Sennheiser HD 800 Redux

[spritzer]

well i was told by them that something BIG was coming out at CES, i did ask if it was bluetooth, they said no..so are these wireless bluetooth?

 

There is the Momentum Bluetooth which is suppose would be huge for them and not us.    We did discover a huge flaw with the pre production (or early production) wireless sets as they appear to be volume capped and it's not nearly loud enough. 

 

Well the HE1000+amp will be 10K.  Stax SR-009/SR-007 + BHSE or KGSSHV/KGST will continue to reign supreme then.

 

10K for anything Hifiman is madness.  I guess that's why they were so touchy on HF when people called it a fugly headphone.  Also the amp is in a chassis that costs way less than 100$ for both boxes in China....

[recstar24]

I would just like to add how much respect I have for these canst do sennheiser as a company. A friendly headfier sent me a set to borrow and every little detail about the product is awesome. Packaging, instructions, box, all very professional. I forgot how nice quality the stock cable is, very practical and usable though. Great fit, very light weight, and regardless of your tonal bias or preferences, this is a great sounding headphone and handles all the technical aspects wonderfully. And it doesn't look too alien sitting in your head either.

Oh and the headband mechanism totally passes the big head egg shaped test.

Edited January 7, 2015 by recstar24

[purk]

I would just like to add how much respect I have for these canst do sennheiser as a company. A friendly headfier sent me a set to borrow and every little detail about the product is awesome. Packaging, instructions, box, all very professional. I forgot how nice quality the stock cable is, very practical and usable though. Great fit, very light weight, and regardless of your tonal bias or preferences, this is a great sounding headphone and handles all the technical aspects wonderfully. And it doesn't look too alien sitting in your head either.

Oh and the headband mechanism totally passes the big head egg shaped test.

You should really check out what Sony has to offer for the MDR-Z7.  It is a bassy and forgiving phones that is very good once recabled. The craftsmanship on the Z7 is superb in many levels.  Thoese 70mm drivers take awhile to burn in as well.

Edited January 7, 2015 by purk

[ellevoid]

I just sold my HD800 and already miss it. 

[Dreadhead]

You should really check out what Sony has to offer for the MDR-Z7. It is a bassy and forgiving phones that is very good once recabled. The craftsmanship on the Z7 is superb in many levels. Thoese 70mm drivers take awhile to burn in as well.

I love the Sony MDR-7520. I have not heard the Z7 (or ZX1000) but I have gotten the impression that the 7520 are more neutral than the consumer phones. Edited January 12, 2015 by Dreadhead

[tkam]

I've had the HD-800's for about a week now, what I appreciate the most so far is how little of their own sound signature there really is.  They have this wonderful ability to change almost completely depending on the music I'm listening to, only one other phone is better at that, the SR-009's.  It's nice to able to just listen to music without thinking about or noticing the sound signature that the phones are applying to everything I listen to.

 

The HD-800's are supremely comfy phones, their light weight really matters for long listening sessions.  Build quality is top notch, hardly anyone in the headphone industry (except maybe Oppo) is even close to this type of build quality.  I don't know if other companies don't give a shit (well Grado clearly doesn't) or aren't capable of this level of build quality.

[DefQon]

They are a chameleon on there own. I recently pulled the trigger on the Sony SA5k's as they've got similar sound traits to the HD800's, would advise any hc'ers to really give this headphone a go if you're on a budget and want 90% of an HD800.

[Voltron]

Totally disagree that SA5Ks -- which I have owned previously -- are similar to HD800s in performance or "sound traits."  Besides, most people here have heard both so I'm not sure who your advice is directed to.
 

[DefQon]

Well each to there own, I've got both here and been listening to it for few days now and they have similarities in the sound signature, the only difference is the sound-staging and low level detail retrieval where the HD800 pulls ahead. While the HD800 has a 5-6k treble emphasis the SA5K is a bit more colder on the highs, can be mellowed out with good amplification, was using a loaned GS-1. 

 

I've heard the SA-5k's years back and they sounded piss poor and I remembered few people telling me to listen to them on some good ss amplification that can drive low z headphones properly, bought the SA-5k's last week and they sound quite nice.

[grawk]

Plus hd800s don't sound like knives jabbed in your ears

[DefQon]

Well that depends on the user and there tolerance of treble, like every headphone the HD800's stock can sound awfully bright with the wrong gear and source. Not saying you have to try the SA5k, but given the chance try one with the GS-1 or the older Gilmore amp's, sounds great. Just putting it out there.

Edited January 26, 2015 by DefQon

[luvdunhill]

I probably wouldn't call them low impedance, though now I am curious what people would agree on. "Low" for me starts at Grado ~32. I can maybe see a comparison in the treble, but the differences are still large from my perspective.

[wink]

I have to agree with grawk, SA5K's are earbleeders, The only headphones to outdo some Ultrasones for treble.

 

 

And, yes, I have a pair in my collection.

Edited January 28, 2015 by wink

[DefQon]

But have you tried them on the GS-1?

 

What no way I would put any Ultracrap and it's "S-Logic" technology above all else for a major sibilant and treble earbleeding experience, my ears are still ringing after selling my 2400's and LE8's.

Edited January 28, 2015 by DefQon

[morphsci]

Also agree that the Sonys are shreiking Harpies. And no I didn't hear them on a GS-1, I heard them on a GS-X.

[DefQon]

Maybe I've got an odd duck, I'm usually sensitive to bright treble so I would be able to call it out for being ruthless on the ears.

[nikongod]

SA5K are also very placement-sensitive*. It sounds weird, but they might just fit your head better than other people. 

 

That being said, I can never reallllly get their treble down to what I consider flat (HD800ish).

 

* Most headphones are, actually. 

Edited January 28, 2015 by nikongod

[skullguise]

I'm in agreement with the "yeah, not really" opinion.

 

Used to own the SA5K's as well, best I heard them driven was with a good DIY Dynahi.  It DID take some of the leanness/edge off, but I still would say they weren't so close to the HD-800's.

[Dreadhead]

I had them and the qualias both had some serious resonance problems. I still liked them but they weren't flat like the 800s

[luvdunhill]

For a bunch of boozers, you guys really have been around the headphone block a few times, huh? Where's Tyrion?

[n_maher]

I've actually been enjoying the heck out of the HD800s lately.  They definitely sound better to me off an amp with a less than nero-zero output impedance and actually sound much better with pretty high output impedance. 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I've actually been enjoying the heck out of the HD800s lately.  They definitely sound better to me off an amp with a less than nero-zero output impedance and actually sound much better with pretty high output impedance. 

 

When I compared my PWD > ZDT > HD800 vs PWD > KGBH > SR-009

 

the ZDT > HD800 won out, so I sold the other amp and phones and used the money to pay for some college...

[dreamwhisper]

The HD800 with the Eddie Current Super 7 (with modified caps) is blowing my mind. It has as much musicality as my Stax rig easily.

Better instrument imaging. Even if wholistic detail is a little easier to pick out on Stax, the HD800 comes across more interesting or palatable for most of the genres I listen to 85% of the time.

 

So I'm going through my whole catalog of recordings to hear new things. Can't say I do that with Stax so much these days, which seem to need the perfect recording to really shine.

 

The tubes I have running atm are 1) Sylvania 6SN7WGT as the driver tube.

  1

x   x

2   3

4   5

 

 

2 & 3 are some Ken-Rad VT231's, 

4 & 5 are some random Raytheon 6SN7WGT's

x are the stock tubes, Tung-Sol 6SN7GTB (a little bright, but pretty full spectrum)

 

The amp absolutely needs the Ken-Rad's in my opinion. Without them it doesn't have the same magic.

 

I had a bad tube as the driver tube when I first turned it on and thought the amp was broken. lol. Just a lot of swirling tube distortion and no music.

So I convinced msyelf that the amp must need extensive repairs and then emailed Craig, who actually got back to me within 2 hours, even though the amp was bought on the used market.
And that is the story of how I became an Eddie Current fan.

 

I can't emphasize how much it needs good tubes to pull ahead of the GS-1. Something about the Ken Rad rolled off highs and good bass impact seems to make all the difference.

If the Super 7 had a stepped attenuator it would more easily replace the GS-1 for me, but there's no room in the case to add one.

So, the GS-1 is going to be missed.

 

I guess I'll have to upgrade to a Balancing Act or 2A3 down the road if I want a stepped attenuator.

But this doesn't mean that Stax are obsolete for me, since dynamics still annoy the hell out of me after a little while. lol

Edited January 31, 2015 by dreamwhisper

[dreamwhisper]

Eh, I shoulda waited a day or two before posting.

There's a bit of New Toy Syndrome going on here. 

 

If music was water, and I listened to the HD800 like it was a sponge, I think the amount it soaks up at once is helpful for cleaning up messes.

So if I were to spill water on the floor, better use the HD800 brand paper towel to take care of it. 

 

But for more sustained cleaning the Stax is like a mop bucket.

It's just a better tool. I don't understand how anyone can argue the HD800 can surpass the detail and refinement of Stax.

Detail maybe, but it doesn't seem able to sustain that detail without graininess.

[DefQon]

Which I always wait a week or so before making any proper reviews or impressions on new toys.