jp11801 Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) Never call a friend about going to Vegas if your not totally serious. After several phone calls Al and I booked a one day blitz of CES madness to see if the HD 800 hype was for real. I'm on an iPhone so more details to come but the HD 800 is the real deal and to me worth every penny of the $1400 asking price. We got into Vegas at 10am and went straight to the Senn display area for a 20 minute session each with the HD800. All I can say it they sound Great and are competitive with any top tier headphone (current or discontinued). Thanks to Jude, Drew and Tyl for the hookup and it was great to hang with Ed, Naaman and his Dave. Dinner and drinks was a blast! To be continued... Edited January 11, 2009 by jp11801 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
909 Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 what would you do just to hear a new top tier headphone? the wait for the official release is going to be tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icarium Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Sounds like fun! How do they compare to Qualias and K1000. Not just like are they on the same level or better or worse, but do they share similar sonic signatures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp11801 Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 They are as good as maybe better tough to say definatively without a side by side comp. They are very fast, transparent with a wide open and very detailed soundstage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahame Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Now that's what I call dedication to the cause. Will there be matching reports/reviews for AVN, or is it a (head) case of What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 CES in 8 hours is a nutty idea, it turns out. Good times with Naaman, Dave, Tyll, Jude and Drew and especially at the Senn booth. HD800 is the real deal. Plenty of pics tomorrow but no computer between us tonight. Good stuff abounded but we barely scratched the surface. Pretty cool that there were two flagship hi-end headphones debuted by Ultrasone and Senn and Ultrasone and Beyer also have new amps. Shure was huge and Monster Cable debuted a whole line of shit. Anyway, more tomorrow. AVN, what's that, a new audio company? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 CES in 8 hours is a nutty idea, it turns out. Good times with Naaman, Dave, Tyll, Jude and Drew and especially at the Senn booth. HD800 is the real deal. Plenty of pics tomorrow but no computer between us tonight. Good stuff abounded but we barely scratched the surface. Pretty cool that there were two flagship hi-end headphones debuted by Ultrasone and Senn and Ultrasone and Beyer also have new amps. Shure was huge and Monster Cable debuted a whole line of shit. Anyway, more tomorrow. AVN, what's that, a new audio company? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icarium Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 They are as good as maybe better tough to say definatively without a side by side comp. They are very fast, transparent with a wide open and very detailed soundstage. Ah me. Ah me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomana Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 arrrrrgh. This is supposed to be my year of fiscal restraint. I wonder how much the bonus pool at work will bring next month? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrion Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 For me it's easy. If I like the HD800 better than the Jade then the Jade goes. If not, then I have a Jade and BH. Either way it's a win, win for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aardvark baguette Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 arrrrrgh. This is supposed to be my year of fiscal restraint. Naw, spend it now before hyperinflation takes hold. \ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augsburger Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Or wait for hyper deflation a stronger dollar and weaker $DM. Nah, buy them now and post pictures and impressions for all of us to drool over. I am sticking to my fiscal restraint in 2009 New Years resolution so I am on the sidelines for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Can't we all just get along? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp11801 Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Just got home after the whirlwind trip and if I had it to do all over again (next year) I'd take three days at least. The senns upon reflection are really a no brainer and I am sure will get better reviews when paired with a better amp than the dac1. I have nothing against the dac1 but at the end of the day it is a dac with amp in it not the other way around. If you are planning on buying one of these the same amp rules of engagement for 650s should apply. Good amp will equal good sound but great amp will take them a whole hell of alot higher. Other gear fly bys we werea ble to hit: Ultrasone Edition 8s, not a bad headphone and on par with the Ed9s. Small ear cups and they are very shiney. Sound was good and detailed and lacked that unnatural sound I often complain about with the pair of ED9s I had. Still for the price I'g do with the HD800 unless I wanted a $1400 portable headphone. They also had an amp there on display the Al listened to but seemed to have a few technical difficulties and was not funtioning properly. Quad Room, as a nod to the head to the Quad heads here we stopped in. They had a pair of the stats up and running with an all Quad electronincs package. SOund was nice and organinc but lacked any real drive and emeotion. Maybe it was they room or maybe it was my expectations but we left after a track to seek out greener pastures. Hanson Speaker Room, Great rig but missed the bulls eye. They had the Hanson big dogs in here $60k worth of speaker the Kings. The front end was a beautifull Redpoint turntable and DCS digital player that was driven by C.A.T pre and power amps. Nice sound and almost world class but suffered from a top end that could have used a bit of taming. Great stuff but I expect perfection when the total rig price is well over $100k. TAD has two rooms going, one with their big speakers and one with stand mount larger monitors. In the bigger room they partnered with Ray Kimber who was demoing his isomike recordings. Great sound in both rooms but the smaller monitors sounded better to me but it may have been the music or room set up as I have heard the larger speakers really shine in the past. Both rooms used pass lab amps and the smaller speakers had the berkeley alpha dac in use. The berkeley dac is one I really want to audition in my rig as everything I have heard about this dac screams home run. Red Wine Audio, when Al and I spied Vinnie Rossi and the RWA audio room we had to stop by. For those that haven't met Vinnie he is one of the good guys out there in the biz. RWA has the new Isabella pre/dac into a tube power amp (el34s) feeding new two ways from Europe. The speakers were nice but not totally my things and at $4500 I need to be better wowed. I really wish he had the hemp speakers from Omega only because they represent a point of reference and I could have gotten a better feeling for his pre/dac. If you are ever at a show spend some time with RWA great guy and he has always treated me right. We caught the Steve Hoffman talk at 2pm in the KS cable room. First of all Steve is a class act and if you ever get a chance to hear him speak do not miss the opportunity. His knowledge is without peer and his delivery is down to earth and funny. Other than the three loud and obnoxious members of the well known audio media/MOT that sat behind and talked through a few songs and droned on and on about some cable maker like he was Moses it was time well spent. Steve covered alot of ground in 70 minutes from Sinatra to Nat King Cole, the Beatles, Art Pepper and more. Probably most interesting was listening to the direct mike feeds from the Sinatra and Nat Cole sessiosn with the echo chamber treatments that are on the LPs and CDs. WOW sound like you are right there in the room the equivilent of a sonic holograms. He played a clip of I'n So Tired from the Beatles White Album that has such extension both low and high that is just not present on the cds or lps. Lets hope that cataloge get better treatment in the years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 arrrrrgh. This is supposed to be my year of fiscal restraint. I wonder how much the bonus pool at work will bring next month?Stimulate the economy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 You guys are right, this iMod --> ALO Fatty --> RSA SR71 --> Ultrasone Ed. 8 really does kick ass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadhead Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Wait a minute how the heck did you get in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Wore credentials belonging to jude and tyll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Yes, JP and I went to Las Vegas for 23.5 hours after getting caught up in the fervor for the HD800. Yes, it was worth it. The early reports, while glowing, were also accurate. These are top flight cans and do everything right for my limited exposure on a less than satisfactory rig. I think the balance, clarity, dynamics/speed, ergonomics, fit and comfort may be the best of any headphone you could put on that rig. The midrange, as JP and others have said, is gorgeous, musical and very involving. The top end clearly is good and may be great but the setup didn't let me really test it. Lastly, the bass is going to be great on a proper setup. It is tight and controlled and integrates into the sound extremely well. I went portable with my iMod/SR71 combo and there was plenty of bass, much moreso than out of the Benchmark. I also heard it with the Pico feeding the SR71 but I don't think I heard it direct from the Pico. I know my rig from years of use with IEMs and full sized cans and this was a very nice listening experience. The SR71 was almost maxed and it does not drive the HD800s properly, but I was happy to be able to compare it to the Benchmark and hear the cans with more familiar gear. The Sennheiser folks were great to talk to and very knowledgeable. The head of marketing was super helpful and even broke out another brand new pair of HD800s when Ed, JP and I were all trying to get a listen. They were so new, he said, that pair no. 348 had been completed on Monday in Germany! I got the first listen and did not notice a big difference between that brand new, never been used pair and the other pair no. 248 that had been played a total of three days during CES. It is very clear that they have worked very hard for years on this project. I have looked up the patents they have obtained on the ring transducer and related technology and it is impressive. They poured a lot of money into this R&D project, and the cost of the end product is reasonable for what it is and what investment it represents. As a teaser for those who have read this far, the head of R&D was at the Senn booth and we chatted with him for a few minutes about the project and other things. When I asked about the rumor of a companion amplifier, he said "no comment at this time . . . we have to keep some questions unanswered for now." He could have been teasing but I imagine it is something they are considering releasing and it would be another exciting development. Here are a few pics from our session in the greenhouse on Saturday. No, the other Left! These cans may be Crafted for Perfection, but they cannot avoid retardation. I posed JP under the sign as soon as we got into the room and snapped these pics of him supposedly deep into the music but with the headphones on backwards! Don't worry, he turned them around quickly (as did Ed Wood who did the same thing...:tongue:) Speaking of Ed, these are some action shots, including the Unholy Union of the Pico dac feeding the SR71. :wink: Here's my goony self-portrait (with the cans on the right way at least). Well, that is the rest of my HD800 photos and it seems like they are huge and if it is a problem then I will make up some smaller ones or something. Too tired at the moment. The case is a standard HD650 style but with some silky fabric over the standard foam insert. Here is my only other picture of Naaman. JP has some more. It was great meeting you, Naaman, and I look forward to more good times at CJ09. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
some1x Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Thanks for the impressions + pictures. I see someone has as much trouble not blinking on flashes as I do ... and epic double post!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riceboy Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Thanks to Al and John for being real troopers and getting the scoop on the HD800s for us . They sound like wonderful cans and I'm trying real, real, hard not to buy them right now. Thanks for the great pics as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penger Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Nice! So is that Ninja Engineering I see under in Naaman's name tag? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) Can a kindly mod please delete post # 20, the epic double post? Thanks, my internet has been fucked all day. I guess you could delete this one too. Edited January 12, 2009 by Voltron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 I'm going to quote JP Nums from the CES 2009 thread in impressions: Ultrasone Edition 8s, not a bad headphone and on par with the Ed9s. Small ear cups and they are very shiney. Sound was good and detailed and lacked that unnatural sound I often complain about with the pair of ED9s I had. Still for the price I'g do with the HD800 unless I wanted a $1400 portable headphone. They also had an amp there on display the Al listened to but seemed to have a few technical difficulties and was not functioning properly. It was fun to check out the new offering from Ultrasone but it is understandable that it has not generated the same impact as the long-awaited HD800 from Senn. The cans at CES are effectively a prototype and the only existing pair with the The Ed. 8 is an interesting new can and it is not based on or related to the Ed. 7/9 models. It is lighter and yet larger and circumaural. They are very comfortable and use the same Ethiopian Hair Sheep leather for the ear pads. The cord is very short, maybe a meter and is terminated with a 1/8 plug and a 1/4 pop on adapter. It is meant for portable use, which I admit seems odd for a $1400 headphone, although I have to admit that I used my Ed.9s portably a few times before balancing them. :allteeth: The cans we heard sounded good and quite different from the Ed.9. I prefer my Ed. 9 from the limited audition I had on the setup they provided, the Grace M902 with a Philips CDP, as well as on my own portable rig with iMod and SR71. The sound is clear and pretty well balanced -- especially for a closed can -- but I didn't have a ton of time to listen. As JP said, it doesn't have the same odd presentation that bothers some in the Ed.9. It did not seem to have angled drivers and I am wondering if it does not incorporate the same kind of S-Logic system. Anyway, it will be interesting to hear these again but I am not likely to run out and buy them. Those seeking high quality closed cans may have a different reaction. I have to clarify the amp thing. It is a new solid state amp designed and made by Ultrasone, and this may also have been a prototype. It is solid state with balanced and single ended inputs, balanced 4-pin output, s/e output, and an "equalize" or "linear" button that seemed to be a bass boost. The amp sounded alright but only the s/e side was working when I was there. The balanced side had been working and then lost a channel so they were only playing s/e. It was being fed by a Samsung DVD player so that was limiting as well. Could be nice, don't know the price at all. Beyerdynamic also introduced an amp apparently so it is good to see the headphone companies recognizing the market. Here are the pics of the cans and amp at CES. The first is Drew's from the above link to Moon Audio, and he did a better job than my little Canon and this is exactly the rig I heard. The rest are my shots and the room was very dark and pics were difficult. Be gentle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopstretch Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Nice! So is that Ninja Engineering I see under in Naaman's name tag? Ninja Engineering -- "Once you've heard it, it's too late!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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