Sennheiser HD 820 Review (headphone)

[amirm]

They would have to be level matched which I have found out is non-trivial given the wild differences in frequency response between headphones. But yes, It is something I have thought about doing.

 

[phoenixsong]

In what way?

Last time I heard them was while I was on study break in Singapore, December 2019 before COVID struck Unable to test them right here right now, but something which was immediately apparent to me was the vocals which sounded really thin. Granted, I didn't take time to get used to their sound or listen hard to nitpick at sections- it sounded so off that I stopped listening after maybe a minute or less

 

[amirm]

Given the deep bass I was hearing, backed by the measurements, we are very far apart in our impressions there.

 

[Maki]

They would have to be level matched which I have found out is non-trivial given the wild differences in frequency response between headphones. But yes, It is something I have thought about doing.

I think level matching with pink noise or whatever is "good enough". Your HRTF isn't going to reflect the response of the measurement rig's exactly anyways.

 

[phoenixsong]

Given the deep bass I was hearing, backed by the measurements, we are very far apart in our impressions there.

Indeed, memory is a fickle thing and experience affects our subjective *impressions. A year and a half is a long time, I'm keen to give them another listen.
Oh, is there a possibility that they've made minor tuning adjustments since then?

*Edit lol

 

[amirm]

Oh, is there a possibility that they've made minor tuning adjustments since then?

I don't know but I didn't recommend them without EQ so it is really not worth chasing.

 

[bobbooo]

Last time I heard them was while I was on study break in Singapore, December 2019 before COVID struck Unable to test them right here right now, but something which was immediately apparent to me was the vocals which sounded really thin. Granted, I didn't take time to get used to their sound or listen hard to nitpick at sections- it sounded so off that I stopped listening after maybe a minute or less

That'll likely be the huge dip around 200-500 Hz, which should be obvious to anyone. You recalled correctly. As Oratory says:

It‘s botched. Entirely meatless lower mids, lacking the fundamentals of vocals and guitars. Its bass response depends highly on how well it fits your head - with a good fit the earpads create a perfect seal, and the bass sounds boomy and muddy, shaking your head until you forget what the music was supposed to sound like. With less good fit the mud stops but so does the bass extension, and subbass inevitably will drop.

Why does Sennheiser sell these at 2k? Because marketing and sales does not work the way consumers imagine.

I assume it went like this:

Product Manager: The HD800 is selling well, the 800S even better. Now we need a closed back version in the same price range to scoop another portion of the market. We will not develop a new one but rather base it off of the 800(S), that way we can build on the existing positive brand connection.

Engineering: But the HD800 was developed as an entirely open-back headphone, its transducer is not suitable for closed-back operation

Product Manager: Did I stutter?

You don‘t believe that Sennheiser would sell a 'bad' product at that price? Good. This means that their branding and marketing team did a good job.

An awful headphone at an extortionate price. Seems like some have just been blinded (and deafened) by the big-brand name.

 

[Palladium]

"Performance ratings are price independent for the most part so there you are." A bit of wisdom from our host. Thank you @amirm

The adage of "you get what you pay for" only applies in the face of technical evidence.

Otherwise you are only paying for somebody's marketing budget...Which is "most of the time".

 

[amirm]

An awful headphone at an extortionate price. Seems like some have just been blinded (and deafened) by the big-brand name.

By that rule I should have loved the Abyss, HEADphone, etc which are more expensive but I did not. I don't know where some of you come from with such accusations after me giving horrible scores to countless expensive audio gear because they did not perform.

Anyway, good to see you going by sighted, uncontrolled listening tests of headphones. Should avoid us a lecture in the future on why only blind headphone/speaker tests are valid....

 

[solderdude]

Oh, I remember these. Can't believe they still live in stone ages with such measurements. If this is how they are driver matching, no wonder my sample was not matched as such.

I have had some e-mail exchanges with Sennheiser and they do have proper HATS they use during development. These noise-band plots seem to be from the production line. L-R balance issues have become worse over time it seems.

 

[phoenixsong]

I have had some e-mail exchanges with Sennheiser and they do have proper HATS they use during development. These noise-band plots seem to be from the production line. L-R balance issues have become worse over time it seems.

Yup they used to be known for impeccable channel matching

 

[edahl]

The guy who got these for 500 bucks was more lucky than I thought. I want these as my closed back now!

 

[chris719]

Anyway, good to see you going by sighted, uncontrolled listening tests of headphones. Should avoid us a lecture in the future on why only blind headphone/speaker tests are valid....

Really hard to do blind headphone tests because of the weight and feel giving everything away .

 

[amirm]

Really hard to do blind headphone tests because of the weight and feel giving everything away .

Indeed. Yet that poster keeps demanding blind tests or didn't happen.

 

[Fernando]

Indeed. Yet that poster keeps demanding blind tests or didn't happen.

Make no mistake, no one doubts your review, everyone I read here agrees with your impressions and data, only after reading it they expected a sad panther. Only that.

Again congratulations on your work. It is very helpful and at times revealing.

 

[rcmo]

Some of us just cannot hear with their eyes. Regardless of how informative and even accurate the FR, THD and GD graphs are, fortunately (or not) through them most of us cannot feel how the headphones sound and rumble to their ears. IMO, a first look at the graphs is mostly useful if you can actually relate to similar headphones you do know.

In this particular case, the untrained might be hard pressed to ear the 60Hz dip and maybe even the 300-500 valley. On the other hand, not subtle at all is the spaciousness of the presentation compared to other headphones.

 

[MayaTlab]

In this particular case, the untrained might be hard pressed to ear the 60Hz dip and maybe even the 300-500 valley

Baring seal variation across users which have been demonstrated by Rtings is likely to be very significant with these, the 300hz dip is a 15dB or so fluctuation vs the lower bass hump, of course everyone can hear it - even though we may not able to know exactly why it sounds like it does until we see how they measure.

 

[SimoF]

Baring seal variation across users which have been demonstrated by Rtings is likely to be very significant with these, the 300hz dip is a 15dB or so fluctuation vs the lower bass hump, of course everyone can hear it - even though we may not able to know exactly why it sounds like it does until we see how they measure.

When I tried the 820 they had zero bass, and I tried them without glasses, the measurements by Rtings could certainly explain this. (Still, the other frequencies just sounded bad distant thin and wonky).
The problem is at the root, why a 2k headphone lose 15db of basses only with different head shape or hair (should we all be bald?), this, to me, seems just bad engineering.
I remember that when I tried them and compared to a dozen of other headphones in a shop (with prices between 1k to 4k) I looked at the seller and without saying anything he told me "Yes, I know, but we have to expose and sell them"

 

[phoenixsong]

When I tried the 820 they had zero bass, and I tried them without glasses, the measurements by Rtings could certainly explain this. (Still, the other frequencies just sounded bad distant thin and wonky).
The problem is at the root, why a 2k headphone lose 15db of basses only with different head shape or hair (should we all be bald?), this, to me, seems just bad engineering.
I remember that when I tried them and compared to a dozen of other headphones in a shop (with prices between 1k to 4k) I looked at the seller and without saying anything he told me "Yes, I know, but we have to expose and sell them"

Though I share your tastes, it has become apparent from this discussion that this headphone has its following too

 

[solderdude]

Headphones are a very personal thing.
The HD820 is a great example of this.
More so than most other headphones it is a love or hate thing and little in between mostly because of it's construction.