Activities:Critical Listening, Gaming, Movies & TV
Music Genres:Classical, Electronic, Hip-hop, Jazz, Metal, Pop, R&B, Rock
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Great, even better with EQ
Can’t say much about this headphone that other users haven already stated: It’s great. Very dynamic and a beast for gaming. I’ve paired it with a Topping a90se, dark voice tube amp with a d90 DAC and it’s just mesmerizing. I own hd600, LCDX 2021, LCD2 Classic and the HD800s is my favorite. Clarity and depth are unmatched in a headphone IMO.
PredatownedHow would you compare the performance of HD800s with A90 vs Darkvoice? I have a A30 pro paired with HD800s and was wondering if adding a tube really makes any difference. I love how the HD800s sounds with A30 pro though.
The closest I can come to comparing the 800S would be the Noble Kaiser 10, which is wildly different. The reason I chose those two, is that for me, they are best of their respective sounds. I sit for hours listening to music and still find myself amazed at the subtleties which make the music sound like a whole new song.
If these headphones are in your budget, I would recommend them (finding them on sale is even better).
Staging and space master, but understand your needs and priorities
This product has been out for many years and there many published reviews. This is Sennheiser's flagship open-back model and deserves equal consideration if shopping in the flagship tier. My 5 star rating is on a Drop product scale, as the HD 800 S widely outclasses the large majority of headphones sold by Drop.
Characteristics and comparisons:
Fit: The ear cups are huge and limit your ability to interact with furniture. The fit is quite comfortable and not clampy, but also secure. They feel as much like wrapping a towel across the top of your head as a typical set of headphones.
Cables: Sennheiser uses expensive odd connectors that are hard to remove and tricky to align when inserted. They didn't seem to learn anything from the connector issues of the 600 series. The factory cables are long (3 meters; 1/4" and 4.4mm) and high quality, but you'll likely need to buy a shorter cable too. Add at least $100 to $150 to the budget for another cable.
Wide stage: The HD 800 S has earned a reputation for generating an expansively wide soundstage. This is correct. Sound sources are localized from left to right, and each stays within its own area. This involves far greater clarity and detail relative to the HD 6XX or HD 600.
Neutral tuning: I hear these as not bright, not bass-heavy, and similar to the HD 600 but not boomy like the HD 6XX. Bassheads should look elsewhere. They handle treble better than many cheaper headphones, so you can hear high frequency content that less technical products cannot reproduce. Some describe this strength as "brightness," but it's not -- it's simple accuracy. If you hear harsh treble swap your DAC and/or amp. I'm using the HD 800 S on warmer solid state and tube amps to control for badly produced and harsh music, but not to deeply change the tonal character.
Fantastic nuances at moderate volume: These headphones are expensive flagships, but only 1/3rd the street price of the Focal Utopia. The Utopia is rightly known as a nuance master with an uncanny (exaggerated) ability to precisely separate sounds by relative volume. However, it's soundstage is only middling/moderate. The HD 800 S has a much wider soundstage but not as good control over volume/dynamic differences. It's simply flatter sounding. However, the dynamics gap narrows at low to moderate volume and the end experience can be similar. Understand your priorities and don't buy the HD 800 S as punchy "rock & roll" headphones.
G3n3r1c"The ear cups are huge and limit your ability to interact with furniture." - This cracked me up! But I have to disagree - the placement of the cable jacks in the back of the cup is great for relaxing on two pieces of furniture - the recliner and the bed. No jacks digging into your shoulders and shoving the headphone up... Excellent review BTW
Actually you’re wrong. The “initial” price appears to be the same, until you factor in the “drop points.” If you purchase these from Drop you effectively get $140 in the form of store credit / it’s like paying $140 less on your next order getting something for free up to said value. Which is the only reason I even consider shopping at drop these days myself, IE; when I purchase something I get a bunch of credit towards my next purchase. Im going to be buying the HD8XX because I have $250 in drop points already and my purchase will give me more for possibly buying these to compare them to.