This is the official thread for the Sennheiser HD800S. This thread is for discussion and reviews.
- Over Ear
- Amp needed
- Open Back
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Metal571
These cans are made for tube honestly, i use the schiit valhalla 2 and it’s a great pairing
The first thing i noticed was that the highs were subdue. I am very sensitive to highs, so when i first bought them, i was getting a lot of ear fatigue even when listening through my Sony NW-WM1A’s balanced output that usually has a bit of a warm sound. Plugged them to my valhalla2 with the stocks tubes and hours passed and my ear was no begging me to stop. And the subdue highs get every note of the violins and plates, listening to the Nier:Automata OST was truly an experience.
Secondly, since the highs are subdue, the mids get a bit more forward so enjoying singer focused songs such as classic rock and Mtv Unplugged line up, i got the feeling i was in a room perfectly centered to the stage.
Thirdly, although these cans by default are not bassy, has a great definition but not a lot of depth, tubing these the bass gets like and extra reverberation at the end of the note. Listening to steppenwolf and creedence, the bass guitar gets like a “hum” sound that gives a little more body to the bass note.
My solid state amp is the Aune x7s 2018 edition btw. Hope this description is helpful 
3 Likes
That’s a great description, thanks for your help!
What’s a fair price for these on the used market?
One sold on ebay the other day for around 900 euro
Pretty much 700-900 USD in good condition
Why do people hate on these so much?
They are still the best thing I’ve experienced in the headphone world still.
It really depends on preference (also people tend to rag on the 800 more than the s). Some just think they are too bright and amp dependant
Brighter than Elex or Dt1990?
I would say so, it’s a fairly treble oriented headphone
That’s true about the S as well?
Yes, the s has more tamed treble than the non s, but they are both bright headphones. That’s not a bad thing either, it just means those that don’t like a brighter headphone won’t enjoy it as much. You seemed to enjoy them when you heard them, so I don’t think it would be something to worry about
For sure. It’s been a while though, and I have probably refined my tastes a good bit. Really I found the 1990 pushing the treble. It was a bit hissy it seemed…
Yup it is on the aggressive side, and are more tilted toward studio. It can be tamed with eq tho with pretty good results
I think I’m going to have to go try out the HD800 at a headphone bar again now.
Lucky lol, I wish there were more of those
I am going to have to drive an hour and a half. Lol
I also wish there were more. Honestly I wish all of this was more mainstream supported.
Pulled the trigger on these, used condition.
Until I truely try the 800s, I’ll keep wondering how spectacular that huge soundstage feels like.
I also heard they are amazing for gaming, therefore they might become my go to gaming headphones, among other uses.
Now, I’m a tad worried when I’m reading that these cans are amp dependant, etc.
Anyway I’ll shoot a few questions … If any of you have answers, I’d love to hear!
Are these cans brighter than say DT 880 pro 250ohms?
How do they compare to Focal Elex?
Would the Xduoo XD5 Plus be sufficient to drive the HD800s?
Or the Liquid Spark w/ Toppling D10?
Are these true endgame when strictly speaking of soundstage and imaging?
Any other suggestions in regards to amps to use with the HD800s? I’ve been told the darkvoice 336se is a good one?
Cheers and thanks for the help! 