joessportster Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Sennheiser HD800 in the house, My expectations were I would find a bright analytical can that was weak on bass with an out of the head soundstage. This is what I was expecting based on the hundreds of threads / reviews / comments...........My reason for wanting to try them was I wanted a better presentation / soundstageActually hearing them was a shock to the system, 1st they were not overly bright and analytical, though they could sound piercing I found that was more source related, in order to attribute that quality to the cans one would expect they sound the same on all material. They sounded sublime on some material and like crap on other material. I started paying attention to selection and using long time considered standards for QUALITY RECORDINGS and I was richly rewarded (dont confuse this statement with meaning high resolution 24 /192 etc...etc...etc... I am talking about albums that are well known as being masterfully recorded and mastered like Steely Dan Aha, all the resolution in the world will not cover up a poor recording and in fact may make it sound worse IME.)Next was the Bass, not sure where this reputation was garnered for light on bass perhaps it started with people comparing them with planers or bass heavy cans, I was nearly floored by the impact the HD800 presented, Listening to Sometimes God Smiles Prism track and the superb Sheffield Drum Tracks, and SMV Thunder albums proved anything but lacking in bass. Bass was deep with texture and impact, not Bloated or exaggerated. I is true they dont dig down in to the sub bass regions as well as my HE500 they also dont muddy the waters. color me very happy with the BassSoundstage, My expectations of some miraculous out of head experience was daunted It has been my experience that headphones do MANY things correct, soundstage is NOT one of them, I feel like all the press concerning the soundstage on the HD800 is more about the spatial imagery and not what I consider soudstage, I came to headphones out of necessity from systems that consisted of SET amps and Horn Speakers those systems presented an almost physical image of the material in front of you allowing to to Hear / imagine the individuals and instruments in there perspective places. while headphones can recreate the space in the material it is all still firmly inside your head, I have heard only a couple examples of material which can create that out of head experience Chesky Records Ultimate Headphone is one of those. While I dont see the HD800 as having a true soundstage experience I admit its spacial separation and imagery is better An unexpected Benefit The Hd800 is SUPERB at low level listening, while my HE500 tends to need quite a bit of volume to really shine and open up the HD800 seems to care less, it plays very well at about any volume. My Wife & Ears thank you Sennheiser As I see it the largest drawback to having the HD800 is now something like 25% of my music is unlistenable unless I keep both the HE500 and the HD800, suggestions on how to break that news to the better half will be appreciated.........I have long said I see no reason for multiple cans the HD800 has shown me I was wrong 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teaman Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I don't know of any cans that can correct bad recordings. I have owned about a dozen Sennheiser products from entry level to mid level and have never been disappointed. I feel the reproduction the offer is truthful and pure. Even the entry level earbuds I have from them perform wonderfully. Sorry, as I am not trying to knock them but every pair I have owned has outperformed my similarly priced Klipsch headphones. Especially in the earbuds, the Klipsch seem to lack bass and seem pretty harsh in comparison. I hope they continue to grow on you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Naseum Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I've owned one model or another of Sennheisers since 1984 or so. I've tried many others and always come back to Sennheiser. I currently have the HD280 and the PK100. I like them both for different kinds of listening. The PK100 are so light you barely know they are on your head, and the HD 280 are exquisite for music. I think the open back design eliminates some kind of acoustic feedback that other phones with sealed backs create. Anyway, THUMBS UP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 I don't know of any cans that can correct bad recordings. I have owned about a dozen Sennheiser products from entry level to mid level and have never been disappointed. I feel the reproduction the offer is truthful and pure. Even the entry level earbuds I have from them perform wonderfully. Sorry, as I am not trying to knock them but every pair I have owned has outperformed my similarly priced Klipsch headphones. Especially in the earbuds, the Klipsch seem to lack bass and seem pretty harsh in comparison. I hope they continue to grow on you! Well Sufjan Stevens is currently giving the HD800 , I agree that no headphone or speaker can transform the source, however I have found that the headphone / speakers voicing can be set so as to recess Highs, Mids, or Bass............for instance the He500 is well known to roll off on top end and has a slight dip in the upper mids all making for a warmer sound can that will pretty much hide some offending mastering. The HD800 appears to have been setup as neutral as possible as it does not seem to hide anything it is fairly balanced from top to bottom (most of the freq response graphs I have seen on them show a fairly flat plot) I am currently waiting for sennheiser to email the frequency plot for my particular pair I would also agree that most senns are decent. ONE HUGE factor in my wanting the HD800 is also where it is made Germany, most of the lower models are sourced from other places Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 I've owned one model or another of Sennheisers since 1984 or so. I've tried many others and always come back to Sennheiser. I currently have the HD280 and the PK100. I like them both for different kinds of listening. The PK100 are so light you barely know they are on your head, and the HD 280 are exquisite for music. I think the open back design eliminates some kind of acoustic feedback that other phones with sealed backs create. Anyway, THUMBS UP! My wife has the 220 pro I think it is, before that she had the 44x, (dont recall the exact model) one of the drivers stopped but that was her with the cable, I had the HD650 for a while and they were great although a bit dark with a slight veil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfbane Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I've been using Sennheiser's wireless headphones for listening to tv news, etc. when I'm not in the same room or have the volume muted. I like then well enough to have purchased a 2nd pair when the original's bit the dust. It took years before they crapped out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 i have the he500 and they need a lot of power to shine... hd800 would need a lot less but are about twice the price and quality... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted October 14, 2015 Author Share Posted October 14, 2015 I had the HE500 (Just sold them ) and you are correct they need a good deal more power to drive than the HD800................My reason for keeping the 800 had nothing to do with the power use though (my headphone amp ampsandsound Kenzie Headphone) had plenty of power for the HE500's to shine The HD 800 is just clearer, it offers clarity and resolution in a way that is not fatiguing (Very Hard to do IME) above what the 500's could do, the 800 also offers more neutrality The 2 headphones were designed with different goals in mind Sennheiser set out to build a TOTL can while HiFiMan wanted an easier to drive planer that sounded nice IMHO both succeeded with there goals While I really liked the HE500's, I love the Sennheisers when I can wrestle them away from the Wife that is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/diy-modification-sennheiser-hd-800-anaxilus-mod-page-2#64GDzz6Y33HLBmLQ.97 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 I had the HE500 (Just sold them ) and you are correct they need a good deal more power to drive than the HD800................My reason for keeping the 800 had nothing to do with the power use though (my headphone amp ampsandsound Kenzie Headphone) had plenty of power for the HE500's to shine The HD 800 is just clearer, it offers clarity and resolution in a way that is not fatiguing (Very Hard to do IME) above what the 500's could do, the 800 also offers more neutrality The 2 headphones were designed with different goals in mind Sennheiser set out to build a TOTL can while HiFiMan wanted an easier to drive planer that sounded nice IMHO both succeeded with there goals While I really liked the HE500's, I love the Sennheisers when I can wrestle them away from the Wife that is hd800 are twice the price and in another league... he500 is an entry "hifi" headphone with a very pleasing sound and the hd800 are one of the best when it comes to the strengths that you mentioned.... i am also thinking of buying it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 I would not call the HE500 an ENTRY it is VERY Good, used it for over a year and never felt like I was missing something............only reason I have the 800 is 1 came up at a very good price for a lightly used, and selling a few smaller pieces I had laying around paid for it I already miss the 500, unfortunately my life allows for 1 at the time, Or I would have kept the 500, The new owner is ecstatic with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) Using "balanced" headphones (modified cheap Sennheiser IEMs) with my Pono player in balanced mode produces the out of head soundstage of which you speak. Naturally, it's more pronounced on some recordings than others. Bad recordings still sound bad and good recordings sound superb. Edited October 19, 2015 by DizRotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 I tried them and just didn't like them all that much. So I will be sticking with my Beyerdynamic t5p, which just seem to get better as time goes on. I also like my etymotic er4 - and even though they only have a single armature, they sound really nice. What I have found is that the wide open cup area of the t5p provides enough of the illusional aspect, and there just is no substitute for the lowered noise floor provided by iem and high quality closed designs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 I had the etymotic er6... I liked it ok but it was somewhat "tinny" sounding to me... something like the Klipsch x4 or 7i. They were very clear though and good if I wasn't looking for bass. My youngest put an end to them while using them with some computer game. I should have know better... oh well. Actually still have them if anyone needs a "mono" earphone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 I would not call the HE500 an ENTRY it is VERY Good, used it for over a year and never felt like I was missing something............only reason I have the 800 is 1 came up at a very good price for a lightly used, and selling a few smaller pieces I had laying around paid for it I already miss the 500, unfortunately my life allows for 1 at the time, Or I would have kept the 500, The new owner is ecstatic with them i meant entry level hi fi... not mid fi... you can say that it is the cheapest headphone in the hi fi category... anyways, the hd800 has more bass in its later models, as far as i have heard... it was thinner in bass but later the bass level was increased in the more recent batches... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 I have read that as well, Not sure when the switch took place. Hd800 has been out for a long time now. They are showing up used at much better prices now due to the recent announcement of the HD800S (supposed to be something like the HD800 with the anax mod and black instead of silver, and including a balanced as well as single ended cable) I did the anax mod it was super easy and does help, It will be interesting to see if the new version is an actual upgrade in sound. .I expect Sennheiser to add a few hundred $$ to the price tag It seems to be the new model with headphones , Jack the $$$ to silly levels with all new releases Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 (edited) Love my 800's with this setup sounds Awesome Edited November 18, 2015 by A1UC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 I have read that as well, Not sure when the switch took place. Hd800 has been out for a long time now. They are showing up used at much better prices now due to the recent announcement of the HD800S (supposed to be something like the HD800 with the anax mod and black instead of silver, and including a balanced as well as single ended cable) I did the anax mod it was super easy and does help, It will be interesting to see if the new version is an actual upgrade in sound. .I expect Sennheiser to add a few hundred $$ to the price tag It seems to be the new model with headphones , Jack the $$$ to silly levels with all new releases had a chance to listen to hd800S yet? i have heard that it has been tamed in the highs slights with slightly more extension in bass and the overall effect of slightly lesser resolution/detail... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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