[Beagle]

I would love nothing more than to be able to get a flagship Sennheiser with a slightly warmer character than the HD800 series.

If it sounds like the HD598 closed I'll be running in the opposite direction..

 

[gLer]

I’m having a quiet chuckle at all these posts gasping at the apparent lack of bass in a Sennheiser headphone. For someone who loves the ‘feel’ of real bass (as in live bass), I’m constantly amazed when someone tells me a headphone has great bass, only to listen and have it sound like watered-down tea. I thought I was a basshead before discovering deep, powerful bass can also have tone, texture and control, a-la Audeze planars, and to a greater extent ZMF’s closed headphones.

I have a running debate with many of my audiophile peers about Sennheiser bass - me holding the position that even the so-called bassy Senn 650 is bass shy, they saying the 650 has too much. So I understand where some people are coming from. It’s all a matter on how you like your sound and specifically your bass, and I for one have never heard a Sennheiser with what I consider to be sufficient bass for my liking. Doubt the HD820 will be any different, closed or not.

Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to each of us individually.

 

[YesThisIs]

If it sounds like the HD598 closed I'll be running in the opposite direction..

With my quick calculations (Next Einstein here), you can get about 16 pairs of HD598CS's before we reach the HD820 pricing point.... So i guess we should be safe here.

But diminishing returns etc...

 

[Beagle]

And the 16 people using the HD598's will be smiling and enjoying music while we're arguing about a $2400 headphone

 

[YesThisIs]

Ignorance is bliss

 

[FLTWS]

Well honestly I wouldn't say what he likes is really warm, just neutral and how much bass they should have as apposed to the HD800 which doesn't sound like a real performance to me as the bass isn't there.

When I see live music one of the things that gets me is how visceral and energetic the bass is and what is generally considered neutral by people on this site just doesn't cut it and that isn't a subjective thing, live performances I have been to all have more bass than what is considered neutral here and that is a fact. Surely the goal of a headphone is to recreate the music and if it doesn't sound like a live performance surely it failed?

For reference most of the music I listen to is either folk or metal or somewhere in between.

The "Rite of Spring" done right "Live" is more than just visceral, it's disemboweling.

 

[FastAndClean]

And the 16 people using the HD598's will be smiling and enjoying music while we're arguing about a $2400 headphone

i use second hand hifiman he350 and i am smiling, but i am happy

 

[OldSkool]

I would love nothing more than to be able to get a flagship Sennheiser with a slightly warmer character than the HD800 series.

My HD800's w/Anax2 mod says...hello.

 

[Scutey]

Sounds like no bass is true?

I'm hoping it's not true.

 

[Beagle]

I'm hoping it's not true.

Have no fear, it's not. And I haven't even heard it yet. Some people just kinda sound like they don't know what they're talking about.

 

[Scutey]

Yes very true. Looking forward to a proper review of a full production ready example.

 

[Snowpuppy77]

Are you inferring that the HD800/800s is the pinnacle of headphone sound quality? I hardly think so. And if you are not paying for better sound quality (when something costs 60% more), why bother? You indicate "flavour" which to me means a different type of coloration, be it a pleasant one or not. The ultimate goal in design should be to remove as many potential colorations and distortions as possible, to free up the music and present it in the most unimpeded manner as can be. That should be a given at these price points, should it not?

You are putting words in his mouth. That is not at all what I inferred by reading his post.

 

[RCBinTN]

Well @Sennheiser you got the attention of Head-Fi.
Has anyone out there actually heard the HD820? I thought so.

Anyway, I don't think $2,400 is an uber price for a new flagship.
It competes well with the others mentioned...Focal, Audez'e and of course! HiFiMan.

Cheers All -
RCB

 

[Mark Up]

Have no fear, it's not. And I haven't even heard it yet. Some people just kinda sound like they don't know what they're talking about.

He addressed using it with the right amplifier and said the bass just wasn't there. It didn't sound like "less than I prefer" it was like "where is TF bass?". If they plan on these being accurate but neutral (light) bass like the HD800S, mission accomplished. A closed version of the HD650 with more sub bass for a much lower price, filling a bass happy niche, might be a nice next.

 

[Zapp_Fan]

I think if you're going in like "closed back = massive bass" you'd be disappointed. The extension is there for sure, but the FR doesn't have much / any bump. Mixes that are weak in the <100hz region are going to sound weak. Mixes that are strong there will sound strong, but not tooth-rattling.

Well @Sennheiser you got the attention of Head-Fi.
Has anyone out there actually heard the HD820? I thought so.

Anyway, I don't think $2,400 is an uber price for a new flagship.
It competes well with the others mentioned...Focal, Audez'e and of course! HiFiMan.

Cheers All -
RCB

Actually I did get about 10 minutes with them last Friday, I can confirm they're not exactly bass-heavy. I didn't find any issues with the extension at all, but if you were hoping for a nice bump that a closed can often delivers, you won't really find it. It doesn't sound identical to the 800/s but it's not far off in gross tonality, IMHO. To put it another way, it seems sensible that they are close in model number and industrial design.

I should say, my overall impression was that they were really delightful for a closed design. If you were hoping this was when Sennheiser was going to develop a taste for pointedly elevated bass, I would say keep dreaming. Let's just say the sound is on-brand.

If you are hoping that this is a closed-back that sounds clean and spacious, almost on the level of a lot of open designs, this might be the ticket.

I didn't find any surprising "lack" of bass personally, but that's just one guy's opinion. If you are a basshead, steer clear, but you probably already knew that from the 800/s?

And I should caveat that all by saying I only listened for a period of minutes, my headphone testing pedigree is not in the same league as someone like Tyll, and I'm not even that familiar with the 800 line to begin with. I agree with people who are saying wait and see.