HD800? Another rumor?

[Elephas]

but in most "commercial" music, it really is how well they processed all the parts.

The HD800 is a great tool to dissect all the layers and parts of a recording. I like downtempo electronica, or chill out music, and the HD800 brings out all the sound effects, "ear candy" and multilayers of the music. I'm still amazed by the sense of soundstage depth.

Wait, what's this listening to an HD800? Aren't you supposed to be working on an intermediate electrostatic amp for intermediate DIYers?

after waiting 4 1/2 months now, I know that this will be worth the wait.

4 1/2 month wait? That's nothing!

OK, I'm talking about some amps, not headphones.

You can prepare for the HD800 by checking your system and making sure you've got plenty of good recordings ready. The usual 'audiophile' stuff will do nicely, Opus3, Stockfisch, Tacet, MFSL, FIM, Chesky, etc.

I also recommend Rihanna - Umbrella (Remixes).

[dreamwhisper]

I reccommend Phaelaeh, Shpongle/Hallucinogen, Mood Deluxe/Nagual Sound Experiment, Chillosophy Vol.2,

Anahata - The Unmade Sound (deserves its own sentence)

btw I just gotta say my K340's are awesome

Nice low bass (prbly bass-heavy ones)

Smooth as butter mids.

The W5000 mids reign supreme for me sometimes by being coloured and forward making some songs unreal/out of this world. And inversely my YH100's would win for transparency.

If ONLY there was a way of modding the drivers into another headphone. (The w11jpn for example... so expensive tho.. w10VTG maybe?)

Or you could pay someone to make custom wood too, though.. s2 audio maybe?

[Elephas]

I like Shpongle too. I'll check out the others.

I think the W5000 is one of those headphones that can sound great with some tracks and horrible with others. It really needs a good source. I also consider it colored and when it works, with female vocals for example, it really works very well.

The W11JPN is not really similar to the W5000, it's more like the L3000. More closed-in, less air, smaller soundstage. But it also has a great midrange and it has loads of great coloration, or soul. I could easily cry when listening to sentimental jazz vocals.

If only the HD800 could get a little bit of that coloration injected.

I got Utada Hikaru's latest English language album, This Is The One, and I'm really enjoying it with the HD800 and Qualia. I've confirmed that in my system at least, the Qualia has a larger soundstage than the HD800. Yes, the HD800's soundstage is deep and large, but the Qualia's is humongous. It's one of the reasons I like it so much with electronica music. I've rated the remix versions of "Come Back To Me" five stars with the HD800. With the Qualia they should be a six.

[pabbi1]

Wait, what's this listening to an HD800? Aren't you supposed to be working on an intermediate electrostatic amp for intermediate DIYers?

Alex is a bit stumped on this one. We sorted the psu, but have some mystery in the middle stage of the circuit.

The BH derivative (aka Vulcan) is done, I'm just afraid to flip the switch. Just wanting some additional eyes to check things, then the (way more) advanced version will be available for intermediate DIY builders. Something like this:

[spritzer]

I really like the cut up Uberbias board and the air mounted fuse connector. I really need to order up the parts for the Vulcan though...

[pabbi1]

Wake me up, as you'll probably still beat Marc.

Yeah, had too because of the DACT. Just pointed out to Naaman that smaller is often better... and someday I'll make it multiple bias. Or, maybe he'll do another run of boards when he gets unpacked.

[spritzer]

I'll also be making some different bias boards soon to use in the ES amps which will be adjustable plus have a voltage divider. Not as fancy as the DC-DC units but should be quite a bit cheaper and smaller.

[John Willett]

Your description of the HD800 is spot on. My issue with them is that they make me painfully aware that I'm listening to a recording very flat and lifeless/soul less.

Sounds like they are telling you an awful lot about the quality of the original recording to me.

[robm321]

Sounds like they are telling you an awful lot about the quality of the original recording to me.

Actually, it sounds more to me like their impressions of the HD800

Analytical phones and speakers to me are great to listen to at first, but as time goes on they get old, while the ones that connect me emotionally seem to never get old. There are not that many that get the emotional connection and technically nail it which is why I haven't changed my lineup and probably won't for awhile. That's my taste, though, I know some like to listen and analyze the sounds over getting into the music, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. I tend settle on things that do both right.

[Sherwood]

Sounds like they are telling you an awful lot about the quality of the original recording to me.

Even if that is so, the recording is a variable you cannot change.

[Elephas]

Sounds like they are telling you an awful lot about the quality of the original recording to me.

Yes, it does, and I do think the HD800 is very transparent.

I use a large variety of recordings, as well as at least two sources, so it is less of a dominating factor. Yes, I listened to Rihanna - Umbrella with the HD800 (please don't hurt me). But I also use a lot of the 'audiophile' type recordings that I mentioned before: Stockfisch Records, Tacet, Opus3, Master Music, First Impression Music (their K2 HD Sampler), SACD, xrcd.

For example, Female Audiophile 2 SACD version by Master Music in HK is one of my favorites.

[Dreadhead]

Even if that is so, the recording is a variable you cannot change.

Really? I have a DSP/DEQ that would beg to differ.

[Elephas]

DSP/DEQ, the horror.

I'm just kidding. I don't have anything against it, though I don't use it.

Anyway, I forgot to say, the HD800 is my third favorite dynamic headphone!

[Sherwood]

Really? I have a DSP/DEQ that would beg to differ.

Send it over. We shall fight.

Plus you totally know what I mean. If a headphone reveals a recording you enjoy to be of poor quality, are you supposed to eschew enjoyment of that recording, or find a way to make it sound nice?

Headphones are a sort of EQ in that sense, so the DSP/DEQ comment is fair enough. Should our baby elephant be doomed to listen to only Koss Plugs due to his choice in music? I think not.

[Elephas]

Koss Plugs!? C'mon, that's totally an exaggeration! Only on Head-Case. Actually, I haven't tried them so I can't comment.

I say Rihanna, Leona Lewis, Alicia Keys, Natalie Imbruglia, Lene Marlin, Taylor Swift, Dido, Ingrid Michaelson, Tiffany, Sarah Brightman, Misia, Ayumi, Utada et al sound perfectly good with the HD800 in my system.

People have said that Audio-Technica headphones sound best with music from Japan, so I checked my library and found Nena - "99 Luftballons." Yes, I can confirm that the HD800 has special synergy with this track. "Let Me Be Your Pirate" was just as good, though it's in English.

(OK, it appears that this will be my last post about anything audio-related, no one will ever take me seriously ever again, if they ever did. Thanks to everyone, good-bye. *sniff* *cry*)

[Fungi]

Pop is not musically terrible (IMO) but the terrible source quality never fails to amaze me. Every mainstream (top 40 etc) CD I've listened to recently, from Timbaland to Beyonce, has had terrible sound quality, and I would never truly test a system or component with it.

[Quadrangulum]

Here's my graph

[Dreadhead]

Got my graph for my new pair yesterday. I guess I should post a pic.

[tkam]

the graphs are sorta useless without the info below 100hz and above 12khz

[Dreadhead]

the graphs are sorta useless without the info below 100hz and above 12khz

Well that range covers probably well over 95% of all information in a recording so useless is probably a bit strong

[Elephas]

I brought out the O2mk2 today for comparison with the HD800. Some thoughts,

Ah, very nice. There's the smoothness and liquidity. Yes, that's refinement, ah, very nice.

Wow, there's this bass in this song? Hey, this is much more satisfying bass, I didn't know how much I was missing. Gah, the HD800 can really seem to lack bass impact, relatively speaking. I need a better amp for it.

But what's this dark sound? It's too dark, and treble clarity and extension is lacking. And congested. Worst thing is the small soundstage. Where's the soundstage? Everything is stuffed into a tiny cube inside my head. Where's the air, the layers, the separation?

[Icarium]

Does Mikhail still owe you an amp Elephas ? :/

[robm321]

the graphs are sorta useless without the info below 100hz and above 12khz

Yeah, total marketing - And insulting to intelligence. Not only does it not show the entire range (no reason to not measure it other than to hide something), but it smashes the vertical db scale to make it look very flat.

The HD800 itself is interesting to me, but Sennheisser with it's superhyped up marketing totally turns me off with how they build it up. It reminds me of a woman that I'd be interested in until she tells me how wonderful she is and how she's the best thing out there to the point where I just can't stand her.

Here's where I like how Grado just releases something then shuts up.

[TheSloth]

I think I put this Rob guy on my ignore list at head fi some time ago. Was that unfair of me?

[robm321]

Na, you can do the same here too.

I thought headfi was where you had to be careful of stating how you really feel. Is it the same here?

I don't favor Grado over Senn. I was just turned off by the marketing technique they used. Sennheisser overall is a good company, but the FR graph was a bit insulting.