Sennheiser HD 800 (HD800)

A must have for music enthusiasts

Quite honestly if you're looking at buying these headphones, you probably know exactly what you're getting into. I'm not going to go into great detail on them as there are reviews out there that do a much better job than I could ever do, but I'll just briefly state some of my thoughts on them.

I currently own the HD600, HE-500, SR 325is, M50, and some IEMs. The HD800 provide by far the best resolution and soundstage off all my other headphones. The details you'll hear from recordings will blow your mind (chairs adjusting, hands sliding over acoustic guitar strings even though they're not vibrating, etc.). I'm currently taking the PHillips golden ear challenge and I feel like I'm cheating with them, they're that good.

Which brings me to their only weakness, they're too good. If you have a low quality recording, bad amp, bad production, or any non-ideal part in the chain, the HD800 will expose it tremendously. Everything else needs to be near-perfect like it or else the experience will be sub par at best. When all the stars align and everything is high quality, It will be heaven on earth though.

As for gear, I used to have a schiit asgard 2 and modi as my amp and DAC, but I don't think they quite cut it for them (by no means bad though just not full potential). I recently upgraded to the Oppo HA-1 and I couldn't be happier with the set up now. So do your research and get ready for an experience .

Glorious, glorious sound

I'm a previous owner of the Sennheiser HD700, and I finally decided to upgrade to the Sennheiser HD800 a few weeks ago. Even though purchasing these headphones might automatically lend you an 'audiophile' air, I do not consider myself as such, as I dislike the jargon used by some of them. I'll just use layman's language in this review.

I prefer a neutral sound signature with no emphasis on any part of the frequency range (that's how you truly hear what the artist intended. audiophile jargon stating 'exciting' just means that they tweaked it somewhat to appeal to the masses). I cannot stand excessive amounts of bass. Gives me a headache. For me, the accuracy/clarity/quality of the bass is much more important than the quantity.

Sound - 10/10. I never thought anything could top the HD700 until I treated my ears to this headphone. Funnily enough, I thought the vocals (especially male ones) sounded a little soft, but then I realized it was probably me already used to other headphones which place unnecessary emphasis on certain parts of the sound. Then I closed my eyes and immersed myself in the music, trying to pick out the separate instruments. Oh, the joy! It was like I was sitting in the midst of a concert band... No more boomy muddy bass that messes everything else up - crystal clear guitar plucks, punchy drumbeats, distinct taps on the cymbals... I could even hear the singer draw breath.

I'm a college student and my music tastes are quite diverse. I tested songs from Genesis, James Blunt, Taylor Swift, Goo Goo Dolls, Andrea Bocelli, EDM songs (I know, why the heck EDM with the HD800 but i'm a college student as I said) and even a chinese melody (Tong Hua by Guang Liang). I used FLAC formats played with Vox music player (iTunes doesnt support FLAC), on a Macbook Pro late 2011 with a Fiio e09k (Amp) + e07k (DAC) combo. Yeah, my setup is a little cheap but I don't buy into the current trend of spending a $1000+ on a DAC.

Bottom line: sound is fantastic, if you like a neutral signature. If you like bass, look towards the Audeze LCD3 (don't own it but I might get one as the perfect complement to the HD800s).

Comfort - 10/10: The headphones are MASSIVE. But the weight is distributed very well, thus they're extremely comfortable.

Look/Design/Durability - It's a headphone meant for use at home - if you were looking for something pretty and stylish to show off to your friends, stick with Beats by Dre (i'm joking please get the Sennheiser Momentum instead). These headphones look high tech, nuff said. Design is splendid, backed by a 2 year warranty. Can't say much about the durability (I will never ever let any harm come to these headphones. They've never left my desk and I keep them covered with cloth when not in use).

Features: If you're buying this headphone, it's for the sound and sound alone. No additional features like microphone or remote (who needs one when you're going to be at home near your PC anyway). However, the wire is replaceable, which is a HUGE relief if your careless self ever gets them cut/burnt etc.

Finally, the most important question. Value. With every audio company jumping on the headphone bandwagon these days, it's still hard to compare value at the top end (just like how you would argue whether a Lamborghini worth $500k is 10x better than a Mercedes costing $50k). But if I had a thousand bucks and was looking for a headphone to keep for the rest of my life, this would be it. Audio technology can improve, but our ears won't evolve that fast (takes millions of years people, and we don't even need super sensitive hearing unlike in the past where predators hunted humans in jungles). I foresee myself enjoying my music with these pair of headphones for the next 40 years or so, depending on how long i live and how fast my hearing deteriorates.

Tips:
1) Before you blow a couple of thousand dollars on a headphone and a fancy DAC+Amp, please go and audition them at a store near you. Unless you're too rich and you don't even care then feel free to send an Audeze LCD3 my way :).

Fabulous!

Lighter than many of its competitors at this price point, and with imaging and balanced frequency response that is difficult to best, the HD800 is an intersection of many fabulous qualities.

Great value for great headphone

I have been watching for this headphone for a while.
I finally got this from SonicElectronix when it was conducting a mystery sale for headphone.

This headphone has been highly praised in audiophile world.
My first impression with this headphone is, it present the
music in clear layers, you can almost locate all the instruments in the music.
Sound is transparent and clear.
It is light weight and comfort when put on my head.
I really like it a lot.

By gto88 on December 21, 2015 Verified purchase