Sennheiser HD 800

[King Wookie]

In hi-fi, there is a thing called the law of diminishing returns. It becomes more and more expensive to get even a small increase in performance. The trick is to find the point on the curve you are comfortable with. And also, very few will hear enough difference in a set of cans like those to justify the cost.

For probably 95% of people those would be a waste of money. They are aimed at the 5%.

The answer lies in finding something that you enjoy. No matter the cost. I would love a pair, but the wallet doesn't agree right now. So I'll keep on enjoying my Senny 265s.

 

[Triprift]

Ill take two pairs incase the first pair bores me.

if you can justify spending that amount of money then go for it. For me ill just stick with the cx 300 2's great sound at a good price.

 

[DaC]

In hi-fi, there is a thing called the law of diminishing returns. It becomes more and more expensive to get even a small increase in performance. The trick is to find the point on the curve you are comfortable with. And also, very few will hear enough difference in a set of cans like those to justify the cost.

For probably 95% of people those would be a waste of money. They are aimed at the 5%.

The answer lies in finding something that you enjoy. No matter the cost. I would love a pair, but the wallet doesn't agree right now. So I'll keep on enjoying my Senny 265s.

I agree with you, but the 95% thing.

Well, you just can't put a $1400.00 headphone in the head of a guy that just don't care about SQ or hadn't had any previous experience owing a better SQ system..... because they won't just know the difference, period. In the best scenario they will say: "Oh, great sound, but I don't think I would pay more than $50.00 for this"

It has happened to me, I always loved to hear to music.... when I was "introduced" to SQ, the love got bigger and I was already owning JBLs and Fosgate amplifiers (but crap speakers) on my car setup.
When I decided to buy Senn 555 to take my old $20.00 Phillips out of duty (4 years later, it's still with me BTW), big moment, let's power the 555............... man I was mad, yes, it was a little better to say the best...... "$100.00 on this!" I was pissed........ Ok, let's try it a little more...... 3 days later.... I started to be half as mad..... 2 weeks later I just couldn't believe why I hadn't bought this thing sooner.... just like that...
So in order to your friend understand why $1400.00 is worth it, you have to first borrow your setup and good recording musics for a month or more to him.

 

[Triprift]

No difference to any other tech if your into it youll pay for quality. Like me im getting into photography but didnt want to get a super expensive model so got a Nikon D40 yet a pro may go for a Hasselblad wich can cost as much as a new car.

 

[pantherx12]

Making a new GPU yourself would be more like designing a new headphone driver. Creating the PCB layout and power project of a VGA would be more like creating the headphone itself.....

Just got to go the right places

Or email the OEMS that make the parts and ask for samples

 

[DaC]

Just got to go the right places

Or email the OEMS that make the parts and ask for samples

LoL, yeah... that isn't impossible, just not practical....

 

[Mussels]

so, who wants to buy me a pair to replace my aging HD-555's that i paid $400 for like, 5 years ago?

 

[pr0n Inspector]

No difference to any other tech if your into it youll pay for quality. Like me im getting into photography but didnt want to get a super expensive model so got a Nikon D40 yet a pro may go for a Hasselblad wich can cost as much as a new car.

Or a phase-change-cooled astronomy camera.

 

[Munki]

and I thought I was cool with me Sennheiser EH350's. psh.

 

[Mescalamba]

Nice suprise..

..is this review. Its very hard to write review about headphones, especially those high-ends. I know that, cause I wrote one about HD 555.

HD 650 will be mine in few days (I hope at Thursday or Friday).

HD 800 are within my reach, but they need much better equipment to "drive as they should". Means you need to spend around 2000 USD to rest of equip (but youll end spending much more).

They in fact dont need review, they need personal testing, cause until then you will not understand why they cost that much. Well, after that.. I can just feel sorry for you.

Before I bough HD 555, I wasnt able to understand why ppl spend that much money on audio equip. And look at me now, buying HD 650. (hard decision between this and AKG 702, but AKG doesnt have "ergonomics" of Senn .. eg. AKG thinks we have round ears, but we dont have or not? ).

Anyway, thanks for review.

 

[peach1971]

I´m very satisfied & happy with the legendary SONY MDR-7506 Professional.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_MDR-V6

Paid 120 EUR for it.

 

[Mescalamba]

Cool looking, quite good specs, but sorry.. only 10-20000 Hz?

 

[OneCool]

I bought a pair
















And sold them to the WILL IT BLEND website for $2000















I am joking.

 

[DaveK]

The most I'll ever spend on headphones is €298 and that's for the Pioneer HDJ-2000, other than that probably €30-50 on earbuds for my daily commute. No point me buying really expensive earbuds only to get robbed.

Ill take two pairs incase the first pair bores me.

if you can justify spending that amount of money then go for it. For me ill just stick with the cx 300 2's great sound at a good price.

I have a the CX300 II too, nice little earphones. I use them daily, 2 hours every day on the bus to and from school, got them for a good price too, they were only €19 compared to the RRP of €40. The earbuds don't fall off easily which I like, the reason I got the Sennheiser ones is because I lost an earbud on my Skullcandy Smokin' Buds so they were useless.

 

[Triprift]

Got them cus the apple ones with the iphone were crap good to see im not the only one here who has a pair.

 

[Wile E]

If I was spending this kind of loot on cans, I think I'd go for the Grado PS1000's instead. As it stands, my RE0's will have to hold me over until the day I can actually afford the amp equipment needed to properly take advantage of a $1400+ pair of headphones. Before that, I still need to get a good phono setup going. Sigh, so much good audio equipment, so little money.

 

[pantherx12]

The thing about these high end head phones and such like ( having tried a few on display at various places) whilst they sound " better" then my own earphones they and earphones/headphones in general sound nothing like real life anyway lol

Anyone else compare these high end phones to listening to music in real life?

For example play a classical track via your expensive headphones then go listen to the thing performed live.

I'm willing to bet a few pence that the real life event sounded different !

This is the reason I can never justify spending a lot on headphones/earphones as I'm still never getting a realistic recreation of sound.


I also believe there is a placebo effect to such hardware, like when people think they're having brand name drugs and get a greater effect of pain resistance etc ( hands in bucket of ice test)

I'm sure their must be research on such things.

 

[Wile E]

The thing about these high end head phones and such like ( having tried a few on display at various places) whilst they sound " better" then my own earphones they and earphones/headphones in general sound nothing like real life anyway lol

Anyone else compare these high end phones to listening to music in real life?

For example play a classical track via your expensive headphones then go listen to the thing performed live.

I'm willing to bet a few pence that the real life event sounded different !

This is the reason I can never justify spending a lot on headphones/earphones as I'm still never getting a realistic recreation of sound.


I also believe there is a placebo effect to such hardware, like when people think they're having brand name drugs and get a greater effect of pain resistance etc ( hands in bucket of ice test)

I'm sure their must be research on such things.

You are comparing two different things. Studio recordings are supposed to sound different than live performances. No headphones are intended to studio make music sound live, and the reason that recorded live performances don't sound as good as in person is because of the recording, not the headphones.

 

[pantherx12]

You are comparing two different things. Studio recordings are supposed to sound different than live performances. No headphones are intended to studio make music sound live, and the reason that recorded live performances don't sound as good as in person is because of the recording, not the headphones.

So your buying headphones to help with the artificial elements added/taken away from the music?


Also Classical can be recorded in a studio as well by the way, so it is comparable.


( Been in a studio a few times myself)


I know nothing can make something sound live if its not recorded live I'm not of diminished intelligence.

 

[Wile E]

So your buying headphones to help with the artificial elements added/taken away from the music?


Also Classical can be recorded in a studio as well by the way, so it is comparable.


( Been in a studio a few times myself)


I know nothing can make something sound live if its not recorded live I'm not of diminished intelligence.

Studio =/= artificial. Studio is actually better able to capture minute details in most cases, as there is generally less background noise. Not to mention, most live recordings are poorly recorded. No headphone can help that.

 

[Mussels]

i beleive his original point was that this stuff would sound better in person, as opposed to 'live' meaning on stage

 

[pantherx12]

i beleive his original point was that this stuff would sound better in person, as opposed to 'live' meaning on stage

Cheers Mussels, I appreciate I can be hard to understand at times.



I mean I could be inside the studio that is all sound proofed and the sound will be far greater quality as a real life experience vs any headphones.

 

[Mussels]

Cheers Mussels, I appreciate I can be hard to understand at times.



I mean I could be inside the studio that is all sound proofed and the sound will be far greater quality as a real life experience vs any headphones.

but thats not the headphones fault. thats usually the recorded media and the playback device (EG: MP3 sucks, use FLAC. If on a PC, dont use EQ tweaks, bass boost, or creatives crystaliser)

 

[pantherx12]

but thats not the headphones fault. thats usually the recorded media and the playback device (EG: MP3 sucks, use FLAC. If on a PC, dont use EQ tweaks, bass boost, or creatives crystaliser)

High Quality recording in FLAC

I'm an audiophille

In regards to buying headphones though I believe the phrase " Diminishing returns" sums up why I don't go for the high end stuff.

 

[DaC]

High Quality recording in FLAC

I'm an audiophille

In regards to buying headphones though I believe the phrase " Diminishing returns" sums up why I don't go for the high end stuff.

50 cent just won't deserve this kind of SQ, neither any Sony, and blah recordings.... they are all too artificial with dynamic compression, separeted voice and instruments recording, voice modification, special effetcs and so on.... just forget it.
Do a research, there are quite a few audiophile devoted labels.
Chesky Records, Mo-Fi Studio, FIM, Reference Recordings, among many others devoted to create a recording as transparent as possible, in special, Chesky (to my taste). They use a single microphone, to record all the action. With this kind of recording you get the live presetention aspect of the music, if it wasn't there, audiophile gear would be a waste of money in my opinion. They also got their Hi-End codecs.... MSFL, K2 HD, XRCD 24, etc..
Good recordings and good hardware recreate the soundstage, and Senn HD-800 is praised a lot in reviews for that. You just won't fell in your skin the music, but your brain may create this sansation....

I'll add more, you just don't need 7.1 effects with a proper recording and a headphone or stereo speaker. 7.1 is BS....
Look for Virtual Barber Shop a demo on Cetera Codec..... download their mp3 and you'll get freaked (only works with headphones). The better your setup the better sensation of being there you'll have.
BTW, link for it: http://media.noob.us/virtualbarbershop.mp3