Sennheiser HD 800 S Open-Back Headphones

slickd888

Mar 11, 2023 10:53 PM

1,307 Posts

Joined Nov 2019

slickd888Mar 11, 2023 10:53 PM

1,307 Posts

Quote from scoopbb

:

i would highly advise anyone not to waste their money on a headphone that weighs this much for gaming. ive had audeze headphones for casual listening and they straight up hurt to wear after not particularly long. i cant imagine wearing one for a long gaming session.

Audeze planar headphones are notoriously heavy. I sold mine for that reason. These are noticeably lighter in comparison.

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minnus

Mar 11, 2023 11:06 PM

2,129 Posts

Joined Oct 2009

minnusMar 11, 2023 11:06 PM

2,129 Posts

Quote from plasbo

:

Sennheiser has quietly introduced the improved version of HD800S last year. Neumann NDH30. Vastly superior, no EQ required, and less expensive. Read reviews. Neumann is a part of Sennheiser, a professional audio division.

Any links to reviews?

gjsneptune

Mar 11, 2023 11:38 PM

1,412 Posts

Joined Mar 2011

gjsneptuneMar 11, 2023 11:38 PM

1,412 Posts

You know you're rich when you can spend laptop money on headphones.

3

NavyMeal6727

Mar 11, 2023 11:59 PM

17 Posts

Joined Jun 2022

NavyMeal6727Mar 11, 2023 11:59 PM

17 Posts

What AMP/DAC should you get for this. PC and PS5.

minnus

Mar 12, 2023 01:29 AM

2,129 Posts

Joined Oct 2009

minnusMar 12, 2023 01:29 AM

2,129 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank minnus

Quote from gjsneptune

:

You know you're rich when you can spend laptop money on headphones.

The good thing about headphones is that you really only need to buy it once. A laptop can be used for around 5 years before a new one is recommended (if only because the battery will likely have drastically reduced life by then).

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aRandom1

Mar 12, 2023 03:57 AM

16 Posts

Joined Sep 2020

aRandom1Mar 12, 2023 03:57 AM

16 Posts

Deal is dead???

ldeveraux

Mar 12, 2023 11:47 AM

507 Posts

Joined Jan 2006

ldeverauxMar 12, 2023 11:47 AM

507 Posts

Quote from av911

:

Great story. You go to Tesla threads and repeat your sorry comment?!

The kind of person that would buy $1200 headphones is the same person who would frequent Tesla threads. Thanks for making my point for me.

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Syxxpac

Mar 12, 2023 04:12 PM

30 Posts

Joined Jun 2011

SyxxpacMar 12, 2023 04:12 PM

30 Posts

Quote from FeistyRaccoon394

:

This or a dedicated Dolby Atmos system. Decisions.....Decisions lol I'll always have lifelong regrets if I chose one or the other.

Both? I jumped on this deal last time back in December and don't regret it at all. I've wanted them for a while so couldn't pass them up at this price. 7.2.4 atmos home theater will hopefully be installed by the end of the month.

1

aRandom1

Mar 13, 2023 02:18 PM

16 Posts

Joined Sep 2020

aRandom1Mar 13, 2023 02:18 PM

16 Posts

Anyone's shipped ?

crazygideon

Mar 13, 2023 04:17 PM

450 Posts

Joined Apr 2009

crazygideonMar 13, 2023 04:17 PM

450 Posts

Quote from aRandom1

:

Anyone's shipped ?

Nope, still "In Progress - we're preparing your order for shipment"

*edit* I stand corrected, it just shipped.

Last edited by crazygideon March 13, 2023 at 10:56 AM.

doublequote

Mar 13, 2023 10:27 PM

618 Posts

Joined Nov 2017

doublequoteMar 13, 2023 10:27 PM

618 Posts

Quote from minnus

:

Any links to reviews?

Plenty of audiophile nerd reviews out there via YouTube etc. Just throw the model number in the YouTubes search and enjoy the literal piles of 'OMG End Game' reviews.

I'm a fan of Crinacle's review and measurement site. Here's his summary:

Arguably the king of soundstage and raw detail, though at the cost of its infamous treble spike.

https://crinacle.com/rankings/headphones/

R32Raines

Mar 13, 2023 10:45 PM

77 Posts

Joined Jan 2006

R32RainesMar 13, 2023 10:45 PM

77 Posts

That treble spike (around 1-2khz) is with the original HD800. The HD800S doesn't have that problem. This deal is for the HD800S. You can physically tell the difference in the two by the 800S has more black in its coloring, and the original 800 has a bit more silver in its coloring.

To those asking about an amp/dac... I like the Schiit Jotunheim. Plenty of power to drive the headphones, good soundstage and has balanced or single ended connections. Unless they've changed it, the HD800S comes with both balanced and single ended cables.

3

aRandom1

Mar 15, 2023 11:51 PM

16 Posts

Joined Sep 2020

aRandom1Mar 15, 2023 11:51 PM

16 Posts

Just wow. At first I was hitting myself for paying one grand for this.

But got it today and such a positive difference. Using ifi hip dac2 with Apple Music lossless.

Coming from an AKG Q701.

1

crazygideon

Mar 16, 2023 03:45 AM

450 Posts

Joined Apr 2009

crazygideonMar 16, 2023 03:45 AM

450 Posts

Just a follow up for those wondering if these are good for gaming. I received mine today and compared it to two expensive headphones I already own, the Focal Utopia and Hifiman Susvara. Both are super "detailed " headphones, the Utopias are narrow in sound stage while the Susvaras have a bigger sound stage though not as big as the HD800 S.

In Darktide, I am able to pinpoint elites and specialists like Pox Bursters and Mutants better from their unique sound cues being like left forward or left rear whereas before using the Susvaras I could only determine just left OR rear but not both for example. That's the difference in sound stage for you.

The HD800 S however, in my opinion, does not sound better than the Utopia or Susvaras for music but it is a very good sounding headphone for its price. It only beats these other headphones in sound stage but loses on other categories like detail retrieval, punch/slam etc…

It definitely is a great all-rounder which I think gamers could enhance their experience while gaming (not necessarily win gun fights in MW) and also occasionally enjoy music at amazing quality. The last 10-20% of music quality just is exponentially more expensive. For those who missed out on the deal but are looking to buy in the future, you won't regret buying these the next sale.

5

hotwheels12345

Mar 16, 2023 09:33 PM

240 Posts

Joined Jun 2016

hotwheels12345Mar 16, 2023 09:33 PM

240 Posts

They are good headphones but for gamers it's better to get 7.1 processing for the games without good stereo output in a headset. You don't need these to get those cues if the software layer generates them via binaural HRTF models. For those games with poor models you can use the 7.1 feed from what they would normally send to discrete speakers and the headset does the binaural mixing. This can all be had for 200-300 dollars. That being said these are great in general for audio and very comfortable. Luxury good and all that.

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Product Description:	HD 800 S - The audiophile headphones all others are measured against, our HD 800 S doesn't just raise the ceiling for critical listening-it smashes right through it. Combining the care devoted to a handcrafted instrument and the precision of modern manufacturing, the HD 800 S lets you explore your entire music collection from the inside out. The Exploration of Sound The HD 800 S demonstrates over 75 years of audio expertise, redefining the critical listening experience. After launching its predecessor-the HD 800-we accepted a self-imposed challenge to completely disappear from the last link in the audio chain. Our goal was to provide acoustics so immersive that your awareness dissolves into the creator's perspective. On their own, each component of the HD 800 S is world-class. The signature sound of the HD 800 S is possible not because of any one of them, but through the synergy of all of them. Let's explore. It Has a Ring to It The heart of the HD 800 S and its striking sound is the 56mm Ring Radiator transducer. It leverages the key benefit of a large diaphragm transducer-air displacement-without losing the rigidity that favorably impacts rest and response times. Instead of a single attachment on the outer circumference of the transducer, both outer and inner edges of the "ring" are secured to the drive unit. The voice coil excites the diaphragm, connected to the v-shaped groove found near the center of the ring. A feat in itself, the voice coil is 40mm and wound in-house to ensure the shape and consistency is held to the highest standard. Solid as a Rock The headphones' vibration damping chassis and inert headband insert provide complete stability-what you put into the HD 800 S is precisely what you will get out of it. Each transducer is manufactured, tested, and measured to the tightest tolerance to ensure the most dependable performance out of the box. Even the steel mesh found in the baffle is matched and integrated with consistency in mind, as it contributes to ultra-low variance in the management of trave
Product SKU:	se506911
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Sennheiser HD 800 S Open-Back Headphones

$1,199

$1,800

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