Sennheiser HD800S Listening Update!
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.
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