[RCBinTN]

   
I'm glad that you're enjoying them. If we haven't convinced you to try Sonarworks yet, well... what's it going to take? 

 
Well, that's an interesting question, Matt. Thank you.
 
I just upgraded my rig with new cables, happy with the current SQ (details posted on the Wywires Red thread).  No more upgrades planned, except fleeting images like: Yggy, Rag, WA5, you know .
 
I do not want to mess with the physical guts of the HD800, but a (somewhat easy?) software EQ program may be of interest.
 
Just wondering, Matt. Did you revert from HD800S to HD800 because of Sonarworks? I guess that I'm looking for a testimonial here. I remember when we listened together to the HD800S, at the NV meet...to me, the HD800S sounded like the HD800 with a towel stuffed inside, LOL.
 
So yeah, I'm open to new ideas to improve my SQ.
 
Thanks,
RCB

 

[MattTCG]

   
Well, that's an interesting question, Matt. Thank you.
 
I just upgraded my rig with new cables, happy with the current SQ (details posted on the Wywires Red thread).  No more upgrades planned, except fleeting images like: Yggy, Rag, WA5, you know .
 
I do not want to mess with the physical guts of the HD800, but a (somewhat easy?) software EQ program may be of interest.
 
Just wondering, Matt. Did you revert from HD800S to HD800 because of Sonarworks? I guess that I'm looking for a testimonial here. I remember when we listened together to the HD800S, at the NV meet...to me, the HD800S sounded like the HD800 with a towel stuffed inside, LOL.
 
So yeah, I'm open to new ideas to improve my SQ.
 
Thanks,
RCB

Yes, after hearing the 800 with Sonarworks I sold the 800 S and went back to the original 800. There is a free trial so you have nothing to loose. 

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Is there any way to run Sonarworks on a portable system, i.e., without being tethered to a PC or MAC via a USB?

 

[cycle53x12]

So Installed the Sonarworks on my Mac mini, but for the life of me can't find the app anywhere on the Mac. Any suggestions?
I am Running OS10.7.5 and their website says it is compatible with that version of OS X 
 
Thanks for any help

 

[Zoom25]

Alright, let's try this Sonarworks thing out. I downloaded it and have it set to play through Audirvana Plus with the HD 800 profile selected. This should be good enough right?
 
I would have given this a shot sooner if it wasn't for either my monitors or my BDP-1's AES beating the crap out of USB. I truly hope this works out with the HD 800. Might make for a separate bedroom rig with just headphones. I'll update as things go along. Now to actually listen...

 

[RogerWilco]

I wish i had the attitude of just coming into all this , 22 years of this hobby and have went through equipment that could buy a new car and truck and a house  i was early friends with scott hall of electra glide audio from years back, helped him come up with the name,david elrod financed the venture and of course elrod has power cords at 15,000$ now    I do like reading comments here even though i post very little .

 

[johnjen]

I am a proponent of EQ for the 800's.
I also push them far beyond what most would consider 'normal'.
 
But then my system is meant to do just that, push the degree of SQ until I reach my goal(s).
 
I have pushed them to the extent where I can feel the concussive impacts from percussion and other sources of acoustical low freq energy (cannons, pipe organs, foot stomps, explosions, lightening strikes etc.) that are ≈ 1 octave below 20Hz.
SSBB (SubSonic Bass Boost) is what I use to push the very bottom end up to near flat along with EQ and PRT (Phase Reversal Tweak).
And by feel, I literally mean feel the concussion on and in my head, and curiously enough in my chest as well.
 
And yes it does take much fussing to achieve this without breakup and added distortion, but when achieved, the results are most impressive.
 
And I know of no other headphone that can perform to this degree, AND properly deliver to the same degree, the rest of the audible spectrum as well, AND tie it all together into a homogeneous whole (I call this C3, Cohesion – Coherence – Coupling).
 
That doesn't mean there aren't a few that might be able to, but I know of no one who has attempted to achieve this level of performance using other HP's.
 
JJ

 

[Ani1000]

Well...?

Alright, let's try this Sonarworks thing out. I downloaded it and have it set to play through Audirvana Plus with the HD 800 profile selected. This should be good enough right?

I would have given this a shot sooner if it wasn't for either my monitors or my BDP-1's AES beating the crap out of USB. I truly hope this works out with the HD 800. Might make for a separate bedroom rig with just headphones. I'll update as things go along. Now to actually listen...

 

[Yoga]

   
Many people are used to bloated/emphasized bass, so they think the HD800 is lacking in it.

 

   
I fully agree, and mine aren't modded or EQ'd.  I find the bass response to be accurate, fast, and either punchy or smooth depending on the music and type of bass instrument.  They can go as deep as the music calls for.

 
 
I was shocked how good the bass is on the HD800 once put through SWR3. So deep and powerful, and far more representative of the source.
 
Which leads me to, at the risk of repetition, having to stress that the HD800 stock is categorically—unequivocally—not accurate. Accuracy defined as a 1:1 representation of the sound as intended.
 
They do not go as deep as the music calls for, either.
 
I'm talking from a technical perspective as someone who produces/mixes music using calibrated (flat) studio monitors in a treated room, and have heard plenty of other (£££) studio setups. The HD800 gets close using EQ/Sonarworks (close enough to produce on at night, but certainly not for mixing and mastering), yet still lack lower extension.
 
Clipping is technique used in the mastering process in which to increase the average RMS of a track (think: loudness wars). The first thing to suffer during clipping is the low end. I was working on a track via the HD800 (using Sonarworks) and clipped until I heard low end starting to suffer (lessen), then backed off so it was unnoticeable via instant A/B switch. Swapped to the studio monitors and it was clear it was entirely overworked, so much juice being missing at the low end.
 
As I said before, enjoying the sound of the HD800 is up to each person, but labelling them accurate is an inaccurate (and misleading to others) statement :¬)

Caveat: I adore the HD800 via SWR3. So much in fact it's put me off auditioning the Utopia thus far.

Caveat 2: To those trialling SWR3 - let the sound burn in with your ears for a while—at least a few days—before you flick back to the stock HD800 sound to compare. 

 

[MattTCG]

@Yoga I think that you make a good point here. I don't think that I've truly had an appreciation of not just how much performance was in the hd800, but I also never truly realized just how good my DAC was until I was able to "push" the system with SW. 

 

[whirlwind]

 

   
Well, that's an interesting question, Matt. Thank you.
 
I just upgraded my rig with new cables, happy with the current SQ (details posted on the Wywires Red thread).  No more upgrades planned, except fleeting images like: Yggy, Rag, WA5, you know .
 
I do not want to mess with the physical guts of the HD800, but a (somewhat easy?) software EQ program may be of interest.
 
Just wondering, Matt. Did you revert from HD800S to HD800 because of Sonarworks? I guess that I'm looking for a testimonial here. I remember when we listened together to the HD800S, at the NV meet...to me, the HD800S sounded like the HD800 with a towel stuffed inside, LOL.
 
So yeah, I'm open to new ideas to improve my SQ.
 
Thanks,
RCB

Yes, after hearing the 800 with Sonarworks I sold the 800 S and went back to the original 800. There is a free trial so you have nothing to loose. 

I have never tried Sonarworks either, i guess because i love the sound that i am getting with tubes....but I may give this a go sometime when I get the time to mess with it

 

[Yoga]

  @Yoga I think that you make a good point here. I don't think that I've truly had an appreciation of not just how much performance was in the hd800, but I also never truly realized just how good my DAC was until I was able to "push" the system with SW. 

Yes it's rather incredible. I wish I had heard properly amped and EQ'ed HD800 a few years ago. I'd have saved myself a lot of money :¬)

 

[MattTCG]

 
Yes it's rather incredible. I wish I had heard properly amped and EQ'ed HD800 a few years ago. I'd have saved myself a lot of money :¬)

 
I've been fortunate enough to hear/audition just about every flagship out there. When I compare $2000, $3000 and $4000 headphones against EQ'd hd800's on a good amp/dac, I'm always impressed with how well the 800 competes and sometimes outperforms much more expensive headphones. When I got started in this hobby, I would have never imagined that I'd consider the hd800 "a bargain" but in fact I do. I bought them from a deal on Newegg for $850 NIB. Quite possible the best money that I've spent in the hobby. 

 

[Yoga]

   
I've been fortunate enough to hear/audition just about every flagship out there. When I compare $2000, $3000 and $4000 headphones against EQ'd hd800's on a good amp/dac, I'm always impressed with how well the 800 competes and sometimes outperforms much more expensive headphones. When I got started in this hobby, I would have never imagined that I'd consider the hd800 "a bargain" but in fact I do. I bought them from a deal on Newegg for $850 NIB. Quite possible the best money that I've spent in the hobby. 

Agree completely. Considering today's market the HD800 are an absolute steal! I paid £675 for a brand new pair last year. I'm enjoying the V281/SWR3/HD800 setup (as well as CanOpener and MidSide plugins for a more speaker like sound) as much as the Abyss/Lumin A1/Moon 600i setup, and that's a different price point entirely.
 
How do they compare to the Utopia? That's the only top end can I've not heard (bar Stax).

 

[jibzilla]

  One thing that still surprises me is that once properly EQ'd, my hd800 is my go to headphone for EDM, or any music with deep bass. Nothing comes that close really. Deep, powerful and clean bass at this level is not an easy feat. It's ironic that for years I used to consider the hd800 bass light. 

 
You will never go back to the hd800 once you hear adam a7x and sub8. Near/midfield so no bothering your neighbor's, maybe spouse though. Active so no expensive separate amps, something like my Sangaku or gsx-mk2 is plenty. No expensive speaker wire's something as simple as my proaudiola/mogami cable's xlr or rca is plenty.
 
Lcd-X is much better to me with electronic and rap than hd800. You might be able to get the Lcd-X impact with eq and the hd800 but you will not get the weight. I put the Lcd-X in a 3 year, yes 3 year contest with electronic and rap against the Adam's. Adam's won.