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Donāt know why Sennheiser even made the HD800. I sold mine on eBay years ago when I realized I was going to need to EQ it. I forget what I paid back then but it was like $1,800 I think. Maybe what they should have done was stuck a tiny subwoofer in the middle of the donut driverā¦ LOL. (Maybe I should patent that ideaā¦
) Anyway, HD800 was a dud so no surprise that the 800s is similarly weak. Every once in awhile I get tempted to buy the S version of it but I manage to restrain myselfā¦ When I got the HD660s I realized the HD800 was always a fools errand. Just trying to look cool for the sake of coolness. Not a bad headphone in an absolute sense but kind of a silly exercise like they had the marketing department in on the engineering choices or something. If the Focal Clear is that similar to the HD800 I wouldnāt buy it eitherā¦
No surprise that someone prefers the Clears as a more generalist can when put up against the HD800S. The only reason why I hang onto my HD800S is that I do listen to classical music from time to time, and even have days where Iām listening to nothing but classical music while I work. The HD800S just works so well with classical music and is just better enough when put up against my other cans for that genre. However, if I only have to use one can for all genres of music, then the HD800S will definitely not be among the top contenders from the cans that I own.
Got a cable for these in the mail today. The Norne Audio Drausk. This cost just over 300 after a discount since it was taking longer than expected to make it. The stock cable was bothering me due to its length and how it got tangled easier than Iād like. Hereās a picture of the cable. Itās pretty thick but itās very flexible and not that heavy (probably similar in weight to the stock cable).
I also have the dekoni elite hybrid pads coming sometime this week so am looking forward to seeing how those work more for improving the comfort. If they do mess with the sound more than I like then I will just eq them in roon
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For those of you that have dekoni pads on your 800S, did you remove the mesh on the pad so that your ear can fit further into the headphone or leave the mesh as is?
So I have the dekoni elite hybrid pads now and I put them on this morning. The first time I put them on I left the Sennheiser black mesh that sits on top of the drivers. I then read online about that becoming loose even with the stock pads (if youāve put on a new pair of stock pads) so I removed the dekoni pads, took out the sennheiser black mesh, and put the pads back on. When I removed the dekoni pads they deformed a little bit as I used a bit too much force taking them off but they went back on fine. For now Iām happy with the pads. I did not notice anything major with removing the mesh provided by sennheiser so I think I will leave it in this configuration unless I hear about a reason to change how itās set up currently. With the pads I donāt notice really any change in the sound. Maybe itās a bit quieter as shown in the measurements above but the comfort outweighs any minor sound changes that may have occurred.
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I see massdrop is releasing the Drop + Sennheiser HD 8XX in 5 months.
A tuned version of the 800S for $1100.
āā¦worked with sennheiser to further balance the midrange and extend the bass responseā
New owner here!
Question about amp dac pairing.
I currently have the bf2 with g111 and RNHP.
Looking to buy a tube or tube hybrid.
- tuba
- Felkis echo mkii
- liquid platinum
I am planning to use the tube amp with the t1.2nd too
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I havenāt listened myself, but typically recommended also is the Bottlehead Crack + Speedball; might wanna check that out as well.
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I canāt speak anything about the MKII or MLP. But the Tuba remains my favorite amp for the 800S. Though I use the 800S almost exclusively with my āaudiophile musicā playlists. So depending on what kind of music youāre listening to, I can see something like a MLP possibly being a better option.
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Ok, so Iām using hpa-21 on hd800s and I have no idea at all why no one brings uo current drive with hd800s. Its like they were tuned for this shit. Fr changes entierly (same fr change on 13r, hpa21, and hpa-01m). Obviously different amps have different voicings but just the fr change alone is enough to be amazing. With the vast staging but sweetness of the hpa21 it becomes an incredible experience
Likely because thereās not many out there that are still currently made, but my favorite pairings with current drive stuff have always been the 800s. But yeah it really transforms the headphone overall, similar effects with a beyer t1.2 as well, takes on characteristics youād not find on most all other amps. But stuff like the hpa21/hpa01, qes reference, and re leaf e3 hybrid DC are pretty insane with the hd800. (Also while not exactly current drive the cma800r also somewhat has this effect too)
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I am planning to purchase an amplifier for the 800s. I am concerned about the power requirement and the amp picky nature of the 800s. What would be recommended
Singxer sa1
Topping a30 pro
Topping l50
Topping a90
Aune x1s get
Can also purchase others around the same price. Any suggestions?
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Hi.
I am planning on getting these by the end of the year. Got the iFi Zen 6XX Stack Signature. Would these be ok with my stack? Thanks. 
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For 300 ohm headphones like the HD800 the Zen Can is very good. It delivers a high voltage and You get about 650mW over the 4.4mm jack. The Xbass is also very welcome for the bass light hd800s
Thanks!!! Canāt wait to get a pair soon.
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Do cables influence the sound of these headphones? Iām thinking of replacing this bulky stock cable with a HAC.
To preface this, Iām not someone who thinks cables meaningfully āimproveā upon sound quality with things like staging, resolution, etc. , but having gone from stock to a HAC myself, it is a necessary upgrade. I found the stock cables to be a bit cumbersome with the length and weight. I didnāt find the new cables ādowngradingā the sound quality from stock, and they made the headphone a lot lighter feeling, no longer tugging at my head.
Another thing is that the HD800S with interconnects is a blessing since you no longer have to yoink the headphone connections out going from SE to Balanced (or having to lube them from what Iāve read.)
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Glad to hear thisā¦ thank you!
By the way, these proprietary cables are a nightmare. Itās baffling how so many high-end headphones come with crappy cables. This was a different kind of problem, though. Iām literally afraid of breaking my HD800s every time I yank them out, and I physically cannot yank them out with my bare hands.
So yeah, Iām with you on the convenience factor of HACs in this case 
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