Fascinating! | Sennheiser HD800S Review 

Hey guys! Got our first sponser - Send them my thanks and check out there quality stands here - soundrisepro.com On a side note - Sponsers directly help and support the channel, and are WAY less annoying than RU-vid ads (which sponsorship allow me to remove) :) win win for everyone... unless you have adblock. Than I am sorry. So very sorry.

17:50 - For anyone interested in how these do for gaming

Freaking awesome I’ve been waiting for this one and just asked you in the last video!! Thank you so much josh! These are headphones I’d like to listen to before I die.

No, wife said I don’t need another headphone. No, wife said I don’t need another headphone. No, wife said I don’t need another headphone.

Joshua, you have a unique ability to speak “sound”. I really appreciate your descriptions it’s almost as if I was listening my self. Thanks for the effort you put into these.

Congratulations on getting sponsored! I'm really enjoying your music recommendations, especially Avi Kaplan.

I´m glad that you finally made some justice to the HD800(S), you nailed it in this review. I´ve modded mine with the SDR long time ago, and coupled with a Burson Conductor is my go-to headphone for classical/instrumental music and movie soundtracks. The clarity, soundstage and transparency are outstanding. For vocals and pop/rock you need a complementary HP like an LCD2 and you´re set with the best of both worlds.

I listened to Hans Zimmer on the 800S at Warsaw Audio Video Show 2019 and I had little tears in my eyes... great headphone! LOVE IT! and I love standard 800 too!

Finally! That’s my baby! For music, movies and gaming. 👍

Great Video! I think the quality got even better in the past videos. I like it a lot (in Jim Carrey voice). Also: thanks for the awesome song recommendations. Please include more of it. This way we all can build our own audiophile playlists. 🤘

I just got a pair of the HD800S's and I absolutely love them! Plugged into my Neve RNHP, it is sonic bliss! I never heard anything better than these.

Great review. The passion and enjoyment, pros and cons all came through in an engaging way.

Joshua Valour Very objective, truly and neat review, Congrats Josh!.

Total beginner here, but I walked into to local HiFi store thinking I was going to buy this but just wanted to audition other stuff just to see what's out there. Tried this against a hifiman Aeon (didn't have the Arya) a focal elegia and clear, and some others I can't remember. Walked out empty handed cause I liked the focal clear better but couldn't say why. Before that all I had was a Shure 535. Saw your focal clear review and a few others comparing this and the Clear and ended up purchasing the Clear. Bottom line was the balance. This 800s is a surgical scalpel and efficient in the hands of a professional, wasn't for me at all. The Clear just makes stuff sound beautiful especially female vocals. I appreciate your work and it really helps those of us getting into the hobby understand what it is we are really looking for when we don't know the words to express it.

40k subscribers with such amazing production? How are you not over a mil yet?

Finally, thanks Josh!

I thought you'd never check these out since you weren't a fan of both the 800 and 820. Glad to see another vid!

I got mine in this week and can certainly see what you mean about the treble being bright and the Ses are a bit sibilant at times. Overall they sound fantastic even on my 2019 Jotunheim (I think something changed since your review of it as I hear no compression compared to my husbands Magni Heresy). Currently waiting for the Dekoni Elite Hybrid pads to come in as a few audiophile friends said they help alot with everything on the headphone (like you did) once the pads break in. Thank you for this awesome and honest review as It helped me decide if I wanted to take the plunge on my dream headphones.

I admire your ability to describe a sound experience with words. You are a master at this!

Get sponsored son! Nice. Great review. As an Arya owner looking forward to your comparison. Pls throw in the LCD-X too.

Excellent review and production. Josh, you and I have very similar taste in sound signature and what we like. I also own many of the headphones you reviewed. I also prefer pleasure of critical listening. Please make a comparison with Ayria and the HD800S. Maybe even LCD X but I feel my LCD2C is good enough so would rather see the other two compared.

The Sennheiser HD800S is the improved version of the HD800 which corrected an audible and distracting midrange resonance issue. The 800 and 800S are renowned for their highly accurate, highly detailed sound, localization and enormous sound stage. The 800 and 800S are open ear headphones, which I believe are best for acoustic and classical music. Bass heavy dance music and rock music are not going to sound great on the 800 or 800S. The sound produced is so accurate it will be uncompromising in revealing deficiencies (flaws) in the recording, mixing and mastering process.

Good review 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Awesome, Review, need these headphones asap.

I own this headphone since 2017 and I love it for what it is. I think that you are spot on. I use the THXAAA789 with it and thats a fantastic match!!! I also use the Chord Hugo 2 as a DAC/AMP or as a DAC with the THX and the resolution is insane. Great review!!! 👍 Love your content ❤️🙏

13:34 I think you meant "Chris Jones". I enjoy that song too. Very good!

Joshua adds the 800S to “his top recommended”.... who cares this headphone is the most sold high end headphone for few years already. If you see his videos you know that he is obsessed with ‘’vocals’’ but if you are the kind of person that loves musical instruments, harmonies, melodies, harmonics, room detail, spaciousness, recording detail, texture and maybe complex music like classical orchestral or jazz no doubt this is your headphone. By the way singers sounds amazing here too just the headphone don’t put them in your face. Ahh and bass is also Amazing is just not emphasised like the audeze headphones. I agree in some cases the headphones could be a bit thin sounding but that is not necessarily bad. Actually that is very realistic sounding. This headphone can make you look to your room asking yourself where the sound is coming from more than any other headphone. I’m happy he start appreciating this cans, it was taking you a while. Thank you for the review very enjoyable

Nice review. I have SDR modded HD800 (modded by myself) it sounds exactly the same as HD800s. I like how it sounds but dynamism, smoothness and low frequencies extension on my SR007mk2 is far better.

good review! i really want these when the ps5 comes out!

Great review! How do you clean your headphones? Especially the pads? Thanks

The best headphone I've ever had was the HD800s paired with the Schiit Loki and the bass turned up by 1/3. After that it's perfect!

I love playing Destiny with you my man!

Love the professional feels, I'll subscribe then

Spot on! Great and accurate review like always Joshua! Maybe Sennheiser 800s will be my next headphone. Recently I just bought a dt1990pro ( because of your review) and I would like to ask you if is it good for competitive gaming too? For Bf5? Thank you and keep up the exellent vids!:)

Nice review once more... can you upload a list of albums you prefer according the headphones you use? like the recomendations for hd800s...

Your intro's are insane Josh, keep going mate!!

Good review Josh. Worth pointing out that the 800S includes a quality balanced XLR cable which makes up a good portion of the price difference over the 800. Would love to see a comparison review to Beyerdynamic T1, which I think is likely the closest competitor to the 800S.

You might want to hold off for the new Air Motion Transformer based HEDDphone, some early impressions have suggested its very close the LCD4 for nearly half the price.

Hey Josh, did you notice if the soundstage was altered for gaming or otherwise with the Dekoni Elite hybrid pads? I game with an original unmodded HD 800(on your advice)with a Woo Audio WA7tp. I have not done the SuperDupont resonator mod as I read that it reduces the soundstage(apparently similar to the slightly reduced sound stage on the HD 800S compared to the stock HD 800). I'm treble sensitive but love my current expansive and immersive soundstage. I would love to hear your thoughts on the pads and must say what an absolutely beautiful song you ended the video with! Thanks again, Josh. Congrats on your first sponsor!

Someone who can actually talk in sound tech language. Great review. Good communicational review

Listen to the Buena Vista Social Club album, it is AMAZING with HD800S.

I have a big pile of headphones here including Audeze but I'm listening to my Sennheiser HD590s out of my Gilmore Lite Mk2, the tear drop cups are just so comfortable. lol

Hope you can get your hands on some LCD-4z as they are exactly the sound signature you are describing to be your preference!

Dunno why I'm watching this while using my 800S. But I agree with what he says. I don't have fatigue when listening to my music. Let some of my friends try it who have no experience with pricey audio gear and they all agree it sounds amazing.

Love your reviews! Any plans to review the Schiit Magni 3+ and Magni Hersey? Interestingly the Hersey measures better but some say the 3+ sounds better objectively. Both put out 2.4w which for $100 is great. Or even a $100 headphone amp shootout :p

Very comprehensive review. I bought these pretty much the day I heard that they came out, having used the HD650 from 20 years ago, followed by the HD700. What I learned from those applies to these as well. Sennheiser, in my view at least, uses some of the worst headphone cables ever out of the box. I changed the cables on these to Cardas latest "Clear" cable, and that took a great headphone over the top. It's a pure Litz wire that has exceptional high end transparency, while the stock wire sounds gritty and noisy to me. This also shifts the balance away from the distracting high frequency noise and the bass and mods become bigger and more balanced, while not losing anything in terms of the huge soundstage or detail that you describe so well. There are online stores that allow you to try out and return cables, and I strongly recommend to anyone that is considering these that they experiment with a very high end wire. Thank you for your review.

Great video. Any chance you may review the monoprice retros?

I like this guy. Mysterious. Good review.

Hi, I really enjoy your video. after watching it, I decide to buy one of the HD800s and LCD - x, any suggestions?

ZMF verite? Sounds to be exactly what you said at the end. Detailed and almost as 3D stage as the 800s but fully with more body and musicality.

2:50 - serious audiophile look

The B roll footage is very nice.

Nice review. What camera do you use, so sharp!

Really interesting review, I'm looking at either the HD800s or HD820 - does the latter have too many flaws / overpriced to choose it over the former? I currently own a pair of Momentum 3's and looking for a higher end offering to enjoy when I'm not travelling.

Will you review some of the ZMF headphones, like the Aeolus, in the near future? Would be curious whats your opinion on them.

Hey Josh, one thing I would love to see you do in the future is start weighing the headphones with and without cables. I am finding manufacturers claims of weight to be very misleading.

What microphone do you use in this recording? That's clean af...

Hi. New to the stream. I love your comments and expertise. Pity I can't afford most of the headphones you experience. But lovely and clean videos however.

If you want to judge a headphone like the HD800, throw classical music at it, not just a bunch of songs. When the gear calls for it, as it does here, you should be able to discuss how it handles symphonies, piano concertos, string quartets, etc. Of course, that would not sound cool to your target audience, but at least you would have done these headphones justice. I just saw Currawong's review of the HD800S. He basically described it as a dumbed-down HD800. I have to trust his review more than yours since at least he knows that you judge the HD800 more by how it handles a symphony orchestra than a show tune.

I spy an IFI Pro Stack ha , much agree with your opinion of the 800S , have mine through the IDSD and Procan , having the tube on it is quite pleasing

Bought a pair of HD800s after seeing this. Going to be used for gaming, discord and music. Thanks for the gaming part of the video :)

For anyone considering buying the Dekoni Hybrid Pads, I recommend just sticking to the stock pads as: 1. The Dekoni's make the headphones sound different but not better, would need to tweak eq settings to match stock pads. 2. The Dekoni's have a dust cover that touches your ear that you will likely just cut off and end up using sennheisers dust cover. 3. The velour is not as comfortable as the sennheiser microfibre pads imo but this is just my own qualm with the pad. TLDR: Stock is probs better save alot of money and get some knockoffs of the stock pads off amazon or just get the replacement stock pads from sennheiser.

I am actually considering getting one of the 4 headphones you mentioned in the video, and I don't know which one to go for... Will have a listening demo soon, but currently I own a HD 58X and I am loving them. Which one did you end up going for?

Hi Joshua i have a question. Do you use ATMOS for headphones or DTS x for gaming or do you leave it on default stereo ?

Joshua, odd question, but what wristwatch are you wearing in this video? Awesome review of the HD 800 S!

I use these headphones with soundblaster x7 for some console gaming. BF4 :) Great audio quality

Thanks great info and review, hope to one day have a HD800S. BTW shazam is absolutely useless in identifying your lead in and exit music tracks..

Currently I got the HD 660s. Would these be a direct upgrade or is the soundstage a lot different? I am looking to these and the ZMF Auteur.

Is there a playlist for the recommended songs?

How do they compare to the Elex, in general? Are the 800s the best gaming headphones on the market today? How much of an upgrade on the Elex for gaming?

man, that Outtro track was nice. what was it?

Would you ever consider any ZMF dynamic headphones to buy for yourself?

That’s a dope hoodie

About the Dekoni pads.. does the inner fabric not bother you by how they touch the tip of your ears? I've been debating cutting out the fabric and giving them a try again. I just got some for my HD800's today and not sure if I like them yet or not.

I use Sonarworks SoundID to EQ it, if you’re fine doing so you’ll have an amazing time with them.

Fantástico vídeo 👍👍👍

Can you compare this to DT1990 ? I'm really curious about your opinion.

The lcd-gx headphone in the background!? Interesting!

Its crazy how tube mess with audio your voice is like a whole other person without a tube

Get yourself an ifi Zen Can and turn the bass boost on. It’s phenomenal on this headphone imo

Nice review! That song in the intro sounds great. Who is it and does somebody know the title?

Sold my 800s after demoing the Utopia and Clear. For me the Clear is the complete package and now have it as my daily driver.

What are you using for virtual surround in games? Dolby Atmos / DTS X or just stereo?

Did you listen to these via a balanced connection? The difference is substantial, and really the only way these should be used.

I bought the dekoni pads for it and I wasn't sure if they helped or hurt the sound. Couldn't make up my mind. May have to try them again. I think you can use oratory1990 eq and get a really amazing sound from these. And when you game leave them stock for all the detail and width.

At the end of the day it’s all about personal taste. I liked the HD-800 very much and I like the HD-800S even more. I think they are both fantastic in their own way.

Brilliant review though I shall stick to my humble but excellent HD660s for a while as I’m sure my wife will say no to another pair of headphones lol.

Arya, bro. Best of both worlds; fun and analytical.

So they let their customers fix it and then sold that fix to their customers for a big premium? Pulled a real Bethesda there...

@Joshua Valour What is the name of the intro song please? I think its "Coat of many colors" but which version? Thank you! Fantastic review!

Joshua. Please use GsP500(600) for gaming. I don know much about ‘Audiophile’ but for gaming gsp500gives more accurate enemies foot steps and positioning information compared to hd800s.

Is the driver angled? Can you make a video about headphones with angled drivers? And talk about the soundstage they bring out with hearing things behind you.

Weird usually i agree with your reviews, Also bright sensitive. I own both the HD800s & HD800.I prefer the HD800 over the HD800s by far! (& over my Stax L700 for most things - COD music & gaming on L700 though..thats an experience everyone should have at least once!), Although you do like the HD6XX so i'm not surprised you prefer the HD800s, If you liked the HD660s/600 more like me you'd be a HD800 fan for sure. Spent about 8months with each (per headphone). I hear the muddyness/distortion in the bass clear as day regardless of Amp. The HD800 outperforms the HD800s in detail & (clean) sound in general but you are right about power for cleaner sound...With exception of the bass in my experience. Depending on the Amp the treble lacks on the HD800s, but i assume you used the THX aaa so as an example they are about the same treble sound wise on that for me which is "acceptable"... But the NFB1 very lacking in treble on the HD800s (if treble is to much on HD800s get a NFB1 amp! 2xapproved so its not just me saying it), i'd say perfect on the HD800. HD800 turning volume up lacks mids, yeah notice that, but the "dry bass" nope.... My HD800 is more bassier than my HD800s. The Hd800s is easier to hear the bass on non bassy songs, but bassy songs you can hear the difference clear as day (& frequency response graphs of each actually backs it up Just...). Might have to try the Dekoni pads I just have New Sennheiser pads on both, although I do like the used HD800 pads the best so far: Comfort & slight nerf to treble top end on the THX aaa. I also got in another K712 during my HD800s use & ended up mostly using the K712 until it sold because the sound was not better but more "Fun", "Enjoyable" & cleaner.....

Fascinating like you said. Great review. Is it fair to say that this is more of a specialty connoisseur headphone and less of an all around every day headphones? Would the HD 600 be a better choice if you needed one headphone that could play everything well?

Hey just in time! I ordered a pair of HD800S a couple of days ago, should be here in about a week

As for EQ'ing the bass response, the original HD800 responds better to EQ in the bass, because it has less distortion in the lower freqs to begin with.

I have the Dekoni Fenestrated pads which I really like; are the sound signiture differences similar to the Fenestrated with the Hybrid pads? If you have tried the Fenestrated pads?

If you could find an amp that gave you the things you mentioned at the end, would you still prefer the Arya over this?

Don’t be so treblesome 🤣😜 Just bought it sounds great on the Astell and Kern KANN Alpha. Love the HD800s

Those song recommendations are just mind-blowing. Listening HD598's Dragonfly Cobalt through Tidal MQA. WOW! I can't wait until the HD800S's are in my life and I'll come back to these.