I auditioned the HD800 today. It's the second time that I've listened to this headphone and I was able to spend some more time with it. I was immediately struck by the musical details that it revealed. The shimmer and decay of cymbals was reproduced with almost microscopic resolution. I found the soundstage spacious but not exaggerated. I'd describe the overall presentation to be slightly bright, with bass notes sounding a tad soft in the overall mix but extending low when required. I was listening to a complex jazz instrumental track and the HD800 handled it with aplomb. This HD800 was less comfortable than I remembered. I noticed that the cups are large indeed and the edges pressed into my cheeks, which could be problematic. Nonetheless, it's a very impressive headphone.
There was also a Stax SR-307 available for audition so I decided to give it a try by listening to the same track. I had no expectations really as I'd come to the store specifically to audition the HD800. I was surprised to find that the SR-307's treble presentation seemed just as detailed but not as bright. The HD800's treble presentation sounded slightly "tipped-up" by comparison and not as smooth. What really surprised me was the bass presentation, which was more prominent than the HD800, though not as well defined. The soundstage might not have been as majestic as that of the HD800 but it wasn't dwarfed by it either. Imaging was superb. I even found the Stax more comfortable, albeit rather creaky.
Overall I found myself preferring the SR-307 to the HD800 but there was very little separating them. The SR-307 just had a more pleasing presentation to my ears, while not conceding to the HD800 in the areas of detail retrieval, clarity, imaging and reproducing the timbre of acoustic instruments convincingly.
Source: CEC CD player
Amps: Lehmann Black Cube Linear, Stax SRM-006tS
