faust3d Posted June 1, 2009 Report Posted June 1, 2009 Sorry you didn't like my observations about the HF-2. But I think they will be proven to be true. Your observations were fine, I did not like your condescending and rude attitude. Hope you turn around and stop behaving this way. P.S. ooops did not see that he was banned......
F1GTR Posted June 1, 2009 Report Posted June 1, 2009 Do tell how someone is going to prove your outrageous theory. edit: I'm not interested in further derailing this thread, I'll just temp ban you. Hah! Good stuff. I always hate reading his arrogant posts over at hf. He is mostly attitude and very little substance.
HeadphoneAddict Posted June 1, 2009 Report Posted June 1, 2009 MORE HD800 impressions: I have been going back and forth between my HF-2 and HD800 today, listening to music on several amps while I burn them in more. They both have about 24 hours of burn-in as CanJam demo phones. I have a 4-pin XLR on the HD800 with a single ended and dual 3-pin balanced adapter out of APS V3 cable, so I can any amp with them. I have been mesmerized by my HD800 and found it hard to go back to the HF-2. I am listening to the HD800 run balanced off my Single Power Square Wave XL, and they clearly respond well to being balanced. I just can't stop listening. The speed and detail and transparency is well above the HD600 which are more laid back and mellow. The HD800 are also quite good off my Woo WA6/Sophia Princess/Maxed with pseudo PSU, which is better with the HD800 than the Grahm Slee SOLO SRG (a very nice amp though). The WA6 might still be better than the SP balanced amp, but I can't stop listening balanced long enough to try them on the other amps yet. I am really looking forward to getting my EC Zana Deux T in a few weeks, and trying the HD800 off the 4-pin XLR out. These are the first dynamic headphone to give my electrostatics a run for their money, and the best dynamic that I have owned. These come the closest to my highly regarded ES3X custom IEM in sound quality and performance. Vs other dynamic headphones, my APS cabled HD600 (balanced and SE) are my second favorite, followed by my APS re-cabled RS-1, and then ESW10 and HF-2 tied. They remind me a bit of my Senn HE60 but with a more solid foundation to the soundstage, while the HE60's soundstage seems to float around the head up in the air, the HD800 have more of an organized and grounded headstage/soundstage. In comparison to the HD800, my balanced woodied recabled D2000 sound closed, boxy, boomy and bright (which I still liked more than my re-cabled Edition 9 which I already sold to pay for the HD800). Now, if the modded D2000 are the first headphones that I put on for the day, then they do sound nice - rather it's in comparisons after getting acclimated to an open can where the modded D2000 fall behind. The HD800 do not impress you right off the bat, and have no flashy attention grabbing features; but simply put you into the venue of the performance better, without getting in the way. They don't sound like an entirely different headphone than my balanced HD600, but they improve upon them in areas where the HD600 dropped the ball (speed, detail, soundstage, extension). I've always thought the HD600 has nice timbre/tone and transparency, but the HD650 weren't quite my cup of tea - the HD800 is an improvement to both, without making a properly driven HD600/650 sound bad or anything.
HeadphoneAddict Posted June 2, 2009 Report Posted June 2, 2009 How do they compare to O2 Mk1? It depends on what gear you are using to compare. I think that right now I prefer my HD800 with maxed WA6 over my O2 Mk1 with maxed GES. But I really liked the O2 Mk1 on Asr's KGBH SE that I tried at CanJam. I have my stat rig in the living room and dynamics in the bedroom, so that isn't a fair test because I can't do a side by side comparo. And I only had 5 minutes with the Blue Hawaii at CanJam (enough to hear how well it produced a solid foundation and underlying authority to driving the Mk1 that I haven't heard before except with a speaker amp and transformer). I am considering keeping one really good dynamic amp (either WA6 or ZDT after I compare them at home), but then selling the GES and several other amps laying around that I don't need => to buy a KGBH SE for my stats. I picked the ZDT because I could drive the Mk1 with more authority with the speaker amp and transformer, plus drive my K1000 and my 4-pin and SE phones. The ZDT can replace my WA6, Sq Wave, Amphora and mishmash of small inexpensive speaker amps (Travagans, Nuforce, Qinpu). The KGBHSE could replace the GES, and I'd have aural bliss in both rigs.
luvdunhill Posted June 2, 2009 Report Posted June 2, 2009 Iproduced a solid foundation and underlying authority to driving the Mk1 that I haven't heard before except with a speaker amp and transformer). I cannot help but think you aren't hearing right if you are trying to put the BHSE and transformer box on a similar level.
spritzer Posted June 2, 2009 Report Posted June 2, 2009 I cannot help but think you aren't hearing right if you are trying to put the BHSE and transformer box on a similar level. Ditto. There is no way in hell for those tiny transformers to make the Mk1 shine, no matter what amp you use to push them.
Edwood Posted June 2, 2009 Report Posted June 2, 2009 Nah. It's not like it's choking you or anything. It's just ... shorter than you'd think. Minor quibble, really. I have a pretty large noggin, and I had no problems. Now if someone has a size 20" neck on the otherhand...
Eric5676 Posted June 2, 2009 Report Posted June 2, 2009 i was immediately impressed with them for exactly that reason. As was I and quickly, which kind of surprised me.
HeadphoneAddict Posted June 2, 2009 Report Posted June 2, 2009 It produced a solid foundation and underlying authority to driving the Mk1 that I haven't heard before except with a speaker amp and transformer I cannot help but think you aren't hearing right if you are trying to put the BHSE and transformer box on a similar level. Ditto. There is no way in hell for those tiny transformers to make the Mk1 shine, no matter what amp you use to push them. I know I didn't have enough time to more clearly explain, and I don't right now either, but I'll try before I rush out the door. I am not talking about comparing anything but power when I made that statement. My GES cannot give me the power, dynamics and impact that I get from a speaker amp with transformer, and my speaker amp and transformer cannot give me the micro-detail, superb frequency response/tone and refinement of my GES. The KGBH SE did it all. Plenty of stat amps sound nice with the O2 Mk1, but when you turn up the volume they fall apart (like the GES). The KGBH SE was like a locomotive vs a pickup truck. i was immediately impressed with them for exactly that reason. As was I and quickly, which kind of surprised me. It didn't happen to me right away - it took at least 5 minutes.
Eric5676 Posted June 2, 2009 Report Posted June 2, 2009 It didn't happen to me right away - it took at least 5 minutes. That sounds about right. For me personally, about 5 minutes or so is "quickly." I knew in about that short amount of time that I had something pretty special on my hands.
spritzer Posted June 2, 2009 Report Posted June 2, 2009 The KGBH SE was like a locomotive vs a pickup truck. Indeed it is and as such should be demo'd exclusively with Megadeth at loud to insane volume.
riceboy Posted June 2, 2009 Author Report Posted June 2, 2009 Just saw that they are even on sale at Acoustic Sounds Sennheiser - HD800 Headphones - Reference - Headphones Thanks for all your impressions guys. Can't wait to hear them.
Voltron Posted June 3, 2009 Report Posted June 3, 2009 And here is the self-important douche's pointer on the Hoffman site to his conflict-of-interest-riddled remarks: Read My Forbidden Thoughts on the Sennheiser HD800 It appears it is forbidden for me to offer my perspective on the new Sennn HD800 even in my own paid thread on Head-Fi ($100 monthly for the curious). [Yet it also appears that here on the Hoffman Forums I have much more freedom, thanks very much to all the unseen hands here. :righton: ] Fair enough. I absolutely respect the rules of Head-Fi (even when they aren't clear to me, but that's on me, and not necessarily on Head-Fi) and will not even come close to biting the hand that feeds me (except in subtly snide posts like thisun here ). Nevertheless, if you want to read my uncensored thoughts on the HD800, you can surely do so on my own website here, beyond the reach of the long arm of Johnny Law: What's New
n_maher Posted June 3, 2009 Report Posted June 3, 2009 It's official, he's gone off the deep end of audio insanity. Anyone in the market for a free embolism should read #8 on his list...
justin Posted June 3, 2009 Report Posted June 3, 2009 i like the part about competing with Sennheiser. stuffing the cups with cotton balls + adding a Jena cable != designing and manufacturing HD800s
Iron_Dreamer Posted June 3, 2009 Report Posted June 3, 2009 It's official, he's gone off the deep end of audio insanity. Anyone in the market for a free embolism should read #8 on his list... No kidding, what a fucking idiot! And to think he had the gall to ask me to display his headphones at my table for free, since he "couldn't get to the meet."
Lil' Knight Posted June 3, 2009 Report Posted June 3, 2009 It's official, he's gone off the deep end of audio insanity. It's not insane to do that purposed comparison with his phones.
Fungi Posted June 3, 2009 Report Posted June 3, 2009 Yeah screw that cheap plastic, we need MOAR WOOD
postjack Posted June 3, 2009 Report Posted June 3, 2009 It's official, he's gone off the deep end of audio insanity. Anyone in the market for a free embolism should read #8 on his list... suddenly i'm dying to get a silver HD800 cable.
Hopstretch Posted June 3, 2009 Report Posted June 3, 2009 It's official, he's gone off the deep end of audio insanity. Anyone in the market for a free embolism should read #8 on his list... On the contrary, I think this is very clear-minded dishonesty, which makes it even worse. I mean, can anyone truly believe his real first impression of the 800s is that they're "sloooooooow"? In politics you're often told to attack the strengths, not the weaknesses. It doesn't matter how ludicrous the accusation, a seed of doubt will take root with at least some listeners/readers.
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