Amazing video, thanks for the in-depth review about the HD800s, gonna go to my local hifi store to test them out, but as far as i read and watched so far they seem the ultimate endgame for gaming and music. Cheers
I recently got a pair of used HD800S paired with the Zen DAC 3 from iFi Audio. A perfect pairing for gaming and music. The Xbass feature adds the perfect amount of sub bass and low bass body and character without being over bearing, listening to music. When I’m gaming, I turn the Xbass off for that accurate sound reproduction. I’ve previously owned Focal Clear MGs and Hifiman Arya Stealth, but the Sennheisers just have something magical about them that I can’t quite put my finger on. The imaging of a well produced album is like hearing a live studio recording!❤❤❤
There are reasons that 800s is one of the most popular headphones in history. As you get older, you become sensitive to bass and insensitive with treble. Furthermore, I mostly listen to classical and jazz music. 800s makes perfect sound to me.
That's just plain wrong. You cannot become sensitive to bass with age. You may have preferences depending on the music you listen to and your unique HRTF. You may get a so called brain burn-in if you listen to bass light headphones for long enough. While it's true that our hearing ability for high frequencies declines with age, it's got nothing to do with how tolerant we are to them. You can have phenomenal hearing at 50, and still enjoy a well done treble. You can have bad hearing at 25, and still find treble offensive in any form. Preferences for music can be as unique as the individual who is listening to it. This is why no audio product is considered to be perfect.
I can see a lot of people wondering about this vs the he1000 series. He1000stealth: a bit more bass but also somehow more fatiguing treblem Hd800: a bit less bass, way wider soundstage, way more room information and details. He1000se: in between both and a bit more relaxed than the stealth
I have a hard time understanding that anyone would want better headphones than the 800s, especially after using them with proper equipment, for me they are the end of the game.
I listen to classical music almost exclusively . My HD800s driven by a hybrid amplifier is amazing 🎉❤ especially for recording of a grand symphony orchestra with ~ 100 instruments.
i have an audeze lcdx. I though I was using the very best. A friend of mine let me hear these hd800s. I two days, i bought the sennheiser and i am selling the lcd-x
Even the K712 after a some good months of use, with a Lehmanm amp everything upscales to unreal levels, the bad recorded albums come to life, and the audiophile albums sounds like from another dimension, i take any akg or sennhesier over modern "high end" headphones
How do you think the HE1000 Stealth fare against HD800S? Both for music and gaming. I am very stuck choosing between these two. I know with Sennheisers i am safe no matter what, ive had everything from HD599, HD600, HD650, HD6XX and now HD700's and theyve been all amazing but ive heard so much good about the HE1000 Stealth.
So I'd say if you want more low end presence and don't mind the stage not quite as wide as the 800S, then the HE1k stealth is a good option. It still has a great stage to it, just not the level of the 800S. Also if you desire more bass then the 800S, again a good choice of the HE1K. 800S on OTL tubes though...that's a fun combo!
What people often fail to have perspective on is how they sound with an eq correction like sonarworks, it’s just a totally different story, literally incomparable,in that scenario however the original 800 without resonator fares even a bit better imho because it has 0 sub coloration, s series adds a bit of harmonies with that resonator
The bass is beautiful for symphonic music especially with a nice tube amp but you’re right, it doesn’t slam you in the gut. Great for classical, jazz, concerts and movies with outstanding resolution
I'm very interested in buying this headphone but struggling to find a good answer on the amp + dac that would be good for gaming. If you have any answers would be helpful.
Im getting the headphones for 1300 and im willing to spend another 1000 to set it up correctly cables amp dac and all but im a bit clueless on those specs@@Skeeb23
@@Skeeb23i am looking for the same exact thing, 500-800 is my price range after purchasing the headphones, could that get me something that would creat a great gaming experience?
@@bukursglass6990 @tmugsy9706 been talking with some friends on this. There are some options for this depending if you want to go Dac/Amp together, separate, used or new. For new you could go JDSLabs Element3 (but with power supply for more powa) or Schiit Jotunheim2 w/multibit Dac new; Schiit Bifrost 2/64 used for DAC with Valhalla used (this could be over 800 depending on sellers) There are other options, but these mentioned are at least known to power the 800S just fine and you get balanced for extra power, which the Senn needs.
@@bukursglass6990 Chord Mojo 2 for critical listening & enjoyment. For genres like classical music, jazz & acoustics the Mojo 2 elevates the clarity, soundstage/imaging & detail retrieval like no others at its price range. With its lossless DSP, you're able to EQ these to compensate for some of HD800S inherent weaknesses (poor low-shelf bass & slightly shrill treble at 6khz) with relatively little to no distortion.
HD800 and 800S has always been way too bright in the treble and way too lean in the bass for me to enjoy. Having said that if I was in to gaming it would be the only headphone I’d use. Great review but it’s not for me.
Definitely understand your view. Tubes really make them magical but that's not necessarily an everyday scenario for sure. I'd love to see an update to this headphone other then the 8xx that I don't think was a good enough change.
@@Skeeb23 Yeah. I’ve heard them on a few different source chains including OTL’s and that bass never gets anywhere near where I need it to be. I don’t index that much for soundstage to warrant a purchase of a headphone that specializes in it but nothing else. The tibre is very weird on the HD800S as nothing in real life sounds like that headphones presentation. Great review nonetheless and I hope it’s useful for someone’s purchase decision.
@@Skeeb23 update would be interesting but its a huge risk of failure xD even if they could make some magic their marketing is dumb (like 660S2) and price probably would be 3000$ but at that price they need something almost perfect to win with other brands
lean, thin and without a bite for 1800 dollars? That rubbish is a total overrated POS! I don't give a F about gaming. This thing should do its best for music, not freaking gaming!
There are quite a few out there who love this headphone for music and have never bothered with gaming. Especially if you have a nice OTL Tube Amp. Then this headphone morphs into quite a unique experience. At the end of the day, it's all subjective to personal preferences.
Best gift i have purchased for myself
Amazing video, thanks for the in-depth review about the HD800s, gonna go to my local hifi store to test them out, but as far as i read and watched so far they seem the ultimate endgame for gaming and music. Cheers
I use the HD800S predominantly for gaming. Best immersive headphones on the planet.
I recently got a pair of used HD800S paired with the Zen DAC 3 from iFi Audio. A perfect pairing for gaming and music. The Xbass feature adds the perfect amount of sub bass and low bass body and character without being over bearing, listening to music. When I’m gaming, I turn the Xbass off for that accurate sound reproduction. I’ve previously owned Focal Clear MGs and Hifiman Arya Stealth, but the Sennheisers just have something magical about them that I can’t quite put my finger on. The imaging of a well produced album is like hearing a live studio recording!❤❤❤
There are reasons that 800s is one of the most popular headphones in history. As you get older, you become sensitive to bass and insensitive with treble. Furthermore, I mostly listen to classical and jazz music. 800s makes perfect sound to me.
That's just plain wrong. You cannot become sensitive to bass with age. You may have preferences depending on the music you listen to and your unique HRTF. You may get a so called brain burn-in if you listen to bass light headphones for long enough. While it's true that our hearing ability for high frequencies declines with age, it's got nothing to do with how tolerant we are to them. You can have phenomenal hearing at 50, and still enjoy a well done treble. You can have bad hearing at 25, and still find treble offensive in any form. Preferences for music can be as unique as the individual who is listening to it. This is why no audio product is considered to be perfect.
@@kunalshrivastava6398Just EQ the treble peak out of the HD800 if it bothers you so much.
@@kunalshrivastava6398 its perfect for HIM
I do agree OTL amp is good for HD800s I am using woo audio WA3 it’s wonderful
I can see a lot of people wondering about this vs the he1000 series.
He1000stealth: a bit more bass but also somehow more fatiguing treblem
Hd800: a bit less bass, way wider soundstage, way more room information and details.
He1000se: in between both and a bit more relaxed than the stealth
I have a hard time understanding that anyone would want better headphones than the 800s, especially after using them with proper equipment, for me they are the end of the game.
glad i found my endgame with the 660 s2 fantastic headphones
What do you drive your 660s2 with?
@@alex_rfgfitnessfiio k7. seems pretty solid. natural sounding
@@alex_rfgfitnessusing the iFi ZEN DAC 3 & ZEN CAN 3 with mine.
I listen to classical music almost exclusively . My HD800s driven by a hybrid amplifier is amazing 🎉❤ especially for recording of a grand symphony orchestra with ~ 100 instruments.
i have an audeze lcdx. I though I was using the very best.
A friend of mine let me hear these hd800s.
I two days, i bought the sennheiser and i am selling the lcd-x
The old AKG K812 after 100 hours are the true stage kings i had the 800s and there are good witch but miss the middle
Even the K712 after a some good months of use, with a Lehmanm amp everything upscales to unreal levels, the bad recorded albums come to life, and the audiophile albums sounds like from another dimension, i take any akg or sennhesier over modern "high end" headphones
Thanks for the Tracks
On pc the sound blaster ae9 is a great pairing with the 800s , works great :)
How do you think the HE1000 Stealth fare against HD800S? Both for music and gaming. I am very stuck choosing between these two. I know with Sennheisers i am safe no matter what, ive had everything from HD599, HD600, HD650, HD6XX and now HD700's and theyve been all amazing but ive heard so much good about the HE1000 Stealth.
So I'd say if you want more low end presence and don't mind the stage not quite as wide as the 800S, then the HE1k stealth is a good option. It still has a great stage to it, just not the level of the 800S. Also if you desire more bass then the 800S, again a good choice of the HE1K. 800S on OTL tubes though...that's a fun combo!
@@Skeeb23 How you think they are for gaming? HE1000 Stealth that is. I would imagine HD800S is a bit better here and immersive?
@@AveanI would recommend going with HD800 S.
for hd800s use dekoni elite hybrid pads. you will hear more air and vibration.
Gustard R26 + FelixAudio Euforia . I love this combination.
What people often fail to have perspective on is how they sound with an eq correction like sonarworks, it’s just a totally different story, literally incomparable,in that scenario however the original 800 without resonator fares even a bit better imho because it has 0 sub coloration, s series adds a bit of harmonies with that resonator
Bottlehead Crack + HD800 is pure heaven
for hours of fun listening / relaxation
What is that headphone stand ?
The bass is beautiful for symphonic music especially with a nice tube amp but you’re right, it doesn’t slam you in the gut. Great for classical, jazz, concerts and movies with outstanding resolution
I have HD800 (Early S/No - less than 1000) and HD800S, love them both.
I'm very interested in buying this headphone but struggling to find a good answer on the amp + dac that would be good for gaming. If you have any answers would be helpful.
What is your price range?
Im getting the headphones for 1300 and im willing to spend another 1000 to set it up correctly cables amp dac and all but im a bit clueless on those specs@@Skeeb23
@@Skeeb23i am looking for the same exact thing, 500-800 is my price range after purchasing the headphones, could that get me something that would creat a great gaming experience?
@@bukursglass6990 @tmugsy9706 been talking with some friends on this. There are some options for this depending if you want to go Dac/Amp together, separate, used or new. For new you could go JDSLabs Element3 (but with power supply for more powa) or Schiit Jotunheim2 w/multibit Dac new; Schiit Bifrost 2/64 used for DAC with Valhalla used (this could be over 800 depending on sellers) There are other options, but these mentioned are at least known to power the 800S just fine and you get balanced for extra power, which the Senn needs.
@@bukursglass6990 Chord Mojo 2 for critical listening & enjoyment. For genres like classical music, jazz & acoustics the Mojo 2 elevates the clarity, soundstage/imaging & detail retrieval like no others at its price range. With its lossless DSP, you're able to EQ these to compensate for some of HD800S inherent weaknesses (poor low-shelf bass & slightly shrill treble at 6khz) with relatively little to no distortion.
HD800s vs HE1000 v2/stealth/se?
Anyone got any tube amp/dac they would recommend for HD800s?
I have a JDS Element 3 right now, but I'm curious what tube amps sound like.
The lehmann linear is where they tuned up the hd800 and is the best amp for studios, the rest its up the dac resolution you plug to the amp
would you take the 800s and wa7+mojo 2 or just the atrium + mojo2?
👍
For me they definitely need a pad swap because they are too pinpoint sounding. It needs diffusion.
so this is what I want
your comment helped me
I expect your next video to be shot while on a Segway
😂
HD800 and 800S has always been way too bright in the treble and way too lean in the bass for me to enjoy.
Having said that if I was in to gaming it would be the only headphone I’d use. Great review but it’s not for me.
Definitely understand your view. Tubes really make them magical but that's not necessarily an everyday scenario for sure.
I'd love to see an update to this headphone other then the 8xx that I don't think was a good enough change.
@@Skeeb23 Yeah. I’ve heard them on a few different source chains including OTL’s and that bass never gets anywhere near where I need it to be. I don’t index that much for soundstage to warrant a purchase of a headphone that specializes in it but nothing else. The tibre is very weird on the HD800S as nothing in real life sounds like that headphones presentation. Great review nonetheless and I hope it’s useful for someone’s purchase decision.
@@kevintj604 Always appreciate your comments and thoughts out point of view. Cheers!
@@Skeeb23 update would be interesting but its a huge risk of failure xD even if they could make some magic their marketing is dumb (like 660S2) and price probably would be 3000$ but at that price they need something almost perfect to win with other brands
I don't think that, only people using consumer grade amps and dacs and horrible hi res formats can say that claiming
lean, thin and without a bite for 1800 dollars? That rubbish is a total overrated POS! I don't give a F about gaming. This thing should do its best for music, not freaking gaming!
There are quite a few out there who love this headphone for music and have never bothered with gaming. Especially if you have a nice OTL Tube Amp. Then this headphone morphs into quite a unique experience. At the end of the day, it's all subjective to personal preferences.
We called it 'burnin in'.. Welcome to the jungle pals... Peace!
Great headphone, but Stax just leave it for dead....
Most overrated headphone.