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StopItGetSomeHelp
174
Sep 26, 2021
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the hd8xx is very similar to the hd800s around 2k according to the measurments produced from Drop. but im not sure if that can be taken for good fish. what measurments have been produced by reviewers show a very different result, supposedly through their measurment rigs, because there we've seen graphs with an 11db dip around 2k, whats going on here? are there headphones with different tunings in the same shipment batch? were the changes in tuning reverted to reflect the current measurments on the product page? as a custommer this is all very confusing.
(Edited)
Sep 26, 2021
rtos
40
Sep 28, 2021
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StopItGetSomeHelpI received my HD8XX this past weekend and compared it to an HD800 (late model) that I've had for several years. I EQ all my headphones as closely as I can to a perceived flat response to my ears (using a tone generator/files and parametric equalizer (EasyQ)) and the HD800 is one of the few headphones I've listened to that sound close to neutral (to my ears) "out of the box." I still use EQ when listening to them since it's readily available, but the applied EQ required to bring them to perceived flat response to my ears is quite mild and really amounts to no more than a few dBs of tweaking here and there. The HD8XX is another story. I can only describe my initial impressions of their stock sound as "boxy" and "muffled" (like a blanket placed over the midrange) compared to what I'm used to. I did find that the positioning of the HD8XX did make a difference, and that I could get them to sound best to me if I made sure they were more or less centered over my ears. Still, not even close to the HD800, and unlistenable without EQ as far as I'm concerned. When I went through the EQing process to achieve a ballpark flat perceived response with the HD8XX as perceived *by my ears*, I found I needed to add almost +10 dB of gain (0.72 octave bandwidth) at ~1700 Hz to achieve a reasonably flat perceived frequency response in the midrange. My HD800 doesn't need anything remotely like this, and in fact, as I mentioned, sounds fine to me even without EQ. Once EQ'd the HD8XX sounds fine also - very close to its HD800 sibling. While I realize that not everyone prefers the same headphone "tuning" that I do (to say the least apparently), I'm somewhat perplexed by some of the glowing reviews here of the HD8XX. I'm actually wondering if my pair could be an outlier, though it seems unlikely. In any case, as far as I'm concerned at this point, the HD8XX appears to be a "swing and a (big) miss."
(Edited)
Sep 28, 2021
FlyingDutchMan
40
Sep 28, 2021
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rtosWell they did tune the hd8xx so it would sound different than the hd800(s). So if you like the hd800 as it is then its not surprising that you find that the hd8xx sounds different and needs more eq. As you mentioned different people have different preferences. Many find the hd800 sound profile to harsh and similar plenty of people will not like the hd8xx because its not the sound they are looking for and that is fine, plenty of headphones to choose from.
Sep 28, 2021
rtos
40
Sep 28, 2021
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FlyingDutchManNo doubt I expected them to sound different. But as I EQ anyway, I felt it was worth taking a chance on a different "flavor" of the HD800. And, despite some of the negative reviews of the production version, I found it hard to believe that Sennheiser would allow anyone to in effect take a wrecking ball to the sound of what virtually everyone agrees is a "flagship" product.
Sep 28, 2021
FlyingDutchMan
40
Sep 29, 2021
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rtosI plan on getting the hd800s and comparing it with the hd8xx. I do like the sound of the hd8xx however I want to see how much more clarity/detail the hd800s have and see which sound signature I like best. To me the biggest disappointment is the lack of forward soundstage of the hd8xx which apparently is ‘the party trick’ of the hd800’s and what sets them apart from the rest. They do give a great presence and soundstage, but it’s all in my head.
Sep 29, 2021
ilumo
27
Sep 29, 2021
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FlyingDutchManI would be curious if you can EQ the 8XX to be similar to that of the 800s. As i've never auditioned the 800s's I would like to see what im "missing out" on. that said, I am really enjoying the stock settings powered by my SMSL M500 right now. Again, I'm mostly listening to vocals, acoustic/jammy, jazz,pop right now. I might have a different opinion if I switch to different genres.
(Edited)
Sep 29, 2021
Evshrug
3769
Community
Sep 29, 2021
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StopItGetSomeHelpWell, the factory-made review unit I had was sent on to a “Douglas” next, but I sure didn’t hear a drastic 11 dB contrast between frequencies in close proximity. I’m not going to “review the reviewer” or make specific comments about a particular reviewer, nor do I have the time or inclination to research the circumstances and methodology of each reviewer’s measurements, but I will share some things I’ve learned about measurements. For one, a compensation curve is often applied to the raw data, and they might not be disclosed and described with every graph, so sometimes it’s like looking at something taken out of context. Sometimes the community grabs these graphs and separates them from any context, or perhaps the reviewer themselves wants to make a point and they choose to display data in such a way that supports their point. Furthermore, graphs change substantially based on how they are centered over the ear, how tight the earcups are pressed against the measurement rig, and also differently shaped ears (whether real ears or dummy head ears for measurements) are like different filters that change the sound, plus our brains act like a DSP with EQ and tend to mentally compensate closer to what we deem as natural as we get used to a sound. So, each seating on each measurement rig will produce different graphs (it’s an imprecise science), and our listening experience is never exactly like FR graphs anyway. With that said, graphs can sometimes be somewhat helpful if you have no other option, and it’s certainly true that many people skip straight to measurements so they are very important to be understood and more precise and repeatable methods be developed and improved. They’re certainly better than YouTube demo recordings of headphone playback, where the same artifacts are present and even more artifacts are added by the signal chain and compression.
(Edited)
Sep 29, 2021
StopItGetSomeHelp
174
Oct 4, 2021
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rtosyour pair is not an outlier, i very much identify with the ''boxy'' sound, it sounding hollow and muffled stock. try crinacle's eq preset, it brings up the clarity of the 8xx considerably
Oct 4, 2021
rtos
40
Oct 4, 2021
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StopItGetSomeHelpYes, I'll have to check crinacle's eq preset out at some point, although I think it's based on a Harman target, which is not my preference. IMO, there's nothing like EQing headphones to a flat perceived response (my own preference) to one's own ears as a starting reference point and then going from there.
(Edited)
Oct 4, 2021
sinapse
0
Mar 8, 2022
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StopItGetSomeHelpCare to link said eq preset? Would like to give it a try. Thanks!
Mar 8, 2022
Evshrug
3769
Community
Mar 10, 2022
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sinapseYour ears are different from Crinacle’s (and a measurement head mic), try using SoundID instead. You’ll learn about your own hearing/preference target: https://www.sonarworks.com/soundid
Mar 10, 2022
raansire7
1506
Aug 12, 2022
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StopItGetSomeHelpLate reply, but that exactly was my experience: boxy and muffled. I still like them like that. I let my headphones be without EQ. Life is too short to not let quirks be quirks. 😄
Aug 12, 2022
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