[frogmeat69]

What in the world does sounding wood planky mean??? LOL

 

[saujamhamm]

a wood plank is the least musical thing i could think of. for me, stock 8xx sounded like the presence area of music is being choked, strained. like it wants to ring out but it can't...

veiled is too kind a word - that implies the magic is there, just slightly under say a bed sheet. no - again, to me, these sounds like it's not a bed sheet, but a down-filled thicc comforter laying on top...

i legit donated to the peace eq project after hearing them open up, lol...

 

[Voohoo]

update after a few weeks/month of ownership. back when i removed all the stickers and popped the cans on i admit i expected this big opening of wonderfulness. i expected that wood plank sound to go away. i was ready to be wowed by the... no. obviously i can't go back in time but.... imho, they sound the same with and without stickers... very wood plankish

i spent hours with goo-gone and alcohol and yet there is still some adhesive there. if you shine a bright light through, on the part that never had adhesive, you can see the light through the individual holes. but on the part that did have stickers, there's still some blockage.

using peace for eq - if i use the 8xx stock profile they sound bad, ditto the 800s / but with the ief neutral with bass for the 8xx they suddenly sound like you'd expect for the money and the hertiage.

i plan on watching some mod videos and see these taken apart - i want to know if you can get that metal mesh out of there. i think that legit needs to be soaked in something to full dissolve all that sticker nonsense.

cause as it stands - my sticker modded 8xx looks, even up close, like they're gone. but they sound planky and need eq. so the journey continues but it's nice to know they can and do sound amazing with a few sliders adjusted!

Thanks for sharing your mod experience. I like the idea but afraid to deal with the mess on such a high-end pair of headphones. They were tuned this way by experts. The 8XX plays with EQ so well anyway and that makes a bigger difference than stickers. To me they sound just right with oratory's EQ.

 

[Glassboy]

a wood plank is the least musical thing i could think of. for me, stock 8xx sounded like the presence area of music is being choked, strained. like it wants to ring out but it can't...

veiled is too kind a word - that implies the magic is there, just slightly under say a bed sheet. no - again, to me, these sounds like it's not a bed sheet, but a down-filled thicc comforter laying on top...

i legit donated to the peace eq project after hearing them open up, lol...

Holy smokes. I was pretty happy with them after the sticker mod and even before that but less so. I EQ'd them last night and my mind has been blown. They sound 1000% better and more of a full sound than before.

 

[Voohoo]

Holy smokes. I was pretty happy with them after the sticker mod and even before that but less so. I EQ'd them last night and my mind has been blown. They sound 1000% better and more of a full sound than before.

It was my 8XX that brought me into the world of EQ. Out of the box they just don't sound very pleasing or satisfying. After trying oratory1990's preset they immediately sounded rich and full and "right". I became an EQ believer overnight. The 8XX plays very, very nicely with EQ. I have a huge bass shelf for mine and they would be borderline bass monsters if it weren't for the super-diffused soundstage affecting the impact.

 

[Glassboy]

It was my 8XX that brought me into the world of EQ. Out of the box they just don't sound very pleasing or satisfying. After trying oratory1990's preset they immediately sounded rich and full and "right". I became an EQ believer overnight. The 8XX plays very, very nicely with EQ. I have a huge bass shelf for mine and they would be borderline bass monsters if it weren't for the super-diffused soundstage affecting the impact.

Did you sticker mod them also? I liked oratory1990's preset but found my self wanting more bass and I don't know if that's because I removed the stickers.

 

[Voohoo]

Did you sticker mod them also? I liked oratory1990's preset but found my self wanting more bass and I don't know if that's because I removed the stickers.

No sticker mod. I modified oratory's preset with the strong bass shelf I mentioned in my previous comment. Just bump up the low shelf at 105 Hz to your liking. I put mine at a healthy 8.5 dB.

 

[spruce]

I'm using the 8XX with a Cardas cable, Hybrid Dekoni pads and boosted bass, and some added lower treble, with my Mojo2 eq. They sound pretty good. Not sure if I feel the need to sticker mod but may check out some more EQ settings.

 

[GearMe]

Selling my set...

Barely used; Excellent condition

PM me if interested

 

[frank2908]

Can anyone measure the thickness of the original earpads? Thanks

 

[skhan007]

Guys, my apologies if this has been covered ad nauseam in this thread, as I'm jus starting to read it.

I'm reading so far that there are mixed reviews of the HD8XX vs. HD800S and the sticker mod, as well. Do I have this right: What I'm gathering is that the stock HD8XX provides a bit more in the low and low-mid and perhaps a softening of peaks in the 2-3K range. The sticker mod brings it a bit closer to the high-frequency clarity of the HD800S.

Trying to decide between the HD800S and HD8XX and clearly there are a few bucks to be saved with the latter.

 

[Voohoo]

Guys, my apologies if this has been covered ad nauseam in this thread, as I'm jus starting to read it.

I'm reading so far that there are mixed reviews of the HD8XX vs. HD800S and the sticker mod, as well. Do I have this right: What I'm gathering is that the stock HD8XX provides a bit more in the low and low-mid and perhaps a softening of peaks in the 2-3K range. The sticker mod brings it a bit closer to the high-frequency clarity of the HD800S.

Trying to decide between the HD800S and HD8XX and clearly there are a few bucks to be saved with the latter.

That sounds about right. To my knowledge the only differences between the two are the aesthetic color changes and the acoustic stickers. Boy did these stickers stir controversy. I got my 8XX for $900 and later was able retroactively apply the Zeos discount to bring them down to $700. I'm still riding the high of this crazy deal. Absolutely love my 8XX.

 

[skhan007]

That sounds about right. To my knowledge the only differences between the two are the aesthetic color changes and the acoustic stickers. Boy did these stickers stir controversy. I got my 8XX for $900 and later was able retroactively apply the Zeos discount to bring them down to $700. I'm still riding the high of this crazy deal. Absolutely love my 8XX.

That is an absolute steal. I'd be euphoric with that pricing! Well, after reading a ton I realized that many guys like the HD8xx and have modded them in various ways to bring them closer to the HD800S. Because used pricing on the HD800S has been favorable, I bought a pair in the classifieds. Basically mint and brand new for the same price as you mentioned without the extra Zeos discount.

 

[Voohoo]

According to this review by Ichos, a tuning change in addition to the acoustic tape is the implementation of "two Helmholtz resonators instead of the usual one."

 

[MattTCG]

Originally intrigued, I stayed away from this one mostly due to the scathing reviews. But curiosity got the better of me when a set popped up locally for me. I listened to them for a few days before listing them for sale. I had surmised that these were a Sennheiser flagship product, only retuned by drop. How bad could they be?

First impressions on day one...wow, how did drop manage to transform a stunning headphone into a turd? Who would possibly sign off on the changes that were made? Take everything positive about the 800S, kill it off completely and you have the 8xx. The midrange is beyond "wonky" sounding. Staging has collapsed considerably. This headphone actually has LESS bass than the 800S.

So I boxed them up and just mused to myself...just why would anyone ruin this headphone. Paint the ring, do a pad swap (partner with Dekoni seems like an obvious choice) and this would have been a great product. Depending on your preferences it could be been better than the original.

I pulled them out of the box on day two and decided to take the plunge and do the tape removal mod. Let me say a few things about this mod. After the mod there is VERY LITTLE difference in the sound signature of this headphone. IMO it's is absolutely not worth the trouble or risk to the headphones. Does the mod get you pretty close the 800S...nope. Does it get you in the same ballpark as the 800S...no even in the same zip code.

So end the end, what is the 8xx. IMHO, it's an epic failure and a waste of some world class drivers.