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New Headphones

Started by Ktrek, January 17, 2015, 10:18:06 PM

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Ktrek

I don't think I've ever shared with you guys that music is my main hobby and has been since I was a teenager some 40 plus years now. Anyway, I have been really struggling with my headphones and the sound they provide. It's not that they are bad headphones at all because at the time I bought them ten years ago they were the best I could afford. Lately though I have felt like I'm missing a lot of dynamics in the music I listen to. I probably listen to about 80% Classical and Jazz and 10% smorgasborg. I own a pair of Sennheiser HD-590s that I use with a dedicated headphone amp. Now Sennheiser makes really fine headphones and the 590s are quite good. They have never given me ear fatigue after hours of listening and they are fairly comfortable.

My wife told me I could have a new set of headphones for my upcoming birthday in March and so I spent quite a bit of time researching various models. I came down to staying with Sennheiser because I have so enjoyed the 590s all these years. To upgrade my cans it came down to three choices. Basically the Sennheiser HD-650s, 700s or possibly 800s. I pretty much assumed that the 800s were out because I was pretty sure my wife would never allow me to spend $1500.00 on a pair of headphones. Today after we listened to about ten different high end headphones my wife basically said the 800s were the best of all we heard and said..."I think you should get the 800s!". I was shocked!!  :o I had to be sure I heard correctly, but I did. We left the store after I asked the dealer what was the very best he could do on the 800s because I needed time to consider whether I could justify in my own mind spending that kind of money on headphones. To make a long story short we returned and bought the headphones.

I have to say the HD-800s are the very best headphones I have ever owned, or probably will ever own. The sound quality is amazing. The details they provide is unreal and the soundstage and comfort are indescribable. You just have to love music first of all, and secondly hear these headphones to truly appreciate the craftsmanship and art of engineering that have gone into them. I suppose I could always have buyers remorse tomorrow but as much as I listen to music (average of two hours a day with headphones after the wife goes to bed) I kind of doubt it.

Here are a few pics for you all:









Kevin
"Oh...Well, Who am I to argue with me?" Dr. Bashir - Visionary - Deep Space Nine

davekill

Wow, those look comfortable.
Are they very light?

Bromptonboy

They look like you really get immersed in the music.  What type of classical do you prefer?  (that is almost all that I listen to these days!)
Pete

Ktrek

Quote from: davekill on January 18, 2015, 12:50:09 AM
Wow, those look comfortable.
Are they very light?

They are extremely light and comfortable. You don't hardly know you even have them on (except for the sound of course).

Quote from: Bromptonboy on January 18, 2015, 02:12:45 AM
They look like you really get immersed in the music.  What type of classical do you prefer?  (that is almost all that I listen to these days!)

Pete - I listen to a little bit of everything. My main interest is in Romantic era but I also really enjoy much of the Modern and Classical era music. I have a particular fondness for what are called "unsung" or unknown composers of the Romantic period. I've heard the major composers so much in my life that I have had to look deeper into the music catalogue. I still love Beethoven, Bach, Mozart etc. but I just have found exploring unsungs fun and extremely interesting. That said though my favorite top ten composers are in this order:

1 - Sibelius
2 - Nielsen
3 - Beethoven
4 - Mahler
5 - Dvorak
6 - Shostakovich
7 - Martinu
8 - Brahms
9 - Mozart
10 - Bach
"Oh...Well, Who am I to argue with me?" Dr. Bashir - Visionary - Deep Space Nine

Bromptonboy

I tend to have classical & baroque tastes, but also go for some Lieder, and the Romantics.  I love Wagner (my fantasy is to hit the Bayreuth festival someday).
Pete