Sennheiser HD800S Review (Headphone)

[solderdude]

Without EQ sure ... no clarity and lacking body and sharp... with proper EQ they have good clarity and there is no 'hollow' sound.
Ask people like Oratory and Mad_economist (and me) what their favorite headphone is.

my take on the FT1 PRO:

Neutral and dynamic sounding with sparkly treble and clear mids. A pleasant ‘tone’ without immediate obvious faults.
Bass is well extended but not elevated (just below Harman target) but a bit bass-lite on (older) pop recordings but just right on well recorded music.
Mids have good clarity and sound ‘realistic’, ‘lively’, ‘dynamic’ and ‘open’.
Treble is ‘sparkly’ but does have a slight, but not annoying’, sharpish edge to it on some recordings.
Works well with classical music, jazz and well recorded blues but may not play nice (too bright/sharp) with rock and older pop recordings.
Stereo imaging is decent and not better than any of the other comparable planar headphones.

There aren't many headphones that sound 'good' directly out of the box. The FT1 PRO certainly is amongst the ones that work well out of the box. As is the OLLO X1 b.t.w.
Those I can use without EQ.

 

[Mauro]

Without EQ sure ... no clarity and lacking body and sharp... with proper EQ they have good clarity and there is no 'hollow' sound.
Ask people like Oratory and Mad_economist (and me) what their favorite headphone is.

my take on the FT1 PRO:


There aren't many headphones that sound 'good' directly out of the box. The FT1 PRO certainly is amongst the ones that work well out of the box. As is the OLLO X1 b.t.w.
Those I can use without EQ.

@oratory1990 , @Mad_Economist, @amirm what is your favorite headphone with and without EQ and why? Solerdude already chimed in..

 

[DEALUX]

Without EQ sure ... no clarity and lacking body and sharp... with proper EQ they have good clarity and there is no 'hollow' sound.
Ask people like Oratory and Mad_economist (and me) what their favorite headphone is.

I think Blaine actually likes them due to their sound, maybe if you have a narrow taste in music they work well. I've spoken to oratory about it many times and it seemed that to him it's more of a comfort thing and perhaps he likes the design/build of the headphone which I can understand.

 

[Chagall]

As we are/were talking about soundstage, thought I'd share this blog post from Griffin AKA Listener:

Soundstage Is (Much) More Complicated Than You Think

Many listeners end up disappointed upon hearing the best headphone soundstage, realizing it's not as big a game-changer as they'd expected. Join listener as they discuss why soundstage is more complicated than we think, and how audiophiles can better manage their expectations and understand this...

headphones.com

 

[DEF]

As we are/were talking about soundstage, thought I'd share this blog post from Griffin AKA Listener:

Soundstage Is (Much) More Complicated Than You Think

Many listeners end up disappointed upon hearing the best headphone soundstage, realizing it's not as big a game-changer as they'd expected. Join listener as they discuss why soundstage is more complicated than we think, and how audiophiles can better manage their expectations and understand this...

headphones.com

So they say it happens all inside our heads? As in, psychological, subjective?

 

[solderdude]

@oratory1990 , @Mad_Economist, @amirm what is your favorite headphone with and without EQ and why? Solderdude already chimed in..

Mad and oratory = HD800(S).
Amirm I believe DCA stealth/Expanse
mine: open HD800 EQ + modified & OLLO X1, closed HD620S, small modification

So they say it happens all inside our heads? As in, psychological, subjective?

see:

How do you hear headphone 'soundstage'

This poll is born out of a 'soundstage / imaging' discussion. I am just curious how people hear headphone 'soundstage'. Note this is with 'normal' recordings so NO binaural recordings and without any processing/plug-ins like crossfeed, stereo enhancers and 3D emulators. Just a plain...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[DEF]

Mad and oratory = HD800(S).
Amirm I believe DCA stealth/Expanse


see:

How do you hear headphone 'soundstage'

This poll is born out of a 'soundstage / imaging' discussion. I am just curious how people hear headphone 'soundstage'. Note this is with 'normal' recordings so NO binaural recordings and without any processing/plug-ins like crossfeed, stereo enhancers and 3D emulators. Just a plain...

www.audiosciencereview.com

that's just bunch of guesses. From one labyrinth sent into another

 

[solderdude]

Soundstage or the favs ?

 

[DEF]

All of that happens when you put a headphone on and listen.

 

[solderdude]

Ah ... you meant sound-stage (or what I prefer to call head-stage).

Its all about how the brain interprets 2 signals going into the ears.
Ears differ, brains differ, headphones differ, recordings differ.
Outcome of the above mix can go in all directions.

The answer is simple. It seems highly personal and not everyone hears the same.
There is no right or wrong.

To bring this back on topic..
HD800(S) seems to do a lot of those aspects well but is quite 'colored' in sound.
Coloration of sound is easy to correct, fit and comfort as well as other aspects like resonances/ringing are not.

 

[Peterinvan]

Ah ... you meant sound-stage (or what I prefer to call head-stage).

Its all about how the brain interprets 2 signals going into the ears.
Ears differ, brains differ, headphones differ, recordings differ.
Outcome of the above mix can go in all directions.

The answer is simple. It seems highly personal and not everyone hears the same.
There is no right or wrong.

To bring this back on topic..
HD800(S) seems to do a lot of those aspects well but is quite 'colored' in sound.
Coloration of sound is easy to correct, fit and comfort as well as other aspects like resonances/ringing are not.

My experience is that timing errors are a major influence on separation and sound stage presentation (headphones or speakers).

The DAC is in control of the timing.

I am happy with the Schiit Loki+ for tone controls. I adjust it for different headphones, and also for different albums. Digital EQ is not quick and simple.

 

[Mauro]

Mad and oratory = HD800(S).
Amirm I believe DCA stealth/Expanse
mine: open HD800 EQ + modified & OLLO X1, closed HD620S, small modification


see:

How do you hear headphone 'soundstage'

This poll is born out of a 'soundstage / imaging' discussion. I am just curious how people hear headphone 'soundstage'. Note this is with 'normal' recordings so NO binaural recordings and without any processing/plug-ins like crossfeed, stereo enhancers and 3D emulators. Just a plain...

www.audiosciencereview.com

You should build a wall of fame for next year! I didn’t expect the Hd620s to be one of your favorites. I will get one in, in the next days… we will see if I like it better than DCA Ether Cx / AKG K371

 

[Oldson]

very close to taking a punt on a used HD800s that i have my eye on.
would be interested in any opinions of those who have compared to any of the HE1000 variants?
since their price dropped they are now in the same ball park finance wise.
nearest thing i have is edition xs.

 

[Mauro]

very close to taking a punt on a used HD800s that i have my eye on.
would be interested in any opinions of those who have compared to any of the HE1000 variants?
since their price dropped they are now in the same ball park finance wise.
nearest thing i have is edition xs.

I compared the he1000v2 against the hd800.

My Hd800 notes:
Tone: Elevated Treble, Some times is extra detail and some other times very exaggerated. Warm bass. Strong mmhh.
Hollow voices. Weak sub bass.

Soundstage/Imaging:
Poor central Imaging, ie Voices are not focused to the center.
Laterally, very good extension beyond my shoulders. Seems like having two loudspeakers pointed to the ears with pros and cons. Pros: “Atmospheric” - Space around notes.
Cons: To create a focused central image a lot of electronic crossfeed is needed. Otherwise need to have the headphone pushed at max to the front touching the back of the ears. Anyway voices are just slightly in front of the nose.

oratory EQ is very very good for treble and mids. Bass remains without impact and not textured. “Single note”.
Without EQ for me it is unlistenable. With EQ really good. Not at all comparable to he1000 without EQ, which is much more neutral with realistic voices, superdeep bass and detailed treble with a couple of narrow peaks in some songs.

EQed Hd800 Compared to He1000:
Better Soundstage of he1000 in height and depth. Not in width. Notes more refined and detailed with he1000.

Hd800 Comfort:
Pads are rigid and thin and leave holes when pushed to the front against my cheek bones. when laying the head on a pillow the outer plastic of the earcup touches the tissue and creates microphonic noise. he1000 pads are much more comfortable to me.

Feel free to ask more..

 

[Oldson]

I compared the he1000v2 against the hd800.

My Hd800 notes:
Tone: Elevated Treble, Some times is extra detail and some other times very exaggerated. Warm bass. Strong mmhh.
Hollow voices. Weak sub bass.

Soundstage/Imaging:
Poor central Imaging, ie Voices are not focused to the center.
Laterally, very good extension beyond my shoulders. Seems like having two loudspeakers pointed to the ears with pros and cons. Pros: “Atmospheric” - Space around notes.
Cons: To create a focused central image a lot of electronic crossfeed is needed. Otherwise need to have the headphone pushed at max to the front touching the back of the ears. Anyway voices are just slightly in front of the nose.

oratory EQ is very very good for treble and mids. Bass remains without impact and not textured. “Single note”.
Without EQ for me it is unlistenable. With EQ really good. Not at all comparable to he1000 without EQ, which is much more neutral with realistic voices, superdeep bass and detailed treble with a couple of narrow peaks in some songs.

EQed Hd800 Compared to He1000:
Better Soundstage of he1000 in height and depth. Not in width. Notes more refined and detailed with he1000.

Hd800 Comfort:
Pads are rigid and thin and leave holes when pushed to the front against my cheek bones. when laying the head on a pillow the outer plastic of the earcup touches the tissue and creates microphonic noise. he1000 pads are much more comfortable to me.

Feel free to ask more..

interesting.
i guess you feel the hifiman did not need eq?
with the voices being off centre, was this always to the same side?
could it have been a faulty set? not heard this mentioned before.
wish i still had them on trial so i could listen for this. sometimes we dont notice things until they are pointed out (well me anyway).

the xs i have here, i notice the pads squeak on my glasses which is irritating.
i think they are same on the 1000 range, so i would need to swap out the pads for something else.
this was not an issue on the HD800.
unfortunately i cannot get a HE1000 on home demo from anywhere.

 

[solderdude]

All egg-shaped hifiman are more similar than different sounding.
If anything the more expensive ones have slightly better treble quality.

Personally I prefer the EQ'ed HD800 over the hifiman headphones but surely others would prefer hifiman over HD800.
That's the thing with humans and preferences.

May those that have not ended their infinite search to audio nirvana find their favorite audio device in 2025 !

 

[Mauro]

interesting.
i guess you feel the hifiman did not need eq?
with the voices being off centre, was this always to the same side?
could it have been a faulty set? not heard this mentioned before.
wish i still had them on trial so i could listen for this. sometimes we dont notice things until they are pointed out (well me anyway).

the xs i have here, i notice the pads squeak on my glasses which is irritating.
i think they are same on the 1000 range, so i would need to swap out the pads for something else.
this was not an issue on the HD800.
unfortunately i cannot get a HE1000 on home demo from anywhere.

Voices are split in two. Equally on both sides. That’s the main reason why crossfeed might become handy. This is true for many headphones, also eggshaped hifiman. If you don’t notice this with Xs you will be fine with he1000. Only when drivers have high degree of tilt this double image disappears without resorting to crossfeed in my experience.

He1000 needs eq in the treble but you can put some absorbing paper to tune down the treble and you are good to go. Solderdue is the mighty master of this technique

I didn’t try the hd800 with glasses…

 

[Oldson]

All egg-shaped hifiman are more similar than different sounding.
If anything the more expensive ones have slightly better treble quality.

Personally I prefer the EQ'ed HD800 over the hifiman headphones but surely others would prefer hifiman over HD800.
That's the thing with humans and preferences.

May those that have not ended their infinite search to audio nirvana find their favorite audio device in 2025 !

glad you never used that hated (by me) term "end game!"

its a good job i gave up alcohol a long time ago, as i have been looking at ZMF Atrium as an option too.
been trying to justify it by saying "its for my 60th", but just couldnt part with the cash.
a couple of years back i would have caved in.
so its really the 800 or a 1000 varient..... could get both for cost of the Atrium!
maybe thats the idea? get both (used) and keep the one i like best.

 

[Oldson]

Voices are split in two. Equally on both sides. That’s the main reason why crossfeed might become handy. This is true for many headphones, also eggshaped hifiman. If you don’t notice this with Xs you will be fine with he1000. Only when drivers have high degree of tilt this double image disappears without resorting to crossfeed in my experience.

He1000 needs eq in the treble but you can put some absorbing paper to tune down the treble and you are good to go. Solderdue is the mighty master of this technique

I didn’t try the hd800 with glasses…

"Solderdue is the mighty master of this technique "
for sure , his advice as helped me many many times over the last few years.
his review of the HE1000 is what got me thinking of an alternative to the 800.

 

[Chagall]

"Solderdue is the mighty master of this technique "
for sure , his advice as helped me many many times over the last few years.
his review of the HE1000 is what got me thinking of an alternative to the 800.

I would check out Arya...especially for that price - 660 EUR