Kolejne "pierwsze wrazenia" z HD 800. W skrocie - bardzo podobno do HD650 - tyle, ze ze znacznie wieksza scena, choc nie wieksza niz np. w K1000.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/another-sennheiser-hd800-first-impression-399245/"On the show floor at CES, Sennheiser had a glass enclosed listening room dedicated to the HD800. The room was decently isolated, but some background noise from the show floor still got through. In it were an EMMlabs CD transport, connected via AES/XLR digital output to a Benchmark DAC1 (original version). Plugged into the DAC1 were both the HD800 and the HD650 for comparison. I own a Benchmark DAC1 Pre and the HD650, so I had a good reference point to what was in the booth. And, among the case full of demo CDs that Sennheiser had in the booth were two that I personally own and am very familiar with. I got to listen to those CDs and another that was already in the transport for five or ten minutes, switching back and forth between the HD800 and the HD650. In general, the sound signature between the two was quite similar, but the HD800 had a dramatically larger soundstage (and I mean dramatically larger). Indeed the only headphone I’ve ever heard with a larger soundstage than the HD800 was the AKG K1000 I used to own. Other sonic differences between the HD650 and the HD800 were fairly subtle. The HD800 highs and lows were more extended, but of the same character as the HD650. In the short time that I listened in that environment, I couldn’t really distinguish much more than that. The other obvious difference between the two phones was comfort. For those who have endured the dreaded HD600/650 head clamp, the HD800 is incredibly comfortable. I would prefer that the HD800 earpads be a little thicker, but they were acceptable. And as I mentioned in my prior comments, the physical space for the ears is much larger in the HD800, which relieves that suffocating presence of the HD650s. I expect that the HD800 would be well suited to long listening sessions with minimal fatigue.
The big question, of course, is whether the HD800 is worth the $1399 price. Each Head-Fi person will have to decide that for him or herself. The current favorite headphone that I own is a lowly Denon AH-D2000 which was heavily modified with a variant of the “Markl mods”, as well as the Lawton Audio mahogany wood replacement cups and a DIY cable upgrade. I prefer it easily over the HD650. (That comparison, which I did in the leisure of my own home over a couple of weeks was no contest.) Given that I wasn’t able to compare the HD800 directly to my D2000, you can take my following comments with a grain of salt. I prefer the bass of my modded D2000 over that of the HD800. The open air design of the HD800 just can’t match the closed design of the Denons in the low end, particularly with the Markl mods keeping the D2000 bass well under control. The Lawton wood cups for the D2000 are somewhat larger than the stock cups, and they create a larger soundstage, but the HD800 soundstage was larger still. The HD800 wins there. I can’t really assess the midrange and treble, or many other sonic characteristics, of the HD800 vs. the modded D2000 without hearing them side by side. My Denon D2000 cost me about $550 including all the mods, and with the Lawton cups, they sound mighty sweet. I almost hate to say this because I really do like the HD800, but with the new Sennheiser priced at well over double what I paid for the modded D2000, I’m going to stick with the Denon. If, however, I were specifically looking to get new open phones, I would have to consider the HD800 as the front runner."
