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"Cnet you failed again....." on by ironsnakemx
Pros: These Headphones are the best currently being manufactured in the world.......Soundstage, imaging, Mids ....they have everything.
Cons: The price.....
Summary: Cnet .....why does the fact that these headphones are made for something much more powerfull and punny Ipods is a bad thing for you ? ...............You really think people spend 1500 dollars on headphones and don't use them with an Amp ? i have never seen anyone using these out in the wild , these dont belong in the wild ....these are for your studio, for your main rig ............ Not everything has to sound nice with ipods...... and people who use these for Ipods probably have enough money to buy a decent portable AMP that can feed enough power to these.
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"Top of the line sound. Reference audio quality." on by Archimago
Pros: Soundstage
Sonic detail
Frequency response across the spectrum
Quite efficient for this level of performance
Lovely engineeringCons: Nope, they ain't cheap!
Summary: As I write, I've had these for 4 months now, used regularly every 2 nights or so.
IMO this is the best dynamic headphone out there compared to the usual suspects like Denon AH-D's, AKG 701, Ultrasone Pro 900, etc. These are more expensive than most of those as well though.
I compared and preferred these in general to orthodynamics - have listened to HifiMan HE500, Audeze LCD2, Fostex T50RP. Have not spent enough time with electrostatics to render a strong opinion.
As much as I love my full size floor-standing speakers, these are my reference music makers which keeps everything else honest when compared. Across the musical genres, these headphones perform admirably. Rock, jazz, vocals, techo, pop - no problem, trebles reproduced with ease and neutral down to the sub-bass. Like good high-end equipment, these are *not* forgiving of source imperfections. This is most commonly a problem with modern pop where excess compression can lead to very obvious distortions. This is a good thing IMO as a reflection of the amazing fidelity. Some music may sound better with a tube amp which can 'warm' up the sound (especially some of those old '80s CD).
A headphone amp is a must for these (seriously, NOBODY would buy headphones in this class without amplification!). At 100%, my MacBook Pro sounds moderately loud. The headphone out on my PC's EMU0404USB is totally inadequate, didn't even bother with the iDevices.
One more thing to add: these babies are COMFORTABLE! I can easily wear these for hours without any discomfort. Despite the size, they're light and the chord is very nice with essentially no microphonic distractions when moving. -
"The Best headphones EVER!" on by weiserb
Pros: Incredible lifelike sound, Seamless sound top to bottom. The soundstage is fantastic. There are a giant leap better than the HD 600/650 series and stomp the Great Grado RS1's. I also found them much more comfortable that the other headphone as they rest
Cons: They are exxpensive, the best usually cost more. You can get almost 5 pairs of HD 650's for the price of these are they 5x better ? Its hard to say, but I am keeping my pair!
Summary: The best headphones I have ever owned, They are a pleasure to listen to for extended periods. I use them with a Cayin HA-a1 SET tube amplifier and the combination is musical nirvana. You will need to have a great quality amp.
I have listened to them with lesser headphone amps and they loose 80% of the magic -
"Fantastic sound but headband is hard and uncomfortable" on by carstendan
Pros: Sound quality is incredibly amazing.
Fantastic dynamic.
Crystal clear sound.Cons: Headband is very hard and uncomfortable
Summary: I use HD800 together with the headphone amp Musical Fidelity M1 HPA. HD800 has better sound quality than any headphones in the world. There is no filter between the music and the sound in HD800.
The sound quality is so amazing, warm and rich wtih a great dynamic.
But the comfort is so bad that it interferes with the listening experience that I forget how good it sounds, because it's so uncomfortable on my head. The headband is very hard and uncomfortable, even for short listening. It's a shame for so expensive and fine headphone.
I will buy a lambskin halter padding with velcro for horses. I think it will help so the headphone is more pleasent to wear.
My low rating is because of the lack of comfort.
The sound quality is the highest, five stars.
There is no headphones that sounds better then HD800. -
"This is what happens when you think outside the box!" on by Wade0955
Pros: Build quality. Spatial imaging. Unbelievable performance with all types of music!
Cons: The only bad thing I have to say is that I had to wait until I was 55 to find a pair of perfect headphones!
Summary: I was impressed right from the time I opened the box! I've never seen build quality like this on a set of headphones! It's obvious to me that was a labour of love for Sennheiser! I, initially, thought they'd be too heavy but, once I put them on my head, they felt very light and comfortable. I've been in the audio industry for the past 36 years and over that time I've developed quite an eclectic taste in music. I've enjoyed many headphones over the years, the last being a pair of HD-650's which have been used extensively for the last 3 years! I really thought it would be tough to surpass the performance of the 650's but I still wanted to try. To say that the HD-800 is a step up from the 650's would be unfair. They are, quite simply, in another league altogether! Gone is the "Closed in" feeling I got with all other headphones! In fact, when I first played them I quickly took them off again because I thought I had forgot to turn my power amps off and that the speakers were playing! It actually sounded like the soundstage was starting from about 10 feet in front of me! My Wife said the same thing, and normally she doesn't even like headphones! (It took me 10 minutes to wrestle them back out of her hands!) (( This could be trouble / expensive!))Now, I've only had them for one day, and I'm sure that the break in will take some time, but all I can say is that, even if they don't improve at all, I'll be happy with these babies for a long, long time! I'm running them on a, slightly modified,Grado headphone amp which seems to work very well! Just for fun I plugged them into my iPhone 3G (using an adapter) and was pleasantly surprised that they worked real well, not that I'd use them while rollerblading, but I just wanted to know. After I've had a chance to listen to them for a hundred hours or so I'll try to find time to post here again! If any of you are in Edmonton and would like to have a listen, let me know and I'll arrange to bring them to the store so you can test them out!
Sennheiser HD800 user reviews
