I like Barnacules Nerdgasm's analogy of an amp. Let's say your headphones are your computer monitor and your amp is your graphics card. You can have the best HD monitor in the world, but if you don't have the graphics card and computing power to use it properly, there won't be a very big difference in quality. It's like expecting an athlete to perform well on a diet of nothing but McDonalds.
***** Sweet. I need to listen to the headphones first, if i have to spend that kind of money for a pair of headphones. I hope i can listen to any stax some day. :)
***** They still sound better in general (at least for the guy who made the review) If you want the best of the best, you need to pay the premium price tag :)
theodoro89 I would rather get the Audeze LCD-2, similar price sounds much better (to me at least). Or If you have a couple grand to burn then yea STAX are the best.
I bought these yesterday. I sold my wife, kids, and my house. Now I live in a box under a bridge in Brooklyn with my headphones and nothing to plug them into. At least I have my headphones though. ^_^
+CJ outwest Bought mine on amazon has the best price at the moment www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Dynamic-Headdphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA/?tag=ref10-20
That was my impression to at first, but the reason for this "detailed" sound is an elevated mid-treble, which pushes detail forward. Planar magnetic headphones and electrostatic headphones provide superb detail thanks to actual resolution, not by boosting treble frequencies. I'm hearing nuances and textures in the music with the LCD-2 that I never heard with my HD 800s during the 2 years I owned them. And yes, the imaging is great. But tonality is much more crucial IMO.
You'll love them! I've been listening with them for a month and a half and have changed my musical listening life. They have made me hungry to hear what the level above them sounds like, and I'm in the process of looking into it. :-)
@RaptorZX3 Actually they are aimed at home music enjoyment since they do not provide an optimal monitoring experience. You would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to get similiar audio quality with speakers, so having that in mind the HD800's are actually a bargain for any Hi-Fi geek who wants to invest in good audio quality.
Yes but a few things have to be kept in mind. These are very analytical, accurate headphones. They will bring up flaws in the mixing process from the artists. This speaks to the accuracy of the headphones but at the same time, some people would rather distort the audio a bit to make it sound better to their ears, rather than get everything perfectly accurate. But that's not really a con. What is a pro is because of the accurate nature of the headphones, you will hear small details in the music that are flat out missing from cheap headphones. Another is that these are a bit bright in their audio signature, so if you're a total basshead these are not for you. The bass is tight. The sound-stage is top notch. Does it match the price? Depends on your perspective. If you're the type that can't fathom spending over 100 or 300 on audio, there is no way a 1000+ will seem worthwhile to you. The audio competes with the offerings from other companies in this price range. These are quite comfortable, too. I listened to virtual barbershop on TH-cam with these and I was actually fooled into thinking there was a phone ringing in the other room of my house for 5+ seconds. Keep in mind that I am only using the Asus STX right now, my higher-grade DAC and amp are still shipping due to a USPS screwup. So the audio should be even better once the new stuff is in. HD800s should only be bought if you like the way HD600s sound and want an upgrade. With high end headphones, listening to them before buying is a good idea. Audio is subjective.
I absolutely love how excited you were just to put them on your head! haha. i would be the same way if i ever somehow found a way to own a pair of these magnificent headphones. thanks for sharing!
Yuusuke Ito whoa are you guys sarcastic or something? lol. Beats are the epitome of overpriced headphones, hence it is advertised by apple as the iPhone is the same, overpriced for what you get lolol. you're buying the product for the name, not the quality.
Alcatraz Aronsson where you getting this information from? you seem to be exactly wrong. 3 yrs is not much in the headphone industry. most of the high end headphones these days is 5+ years old. the hd600, 650, beyerdyanmic 770, 880, 990, h2, ak701s --- all these headphones were made about 6 to 10 years ago. 6-10 years ago. they all are 300+ ohms, many of them are 600
Brian Interesting, I own 3 of those, AKG K701 (62ohm), Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 (250ohm) and Sennheiser HD 650 (300ohm)... I have no idea about H2, but I think 880, 990 and hd600 are also 300ohm or below.
Of course it differs from song to song depending on the quality and depth of recording. You are also welcome to doubt it but you won't know for yourself until you put some of those other headphones around your own ears and determine that for yourself. I can tell you that I immediately heard things on songs I've known for 25+ years on my 650's that I've never heard before. Two months in, and I'm still coming home from work to listen to more songs with new ears.
It's not really an instruction manual, it just contains images and text from Sennheiser about how the the headphone was designed. Pretty cool if you ask me :)
Congrats, you just figured out what a headphone is. But not necessarily, the drivers on the HD 800 is different than ones found in conventional speakers.
They look awesome. If they were a closed design I'd purchase them for my late night gaming pleasure. One thing good about my Xonar Xense Sound Card is that it supports up to 600ohm headsets. Beyer Dynamic DT 990 Premium 600 OHM Headphones. But so far, I'm happy with my Sennheiser PC-350 that came with my card. Good video.
I may disagree on this. While they certainly have their studio-work purposes, these headphones are meant for ultimate clarity and listening quality for music lovers as well. They're a great alternative for Hi-Fi listening if someone, for instance, has an apartment with neighbors and can't turn up a hi-fi speaker system. Saves on cost too, since the speaker/amp/room treatment equivalent to a great pair of headphones could run up to $10,000 or more.
headset?....HEADSET!?!?!?! Saying headphones a number of times afterwards does not make up for it! Consider yourself ejected from the audiophile community! 😋😋
Oh yeah, they are amazing for games as well. Game sounds are usually MP3 / AAC (low quality) so you won't hear extreme depth and detail (that is what these headphones can do), but this is better than any "gaming" "surround" headset. It's like you live in the game, amazing. But you do need a proper digital to analog converter and amplifier.
Julius W. The HD800s are great headphones IMO and I've used it a lot. But, you can't let the fact that Sennheiser is a big name and the HD800s are talked about a lot blind you to all the other options that exist at various price points from other companies. HD800s are not the undisputed king of all headphones, and we always try out headphones before we buy. Just a tip if you ever decide to move up the audio chain.
i've been using m50's since 2010 and they starting to wear out , breaking/sound quality is meh. you don't get the full sound-stage. I might get these or 700's
I paid a lot for the HD 600's, and have never ever regretted it. Beautifully and brutally honest. To this day, I still pull them off thinking that an ambient background recorded sound eminated from my room. The HD 800's are no doubt better. And love the parting shot: "We're going to plug them into the Xonar, and then give you... the 'business'."
Think of it this way though, a good concert ticket is like 100 bucks. so 15 concerts adds up to the price of these headphones. So it's better value in the long run, especially considering it's hard to tell the difference in sound between listening to these and listening to a live concert.
if you want to get a concert type sound, you would need speakers as these heaphones lack the oomph in the low end that you would expect a speaker to have
I've been dying to try these headphones since I first saw them. Sennheiser are so fucking good. The earcups on these look really nicely molded too. I'd love to use them to hear how well various game devlopers have done with the sound in their games because these headphones will pick up every tiny little detail in the sound effects, music and voice.
Open also mean your ears get fresh air. And the audio pumps the air outside the cup. Meaning, with closed cups your ears get hot as hell after a while.
this is the first time i've seen Linus handle something, from his unboxing videos, so gently. i guess he does care about the price tags of the things he unboxes.
They released an 300 run electrostatic called the Orpheus HE90. Supposedly they achieved lyrical and analytical performance at the same time. Look it up. You can't buy it now. A used pair (if you could get them) would run you twice the initial release cost of $16K. You might find a pair on ebay once in a lifetime. The closest competitor is probably the STAX SR-009 with the Blue Hawaii amp.
HD800's are expensive, but they are certainly not a rip off. They are worth every penny and I would be ready to invest more then the 1500 price tag if I ever had to get another pair.
The Sennheiser HD800 retail for $1500 and the beats studio is at $299. Are you seriously comparing the two? Are you insane? It's like comparing a Honda Accord to a Mercedes E-Class. Just the fact that you compared the two means that the beats model is a serious competitor to the expensive Sennheiser. We live in a visual world and that means people will go for a better looking headset over one with better sound. Live with it.
The Klipsch s5 is an upgraded version of the s4. It has the same sound quality but a more rugged construction. The extra $ over the s4 is in the build quality.
Obviously they have because they wouldn't make any sound otherwise. Most people use an older iPod which had a very good DAC and a portable amp attached to it.
What do you mean? You mean he recorded more than one track of vocals and you thought it was just one track until you listened on better headphones? One thing I've noticed is that I've heard a hi-hat AND a shaker and when I heard it for the first time I thought it was just a hi-hat. Although the first system was a pretty weak car system., so I don't know if expensive headphones would make a difference on stuff like that.
People who are very interested in music and audio in general and who are willing to spend big bucks. Note that the beats are mainly a fashion item, they have standard 20mm drivers with 20hz to 20000hz, you find the same drivers in 30 dollar headphones, but beats have an onboard chip that just boost the bass, it overpowers the mids. You do mainly pay for the looks and dr. dre. Good headphones can't be powered properly by an iPhone or regular onboard audio, they need an amp and what not.
Most if the people that are commenting saying how expensive they are or build quality should just stop. Just to let you guys know these for audiophiles. People who want more than just that obnoxious bass for everything and no you can't use it on your iPhone and no you can't compare them to Beats. They are in a totally different class of sound and quality.
If the studio monitors used to make the recording have a different frequency response compared to these headphones, it's possible they could end up hearing less.
the amps that should be used for these headphones are already in the few thousands, so very good quality cable is kinda important if you want to lose audio quality, right? btw... there are cables more expensive than these headphones for connecting digital audio converter to the (pre)amplefier.
A few audiophiles will hate me for it but I actually prefer the more dark sound signature of the HD 650s. Imo it has more energy and makes listening more fun. I tested the HD800 over 2 weeks but it couldnt convince me. However, I really like the Beyer T1.
Sennheiser is one of the most popular and well known headphone makers in the world. Its quality for that amount of price. Good quality build and good quality music. Its like the Benz of headphones. Im not surprised that its expensive. All the reviews I see on the webs are all positive ones, better than the Monster's Beats.
I think we're all on the same page in terms of appreciating great tech stuff. We can also agree that many people will throw their money at the shiny new thing that looks great without doing the research. Apple has made some of the best tech the world has ever seen, I can't say the same about Beats headphones. Apple has great development and great marketing, Beats has great marketing.
Details in the music that are already there but not necessary noticeable on lesser systems or headphones. For instance, I listened to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" today, and heard layers of his extra vocals that I thought were just ambient sounds my whole life. Right away, I heard it was his voice and I heard just what he was saying. Pretty awesome. That particularly stood out on "You Want to Be Starting Something" BTW.
@ILoveYouForeverHope These headphones are certainly not overpriced. I'll make an example. For the quality you get out of them, it's like buying a 670k dollar Ferari Enzo for 30k Dollars. Yes, they still cost alot of money, but they are a super good deal, not overpriced.
A lot of people don't know that 7.1 is not really a big of a deal if its included with the headphones and that you can get 7.1 on a stereo headset/headphones anyway.
Mmmph, I want these so bad. They're sooooo good. Imagine putting on a 5000 dollar theater sound system on your head. 1500 sounds like a lot, but it'd cost you more to get this kind of sound with speakers and a receiver.
@diablolrm90 Well, it was also built for movies and other stuff too. These headphones are amazing for movie playback. Were as you can argue over which headphones sound the best with the right amp for that specific genre of music. The Sennheiser HD800's are a 100% unmatched by any other headphones when it comes to movie playback.
@PlayNChilllStudio These are cheap compared to the most expensive. The Opheus system went for $13k when it was out. Now the headphones alone go for around $7k if you can find someone willing to part with them.
linus mentioned in the beginning that hd 800 is still not the most expensive headphone sennheiser has, apparently they have a even higher end model that comes with its own tube amp. can someone please tell me the model name? no intention to buy it, just pure curiosity
@derbigpr500 I was just referring to what the guy said in the video, something to the effect of "where would I find headphones with 600 ohms." I wasn't dropping the Beyer's name because they're hard to drive. I know sensitivity is an important factor as well.
@FightingNavyman Trust me, they are super light... Alot lighter then a common pair of headphones. Might even be the lightest full ear headphones from Sennheiser.
@VortexBlast27 Well put. The amp does not need to be expensive for it to work well but if you want to get the mots out of these you should be prepared to pay another thousand bucks or more for a good amp and yet another thousand for a good DAC.
@bassl0va Very true, these headphones are way above many casual gamers price range and most gamers would much rather spend their money on upgrading their rig. However having said that comparing my HD800's with a few 5.1 gaming headphones it's clear that the superior soundstaging and detail with the HD800's provide quite an advantage. Whilst playing MW3 I could hear the footsteps of enemy's with such accuracy in terms of distance horizontally and vertically. It's just that amazing!
And of course there are great options for less cost, there often is a case of diminishing returns for the cost/quality ratio as you go up . . . Like paying twice as much for 2% better and so forth. For me, having never previously owned better than a decent pair of Sony studio monitor headphones, the 650s at least doubled the quality of my listening sessions.
Sure most people wouldn't spend 1500$ on headphones but it is not out of the norm to spend well over 1500$ on a home theater surround sound. Now that being said some people like myself prefer headphones for various reasons. E.G: I live in an apartment and in no way can I ever get a fulfilling use out of a home theater but I can get comparable enjoyment out of equally priced headphones. I have been saving for these for a while as well as a sound card to go with them. Can't wait.
Even though amps and headphones don't depreciate in value, $3500 is a lot for a setup. I'm fine with my $1000 combo, which is more than satisfying for what I listen to.
Where would one find high enough quality audio to use these outside of a recording studio? Seriously, I have a pair of sennheisers that cost me $150 and I can hear every nuance of bass and treble in just about any genre. Maybe I just haven't used headphones that expensive to know the difference?
GOD DAMN! you could get a 6 core Xeon for that price... If I ever decide to do a $30,000 build, these will be included. Lovin the Dracula coffin case too
Little did linus know, a little 3 years later he'd see it being made
And ten years later, he'd see it fall.
If you dont know why youd want the you probably don't need them
Best quote ever well done Linus
To burn the energy your body has generated.
I like Barnacules Nerdgasm's analogy of an amp. Let's say your headphones are your computer monitor and your amp is your graphics card. You can have the best HD monitor in the world, but if you don't have the graphics card and computing power to use it properly, there won't be a very big difference in quality. It's like expecting an athlete to perform well on a diet of nothing but McDonalds.
Popcorn sounds WAY better anyways
*grabs beats by Dre*
Haha, beats wait that was a joke right?
Dad?
One day i will get those babies.
***** ok
***** Sweet. I need to listen to the headphones first, if i have to spend that kind of money for a pair of headphones.
I hope i can listen to any stax some day. :)
***** They still sound better in general (at least for the guy who made the review)
If you want the best of the best, you need to pay the premium price tag :)
theodoro89 I would rather get the Audeze LCD-2, similar price sounds much better (to me at least). Or If you have a couple grand to burn then yea STAX are the best.
I found 1 for like 20 dollars, brand new, never opened is it worth it?
"I can't imagine how big your ears would have to be, for these headphones to be too big!"-Linus 2011
does it run bf4
yes
MrMRGamer1010 i wish my pc did :p
pilgrum0
:p
*****
i have feelings too
You were handling that box a lot more gently than most of your unboxings!
one day.....
Loving that sweet sandle/sock combo there.
Nice unboxing too. The HD800's are truly end game.
Awesome headphone i just sold my left kidney for this. headphone
lmao
I bought these yesterday. I sold my wife, kids, and my house. Now I live in a box under a bridge in Brooklyn with my headphones and nothing to plug them into. At least I have my headphones though. ^_^
TH-cam just started recommending this. Hello People 🤗
Probably because Sennheiser sold the Headphones division
Hey there!
Until now I didnt realise how good your audio recording is. Many audiophile review videos have annoying hiss.
Where is the comparison video. Can someone please post a link?
he never did it
ok
+CJ outwest Bought mine on amazon has the best price at the moment www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Dynamic-Headdphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA/?tag=ref10-20
That was my impression to at first, but the reason for this "detailed" sound is an elevated mid-treble, which pushes detail forward. Planar magnetic headphones and electrostatic headphones provide superb detail thanks to actual resolution, not by boosting treble frequencies. I'm hearing nuances and textures in the music with the LCD-2 that I never heard with my HD 800s during the 2 years I owned them.
And yes, the imaging is great. But tonality is much more crucial IMO.
Thumbs up for Sham-wow!!
Time: 5:32
That was actually a really good analogy
...a 1500 dollar headphone... for people who are very serious *dumps headphone box onto the table* about their music...
Linus's video get randomly showed to me by TH-cam's Algorithm after 10 years. Great work!!
Best.
Analogy.
Ever.
Wow my onboard audio can now drive my DT990 250ohms. Five years ago it was a whole different story...
This isn't shit you plug into your iPod and walk around the mall with.
it costs more than multiple ipods itself
darkzerk7 half the price of an alienware for god's sake!
You'll love them! I've been listening with them for a month and a half and have changed my musical listening life. They have made me hungry to hear what the level above them sounds like, and I'm in the process of looking into it. :-)
I've got HD201s so you could say I have similar headphones. (Sarcasm).
What are they made of, Kryptonite?
Can it make cofee???
Yes!
Can even give you a bj.
compactfoxable e Ohh man! Im buying those!
AikarambaGaming
@RaptorZX3
Actually they are aimed at home music enjoyment since they do not provide an optimal monitoring experience. You would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to get similiar audio quality with speakers, so having that in mind the HD800's are actually a bargain for any Hi-Fi geek who wants to invest in good audio quality.
$1,500 just to listen to Ride of the Valkyries?
$1100 on Amazon open box.
Eric Lin anybody wanna buy a open box headphone touched by strangers?
I just got them, they're fine. No HIV contracted.
Eric Lin Nice! Does the sound quality match the price?
Yes but a few things have to be kept in mind. These are very analytical, accurate headphones. They will bring up flaws in the mixing process from the artists. This speaks to the accuracy of the headphones but at the same time, some people would rather distort the audio a bit to make it sound better to their ears, rather than get everything perfectly accurate. But that's not really a con. What is a pro is because of the accurate nature of the headphones, you will hear small details in the music that are flat out missing from cheap headphones. Another is that these are a bit bright in their audio signature, so if you're a total basshead these are not for you. The bass is tight. The sound-stage is top notch.
Does it match the price? Depends on your perspective. If you're the type that can't fathom spending over 100 or 300 on audio, there is no way a 1000+ will seem worthwhile to you. The audio competes with the offerings from other companies in this price range.
These are quite comfortable, too.
I listened to virtual barbershop on TH-cam with these and I was actually fooled into thinking there was a phone ringing in the other room of my house for 5+ seconds. Keep in mind that I am only using the Asus STX right now, my higher-grade DAC and amp are still shipping due to a USPS screwup. So the audio should be even better once the new stuff is in.
HD800s should only be bought if you like the way HD600s sound and want an upgrade. With high end headphones, listening to them before buying is a good idea. Audio is subjective.
I absolutely love how excited you were just to put them on your head! haha. i would be the same way if i ever somehow found a way to own a pair of these magnificent headphones. thanks for sharing!
So, are these better than Beats?
No,beats are the best,nothing can compare to beats.
Are you fucking serious?oh god!
Yuusuke Ito No I'm not. I have some Audio-Technicas coming in the mail next week.
Oh okay,that's good.lol
Have fun on your headphone.
Yuusuke Ito whoa are you guys sarcastic or something? lol. Beats are the epitome of overpriced headphones, hence it is advertised by apple as the iPhone is the same, overpriced for what you get lolol. you're buying the product for the name, not the quality.
Well someone didn't get the joke lol
Fun fact, this video was on "We built a PC more efficient than a console!" at 7:15. Linus changed the stats though.
300 ohm impedance is not "very high" as you say. 600 ohm is pretty standard for high end headphones.
yeah well these headphones are 3yrs old...it was very high back then. 3yrs might not seem alot, but trust me, it is.
Alcatraz Aronsson where you getting this information from? you seem to be exactly wrong. 3 yrs is not much in the headphone industry. most of the high end headphones these days is 5+ years old. the hd600, 650, beyerdyanmic 770, 880, 990, h2, ak701s --- all these headphones were made about 6 to 10 years ago. 6-10 years ago. they all are 300+ ohms, many of them are 600
Brian i know haha :D i said the same as you when i watched the video, i dont know why i responded you the way i did haha, just some trolling.
Brian Interesting, I own 3 of those, AKG K701 (62ohm), Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 (250ohm) and Sennheiser HD 650 (300ohm)... I have no idea about H2, but I think 880, 990 and hd600 are also 300ohm or below.
nimeq all the dt headphones have a 600 ohm version that is considered the best for audiophiles.
sorry i gave incorrect info about 701
Of course it differs from song to song depending on the quality and depth of recording. You are also welcome to doubt it but you won't know for yourself until you put some of those other headphones around your own ears and determine that for yourself. I can tell you that I immediately heard things on songs I've known for 25+ years on my 650's that I've never heard before. Two months in, and I'm still coming home from work to listen to more songs with new ears.
it makes me sad that i cant afford these
It's not really an instruction manual, it just contains images and text from Sennheiser about how the the headphone was designed. Pretty cool if you ask me :)
so cheap!!!
The caps lock button is located to the left of your A, or your Q if you use an Azerty keyboard (Belgium/France). Cheers.
Clearly just 2 speakers on a headband
Congrats, you just figured out what a headphone is.
But not necessarily, the drivers on the HD 800 is different than ones found in conventional speakers.
Nah u know what I mean, its a pair of class studio speakers, smashed open, drivers took out, and stuck to a headband.
Alex Hill if it was that easy. Its not like they re mostly assambled by careful hand and with extreme caution. ( sarcasm )
They look awesome. If they were a closed design I'd purchase them for my late night gaming pleasure. One thing good about my Xonar Xense Sound Card is that it supports up to 600ohm headsets. Beyer Dynamic DT 990 Premium 600 OHM Headphones. But so far, I'm happy with my Sennheiser PC-350 that came with my card. Good video.
Gah, these are for poor people.
could this be a barnacules nerdgasm reference :p
Orpheus master race.
I may disagree on this. While they certainly have their studio-work purposes, these headphones are meant for ultimate clarity and listening quality for music lovers as well. They're a great alternative for Hi-Fi listening if someone, for instance, has an apartment with neighbors and can't turn up a hi-fi speaker system. Saves on cost too, since the speaker/amp/room treatment equivalent to a great pair of headphones could run up to $10,000 or more.
headset?....HEADSET!?!?!?!
Saying headphones a number of times afterwards does not make up for it!
Consider yourself ejected from the audiophile community!
😋😋
Oh yeah, they are amazing for games as well. Game sounds are usually MP3 / AAC (low quality) so you won't hear extreme depth and detail (that is what these headphones can do), but this is better than any "gaming" "surround" headset. It's like you live in the game, amazing. But you do need a proper digital to analog converter and amplifier.
On second thought I will just stick to my audio technica m50x....I must say nice headphones, but that price tho lmao.....
Nathaniel Gieseking I agree, but to be honest if I had a 1,000$ I would get dese...
Julius W. The HD800s are great headphones IMO and I've used it a lot. But, you can't let the fact that Sennheiser is a big name and the HD800s are talked about a lot blind you to all the other options that exist at various price points from other companies. HD800s are not the undisputed king of all headphones, and we always try out headphones before we buy. Just a tip if you ever decide to move up the audio chain.
i've been using m50's since 2010 and they starting to wear out , breaking/sound quality is meh. you don't get the full sound-stage. I might get these or 700's
Eric Lin thanks for the advice
I paid a lot for the HD 600's, and have never ever regretted it. Beautifully and brutally honest. To this day, I still pull them off thinking that an ambient background recorded sound eminated from my room. The HD 800's are no doubt better.
And love the parting shot: "We're going to plug them into the Xonar, and then give you... the 'business'."
Do you still use your HD600?
Lol, real life sounds way better than this
Think of it this way though, a good concert ticket is like 100 bucks. so 15 concerts adds up to the price of these headphones. So it's better value in the long run, especially considering it's hard to tell the difference in sound between listening to these and listening to a live concert.
no it doesn't. Shitty concert speakers vs studio grade audio? pfft stop kidding yourself.
if you want to get a concert type sound, you would need speakers as these heaphones lack the oomph in the low end that you would expect a speaker to have
Rattacko There are others which make up for it, Stax comes to mind immediately.
Nothing beats the HD 800.
@0lambs The Sennheiser HE90 "Orpheus" headphones. They go for about $7000 to $9000, if you can even find one for sale.
@littlebuch Because beats add artificial bass to everything. These headphones take the actual soundtrack and play it like it's meant to be.
I've been dying to try these headphones since I first saw them. Sennheiser are so fucking good. The earcups on these look really nicely molded too. I'd love to use them to hear how well various game devlopers have done with the sound in their games because these headphones will pick up every tiny little detail in the sound effects, music and voice.
Open also mean your ears get fresh air. And the audio pumps the air outside the cup. Meaning, with closed cups your ears get hot as hell after a while.
Just ordered these used. I'm excited to listen to noises I've never heard before
this is the first time i've seen Linus handle something, from his unboxing videos, so gently. i guess he does care about the price tags of the things he unboxes.
They released an 300 run electrostatic called the Orpheus HE90. Supposedly they achieved lyrical and analytical performance at the same time. Look it up. You can't buy it now. A used pair (if you could get them) would run you twice the initial release cost of $16K. You might find a pair on ebay once in a lifetime. The closest competitor is probably the STAX SR-009 with the Blue Hawaii amp.
HD800's are expensive, but they are certainly not a rip off. They are worth every penny and I would be ready to invest more then the 1500 price tag if I ever had to get another pair.
I'd love to watch someone taking it apart and explaining how the driver works
The Sennheiser HD800 retail for $1500 and the beats studio is at $299. Are you seriously comparing the two? Are you insane? It's like comparing a Honda Accord to a Mercedes E-Class. Just the fact that you compared the two means that the beats model is a serious competitor to the expensive Sennheiser. We live in a visual world and that means people will go for a better looking headset over one with better sound. Live with it.
The Klipsch s5 is an upgraded version of the s4. It has the same sound quality but a more rugged construction. The extra $ over the s4 is in the build quality.
I currently have the Sennheiser HD600, I can attest to the amazing quality of Sennheiser headphones.
i still love my closed pilot headsets, awesome quality, and blocks out all the noise from your surroundings too.
Obviously they have because they wouldn't make any sound otherwise.
Most people use an older iPod which had a very good DAC and a portable amp attached to it.
Sennheiser is the very soul of headphones in my opinion. I have dreamed about the 800s ever since they came out!
Did your dream come true?
What do you mean? You mean he recorded more than one track of vocals and you thought it was just one track until you listened on better headphones? One thing I've noticed is that I've heard a hi-hat AND a shaker and when I heard it for the first time I thought it was just a hi-hat. Although the first system was a pretty weak car system., so I don't know if expensive headphones would make a difference on stuff like that.
People who are very interested in music and audio in general and who are willing to spend big bucks. Note that the beats are mainly a fashion item, they have standard 20mm drivers with 20hz to 20000hz, you find the same drivers in 30 dollar headphones, but beats have an onboard chip that just boost the bass, it overpowers the mids. You do mainly pay for the looks and dr. dre. Good headphones can't be powered properly by an iPhone or regular onboard audio, they need an amp and what not.
Truly a gorgeous pair of headphones!
Most if the people that are commenting saying how expensive they are or build quality should just stop. Just to let you guys know these for audiophiles. People who want more than just that obnoxious bass for everything and no you can't use it on your iPhone and no you can't compare them to Beats. They are in a totally different class of sound and quality.
If the studio monitors used to make the recording have a different frequency response compared to these headphones, it's possible they could end up hearing less.
the amps that should be used for these headphones are already in the few thousands, so very good quality cable is kinda important if you want to lose audio quality, right?
btw... there are cables more expensive than these headphones for connecting digital audio converter to the (pre)amplefier.
A few audiophiles will hate me for it but I actually prefer the more dark sound signature of the HD 650s. Imo it has more energy and makes listening more fun. I tested the HD800 over 2 weeks but it couldnt convince me. However, I really like the Beyer T1.
Sennheiser is one of the most popular and well known headphone makers in the world. Its quality for that amount of price. Good quality build and good quality music. Its like the Benz of headphones. Im not surprised that its expensive. All the reviews I see on the webs are all positive ones, better than the Monster's Beats.
@WildFireca it makes a tremendous difference with appropriate amp and DAC.
I think we're all on the same page in terms of appreciating great tech stuff. We can also agree that many people will throw their money at the shiny new thing that looks great without doing the research. Apple has made some of the best tech the world has ever seen, I can't say the same about Beats headphones. Apple has great development and great marketing, Beats has great marketing.
I like the way that you compare the HD 800 with gaming headphones....
Details in the music that are already there but not necessary noticeable on lesser systems or headphones. For instance, I listened to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" today, and heard layers of his extra vocals that I thought were just ambient sounds my whole life. Right away, I heard it was his voice and I heard just what he was saying. Pretty awesome. That particularly stood out on "You Want to Be Starting Something" BTW.
@ILoveYouForeverHope
These headphones are certainly not overpriced. I'll make an example. For the quality you get out of them, it's like buying a 670k dollar Ferari Enzo for 30k Dollars. Yes, they still cost alot of money, but they are a super good deal, not overpriced.
A lot of people don't know that 7.1 is not really a big of a deal if its included with the headphones and that you can get 7.1 on a stereo headset/headphones anyway.
Mmmph, I want these so bad. They're sooooo good. Imagine putting on a 5000 dollar theater sound system on your head. 1500 sounds like a lot, but it'd cost you more to get this kind of sound with speakers and a receiver.
@diablolrm90
Well, it was also built for movies and other stuff too. These headphones are amazing for movie playback. Were as you can argue over which headphones sound the best with the right amp for that specific genre of music. The Sennheiser HD800's are a 100% unmatched by any other headphones when it comes to movie playback.
@PlayNChilllStudio These are cheap compared to the most expensive. The Opheus system went for $13k when it was out. Now the headphones alone go for around $7k if you can find someone willing to part with them.
love the analogy. Your headphones are like a rock
linus mentioned in the beginning that hd 800 is still not the most expensive headphone sennheiser has, apparently they have a even higher end model that comes with its own tube amp. can someone please tell me the model name?
no intention to buy it, just pure curiosity
did you guys ever do the follow up on the asus dac/amp review? didn't see it.
@derbigpr500 I was just referring to what the guy said in the video, something to the effect of "where would I find headphones with 600 ohms." I wasn't dropping the Beyer's name because they're hard to drive. I know sensitivity is an important factor as well.
Awesome, a $1500 very large rock!
@FightingNavyman
Trust me, they are super light... Alot lighter then a common pair of headphones. Might even be the lightest full ear headphones from Sennheiser.
@VortexBlast27 Well put. The amp does not need to be expensive for it to work well but if you want to get the mots out of these you should be prepared to pay another thousand bucks or more for a good amp and yet another thousand for a good DAC.
@bassl0va Very true, these headphones are way above many casual gamers price range and most gamers would much rather spend their money on upgrading their rig. However having said that comparing my HD800's with a few 5.1 gaming headphones it's clear that the superior soundstaging and detail with the HD800's provide quite an advantage. Whilst playing MW3 I could hear the footsteps of enemy's with such accuracy in terms of distance horizontally and vertically. It's just that amazing!
so in order to proper use the headphones you need a headphon aplifier?
Any piece of technology I type into the search box, "LinusTechTips"
You are a beast
And of course there are great options for less cost, there often is a case of diminishing returns for the cost/quality ratio as you go up . . . Like paying twice as much for 2% better and so forth. For me, having never previously owned better than a decent pair of Sony studio monitor headphones, the 650s at least doubled the quality of my listening sessions.
Sure most people wouldn't spend 1500$ on headphones but it is not out of the norm to spend well over 1500$ on a home theater surround sound. Now that being said some people like myself prefer headphones for various reasons. E.G: I live in an apartment and in no way can I ever get a fulfilling use out of a home theater but I can get comparable enjoyment out of equally priced headphones. I have been saving for these for a while as well as a sound card to go with them. Can't wait.
really cool seeing linus talk about a quality piece of audio equipment. still prefer my d7000's though :)
@hghwat >Dells amazong
>lolz
>your talking
>idk
>sentence begins with lowercase letter
-1/10
Even though amps and headphones don't depreciate in value, $3500 is a lot for a setup. I'm fine with my $1000 combo, which is more than satisfying for what I listen to.
@Fuogor all the sennheiser are manufactured in Germany :)
What do you mean by hearing things you hadn't heard before?
Where would one find high enough quality audio to use these outside of a recording studio? Seriously, I have a pair of sennheisers that cost me $150 and I can hear every nuance of bass and treble in just about any genre. Maybe I just haven't used headphones that expensive to know the difference?
What do you do with all the products you unbox? :S
Happy 1,100 Videos!
GOD DAMN! you could get a 6 core Xeon for that price... If I ever decide to do a $30,000 build, these will be included. Lovin the Dracula coffin case too