Thanks to Amir for reviewing the HD 800S, as well as the RME ADI-2.
I finally ponied up a donation and encourage anyone sitting on the fence to support this informative and entertaining project.
I received the phones a couple days ago, after a fedex delay.
My impressions are for potential buyers, as I benefitted from scores of reviews.
In short: I dig the sound!
I came from HD 600’s that I credit with starting me on a journey into hifi. It was the hum of Hendrix’s amp that I had not previously heard on Are You Experienced that was an ah ha moment. While the 800S’s represent a significant step up to me, they also reinforce how good the 600’s are for the money, relatively speaking.
Are the 800’s worth the money? Based on test results, probably not, but climbing the hifi mountain is not necessarily rational; diminishing returns and all that. Yet, the listening experience brings a smile to my face.
My hearing is pretty well shot above 10k, so any problems up there not relevant. As a drummer, I enjoy full, tight bass and “punchy” drums. Out of the box the phones were pretty nice, but I knew I would be EQing the phones. Hardware purity means nothing to me; it’s about sound I enjoy and that’s why I got the ADI-2m as well. Flexibility.
The 800S’s are revelatory to me. This can be problematic on poor recordings. Especially with bass, differences can be pronounced. Return to Forever’s Where Have I Known You Before lacked bottom. To the Stars sounds great! Weckl knows how to produce drums. With EQ and the right production, there is plenty of bass for me and it’s tight and clear, with impact.
Beatles vocals on remixes (the horror!) have never sounded better. Diana Krall, vocals and piano gorgeous. Conversely, All Thing Must Pass sounds pretty bad (what a weird mix). So, you get it all, good and bad.
To test a modern production, I listened to the new Tame Impala. Wow, the numerous layers can be individually ascertained along with their position. Very cool! I am going to enjoy some ambient with these. Looking forward to some classical, too.
Very impressive to hear the studio room on some tracks. I could almost picture Johnny Hartmann at the mic.
As an aside, I heard some LCD-4’s a couple weeks ago during my research and was disappointed; while having more low end, it seemed flubby, with the rest of the presentation lacking the detail of the 800S’s. But that’s just me...
Enough subjective blather, I reckon. These are not the phones for bass heads, obviously. But for a great balance with amazing detail, the Sennheiser’s work for me. My 600’s have lasted nigh on 20 years. Hope the 800S’s are as robust.
Thanks to ASR for allowing me to have a good idea of what to expect from buying these phones without an audition.
Very happy with the enveloping, smooth, detailed sound.