Sennheiser HD 820 Review (headphone)

[Robbo99999]

On the Sennheiser store they have the Sennheiser days, ending today. These can be bought for €1328 online at the store, shipment included. I'm tempted to buy. They look comfortable and are light weight. I haven't tried them, though.

I don't think I'd bother with these, the frequency response is so chewed up, if you're gonna spend that much on a headphone why not pay a bit more and get the DCA E3.

 

[Jumbotron]

I don't think I'd bother with these, the frequency response is so chewed up, if you're gonna spend that much on a headphone why not pay a bit more and get the DCA E3.

Thank you. I got a similar response elsewhere. I'm definitely not buying these.

 

[evanft]

Looking at the positive reception the HD620 has gotten the HD820 doesn't seem to far off. I see a homologous change in response with closed capsules as opposed to the open open design. Instead of trailing bass it retains its low-end strength and the high-end is attenuated. Owing to varying fitment that absurd bass hump is probably reduced for most people as the large HD8-- cups are not known to seal perfectly for anyone except your hairless dummy head. So two "problems" of the HD800 are solved in one go with the HD820 - lack of bass to presence of bass and the shrill peaks become mellowed out.

There's two things to keep in mind here with the HD820 that explain its reception from reviewers:

• Cost. MSRP right now is around $2,000, and I believe it was even higher when it first came out. That's a very expensive headphone, even nowadays with all the kilobuck models that have been released.
• The tuning is, for lack of a better term, wonky as all hell. Here's Oratory's measurement That's clearly not and "HD800S but closed". It's tuned completely differently. It also doesn't have a particularly smooth response, which is immediately going to turn off a lot of people.

 

[Oldson]

This headphone measures 'better' with seal somewhat broken.

The dip around 60Hz is what Tyll called 'pad bounce' and the few times I looked into this showed you can change the depth and frequency of the dip when changing pads or compressing them. That's why it also is so prominent in the GD.
The pad likes to vibrate/absorb/delay frequencies around 60Hz. When the seal is changed you can also see the effect and frequency change.
The HD800(S) have very different pads so doesn't have this effect.
Ignore the dip between 1kHz and 5kHz it is caused by the lack of pinna gain.

gonna try one of these at home next week.
i feel the thin "rimmed glasses" option may suit my taste

 

[solderdude]

It didn't sound as bad as the plots would indicate. Bass did not sound as good as EQ'ed HD800 but other HD800 qualities were there (minus the sharpness)

Because I wear glasses my seal probably was not optimal making the response a bit more neutral.

This is one of the headphones that should be auditioned before buying... certainly for that price.
The looks and quality build is probably its biggest selling point.
Currently sells for € 2k which I think is a bit too much.

 

[Oldson]

£1250 at audioT currently

 

[Oldson]

currently have the 820 on home trial.
initially i thought they were'nt as bad as the FR suggests.
i tend to like a warmer sounding headphone.
these do take warmth a bit too far even for me.
tried Amir's eq and the oratory option, both of which improved things greatly.
the openness (for a closed back) is really good to my ear but,despite this, i find them tiring.

so they're back in their box after just 2 hours.
on to the next option.............

 

[Rob_Gordon]

hey!
just out of curiosity, if anyone can enlighten me as to why they rate it so bad?

I'm really just wondering: are they complete subjectivists? I'm not too familiar with this channel, but I thought they were grounding their reviews on measurements... the dude said that the HD820 is good for people who enjoy "listening to a bluetooth speaker in a kitchen sink"... that description doesn't not fit Amir's review...

 

[Chagall]

hey!
just out of curiosity, if anyone can enlighten me as to why they rate it so bad?

I'm really just wondering: are they complete subjectivists? I'm not too familiar with this channel, but I thought they were grounding their reviews on measurements... the dude said that the HD820 is good for people who enjoy "listening to a bluetooth speaker in a kitchen sink"... that description doesn't not fit Amir's review...

Objectively HD820's frequency response is bad - @amirm states this in his review. He recommended them post-EQ, maybe giving them a pass because of their spatial qualities. But without EQ, I'm sure he wouldn't.

DMS and Resolve are objective reviewers. Their tier lists are usually made based on headphone performance out of the box, without EQ, so in that respect, it fits with Amir's review.

Also, just because people are objective they might not rate headphones the same. We all have preferences and potentially hear headphones differently because of our head/ear and headphone coupling.

 

[Rob_Gordon]

Objectively HD820's frequency response is bad - @amirm states this in his review. He recommended them post-EQ, maybe giving them a pass because of their spatial qualities. But without EQ, I'm sure he wouldn't.

DMS and Resolve are objective reviewers. Their tier lists are usually made based on headphone performance out of the box, without EQ, so in that respect, it fits with Amir's review.

Also, just because people are objective they might not rate headphones the same. We all have preferences and potentially hear headphones differently because of our head/ear and headphone coupling.

Alright, thank you for the clarification.

 

[Oldson]

my Kennerton Magni blew the HD820 away to my ears.
just wish the Magni isolated, its almost like an open headphone to me. maybe thats why i preferred it

 

[Malaj]

my Kennerton Magni blew the HD820 away to my ears.
just wish the Magni isolated, its almost like an open headphone to me. maybe thats why i preferred it

Yeah that is an easy trick to make a closed headphone sound better. But it´s cheating. I love the magni as well very fun dynamic headphone to listen to. Compared it to dca noire which is acoustically dead and incredible booring headphone though I did like the response curve tuning couldn´t complain about that. But it´s the headphone equivalent to the thx amp design that remove detail to get insane good distortion figures.

But I ended up with the ether c flow because it isolates superb, extremely comfortable and is not as acoustically dead as the noire.

Now the question is how well do the hd 820 isolate? The only reason I am interested in this because I want the hd 800S qualities but soundleakage at least close to the noire/ether c flow. But I suspect it will leak more due to the pad design and lack of clamping force on most heads?

 

[eclipsedaurora]

Yeah that is an easy trick to make a closed headphone sound better. But it´s cheating. I love the magni as well very fun dynamic headphone to listen to. Compared it to dca noire which is acoustically dead and incredible booring headphone though I did like the response curve tuning couldn´t complain about that. But it´s the headphone equivalent to the thx amp design that remove detail to get insane good distortion figures.

But I ended up with the ether c flow because it isolates superb, extremely comfortable and is not as acoustically dead as the noire.

Now the question is how well do the hd 820 isolate? The only reason I am interested in this because I want the hd 800S qualities but soundleakage at least close to the noire/ether c flow. But I suspect it will leak more due to the pad design and lack of clamping force on most heads?

I'm an owner of HD820 and to me it is one of the best close back around. Yes it is not without her weakness but if you consider the fact that "I want a close back HD800S", there is simply no alternative in the market just like Porsche. Frankly speaking the soundstage and imaging capability of 820 is even better than a lot of open back. Sennheiser engineers have really successful in defeating the physics in this aspect.

Sound lackage isn't bad compare with my other close back. The cup and pad are larger than usual and hence it is difficult to achieve a perfect seal. You need to spend sometime to try and error the fit every time when you wear it or otherwise it will sound like listening from two tin cans. This is sometime you need to keep in mind for getting the best isolation out from it. I can understand why the comment is mixed as many people simply try that out without knowing that the seal was not there.

Below is an excellent review comparsion between 800S and 820:

 

[Ralf Stocker]

Bought my HD540-Reference in 1986 for $83. Hi-Fi enjoyment for 40 years. There's nothing better.

 

[williamr]

Interesting discussion in this Axel Grell YouTube video on "What is (Not) Important in a Frequency Response". There is one section where they talk about HD820 measurements and warn about bass measurement artifacts. There are some other videos on the Grell YouTube page that would be of interest to HD820 owners, FYI (e.g. "Driver Angle: Not only for Soundstage!").

 

[Human Bass]

Interesting discussion in this Axel Grell YouTube video on "What is (Not) Important in a Frequency Response". There is one section where they talk about HD820 measurements and warn about bass measurement artifacts. There are some other videos on the Grell YouTube page that would be of interest to HD820 owners, FYI (e.g. "Driver Angle: Not only for Soundstage!").

But there is always a vital bottom line: our ears. Grell can theorize as much as he wants, but once people put the headphones in their heards and dont like what they hear, it is over.

 

[eclipsedaurora]

But there is always a vital bottom line: our ears. Grell can theorize as much as he wants, but once people put the headphones in their heards and dont like what they hear, it is over.

It depends. Sometimes it needs time for people to learn the beauty behind. That's why there are numerous of people sold their HD820 / Sony MDR-Z1R and buy them back again after a few years.

15 years ago, I'd also say HD820 / Sony Z1R aren't a good package as well.

Sound signature (tone) is easiest for entry level users to gauge and identity. Soundstage and imaging are the next level. Unfortunately, these two vital elements require much more experience along someone's audiophile journey in order to fully understand the beauty behind it.

In general, no matter in HiFi or Head-Fi system, soundstage and imaging are much more expensive than the tone when you are paying for improvement. That explained why HD820 and Z1R can both survive in the market at their asking price even after a decade since their release. Otherwise they should have been discontinued by for ages.

Throw a live concert recording to HD600/650/MDR-7506 and AB compare with HD820/Sony Z1R. It can help us to understand what Grell is trying to explain. Fs response curve can't tell you the fact thaat HD820/Z1R are probably 3000 times much better than HD600/650/MDR7506 in terms of delivering the "live feeling"

 

[solderdude]

It depends. Sometimes it needs time for people to learn the beauty behind.

That's the explanation behind 'burn-in' and is factually merely 'brain-in'.

15 years ago, I'd also say HD820 / Sony Z1R aren't a good package as well.

They still aren't but are expensive, look exclusive and in general 'sound' pleasant without measuring that well.
It has no relation to the grell OE designs as these work on an entirely different basis (severely angled drivers).
You read about people loving it and hating it.
You can read the same thing about ALL other headphones... people hating it, finding it 'meh' and people loving it.

Sound signature (tone) is easiest for entry level users to gauge and identity.

And incredibly easy and cheap to correct for FR errors (not so much for partial break-up and resonances nor nulls)
Of course that correction is only possible to a certain standard and test fixture which your ears/perception/headphone copy may deviate from.

Soundstage and imaging are the next level. Unfortunately, these two vital elements require much more experience along someone's audiophile journey in order to fully understand the beauty behind it.

Soundstage is highly personal and is 'brain wiring' dependent.
Imaging depends largely on L-R balance of drivers and the interaction between pinna and headphone positioning and requires experience (learning curve).
So ... is not always a headphone property but a combination that can go in all directions.

In general, no matter in HiFi or Head-Fi system, soundstage and imaging are much more expensive than the tone when you are paying for improvement.

Soundstage and imaging are mostly personal perception things (stereo, multichannel speaker is something else).
The brain simply has to be fooled to create a sense of 3D based on 2 signals injected directly into the ears (and via the pinna).

That explained why HD820 and Z1R can both survive in the market at their asking price even after a decade since their release. Otherwise they should have been discontinued by for ages.

What explains the HD820 and Z1R still being available is the low sales numbers compared to the affordable ones and the high development costs that have to be retrieved.
The high price, build and looks and rave reviews (on the designated sites) do the rest.

Throw a live concert recording to HD600/650/MDR-7506 and AB compare with HD820/Sony Z1R. It can help us to understand what Grell is trying to explain. Fs response curve can't tell you the fact thaat HD820/Z1R are probably 3000 times much better than HD600/650/MDR7506 in terms of delivering the "live feeling"

There are people that believe HD600 and HD650 are the pinnacle of sound reproduction and they generally don't like the HD820 and Z1R and is why they own/love the HD600/650/6XX.
To them the HD820 and Z1R are severely overpriced and do not think it does anything better. Could also be that they can't afford or don't want to pay that much on a headphone.
We don't know.
One thing is for sure ... the 3000 x better comes out of a hat .. just like headphone A being an x amount of % better or worse than headphone B.

 

[eclipsedaurora]

There are people that believe HD600 and HD650 are the pinnacle of sound reproduction

I can understand this part and indeed I was one of these guys 15 years ago. Even as today, I still rate HD600 as pinnacle of sound reproduction in terms of tonal balance and raw detail retrieval. I still have HD600 & 650 and MDR-7506 to compliment HD800S/820 and MDR-Z1R to satisfy different use cases.

To them the HD820 and Z1R are severely overpriced and do not think it does anything better. Could also be that they can't afford or don't want to pay that much on a headphone.
We don't know.
One thing is for sure ... the 3000 x better comes out of a hat .. just like headphone A being an x amount of % better or worse than headphone B.

Again this is a learning curve in order to promote ourselves to the next level in the journey. It is like Model 3 Performance or Nissan GTR are much cheaper and "fit for purpose" for most people who want a fast car and occasionally do some sporty driving. Only if you are addicted to cup racing track events every weekend, experience issues here and there and start learning about new stuffs, then you will understand the pinnacle of engineering behind a Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the reason behind the premium you are paying for.

What explains the HD820 and Z1R still being available is the low sales numbers compared to the affordable ones and the high development costs that have to be retrieved.
The high price, build and looks and rave reviews (on the designated sites) do the rest.

100% agree on this. We may ask ourselves if these flagship products are worth the extra $2,000+ over their entry or mid-range level counterpart. That’s a sane question, and for most people, the answer is no. Then again, “most people” is not the target demographic for these kind of bespoke or niche product.
Frankly speaking as today, I still struggle to find another close back dynamic headphones that can offer better immersive performance than HD820, second by MDR-Z1R. Without any competitor, they probably lack a reason to discontinue them or invest on a new model development.