As usual a great review. And we can see that listing experiences can vary widely. I don’t have experience with the original hd800 however I did compare the hd800s and the hd8xx and for me the hd800s didn’t do it. To my ears they are treble cannons without much low end or warmth (much less than hd8xx). They are a bit less recessed in the upper midst which does result in a slightly better Trimble but to my ears also results in treble overload and I really have to focus on other parts on the music to pick up other instruments. Now the hd8xx to my ears sounds much easier to listen to, as you mentioned in your review they just point to the instruments and let you focus on them. They have to my ears a much more present low end than the 800s, still anemic compared to other headphones, but better. Yes the hd8xx are not perfect but for an analytical headphone with great soundstage I find them better than the hd800s. However each persons hearing is different and everyone wants to get something else from their headphones. So if someone like the 800s signature but cannot live with the treble than the hd8xx might be solution. Btw, I think they can be amp picky and got the best out of them with a monolith liquid gold x. I thinks neutral amps like the thx are best avoided, but again personal choice and to be fair all these headphones will have the same issue on a neutral amp.
Maybe I got a golden pair-- but I've really been loving the 8xx. Low end is not massive in quantity, but definitely there, and very tight - which I like. Bass is detailed.. but not really textured as on the LCD-X? Not sure if that makes sense / or if those are the right words. 8XX is very detailed, but surprisingly also easy listening for me as well. I really like them. Separation and soundstage are massive.
@@citylion1389 I really like my 8xx to. I think the lcd-x 2021 is great to however when a headphone gives me base only in the ears and not the rest of my body (talking about light but deep base) then it feels weird to me. The Lcd-x although not base heavy does that a bit to me so I feel overall I like base light headphones better. The 8xx is more airy and relaxed to listen too I found. Is it perfect, no however when I listen to reviews even the best headphones are not perfect. So I am fine with not perfect.
@@matthiasbroek8055 yes definitely. 8XX has solid presence, but is not as physical sounding as the LCD-X bass. Don't know any other way to put it. 8XX is relaxed, larger soundstage, LCD-X is more intimate, and definitely not relaxed -- sometimes so intimate though that it gets in its own way.
The 8XX with eq and proper burn-in changes its entire sonic signature contrary to what is compared here. Without eq, you can forget about it. With eq, everything opens up like vivid color and extreme clarity. Do yourself a favor by running a combination of 60% pink noise and 40% brown noise with volume of 30-50% louder than your normal listening volume for at least 3 days before judging the 8XX. For eq, it is very important to reduce the preamp gain of 5-6 db using either Oratory or AutoEq. After eq, I like this better than my 800S also with eq. Listening fatigue is gone. Microdetails and soundstage are preserved. Bass is enhanced. Nothing about lack of bass extension as discussed everywhere. I check the bass and bass extension on songs like Java (John Neptune), Animal (The Dunwells), Chant (Foreplay), Limit to Your Love (James Blake), Hotel California Live (Hell Freezes Over, Eagles), Jupiter and Oracle (A. Desplat), Why So Serious (Hans Zimmer) and many more. With proper burn-in and set-up, it competes very well with the Audeze LCD-4z and Focal Utopia costing at least 3 times their price. The 8XX is a bargain at $1,000.
I bought a 8xx from eBay and waiting for it to arrive within a couple days. so excited! I hope this is a nice upgrade for my hd660s. did you only eq the pair or did you do the "sticker mod" as well?
@@brothatwasepic You`re right. The 800S is not an upgrade it`s just different, to be more pleasing to a broader audience. The 800 is the real hifi king and unmatched.
2:00 because the HD 800 pads are worn in. The others might not. Thats what i figured when i bought me a pair of (new) Hd 800S. Took about 3 weeks to wear them in. Initially, i also had some pressure on top of my head. That went away though.
I keep coming to the same conclusion too. Sure, more bass presence is nice, but I dont want that at the expense of the sound being forward, less timbrally accurate or smaller in stage. Any headphone can push details right up against your face, but that doesn't always make for a relaxed listening experience
Of course you will keep seeing so called reviews of the newer more expensive model being better. Fact is that the 800s is not better but different. Some will call it less.
I had the HD800. I like the HD8XX better. I couldn't listen to the HD800 more than about 45 minutes without fatigue. I listened to the beginning of Saturnz Barz about 20 times with my HD8XX and HD600 (my reference headphones) I am not experiencing the lack of bass that you describe. I haven't heard the HD800S.
@@brugj03 yeah I use my HD8XX 99.9% of the time now. The sound stage is what I like about it. They have 0 fatigue unlike the HD800 I had. I also have HD660S2 among others.
when someone spends 1000 + dollars on headphones, the headphone should sound natural without EQ. 800/800S(own 800s) sounds natural and you can make it better with eq. but 8xx does not sound natural without eq to begin with. eq isn't really for fixing a headphone's problem. it should be used to make good headphones even better
How would you rate these now with the 8xx being half the price new as the 800s ($900 vs ~$1800). Curious if its worth eq to get like 95% (or whatever it may be) of the way there or go for a entierly different headphone.
8XX are a steal in terms of detail but that tonality is atrocious to me. If you're willing to EQ, GET THE 8XX no doubt. But I can't be bothered, so I'd go with a used HD800S
Its a real shame that such in depth reviewers are criminally under subbed while hypemen like zeos and grifters like joshua valour who know nothing about audio except flashy b rolls are subscribed so much
I absolutely love your Dragon Ball super reference in the beginning. It made me smile lol
As usual a great review. And we can see that listing experiences can vary widely. I don’t have experience with the original hd800 however I did compare the hd800s and the hd8xx and for me the hd800s didn’t do it. To my ears they are treble cannons without much low end or warmth (much less than hd8xx). They are a bit less recessed in the upper midst which does result in a slightly better Trimble but to my ears also results in treble overload and I really have to focus on other parts on the music to pick up other instruments. Now the hd8xx to my ears sounds much easier to listen to, as you mentioned in your review they just point to the instruments and let you focus on them. They have to my ears a much more present low end than the 800s, still anemic compared to other headphones, but better. Yes the hd8xx are not perfect but for an analytical headphone with great soundstage I find them better than the hd800s. However each persons hearing is different and everyone wants to get something else from their headphones. So if someone like the 800s signature but cannot live with the treble than the hd8xx might be solution. Btw, I think they can be amp picky and got the best out of them with a monolith liquid gold x. I thinks neutral amps like the thx are best avoided, but again personal choice and to be fair all these headphones will have the same issue on a neutral amp.
Maybe I got a golden pair-- but I've really been loving the 8xx. Low end is not massive in quantity, but definitely there, and very tight - which I like. Bass is detailed.. but not really textured as on the LCD-X? Not sure if that makes sense / or if those are the right words. 8XX is very detailed, but surprisingly also easy listening for me as well. I really like them. Separation and soundstage are massive.
@@citylion1389 I really like my 8xx to. I think the lcd-x 2021 is great to however when a headphone gives me base only in the ears and not the rest of my body (talking about light but deep base) then it feels weird to me. The Lcd-x although not base heavy does that a bit to me so I feel overall I like base light headphones better. The 8xx is more airy and relaxed to listen too I found. Is it perfect, no however when I listen to reviews even the best headphones are not perfect. So I am fine with not perfect.
@@matthiasbroek8055 yes definitely. 8XX has solid presence, but is not as physical sounding as the LCD-X bass. Don't know any other way to put it. 8XX is relaxed, larger soundstage, LCD-X is more intimate, and definitely not relaxed -- sometimes so intimate though that it gets in its own way.
@@citylion1389 My experience also. I like them both for different reasons.
As always, very Comprehensive👏
$700 for the 8XX? Damn, that inflation hit like a fully loaded cement truck flying off a highway overpass into the street below.
Bit late for this but my understanding the 700 was a limited use coupon code special.
can pick them up for 900 now
Brilliant!
Usage of a familiar track such as Gorillaz sure helps a lot to understand the subtle Nuances.
The 8XX with eq and proper burn-in changes its entire sonic signature contrary to what is compared here. Without eq, you can forget about it. With eq, everything opens up like vivid color and extreme clarity. Do yourself a favor by running a combination of 60% pink noise and 40% brown noise with volume of 30-50% louder than your normal listening volume for at least 3 days before judging the 8XX.
For eq, it is very important to reduce the preamp gain of 5-6 db using either Oratory or AutoEq. After eq, I like this better than my 800S also with eq. Listening fatigue is gone. Microdetails and soundstage are preserved. Bass is enhanced. Nothing about lack of bass extension as discussed everywhere. I check the bass and bass extension on songs like Java (John Neptune), Animal (The Dunwells), Chant (Foreplay), Limit to Your Love (James Blake), Hotel California Live (Hell Freezes Over, Eagles), Jupiter and Oracle (A. Desplat), Why So Serious (Hans Zimmer) and many more.
With proper burn-in and set-up, it competes very well with the Audeze LCD-4z and Focal Utopia costing at least 3 times their price. The 8XX is a bargain at $1,000.
I bought a 8xx from eBay and waiting for it to arrive within a couple days. so excited! I hope this is a nice upgrade for my hd660s. did you only eq the pair or did you do the "sticker mod" as well?
@@slee2054 Just did eq.
realllyyyy looked forward to this
Great review, thx
Interesting review. I sense the Old HD800 is detailed and images better than HD800S
You’d be right
Everything is better on the 800 non s. Don't make my mistake
@@brothatwasepic You`re right. The 800S is not an upgrade it`s just different, to be more pleasing to a broader audience.
The 800 is the real hifi king and unmatched.
2:00 because the HD 800 pads are worn in. The others might not. Thats what i figured when i bought me a pair of (new) Hd 800S. Took about 3 weeks to wear them in. Initially, i also had some pressure on top of my head. That went away though.
Your skulk shape probably shifted to accommodate for the 800S
The more comparisons I get between the 800 series, the more I think the 800 is my choice- even considering some of the anomalies in the treble.
I keep coming to the same conclusion too. Sure, more bass presence is nice, but I dont want that at the expense of the sound being forward, less timbrally accurate or smaller in stage. Any headphone can push details right up against your face, but that doesn't always make for a relaxed listening experience
8xx is now 699 with a discount code on drop. At 700 they are the best bang for the buck
What is the discount code
I’m having a hard time deciding and have stressed out about it. And you dbz intro was so cool lol
I can’t be the only one that finds the original HD800 more crisper and clearer sounding, while also having slightly better imaging than the HD800S?
Yeah seems to be a trend that people say the OG one has better soundstage/imaging. Maybe you like a lot of treble? Never heard either of those two.
Of course you will keep seeing so called reviews of the newer more expensive model being better. Fact is that the 800s is not better but different. Some will call it less.
I had the HD800. I like the HD8XX better. I couldn't listen to the HD800 more than about 45 minutes without fatigue. I listened to the beginning of Saturnz Barz about 20 times with my HD8XX and HD600 (my reference headphones) I am not experiencing the lack of bass that you describe. I haven't heard the HD800S.
I have the HD600 too. But the 800 is way better with the right amp. The 600 is nice but really lacks excitement and has a small soundstage.
@@brugj03 yeah I use my HD8XX 99.9% of the time now. The sound stage is what I like about it. They have 0 fatigue unlike the HD800 I had. I also have HD660S2 among others.
With the Zeos disount for drop resulting in $600 for the 8xx was it then worth it?
when someone spends 1000 + dollars on headphones, the headphone should sound natural without EQ. 800/800S(own 800s) sounds natural and you can make it better with eq. but 8xx does not sound natural without eq to begin with. eq isn't really for fixing a headphone's problem. it should be used to make good headphones even better
You can change the 8xx to be exactly like an 800s though(without eq)
@@badgermcbadger1968 How............?????
@@brugj03 it's been a while but theres a guide somewhere online, it does void the warranty though
were you listening with balanced cable?
How would you rate these now with the 8xx being half the price new as the 800s ($900 vs ~$1800).
Curious if its worth eq to get like 95% (or whatever it may be) of the way there or go for a entierly different headphone.
8XX are a steal in terms of detail but that tonality is atrocious to me. If you're willing to EQ, GET THE 8XX no doubt. But I can't be bothered, so I'd go with a used HD800S
Its a real shame that such in depth reviewers are criminally under subbed while hypemen like zeos and grifters like joshua valour who know nothing about audio except flashy b rolls are subscribed so much
I appreciate that man! But come now, Zeos and Josh are great reviewers too lol. Different strokes for different folks!
@@chuckolatte600 Would you recommend 8XX for $699 with the new promo code over the 800S?
@@j_505 If you're willing to use EQ, DEFINITELY. If not (like me), I'd rather just pay the extra money (though probably just stick to a preowned unit)
@@j_505 if you bought the hd8xx, know that you can remove some driver dampning tape and they will be exactly like hd800s
Sennheiser HD800 for me
Like wise...
3:00
Sound
Didn't you claim to be poor before on one of your videos:)?
Times change ;) Jk, I just had a really long amount of time to save up and then keep these for the comparison!
It had to be done...
Can you compare the HFM XS with the ananda
why not include the 820?
nah
So nice to have such a comprehensive review. Thanks man. At the same time, just throw them all away and enjoy the 600. SO.MUCH.BETTER. :)
👍😁
さ
HD 800 S for me see ya