Sennheiser HD 800 Review Take 2: An Owner's Perspective 

Be sure to check out my current EQ in the description as well. I forgot to mention that taking out the driver dust covers sounds to me like the treble is reduced slightly, so that's why mine is that way.

I like this guy.

Nice part 2 review. These headphones really are an amazing deal at their current used prices. They have dropped about 100 USD since a year or two ago. I remember waiting a long time to get my pair at 750.

Wow thanks. I've owned the hd800 for years and never used eq before. It sounds so good with your settings. thank you once again

Thanks for the eq. It made my 800 sound so much better

Although this video is 3 years old, I only recently found it after years of owning the HD800. As I use my computer to play music, your EQ suggestion did wonders for me. The added warmth and subdued highs made it more enjoyable, although I didn't know I was missing anything before. Thank you.

Man can I just say, I appreciate the audio quality that you record and upload, even with the compression non sense.. you sound very natural.

Thank you so much! I love doing an A/B comparison on everything.... its really night and day. Bass response and overall sound is more balanced and translates way better.....Ive found upgrading the pads with Dekoni pads keeps them more secure ....

Being long is not a problem......That's what she said!!!!. I can't help myself, Great follow up. Stay High Fidelity, Jim Varnier.

Nice EQ. I'm using Neutron's 10 band parametric & was a little nervous re the overlapping, but they sound good. After 20+yr in countless studio's, I'm in a unique position to sample albums that I was either present for or actually mixed. And though I haven't auditioned every audiophile/ref-monitor headphone available. I do own most of the top contenders. And to my 60yr old abused ears, with the exception of the well documented sibilance prob & a touch light in the extreme btm, an out of the box HD800 is reproducing what I remember recording. AND, as you pointed out, there is no better candidate for eq'ing. In my expierance no headphone takes to being eq'ed more than the HD800. Trying to add speed/presence/15-20k hi-end to a pair of "warm" or "dark" phones is usually a non-starter. Adding a little ass & cutting a few 'Ss' is a breeze for these guys. PS: Bought a set of custom cables on ebay & never looked bk.

Hello! Another good review Sir! You're right on the money with the SDR mod. I bought my HD800 new at full introductory price so I never dared to change anything about it apart from replacing the cable with the CH800S balanced one. But I did hear the modded versions and never concluded it was something I should do or that cannot be done with EQ. In point of fact, my headphones sound more 'tamed' than the recent models. If the recordings aren't particularly sibilant, they certainly won't exaggerate the sibilants. Perhaps Sennheiser changed the specification at some point, it is impossible to know. I use a Bryston BHA-1 headphone amplifier alongside their DAC/transport combo and while this system is remarkable in that it possesses 'that' aura, it is certainly something many people would percieve as 'bright'. Yet, I find my HD800 to be perfectly complimentary to this system. Your comments on the paint are accurate and I always store them in their box. Headphones in general receive a fair share of abuse just by being placed on your head and taken off thousands of times. So always place them in their box after use and don't leave them on the table or sofa for a second. Love your dog? Sure! Well, the dog doesn't like headphones. Love your girlfriend? Well... okay, okay, I do! But watch out, she doesn't either! The point is, my HD800 has a few thousand hours on it and still looks new. Your can too, if you take care of it. Electrically, Sennheiser drive units have a negligible failure rate so they will last for years if you let them. My concern is that spare ear pads and head pad are expensive. Whether you like it or not, they have to be replaced after 3-4 years providing heavy use. The head pad is a bit tricky to replace but the ear pads are nothing short of a nightmare to replace. You need help from someone to do it. Perhaps my HD800 is of an older design because the new ear pads that I got have a slightly larger diameter of the plastic rim underneath the fabric than the old ear pads. It made it excessively difficult for me to replace them and I even considered sending them to a Sennheiser service center in Vienna to do it for me. So I have a pair of AKG K702 with K712 ear pads to use while I'm working or when my concentration is low anyway (this happens often!). They are much earsier to maintain and replacing the ear pads is quick and easy. One point I would make with respect to buying a used HD800 is that one has to be careful and make absolutely sure he/she knows exactly what they're getting. Needless to say, with so many mods available and only a handful of those who can successfully perform them, there are a good number of HD800 out there that have been irrepairably damaged. If possible, always look for signs of dismantling and ask about the origin. Sure, the prices are tempting, but nobody has 700 Euro they can throw in the wind. You made a good point about the SDR mod that just didn't work properly in your case. In my experience, that mod affects the sound field negatively. I could be wrong but I think it has to do with the fact this mod closes the central chamber of the diaphragm. Sure, it eliminates the echoing of the high frequencies but it also seems to 'shatter' the space into segments. To me It sounds like the parts of of the 'stage' sideways to the center image have been removed leaving only the center itself and the farthermost left and right segments. The 'stage' should be seamless on the HD800. I wonder... Sennheiser's Hannover facility has one of the most advanced acoustic research laboratories in Europe and from what I've read, I know they use lasers to monitor not only diaphragm movement but also to measure sound field width and depth. They certainly knew why they wanted a ring-radiator principle in the HD800. When they introduced the improved HD800S, they still kept the original HD800 in manufacture. I have a feeling some of the designers opposed the 'elevated bass, reduced treble' iteration. Company like that will be engineering-driven and will allow their engineers a good deal of freedom and to express their opinion, even though they have learned to follow the trends in recent years. Even though those who have never heard an HD800 were saying '6k this and 6k that', taking their opinions into account is what following trends means. Some fellow even insisted the frequency in question was 6 Hz, not understanding a thing about measuring units or anything at all. Sennheiser has to cater for those people as well. The bottom line, I think they deliberately compromised on the original HD800 design to make it more appealing to a wider group of people. Perhaps that's a bit harsh to say because the damping principle used in the HD800S is quite remarkable. Still, I believe all of this was on their mind and they kept the HD800 in manufacture to 'protect' their dream (for a lack of a better term). On the other hand, SDR mod seems to tame the high frequencies a bit but this is dependent on the music you listen to and like I said, my particular pair doesn't sound excessively 'bright'. I have to make a correction and say the HD800 basket is not aluminium but polymer, providing they haven't changed it. It's a form of high-grade polypropylene with increased stiffness by use of fibres like sand, glass or iron. The material is often used in highly pressurised piping systems such as those in hydroelectric power plants where the pressures can increase very suddenly due to cavitation. I get carried away, sorry! In any case, sorry for the long post, my thoughts are floating by. Seems like it's time for the K702 (again!). Best wishes and Merry Christmas!

great review mate. a lot of good info here! p.s i live the hd380s alot....my daily drivers over my hd600!

Absolutely agree with the issues you mentioned. I didnt find it comfortable if you want to move your head, or do anything besides sitting still. Terrible cable, especially the rubber part that splits and connects to the earcups. It was all bent and shit, constantly touching my neck and it got to the point where i just couldnt take it anymore and switched to my 20 dollar in-ears. Great sound, would mod it though, earpads need change after every 2 years or so and wearing it every day and doing stuff (moving your head in any way) just isnt pleasant. Thats why after a month or so i traded them for TH-900. Kinda miss the detail and vocal clarity, but boy are they comfortable. This was a great revelation for me and the reason why i wont be going in the LCD-anything direction.

good work sir, thank you again

Very nice reviews.Best heads for classical music mixing and panning with good instrument separation under 1000 in your opinion ?

Thank you for the review. I am thinking about purchasing HD800. As a DAC I have Chord Mojo. How do you think is it a good variant to use with HD800?

Did you notice any pairing differences when going from your schiit stack to the thx aaa 789?

Out of the Mrspeakers Ether Flow, HD 800 and the Audeze LCD-X. Which would you reccomend most? Also I listen to mainly rock/metal as well. Looking into buying one but can only afford one.

I won an auction for this thing with 700 bucks and I'm in love with it. Granted it is my first premium audiophile headphone coming from an ath m50. Cant wait to try eq

Hi... Can I possibly message you about headphone advice? I think I'm looking for a specific sound and you seem to be very informed.. Thanks

Just picked up a pair recently- they are outstanding. Providing you listen to finely recorded reference recordings, acoustic, classical, etc, the default tuning is fine and not too much treble. For binaural recordings, it will practically give you your own personal audio holodeck. Possibly unmatched in this area, and better than even the famed Etymotic ER4SR for this type of material. While I have headphones that are more natural in timbre such as the HD540, the 800 does a better job emulating what those natural timbres sound like in a real-environment. Not perfect - I would say the Utopia strikes a better balance but gives up the luxurious soundstage and expanse of the 800. For electronic works - not necessarily club-stuff that needs a bit more oomph - the 800 is ideal for more delicate and technical works from ambient, dub step to electronica. For those worried about 'amp pairings' and 'synergies' - no need to worry. You are better off getting this headphone and spending less on a decent amp/dac combo than getting a lesser performing headphone and multi-$$$ amp/dac. Of course, you can also spend less than the HD800 and be perfectly happy (ie. HD650, HD58X). Yes, the 800 sounds pleasant of tubes, and that overall can tame some of the high-end, if thats your thing. A Vali 2 can give flexibility - fairly neutral along with the your choice of tube or LISST for solid-state configuration.

I just released my double review/comparison video of HD800 and LCD-2 - you got a well deserved shout-out :) Cheers!

Awesome. Can't wait for the final sequel of the trilogy : Take 3 A seller's perspective :P

The 800’s & RME ADI-2’s PEQ to remove the infamous 6k peak... that sound...🖤it💯🎶

Hey buddy did you get a chance since this review to have a listen to the S variant

I very quickly found out what you mentioned here about positioning, that pushing them forward makes them nicely less bright & shouty. They're very close to my eyes actually, because they're so large. It's a funny feeling. Their reputation as being very bright, cold etc. kept me from getting a pair for many years. But man, am I happy I got them. They have the cleanest bass I've heard yet and that huge soundstage (with music not playing inside your head all the time) helps lots when listening for longer periods. Yeah, there's extra treble energy for sure, but I've managed to get a very pleasing sound by just a 1-2 db overall cut in the highs. I also boosted the subs and yeah, these take that like a champ. I'm thinking of a head-to-head comparison video between these and my LCD-2... The two have a very different tuning but a similar price.

Is the focusrite soundcoards categorised as "cheap audiointerface"? "is it good enough for the experience or not"

I would love to hear what you think about the entry level stax.. SRS 3100.

Great headphones, I've had mine a while now. Note about the cable - you're right. However, when sitting at my desk, I drape the cable over my thighs. Better than the weight of the cable dragging on the floor :)

Hi. Has anyone actually done some kind of Time vs Amplitude plot / ETC (Energy Time Curve) on the HD800? I'm just curious if the 6-7k anomaly is a simple bump in the drivers response curve or an actual ring over time that's accentuating the resonant frequency and probably correctable via some kind of mechanical/acustic treatment?

So what headphone(s) do you go to when you're seeking pure musical listening pleasure? Thanks for the update on the 800s!

Sorry, which channel did you recommend for more info on headphone amplifiers?

What Amp / Dac should pair with the HD800? Any suggestion? Thanks.

How would you compare these phones' soundstage to K712 Pro? How big difference is it?

Do you think you will be able to do the Mr Speakers Aeons in the near future, i'd really appreciate hearimg your opinion, it'll take awhile to save up for them personally.

You should do a review or 2 of the Etymotics. I still have a pair of ER6i. They are great. I love them as much as my Sennheiser HD540.

Hey metal, is that a typo in your eq settings for 10 Hz Gain -4 dB? Should that be a positive 4 rather than -4? Also your eq seems to be quite crowded between filter 9 and filter 12, just checking what setting did you use for filter 10 and filter 11? Thanks

Now have the hd 600's due in part to you. Am getting a Darkvoice to go with it because I hear it goes with the 600's so well. Might get the 800's or 800S later. It sounds like the 800's might go real good with a tube amp. Anyway, what do you think of the Darkvoice 600 combo? Also how bout with the 800's or 800S? Thanks.

Such awesome reviews in general metal571. Can anyone confirm if the Superdupont Resonator Mod reduces sound stage for gaming on the HD800 from first or second-hand experience? Paired with my Woo Audio Firefly WA7tp, the sound stage is now incredible.

Great video :). So now you've reviewed HD800 and LCD-3, will any Stax headphone come next? I heard that the SRS-2170 is a worth-owning "cheap" Stax setup and comparable to LCDs and HD800. Btw, do you think the A900x has any hearable change when pairing with better dac and amp than onboard ones?

Also heard from another reviewer that the ear pads/headband cushion although quite good are very thin and Sennheiser charges a hefty price since there is no aftermarket one available. Think it's like around 50 bucks for either.

Hello Metal, with your EQ settings how does sub bass sound and what about its quality? Is rumbling present with such EQ? Thanks!

Great discussion. I might get these... someday. I had this thought, you can tweak these to make them sound like the HD 600 or 650, or........ a person could just get an HD 600 or 650, still imo the best all around open back high impedance phones in the price range

The ”Super Dupont mod” and Tyll Hertsens EQ-settings with adjustments at 6khz for super dupont, with a bit less bass correction and some low but wider increse around 303hz) is absolutely endgame for me when using most any good solid state amp.. Turns them from useless hearing killers to the ultimate version of HD600 with most any amp. Still in 2019 the best headphone sound i have ever heard (including seriously EQed HD800S)

Perhaps my greatest complaint about the HD 800 is the damned cable. Cannot wind it up because of the material and indeed the weight of said cable is also heavy compared to the weight of the cans themselves. I usually brush inconvenience off, but I rage when it comes to dealing with the cable sometimes.

hi, great reviews, I'm curious why you seem to always lower the preamp in your EQ presets? Thank you very much!

I think the soundstage in these headphone comes from just how big the cups are and the space between the driver and the ear is more than any other headphone out there! i wonder why other manufacturers dont build their headphones like this to get the bigger soundstage? imagine an lcd or mr speaker headphone in the same shape!!!?

Maybe you will review hd800 s....I wanna get them one day

People like me who are new to hifi, would like to know how to apply those eq settings . A short video would be awesome :) You would save my day !

Hey Metal, I need to make a decision. Should i get a HD 800 or The HD 800S? Is 'S' version worth over the regular? What's the sound difference?

Nice review , between this one , audeze lcd s ( 2 & x) and el 8 and the dt 1990 for the most analitical work what would you say ? Studio use here , paired with sonarworks when needed ...

I have the 800s and have the plugged into my motherboard 😭😭😭

I'm getting a used pair in a few days, for sure trying out some EQ'ing with your suggestions in mind. There's probably no way these aren't too bright for my liking (coming from LCD-2, HD600) out of the box. Cheers, once again!

I experienced painful clampforce with the hd380s, I actually sold them since I wasn't all that thrilled with their sound

Unnatural is good word for these

How does this compare to Fostex th900 and Fostex thx00?

Are you considering doing a review of the HD 700? Thanks so much.

Xonar STX II will be enough :) ?

Anyone use the ican se with this? Are there any better solid state amps for the hd800 from $300 to $500?

Will you be doing a review for the new closed back HD820?

Could u make some short versions of your reviews as well? Your videos are really informative, but it would be helpful to reasearch multiple headphones through your knowledge and videos if the videos are quicker. So we dont spend 15 minutes to get to know each headphone. Would be convinient, if u have time though :)

Hello Metal571, I am listening mostly to black and death metal. What headphone would you reccomend under 200 euros?

Is a creative x7 amp decent with these headphones??? Or do I need a super expensive amp?? Also does your EQ settings work on any EQ???

Hey @metal571! I only follow your reviews. I’m about to get HD800 from one of my friends. But I’ve also got Hifiman HE560 V2. It’s my kind request to you to please review those cans, if you get an opportunity to. I have them, but until yet I haven’t found a perfect eq for them.

I'm just curious if you have listened to the HD800S. If so did you notice much of a difference from the HD800. I am thinking of buying the HD800S real soon.

The cable is of very bad quality. The isolation already desintegrated after a few hours.

Didn't the 800S correct the problems with the treble the original 800 had? Have you heard the 800S? Don't know what to buy really, and the difference in price for a new pair is not that high (200$ in my country).

The sennheiser HD800S don't have the Treble spike so don't need much eq and the AKG K1000 is the queen of soundstage is mega wide

Very big earcups with a very small headband, I need to cut my hair every 2 months, otherwise they don't fit. Also have ATH-MSR7 which are way smaller and they work with any hair size, so yeah...

Hi which headphones are the best for watching movies and video games for xbox one hd800s or the fostex th900

So I finally got a HD800 (used). With bifrost multibit and asgard 1, optical feed... Ill get back to you after using it for a while, but so far Id say this is a "normal" headphone. There is just nothing "wrong" with it. Hard to explain but its kinda like nothing sticks out. (strangely I like this presentation much more than I expected).

I see that headphone audiophiles are way different than the stereospeaker audiophile. In their world equalisers are like cursing in church. :-)

If you're a headbanger, it will simply fly off. LOL.

Are those Sennheiser HD 280's you're wearing?

Thoughts on HD800 vs HD800s?

Does your mike really have to be so high and in front of your face? Just curious.

Metal571, This used or elex for $600?

Are you gradually turning into a Sennheiser fan?

still worth it in 2020?

how about this vs the beyerdynamic dt1990, completely different price points i know but still....haha

Orpheus review when?

Are these better than the dt 1990 ?

i am so lucky i have one

im really hoping to se a review of ath ad2000x/ad2000

Has anyone else tried to generate a ATH-AD2000x profile for the HD 800 on the Discord server? I think I like the results better than yours *or* vanilla. cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/243448552313847808/450231491738337302/output.txt There's a spot somewhere between 100hz and 1k where I think more energy like in yours* (*Metal571) would help make the soundstage more ""3D"" but I have no clue how to make it happen.

One thing I am very upset about is about reviews of headphones that come after someone owns them or has them for less than a month. The Human bias for "new toy syndrome", not to mention just sound signature differences. You need a long time with a HP to judge it properly.

K1000 has more soundstage!

Pretty much agree with you on everything. Annoying cable, good comfort, slides around when you move your head and alot of fun to play around with in EQ. Although I don't have to extend the headband nearly as much as you do. Maybe 4 notches on each side. I think your new EQ preset is alot better than the older ones. Actually has treble. I felt like measuring your preset against an HD650 and the stock HD800. drive.google.com/file/d/0B5KXL2WbpnuDVVhRa3A3T0lGX1k/view?usp=sharing Good idea limiting the headphone to 20Hz with that -4dB @10Hz filter.

I'd rather get electrostatic headphones honestly, better investment

That review really makes me think about buying one. You still have the same positive opinion about it? I have read a interesting review (diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-s-se/hd800/) with good measurements. He compares it to HD650 and I think he is not a big fan of the HD800. The needle pulse measurement shows, that the "HD 800 bigger membrane overshoots", which is strange because the impulse response measurement from Tyll shows the opposite when comparing to HD 650. Anyways good review as usual and here is some pro video about HD800s: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BkZPj9F0y18.html So my question is if you still recommend that Headphones? Sadly I cant test them and i certainly wont buy them new for so much money.

Ugh. I've never disagreed with so many things in a single review before, which is why I don't think I've ever made a rundown like this: 1) I also wear mine at max headband adjustment, but my head is huge... like, I can't find hats that fit. My ears are slightly closer to to top of the earcups than the bottom. It's PLENTY big enough. 2) The velvet-like material they use sticks to the hair well enough that the (somewhat) light clamp isn't an issue. These don't fall off easily. 3) The cable is fantastic. It's made well and doesn't hold its shape much. The connectors suck, though. 4) I've dropped mine multiple times onto hard floors without a chip or scratch. They're reasonably durable. 5) Stop associating impedance with sensitivity. I could make a headphone with 1000 ohm impedance but which is highly sensitive... or I could make a 32 ohm headphone that you need a speaker amp to drive (COUGH HE-6 COUGH). Impedance and sensitivity aren't the same thing. 6) Thickness in the upper bass... when driven by what? You can't talk about the response of these headphones in a vacuum. 7) The treble doesn't have "some forwardness", it has a piercing ringing at 6-7k. That, along with too much energy in the treble overall, makes these things treble cannons. 8) It responds OKAY to EQ, but you cannot get rid of ringing with an EQ and still retain the relevant frequencies. These headphones have ringing in the 6-7k range that doesn't go away unless you practically mute those frequencies... at which point you have a notch in the FR curve. 9) Don't amp this thing with a Magni. Please! Don't make the mistake that I did. At the very least, you should get an NFB11, which isn't so harsh. I'd recommend tubes, but I haven't had enough experience to be specific. 10) For $600 I still wouldn't recommend this thing. Save your money. Get the HD 600s or 650s.

You coil your headphone cable up like an inductor and REVIEW headphones??? Wha????????

awesome vid If you need any free music for your videos, come browse through the playlist's i have, i think they would really imrpove your videos!

Your head is pretty big

Damn. I really don't want to shell out 1300 for COVID free hd800s! Jkjk. Or am I? 🤔

lol what idiot will buy these headphones ($1600 when released in 2009) and plug it in a computer mother board? Or any inferior amps like the ones you mentioned. Audiophiles high end gears are NOT for people on a budget people!!! Do NOT get into the high end audiophile game when you're not quite there yet! Cos I know a lot of people went out and buy it and expecting it to blow their mind with their Fiio, Modi 2 dac combo amp and got disappointed and end up sale it, then write a bad review on it. Believe it or not the headphone is the least expensive item in the high-end audiophile world. And to get to its full potential you'll need to spent at least $3k-$5k more on amp, dac, cables, sources, etc. Sennheiser HD800 headphones is fantastic with BALANCED cables in a BALANCED amp! Not your typical Fiio, Darkvoice, Modi 2 dac/amp crap combo gears. Cos the HD800 is so transparent and what you feed it is exactly what you will get. You will know when you get the most out of the HD800 is when you start listening to it and you just freeze up in shocked and in complete overwhelming sensation like you're in audiophile heaven. And you wont care if the headphones slide off a little when u move after that ( you'll freeze up anyway in audiophile heaven & trust me, you wont be moving. Cos all u want to do is to close your eyes and lay back, its that intense!). These headphone are amazing if you give it the best PERIOD! And when you have to EQ the HD800 that means your gear is crap! Good gears NEVER need to be EQ! and that's what separate boys to men ladies & gent.

def the ugliest headphone