I purchased the perforated sheepskin and to my ears it makes bigger soundstage and a little more brighter. This is my main headphone now.
The HD8xx are perfect, why do you need to mod them?
ā¦You say immediately after mentioning youāve pad-rolled them.
Iām pretty open to headphones having unique signatures ā but the 8xx tuning is specifically imperfect. Iād like if I could enjoy them more without EQ, and am hoping to see more feedback on some of the physical mods.
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I donāt care that DMS and Crinacle didnāt like the measurements of HD8xx. They SOUND alive. Pad swapping just gives you more flavor. Iāve never had HD800S, but what Iāve seen from HD800 reviews the perforated pads makes HD8xx something like HD800S. I use those pads also because they are more comfortable than the thin stock pads.
HD8xx are not sibilant vs HD800S and have more low and (according to other people).
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The Drop + Sennheiser HD8XX is the cheaper version of plugging the HD800S into the iFi iCAN Pro Signature amp on Tube + and XBass dial turned all the way to the right, and I love it. Definitely keeping my pair.
Well, just gonna jump in here and share my thoughts on this headphone. So, I tried the 800s awhile back and thought it was fine. Didnāt sell me on it, but I saw the appeal. Now, fast forward a few months and passing by all the 8xx release stuff where people were really bashing it. Then, the Zeos $699 price, which was insane. A little more time passes, and now I have purchased a set of āsticker moddedā 8xx for $650 on the used marketā¦
The TLDR (if you already read the rest of that); for the price, these are phenomenal. Serious, I donāt know if the sticker mod made that much difference, or if I just donāt hear the same way the other guys do, but these are very good, and are worth their initial asking price IMO, and certainly $650 or $700 is a tremendous value.
They compete very well with my HE1000v2, and I honestly think they are going to displace them. Wide, natural, phenomenal detail and resolution, imaging is exactly what youād expect from the 800 series, bass is present and well-defined, perhaps a touch on the bright side, but quite tune-able with a good tube amp and some rolling.
My advice, keep an eye on the used market and you can pick yourself up an end-game headphone at a mid-fi price.
My chain right now: Soekris 2541 ā Violectric V280 or Feliks Echo MK1
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They are also excellent value if youāre willing to EQ them from the bone stock setup. The intelligentsia shat on them, so thereās good availability for now in that 600-700 range. EQād or modded - at the Z price or used market weāre getting the 8xx I envisioned when first discussed!
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You need to try Dekoni sheepskin perforated pads. It makes soundstage even bigger.
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Oratory has just released the best EQ preset Iāve tried for the HD8xx. It sounds perfect!
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Someone on Reddit posted their measurements of the 8XX is all adhesive/internal damping removed versus stock. Quite interesting.
Here is the link for anyone interested
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Hello MrAyrit! I was wondering if you felt there was any meaningful difference between the 8XX and 800S when you had the chance to compare them if bang for buck wasnāt a factor?
Iām looking at them new on drop for $899 and $1499 respectively. I remember from your video you seemed to feel post sticker mod the difference was negligible at best.
Iām a-okay paying up if there is something more that the 800S delivers (and the main series name Iām ashamed to admit), but I worry a lot of the brouhaha over the 8XX was just generated by the 800 series already being a bit divisive and the people that loved the original tuning skewed negative and people who wanted a whole new headphone the same. I wouldnāt want to pay an extra $500 for a tuning change that ultimately comes down to taste. Heck maybe I like the 8xx being a bit fuller stock anyway.
Thanks in advance, any thoughts to color my decision help! I think Iām leaning just nabbing the 8xx. 900 new out the box feels like a good deal even itās not the magic 699 Z price.
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Personally, thereās no way Iād pay the extra money for the 800s. Pre-sticker mod, thereās a difference, but post, itās very minor.
However, I see 8xx going for $650 all the time on the used market, so $900 seems steep to me, especially if youāre going to sticker mod and probably void a warranty.
IMO $900 is a good deal, $650 or so and itās probably the best deal in headphones.
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