet hear a Beyerdynamic T1/DT1990/Amiron Home as a smooth ride. People are sensitive to different ranges. Personally I find both the 800 and most Beyers very sharp and aggressive in the treble...yet if you ask my old buddy he’ll probably mention how natural his 800/DT1990 sounds. Then again he loves bright headphones
It’s always possible to find something fairly close in signature to X headphone...but you can be 99% sure that it won’t be the exact same unless you’re looking at a headphone design very close to what you already have (the Sennheiser 6 series fx sounds fairly close to one another..but different enough to have folks fighting over which one is best).

 

[ishmaelk]

That is basically why I wrote what I wrote earlier on. If and when one finds a headphone that genuinely suits one’s tastebuds it’ll be extremely difficult to find that exact same experience over some other headphone. It’s possible to get something akin to the presentation one goes for...but in the end it will be different.
There are many folks who find the 800’s treble sharp and offensive yet hear a Beyerdynamic T1/DT1990/Amiron Home as a smooth ride. People are sensitive to different ranges. Personally I find both the 800 and most Beyers very sharp and aggressive in the treble...yet if you ask my old buddy he’ll probably mention how natural his 800/DT1990 sounds. Then again he loves bright headphones
It’s always possible to find something fairly close in signature to X headphone...but you can be 99% sure that it won’t be the exact same unless you’re looking at a headphone design very close to what you already have (the Sennheiser 6 series fx sounds fairly close to one another..but different enough to have folks fighting over which one is best).

Sure, no two headphones sound the same. Tone and timbre can be very individual, but two headphones could be as resolving without sharing the same timbre or tonality.
The tonality of the HD800S is very special, but that's not what I refer to when I ask about something that proofs the law of diminishing returns still works.
I could be happy with something with a different tonality if it was as resolving. But maybe that resolution is only possible with a certain tonality, I don't know.
Is there anything under 1000$ which is as detailed as the HD800S? I'm not talking about soundstage too, just the detail.
Is the Utopia as detailed as the HD800S? The only time I tried it I was stunned, but I seem to recall a very different sound. I don't remember if it was as detailed.