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HiFi Lounge
31-12-2015, 09:06
http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Headphones/IMG_1946_zpsy4dhrhwk.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Headphones/IMG_1946_zpsy4dhrhwk.jpg.html)

Hi There,

Just a quick blog to say that we now have the much anticipated new Sennheiser HD800S Headphones on demo and in stock. When a box arrived yesterday from Sennheiser containing the HD800S’s I was very surprised as they are not supposed to be officially announced until CES in January with stock available until sometime in February, so that was a nice end to 2015 :-)

I think it is fair to say that the original HD800 was one of the first serious Highend Headphones that led to the huge growth that the audiophile headphone market has seen over the last few years and I still believe that they are the reference at the £1000′ish price mark offering excellent detail and an unrivalled soundstage for a headphone, for me they are the best dynamic headphone currently available, so when news broke earlier in the year of a revision a lot of people became very interested.

Other than being finished in black and looking very good for it the main improvement is something called an ‘Acoustic Absorber’ as seen in their reference IEM’s the IE800′s, basically this gives a smoother and more balanced presentation through the whole frequency range as the main criticism levelled at the original HD800′s was that they could be a little bright and the bass could be a little lacking, apparently not with the HD800S’s as these are supposed more solid in the lower frequencies with a higher and more refined treble.

The best news is that they only cost £100 more than the HD800′s and you get a single ended and balanced cable in the box, the balanced cable is worth £250 on its own so these really are a bit of a bargain in the higher end of the headphone market, in all honesty I think Sennheiser are mad as these easily could have retailed for £1500, especially with both cables in the box, but that is happy days for all headphone enthusiasts out there :-)

We are busy running them in at the moment as if they are anything like the original HD800′s then they will need at least 200 hours to come on song but we will leave them running non stop for the next few days, Personally I can’t wait to try them with Chord’s DAVE as this really could be a brilliant match. The original HD800′s are going to stay in Sennheiser’s lineup so we will continue to have both on demo so that anyone can compare both models but in reality I can see the HD800S finishing of the HD800 if they are as good as people are saying.

We’ve got 2 pairs in stock at the moment so if you fancy having a pair of true reference headphones before they have even been launched please feel free to give me a ring.

As ever please find a link to them on the website and a few pics.

http://www.highendheadphones.co.uk/sennheiser/sennheiser-hd-800s-headphones

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Headphones/IMG_1934_zps1azbrj1y.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Headphones/IMG_1934_zps1azbrj1y.jpg.html)

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Headphones/IMG_1936_zpsojcv2vz0.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Headphones/IMG_1936_zpsojcv2vz0.jpg.html)

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Headphones/IMG_1937_zpsonk5abdn.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Headphones/IMG_1937_zpsonk5abdn.jpg.html)

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Headphones/IMG_1939_zpsxn0su8zj.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Headphones/IMG_1939_zpsxn0su8zj.jpg.html)

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Headphones/IMG_1940_zps5jkneyqs.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Headphones/IMG_1940_zps5jkneyqs.jpg.html)

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Headphones/IMG_1942_zps6irlyody.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Headphones/IMG_1942_zps6irlyody.jpg.html)

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Headphones/IMG_1943_zpshogklhzi.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Headphones/IMG_1943_zpshogklhzi.jpg.html)

Cheers,
Paul.

HiFi Lounge
02-01-2016, 08:53
Happy New Year Everyone :-)

I just thought I would quickly update this blog as I took the new Sennheiser HD800S’s home for a couple of days to compare directly to the original HD800, I run them on a Chord Hugo TT with an Aurender as a source, basically the differences are subtle but very welcome.

I used a variety of songs with strong female vocal that could get a little shouty on the original 800′s and a few other tracks with strong bass lines to see if this is an area that has been improved on the 800S’S, so how did they sound?

The short answer is that the higher frequencies are definitely more controlled, slightly smoother whilst retaining all the detail that the 800′s are known for, you get a more natural presentation but for me the extra bass at the bottom end is the real improvement, again it is not a huge difference, it doesn’t turn them into a Audeze LCD-2 :-) but it is definitely more defined with a little more punch which helps track the bass line of any song better giving a more rounded sound.

Personally I love a neutral and open sound, hence why I love Stax, if you prefer a warmer, fuller sound then the 800S’s won’t be for you but if you prefer a clean, well balanced sound with excellent width, the 800′s are still the leader when it comes to soundstaging for me, then I would say that the HD800S’s is incredible value and is most definitely a headphone that I would quite happily live with in my home system, in fact I can see a pair partnering my Hugo TT very shortly :-)

On Monday I will be ordering the HD800 Nordost cable for demo as this really could take them to another level, alternatively it could just be too much as with any revealing piece of kit synergy is so important but I am keen to see what the Nordost cable brings to the 800′s as on the Audeze’s it is the separation that is really apparent, watch this space.

Cheers,

Paul.

wee tee cee
17-01-2016, 16:48
Just out of interest how do the 800s compare to the 700s?

I moved from 650s (which I still have and will always keep) to 700s-the performance upgrade was palpable and worth every penny.

Do the 800s represent a similar upgrade over the 700s ?

HiFi Lounge
20-01-2016, 19:09
Yes the 800's are a big step up, really open and spacious sound with the 800S really refining it further adding a smoothness to the top and some real punch at the bottom, almost the perfect headphone for me, especially at its price point.