I want to listen to Cheers for You through an Orpheus.

muzak sux0rs, i listen to self-help and guided meditation tapes

a big Steely Dan fan too?

I suspect that statement about audiophiles is not far off the mark.

That's true. I do know people like that. I laugh when people compare the other 'phile types to audiophile. Somehow audiophile has pariah-like consequences.

I auditioned the HD800 today. It's the second time that I've listened to this headphone and I was able to spend some more time with it. I was immediately struck by the musical details that it revealed. The shimmer and decay of cymbals was reproduced with almost microscopic resolution. I found the soundstage spacious but not exaggerated. I'd describe the overall presentation to be slightly bright, with bass notes sounding a tad soft in the overall mix but extending low when required. I was listening to a complex jazz instrumental track and the HD800 handled it with aplomb. This HD800 was less comfortable than I remembered. I noticed that the cups are large indeed and the edges pressed into my cheeks, which could be problematic. Nonetheless, it's a very impressive headphone.

There was also a Stax SR-307 available for audition so I decided to give it a try by listening to the same track. I had no expectations really as I'd come to the store specifically to audition the HD800. I was surprised to find that the SR-307's treble presentation seemed just as detailed but not as bright. The HD800's treble presentation sounded slightly "tipped-up" by comparison and not as smooth. What really surprised me was the bass presentation, which was more prominent than the HD800, though not as well defined. The soundstage might not have been as majestic as that of the HD800 but it wasn't dwarfed by it either. Imaging was superb. I even found the Stax more comfortable, albeit rather creaky.

Overall I found myself preferring the SR-307 to the HD800 but there was very little separating them. The SR-307 just had a more pleasing presentation to my ears, while not conceding to the HD800 in the areas of detail retrieval, clarity, imaging and reproducing the timbre of acoustic instruments convincingly.

Source: CEC CD player

Amps: Lehmann Black Cube Linear, Stax SRM-006tS

Didn't read your welcome pm, did you?

Damn I wish my beta22 would be ready. I'm still out of funds to buy LCD2's, but my HD800's sound pretty good to me (my DIY-cable made a tiny difference, but nothing earth shaking).

I can only hope that my modified WA6 sounds lesser than my balanced beta22. Tubes FTW!

(insert facepalm for the no-whiskyses-mentioning-noob)

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/dynamic-stereo-headphones-high-sound-quality_500319

MSRP:$1,799.95

hmmm...

i'm not sure it exists anymore.

Good point. We'll have to make sure and pound the same thought into their heads more directly then.

Well, in fairness, it's not a gawd awful first post, though it will be interesting to see if this noob bothers to actually read the forum before posting more.

I've been lurking here for a while. What welcome pm?

This is the Welcome PM:

Thanks for joining Head-Case. I'm glad you're here. That said, you should be aware that this isn't your typical internet forum. We're not here so that you'll have another place to sell your stuff. We're not looking for people trying to pad their post counts, or demonstrate their ability to find witty things on the internet.

This is predominantly a place for friends to discuss music, audio gear, and whatever else tickles our fancy. We are sometimes quite rude, often irreverant, and regularly abusive. Think of it like the corner bar where everyone knows each other. Don't mistake our familiarity with each other as familiarity with you, even if you've seen our names in other locations before.

Spend some time reading before you start to post. Get familiar with what is going on, and who the various people are. Don't just jump right into the fray.

This is your only warning, but I hope you can participate. There's a lot of good information, and more importantly, good people here.

Wait, I just saw the post above where it says the HD800 is $1800. Holy crap, man. What the hell is Senn doing...?

Edited January 21, 201115 yr by Asr

Thanks Asr. Back in my box now.

Yikes! $1800 is ridiculous for these headphones. I'm sure a lot of ppl are pissed that they were expecting the price to lower over time or Sennheiser dropping the strict marked price for official distributors.

Amazon is showing $1500, so I'm hoping it won't be $400 more, especially since the euro hasn't fluctuated enough to justify the price difference.

I agree with Vicki. It wasn't an utterly useless first post, and I do rather like the username "yazz flute".

As to Mr. Pretty's point, the Euro has actually lost value against the dollar since thei introduction, has it not? I can't imagine the price change (if any) is due to ForEx.

Nah, that's a good first post. You came to the right conclusion.

Thanks for joining Head-Case. I'm glad you're here. That said, you should be aware that this isn't your typical internet forum. We're not here so that you'll have another place to sell your stuff. We're not looking for people trying to pad their post counts, or demonstrate their ability to find witty things on the internet.

Man, I am so fucked.

I think that was a great first post, honestly. Welcome, and I'm sure your Stax Mafia recruiter will be contacting you shortly.

Man, I am so fucked.

You were grandfathered in, but did inspire that clause

If they really do pull an Ultrasone and make the HD800 $1800, I can see a lot of business seriously being lost to Audeze and Hifiman. I was just as annoyed when Beyer raised the price of the T1, and I would have been happy to buy the T1 at $999 or the HD800 at $1399. Now I just want JH13s or planars.

I think that was a great first post, honestly. Welcome, and I'm sure your Stax Mafia recruiter will be contacting you shortly.

Did somebody say Mafia...?

If I were to break it down, I'd say it was a decent but lackluster post overall. No mention of amp/source hurts a bit, as most kids have no idea what a decent source is.

Also: posting HD800 impressions in 2011? Yawn.

But yazz flute is an interesting enough name to make up for some of that. Better "yazz" than "skin", I say.

Edited January 21, 201115 yr by atothex

^ Fixed. With the exception of being lackluster and dated.

And, with much of the community having weighed in, it seems you've been approved for temporary posting. Congratulations, and welcome to Head Case (a subsidiary of More Hardcore, LLC)