Great video, i love that you've been throwing in more educational stuff, while i'm not "new" anymore, its a great touch and you explain things very well.
Josh, I like the “Halo” above your head . . . Just kidding. Of course I really appreciate your reviews and your unbiased reviews. Keep up the great work.
I think it helps to draw a line between using EQ to correct, and using EQ to taste/preference. Corrective EQ in my opinion would attempt to change the tonal character of the headphone. EQing to taste is sort of like applying a mild filter to enhance what's already there. I see a lot of EQ recommendations that have (to me) wild gains or cuts of 6-8 db and in my experience the degradation to the overall fidelity of the sound is never worth that sort of manipulation. Seems like you'd just be better off finding a better sonic fit. Appreciate the review and the heads up about Drop shenanigans.
But that's really all of them. At least I can't think of a headphone that doesn't benefit from EQ, most really need it. Then again the HD800s is one of the worst EQ'ing headphones if you want added low end.
You can't really say that as a purist. Do you eat 100% pure cocoa powder? Do you listen to all your music with the studio moniters used in house? Do you have the exact head size needed for all your headphones? My point is, there is nothing wrong with EQing. The only thing that matters is your enjoyment.
@@kisu_ve625 copium. pure copium. it's like saying there is nothing wrong with spending 20K on a new car and immediately having to do additional tuning on it before you can properly drive it. you would never accept that, would you? neither would i.
These were going for $949 for black friday so at that price the value equation is more in their favour. The reviews of actual buyers seems to be positive (4.4/5), despite audiophile reviews being somewhat mixed. As someone who actually owns and likes the HD700, I'm open to Sennheisers that don't necessarily please everyone.
4.4 on Drop is a pretty low score, especially considering that expensive items' scores skew higher as people are biased towards not wanting to admit they wasted lots of money on a bad purchase
Would you mind putting names of the music you use in the description? Personally find it a bit odd for a channel dedicated to the audio experience to not share the cool music they use in their videos :P
Hey Josh. Not sure if anyone has mentioned that in the intro your overhead light lines up perfectly to give you an angel halo. I thought it was kind of poetic at the beginning since you were being honest with what happened to the earlier review. This is why I appreciate your channel, you are always honest and sincere…Thanks. Cheers.
Good morning Josh. I have a few questions to ask for today. First question is are you going to review the Meze Elite headphone and the Liric from Meze Audio? The Elite is basically an upgraded new driver to the Empyrean. Next question is the people at Abyss have made a new headphone called the Diana TC. You can talk to DMS, Joe,Jason, and Eric over at Abyss about getting a review copy of the headphone. this headphone replaced the Diana PHI, not the Diana V2. When you do the review of the Diana TC, can you compare the difference to the Diana PHI headphone, Josh? Final question Josh is will you review the new Dan Clark Audio Stealth headphone? thanks Josh, have a good day!
It’s funny to me that you took the time to explain what the headphones are that you’re referencing as if Josh or others in the channel haven’t heard of these manufacturers etc. I’d like to see reviews of these if possible as well. I just think it’s funny how you described what type of company Meze and Abyss are and what they offer as if it’s some novel information
@@davidcoons89 well guess what? i haven't been shopping for headphones for awhile so i wasn't up to date on either the liric or the elite so i appreciated the explanation. shows how much you (don't) know.
@@h445 you’re absolutely right! I guess I took for granted that he addressed his message directly to Josh rather than to the general community..glad you found it useful personally! I don’t know what there is to get upset about, I just thought it was funny the way it was written as if Josh would need a rundown of what these models are etc. I apologize for offending you.
EQ should be where people start this hobby. I wasted a decade not doing it. Now I feel stupid and pretty much every headphone sound broken or strange without.
Top 4 Gaming Headphones (Joshua's): 1. Sennheiser HD800s (US$1,599) 2. Abyss AB-1266 (US$4.995) 3. Sennheiser Drop HD8XX (US$1100) 4. Sennheiser Drop PC38X (US$169) PS.: Time to save some money!
Depends on what you call gaming. I play single player games with fantastic, well produced soundtracks, and reproduction of the room is more important than actual localization. Nothing I heard so far beats the eq'd Focal Clear MG for that.
Another great video. You almost single handedly keep me buying headphones, lol. Currently gaming with Sundaras and LOVE them but had my eye on these. Tough to justify spending so much but then again these days we're spending $1500+ on graphic cards so these are seeming like a legit option especially for something I use so much. Thank you.
Just picked these up since there is a wild discount code. EQing will be a learning experience but I would rather do this than spend that much more for the 800s
If I were Sennheiser I would want Drop to cannibalize HD800s sales actually :) More sales still means more money for Sennheiser, and it helps determine market demand + clarifies what should be improved when Sennheiser is ready to refresh their product stack. I can't imagine that in 20 years the Sennheiser headphone lineup will be unchanged.
Hey Joshua! Just a quick heads-up, I tried clicking a few amazon links in the description and they just lead to the amazon homepage? Not sure what's going on there but anyway ty for the review! Been looking forward for HD8XX info for a while now :) Stepped up my speaker game recently and now I'm deciding on the next step after my HD650's (not 6xx).
Maybe I'll never have the money to purchase one and the adjacent equipment to get the most of it but I'll watch the review anyway. And...the halo is supposed to follow the head, right?
And it can't be EQ'd. Otherwise I would have# but even after several attempts it's just not for me. I also dislike the soundstage with a lot of music. Hearing two singer, feeling distant and similar issues.
Compared to other headphones it has a deficit. Is that a bad thing? That depends on the listener. Some people think the 6XX has perfect bass while others want Focal/Audeze levels of bass. I think when people say there is a deficit, they are comparing to other headphones. Which is correct the 800S has significantly less bass compared to Focal headphones, is that a good or bad thing? Well it depends on what you're looking for. Personally I like more bass and while the 800S are great headphones, for me musically they are not my cup of tea.
@@Knux0r I think the point was that the bass on the hd800 is not a distracting factor for many people. I've heard many headphones with various kinds of "issues" where their issues would actually take me out of the music. Could the hd800 do with more bass? Sure, but it's not something I need to enjoy them fully.
I've listened to a lot of high end headphones and have even owned a few (LCD2, LCD3, HE-500) and the HD800 and HD800S are the only headphones in that tier that I just absolutely could not stand. I also cannot be bothered to spend time EQing them to get to sound good. I agree though that Sennheiser HD8XX continues the line of best gaming headphones for its price point. The bass and midrange bumps might actually make games even more immersive and exciting.
you mean the fatigue ? That's why even tho the HD8XX isn't perfect, I bet you drop did it on purpose not to have a lot of return of people who can't stand listening to them for more than 1h. LOL
I’m a bit surprised you didn’t even reference the Arya as an honorable mention among best soundstaging headphones. That said, I have still not yet heard either the original Arya or the stealth magnet iteration, but with how much you enjoy your Arya’s and appreciate their big open soundstage I was a touch surprised when it wasn’t even mentioned by name! That said, I don’t hear of people gaming with Arya’s very often so I’m thinking there’s likely other deficiencies that are highlighted/exacerbated when gaming that make the Hifiman’s less than ideal perhaps? Curious tho if anyone can chime in on this with their opinions and experiences regarding the Arya in that regard.
I have Arya V2 (non-stealth) and while it's great for immersion and atmosphere, it's not that impressive for competitive fps. Don't get me wrong it's still one of the better headphones for competitive fps but even much cheaper PC38X gives me better spatial awareness than Arya. I would say it sounds too distant so it's harder to hear footsteps.
@@atyne_mar v interesting! I had never even considered the flip side of the Arya potentially skewing the aural/spacial properties people rely on while gaming. It just never dawned on me that they may indeed be ‘too spacious’ basically to where it’s not giving a specific advantage any longer. Thanks for the feedback!
Still rockin the Kenwood KH71, which are the same size as the HD800/8XX, and is also open backed; but is 50 years old and i spent $162 on it. I have been lovin it for a long time now.
Joshua says in this video, about the 8xx and the HD800s: 'the best soundstage for the price'. So if price is not an issue, what headphones have even better soundstage?
I actually dislike the non-EQ'd soundstage of the HD800s. I describe it as looking up at a planetarium or an IMAX screen. It surrounds you, but it's also distant. I feel removed from the music often with these.
HD800s is quite picky with amps. Try running them on warmer type of amps, such as Violectric, BHA-1, or some tube amps. When u get the setup that works with HD800s, they sounds really great and expansive. In my opinion, topping, jds amps is not a good match, it even might make HD800s sound sharp or distant at times.
11:12 in what world would a company allow someone to "correct the errors" (Thus making the headphones better) and then sell them for $500 less than the more expensive version?
More units at a cheaper price: more if not equal the same revenue as selling at the higher pricepoint. Margins could be lower per product, but they end up with the same revenue
Have you enjoyed your 8XX? Would you be able to give a brief review? Looking back, would you purchase something else instead at the price point? Thinking of buying a pair.
Idk if it was intentional but you didn't say the price in the video. I understand if it was intentional so that the video is still up to date in event of sales etc.
The soundstage of the 800s did impress me, and they were fun to listen to for a little bit, but to me nothing sounds as good as my Focal Clears. I’ve tried like every headphone in the $2000 and under range. I guess I’d need to get to the ultra high end for something to top the Clears for me. But who knows, the Clears just check all the boxes I care about I guess. Idk why I wrote this post
hows the comfort of clears compared to Elex?. I bought the elex but i didnt like the comfort on them at all, and prefer sennheiser plastic light weight build.
@@DerryFX so yeah the cleats are not light but they fit my head very well and I am comfortable for long listening sessions, and the elex fit very similar
The Drop AKG 7XX did not make your list of top gaming headphones. At its' asking price of less than $200, I can't think of anything that comes close or match it for value and performance, IMHO.
@@econautx Yes, for those with a budget of 200 bucks, the 7XX is easily the top pick for a gaming headphone. And if one is not too fussed about its' shortcomings, it is also quite decent in the music department.
K7xx are no longer available. Maybe K702s or K712s for a bit more money but the K7xx are legacy at this point and I don't see people lining up to sell them off.
@@BenSkywalker70 I guess that is the best endorsement fot the K7XX - people NOT lining up to sell thwm off. Trying to figure out why Massdrop dropped (pardon the pun) them from their line-up.
Drop should have done that.... I own the og hd800 and also bought the hd8xx. The drop Version went straight back... I am not a fan of using eq but I know how to do it. Imo the og hd 800 sounds better before and after eq. Later I found reviews from dms and crinecal? About the hd8xx ... Could have saved me buyers remorse
@@tdfmike3915 you couldve just removed the inner dampening tape they used to change the airflow to create its tuning and had an HD-800S for 700 bucks. The parts and everything else is the same as teh HD-800S.
@@ObeyaCorpsArmory didint know that. Also that voids warranty. Also I can get a used hd800 out of warranty for around that price... I dont want to buy bad products and repair them myselfe
I would greatly appreciate a video that didn't have to do with things such as "for the price" or "at this price range". Just a simple concept for the video maybe comparing headphones at the summit and how they sound. Surely a video consisting of content regarding Hifiman Susvaras, Abyss Diana Ab 1266 Tcs, Focal Utopias, Meze Elites, Audeze LCD 5s should be of interest to many.
Agreed. When the sound quality is the main issue and price is trivial to compare it makes sense to skip the price level as it doesn't directly correlate with quality.
@@Junya01 I know of crinacle and I've seen a few of his videos but he doesn't have any videos on the topic I'm interested in. Iems are different than headphones.. Besides the 8xx which is truthfully only mid tier he doesn't really have much on headphones.
@@D_K93 and his headphone tierlist on his website is purely based on sound, with star ratings for each product if he thinks it's worth the price it's put at
I want a good pair of gaming headphones that are good for music, but I don't want a microphone on them like the 38x and everyone always says 38x or 800s are best for gaming, is there seriously not another really good pair in the over $1000 price gap?
Can you share your recommended EQ settings? I don't really want to get into EQing, but if there some settings that I could set and forget that would be a good compromise.
I was going to buy these headphones on Black Friday: with the $ 150 saved, I could cover the shipping costs and import taxes (I live in Europe). I didn't do it because I had seen your previous video... 🤐
I had own my hd8xx about 2months now, I don't like hd8xx and I've just stack it in cabinet and ignore it for replacement parts of my 800s. Assuming, the virtual speaker sound like hd800s, then 8xx sounds feels like hear the sound outside of the room which playing virtual hd800s speaker with door open. That's what I feel compare both my own 8xx and 800s. I never recommend this 8xx for any type of ppl. For bass, dt1990pro will be better choice to price and performance. For 800s followers, just buy discounted 800s on drop or find used one.
What they did to change the sound of the HD-8XX is add dampening tape inside the cups. The tape can be peeled off and it will sound like the HD-800S. they use the same parts, the only difference is most likely the factory they were produced in.
You could prob get some used OG HD-800 (silver paintjob) for cheaper and they would actually image better than these, although you can remove the inner dampening "tape" on the HD-8XX and get them back to stock HD-800S sound
Hey Josh I got questions, I'm looking for a headset for a Xbox series x and what I've seen its a limited I was looking into 800hd at one point in time but Xbox dont support dac other than astros mix amp, the questions is can you do a video of endgame headset thats compatible with xbox series x, thanks in advance
Is there a correlation between the frequency curve and the sound stage? I mean could you look at a frequency curve of a headphone before hearing them and say "Hey, they've got a wide soundstage because of this formation of the curve" Would love to see a video about how different properties of a headphone is represented in a frequency curve chart of sorts.
I would take the Sundara over the HD8XX. EQ might make the gap even bigger. There are no certainly better headphones than the Sundaras. It depends on personal taste. LCD-2 Closed, LCD-X, Clear MG, Ananda or something might be better in most ways.
Great video, i love that you've been throwing in more educational stuff, while i'm not "new" anymore, its a great touch and you explain things very well.
Josh, I like the “Halo” above your head . . . Just kidding. Of course I really appreciate your reviews and your unbiased reviews. Keep up the great work.
Loved the explanation of soundstage using the wire mesh diagram around your head. Excellent visual explanation
the round light above your head makes you look like an angel. lol... IMHO, the original HD800 is the best version.
Ohhhhh boy here we go
Thank you for the review as always!
I think it helps to draw a line between using EQ to correct, and using EQ to taste/preference. Corrective EQ in my opinion would attempt to change the tonal character of the headphone. EQing to taste is sort of like applying a mild filter to enhance what's already there. I see a lot of EQ recommendations that have (to me) wild gains or cuts of 6-8 db and in my experience the degradation to the overall fidelity of the sound is never worth that sort of manipulation. Seems like you'd just be better off finding a better sonic fit. Appreciate the review and the heads up about Drop shenanigans.
Love the lighting. Josh is an angel of headphone reviews.
a $1000 headphone that needs to EQ straight outta the box is just wrong
But that's really all of them. At least I can't think of a headphone that doesn't benefit from EQ, most really need it. Then again the HD800s is one of the worst EQ'ing headphones if you want added low end.
You can't really say that as a purist.
Do you eat 100% pure cocoa powder? Do you listen to all your music with the studio moniters used in house?
Do you have the exact head size needed for all your headphones?
My point is, there is nothing wrong with EQing. The only thing that matters is your enjoyment.
@@kisu_ve625 copium. pure copium.
it's like saying there is nothing wrong with spending 20K on a new car and immediately having to do additional tuning on it before you can properly drive it.
you would never accept that, would you? neither would i.
@@h445 spot on
@@h445 dude you can totally mod a new car that's literally a popular thing to do
These were going for $949 for black friday so at that price the value equation is more in their favour. The reviews of actual buyers seems to be positive (4.4/5), despite audiophile reviews being somewhat mixed. As someone who actually owns and likes the HD700, I'm open to Sennheisers that don't necessarily please everyone.
Most Audiophile reviews on the 8xx are terrible.
4.4 on Drop is a pretty low score, especially considering that expensive items' scores skew higher as people are biased towards not wanting to admit they wasted lots of money on a bad purchase
@@GlitzPixie I’ll stand by and say that they sound better than the HD800S, but that’s completely up to personal opinion.
@@ATK. your definitely in a minority on that one
@@ATK. I respect it
Once you see his aura, you can't unsee it
Once you see the black mark on his jumper, you can't unsee it.
Would you mind putting names of the music you use in the description?
Personally find it a bit odd for a channel dedicated to the audio experience to not share the cool music they use in their videos :P
Omg I want this music in my life. I need to know what it is!
Probably his own BGM
Probably paid someone to do his music, and it's not commercially available
It’s sharir by heyson!
@@sneakywatermelon1414 it’s sharir by heyson
@@ktg_2castle960 Thanks a bunch :)
Intro song is Heyson - Sharir, for all you out there wondering 😊
Hey Josh. Not sure if anyone has mentioned that in the intro your overhead light lines up perfectly to give you an angel halo. I thought it was kind of poetic at the beginning since you were being honest with what happened to the earlier review. This is why I appreciate your channel, you are always honest and sincere…Thanks. Cheers.
Good morning Josh. I have a few questions to ask for today. First question is are you going to review the Meze Elite headphone and the Liric from Meze Audio? The Elite is basically an upgraded new driver to the Empyrean. Next question is the people at Abyss have made a new headphone called the Diana TC. You can talk to DMS, Joe,Jason, and Eric over at Abyss about getting a review copy of the headphone. this headphone replaced the Diana PHI, not the Diana V2. When you do the review of the Diana TC, can you compare the difference to the Diana PHI headphone, Josh? Final question Josh is will you review the new Dan Clark Audio Stealth headphone? thanks Josh, have a good day!
It’s funny to me that you took the time to explain what the headphones are that you’re referencing as if Josh or others in the channel haven’t heard of these manufacturers etc. I’d like to see reviews of these if possible as well. I just think it’s funny how you described what type of company Meze and Abyss are and what they offer as if it’s some novel information
@@davidcoons89 well guess what? i haven't been shopping for headphones for awhile so i wasn't up to date on either the liric or the elite so i appreciated the explanation. shows how much you (don't) know.
@@h445 you’re absolutely right! I guess I took for granted that he addressed his message directly to Josh rather than to the general community..glad you found it useful personally! I don’t know what there is to get upset about, I just thought it was funny the way it was written as if Josh would need a rundown of what these models are etc. I apologize for offending you.
Love the discussion about EQ. Solid vid!
EQ should be where people start this hobby. I wasted a decade not doing it. Now I feel stupid and pretty much every headphone sound broken or strange without.
Top 4 Gaming Headphones (Joshua's):
1. Sennheiser HD800s (US$1,599)
2. Abyss AB-1266 (US$4.995)
3. Sennheiser Drop HD8XX (US$1100)
4. Sennheiser Drop PC38X (US$169)
PS.: Time to save some money!
Or you could go the 702 and save a ton of money. 702 are some of the best for gaming hands down
Get the beyerdynamnic tygr 300r for $170 or dt 1990 pro for $500 or sennheiser 560s for $180. These are great gaming headphones for the price.
Mobius ftw ;)
Depends on what you call gaming. I play single player games with fantastic, well produced soundtracks, and reproduction of the room is more important than actual localization. Nothing I heard so far beats the eq'd Focal Clear MG for that.
Another great video. You almost single handedly keep me buying headphones, lol. Currently gaming with Sundaras and LOVE them but had my eye on these. Tough to justify spending so much but then again these days we're spending $1500+ on graphic cards so these are seeming like a legit option especially for something I use so much. Thank you.
Loved your little halo dude. Kinda like a little audio angel 😇 lol
We need a playlist of all your intro songs.
Yes please
How's this not a thing yet?
This one is Sharir by Heyson
@@GA-zp5vf Not bad. Thanks for sharing. My favorite part is the flute (frolicking with elves, then sinister laugh. LOL!)
Just picked these up since there is a wild discount code. EQing will be a learning experience but I would rather do this than spend that much more for the 800s
what code?
Nice Daytona. Can't wait to buy a new motorcycle. Also, replacements for my DT990.
It would also help to say how much they actually are instead of at this price range which means nothing, I had no idea these were nearly $1000
have you heard them yet? or just speculating that they sound bad?
@@ObeyaCorpsArmory where in my comment does it say anything about what they sound like?
That opening song had NO BUSINESS going so hard...
So true! After reading all the rant about the bass i was surprise how much there is.
Whooaaaa... Was that a daytona I saw in the B-Roll? A man of distinction and taste I see. Well played good sir, well played.
I feel like Sennheiser may have influenced them to slightly sabotage the sound to not pull away sales from the HD800S
Based on past experiences like what happened with the HD6XX/PC38X/HD58XJ, i don't think that's very likely.
If I were Sennheiser I would want Drop to cannibalize HD800s sales actually :) More sales still means more money for Sennheiser, and it helps determine market demand + clarifies what should be improved when Sennheiser is ready to refresh their product stack. I can't imagine that in 20 years the Sennheiser headphone lineup will be unchanged.
Doubt it
Hey Joshua! Just a quick heads-up, I tried clicking a few amazon links in the description and they just lead to the amazon homepage? Not sure what's going on there but anyway ty for the review! Been looking forward for HD8XX info for a while now :) Stepped up my speaker game recently and now I'm deciding on the next step after my HD650's (not 6xx).
Maybe I'll never have the money to purchase one and the adjacent equipment to get the most of it but I'll watch the review anyway.
And...the halo is supposed to follow the head, right?
I thought it looked like a halo too. Lol
Finally a thorough comprehensive review of this!
Liked the video. Came to just let you know a handful of your links are broken (I tried the IEM's). Keep up the good work brotha.
Dude loved the video, but what is the microphone you used to record this? sooo crisp (im watching on a HD800 which helps)
Enjoying the new hd660s2 for gaming and music. Sound imaging and sound depth is amazing
I haven’t bought 1 headphone worth talking about on Drop, they do an excellent job marking, that’s about it
Don't worry, we all know you are a good lad. (that subtle messaging with the halo is working XD)
hey Joshua, great review! btw, you might want to check and update the links in the description! cheers!
The HD800S bass deficit is one of the most overstated characteristics in the world of headphones, in my opinion.
Yup. It’s just accurate to me.
Certainly doesn't bother me.
And it can't be EQ'd. Otherwise I would have# but even after several attempts it's just not for me. I also dislike the soundstage with a lot of music. Hearing two singer, feeling distant and similar issues.
Compared to other headphones it has a deficit. Is that a bad thing? That depends on the listener. Some people think the 6XX has perfect bass while others want Focal/Audeze levels of bass. I think when people say there is a deficit, they are comparing to other headphones. Which is correct the 800S has significantly less bass compared to Focal headphones, is that a good or bad thing? Well it depends on what you're looking for. Personally I like more bass and while the 800S are great headphones, for me musically they are not my cup of tea.
@@Knux0r I think the point was that the bass on the hd800 is not a distracting factor for many people.
I've heard many headphones with various kinds of "issues" where their issues would actually take me out of the music. Could the hd800 do with more bass? Sure, but it's not something I need to enjoy them fully.
I've listened to a lot of high end headphones and have even owned a few (LCD2, LCD3, HE-500) and the HD800 and HD800S are the only headphones in that tier that I just absolutely could not stand. I also cannot be bothered to spend time EQing them to get to sound good. I agree though that Sennheiser HD8XX continues the line of best gaming headphones for its price point. The bass and midrange bumps might actually make games even more immersive and exciting.
you mean the fatigue ? That's why even tho the HD8XX isn't perfect, I bet you drop did it on purpose not to have a lot of return of people who can't stand listening to them for more than 1h. LOL
An absolute unit of headphones
They only needed to try to fix 1 thing about the 800S: the price. ‘Fixing’ the bass on that thing was never a real solution.
yeah you know whats really amazing about these headphones? you can remove the tape they used to create the "tuning" and its hd-800s at 700 dollars.
I’m a bit surprised you didn’t even reference the Arya as an honorable mention among best soundstaging headphones. That said, I have still not yet heard either the original Arya or the stealth magnet iteration, but with how much you enjoy your Arya’s and appreciate their big open soundstage I was a touch surprised when it wasn’t even mentioned by name! That said, I don’t hear of people gaming with Arya’s very often so I’m thinking there’s likely other deficiencies that are highlighted/exacerbated when gaming that make the Hifiman’s less than ideal perhaps? Curious tho if anyone can chime in on this with their opinions and experiences regarding the Arya in that regard.
I game with mine and I LOVE THEM for gaming. Big soundstage and very comfortable. I have the stealth revision
With open-box, warrantied Aryas going for $1200 ($1099 during sales), I'm also pretty surprised it didn't come up.
@@killerra absolutely tho!
I have Arya V2 (non-stealth) and while it's great for immersion and atmosphere, it's not that impressive for competitive fps. Don't get me wrong it's still one of the better headphones for competitive fps but even much cheaper PC38X gives me better spatial awareness than Arya. I would say it sounds too distant so it's harder to hear footsteps.
@@atyne_mar v interesting! I had never even considered the flip side of the Arya potentially skewing the aural/spacial properties people rely on while gaming. It just never dawned on me that they may indeed be ‘too spacious’ basically to where it’s not giving a specific advantage any longer. Thanks for the feedback!
Still rockin the Kenwood KH71, which are the same size as the HD800/8XX, and is also open backed; but is 50 years old and i spent $162 on it. I have been lovin it for a long time now.
Did you frame the ceiling light that way on purpose?
So good to be into audiophile world today.
Hey Josh, might want to look at your background a tiny bit. That light above your head was super distracting, looked like a halo!
Joshua says in this video, about the 8xx and the HD800s: 'the best soundstage for the price'. So if price is not an issue, what headphones have even better soundstage?
Raal-sr1a, mysphere, AKG-K1000 to name a few..
I actually dislike the non-EQ'd soundstage of the HD800s. I describe it as looking up at a planetarium or an IMAX screen. It surrounds you, but it's also distant. I feel removed from the music often with these.
HD800s is quite picky with amps. Try running them on warmer type of amps, such as Violectric, BHA-1, or some tube amps. When u get the setup that works with HD800s, they sounds really great and expansive. In my opinion, topping, jds amps is not a good match, it even might make HD800s sound sharp or distant at times.
Joshua, I think you are the best audiophile reviewer on the tube…keep up the great work!
Nice Triumph Daytona... We share more hobbies than I tought...
please review the DT 700 PRO X & the DT 900 PRO X. Do you know how a lot of people request about this from you??!!
Great review, thank you. Gonna pick ‘em up and enjoy them. I basically EQ every headphone I own so that’s not an issue for me.
Hey Josh, just an FYI that your Amazon links don't seem to work. Keep up the great work, cheers.
11:12 in what world would a company allow someone to "correct the errors" (Thus making the headphones better) and then sell them for $500 less than the more expensive version?
More units at a cheaper price: more if not equal the same revenue as selling at the higher pricepoint. Margins could be lower per product, but they end up with the same revenue
@@saucyg6371 but no guarantee 😉
@@saucyg6371 The market for the HD800 is limited. Selling for a lower price may not increase the buying incentive as much as you think.
ahhh...Josh has a halo:)( he's a angel) ....Great video and info dude
The intro music is appropriate for this
I’m liking the new Stealth Magnets Arya even more now.
till they fall apart 1 year later.
Hd 800 is the most linear and accurate. The sound stage probably comes from recessed mids on the HD 8xx.
That Daytona in the background 😍
I picked this up for Black Friday. It's coming today ;)
Have you enjoyed your 8XX? Would you be able to give a brief review? Looking back, would you purchase something else instead at the price point? Thinking of buying a pair.
What is this absolute banger in the intro
Idk if it was intentional but you didn't say the price in the video. I understand if it was intentional so that the video is still up to date in event of sales etc.
Stellar review as always.
Is the original HD 800 worth picking up (used) if you would only be using them with a cheap 75 dollar amp and cellphone?
Which would you recommend for gaming HD8XX or Focal Clear MG?
How does the HD599 compare to the PC38x for gaming to you? For someone who doesn't care to spent over 1k on 800s.
The soundstage of the 800s did impress me, and they were fun to listen to for a little bit, but to me nothing sounds as good as my Focal Clears. I’ve tried like every headphone in the $2000 and under range. I guess I’d need to get to the ultra high end for something to top the Clears for me. But who knows, the Clears just check all the boxes I care about I guess. Idk why I wrote this post
hows the comfort of clears compared to Elex?. I bought the elex but i didnt like the comfort on them at all, and prefer sennheiser plastic light weight build.
@@DerryFX so yeah the cleats are not light but they fit my head very well and I am comfortable for long listening sessions, and the elex fit very similar
Have you tried thé clear mg apparently it is a downgrade according to a lot of people compare to the original clears
The Drop AKG 7XX did not make your list of top gaming headphones. At its' asking price of less than $200, I can't think of anything that comes close or match it for value and performance, IMHO.
I have an 800S just for gaming and I agree with you on the 7XX which I had before. The 7XX also has more bass quantity, to some this may be important.
@@econautx Yes, for those with a budget of 200 bucks, the 7XX is easily the top pick for a gaming headphone. And if one is not too fussed about its' shortcomings, it is also quite decent in the music department.
Tygr 300r and senn 560s are great gaming phones.
K7xx are no longer available. Maybe K702s or K712s for a bit more money but the K7xx are legacy at this point and I don't see people lining up to sell them off.
@@BenSkywalker70 I guess that is the best endorsement fot the K7XX - people NOT lining up to sell thwm off. Trying to figure out why Massdrop dropped (pardon the pun) them from their line-up.
Thing Drop should do
- They can just do OG HD800s but just reduce the cost and it can be sold anyway
Drop should have done that....
I own the og hd800 and also bought the hd8xx.
The drop Version went straight back...
I am not a fan of using eq but I know how to do it.
Imo the og hd 800 sounds better before and after eq.
Later I found reviews from dms and crinecal? About the hd8xx ... Could have saved me buyers remorse
@@tdfmike3915 you couldve just removed the inner dampening tape they used to change the airflow to create its tuning and had an HD-800S for 700 bucks. The parts and everything else is the same as teh HD-800S.
@@ObeyaCorpsArmory didint know that.
Also that voids warranty.
Also I can get a used hd800 out of warranty for around that price...
I dont want to buy bad products and repair them myselfe
Can we get some screenshots of your eq's? Ive been playing around but I don't know enough about EQing.
Hey, man, I’m new in the channel and I must say it is great. Question, would you do a review of the latest beats by Dre.?
I would greatly appreciate a video that didn't have to do with things such as "for the price" or "at this price range". Just a simple concept for the video maybe comparing headphones at the summit and how they sound. Surely a video consisting of content regarding Hifiman Susvaras, Abyss Diana Ab 1266 Tcs, Focal Utopias, Meze Elites, Audeze LCD 5s should be of interest to many.
Agreed. When the sound quality is the main issue and price is trivial to compare it makes sense to skip the price level as it doesn't directly correlate with quality.
Dude watch crinnacle for that. His reviews are brutally honest
@@Junya01 I know of crinacle and I've seen a few of his videos but he doesn't have any videos on the topic I'm interested in. Iems are different than headphones.. Besides the 8xx which is truthfully only mid tier he doesn't really have much on headphones.
@@D_K93 he reviewed the Mont Blanc headphones
@@D_K93 and his headphone tierlist on his website is purely based on sound, with star ratings for each product if he thinks it's worth the price it's put at
Beautiful triumph!
What is the opening Songs Name? I LOVED IT SO MUCH
Heyson - sharir
What bike you riding?, because i saw it on your thumbnail 😁
I’m new to headphones are akg headphones ok for sound stage? I like the suspension structure.
I want a good pair of gaming headphones that are good for music, but I don't want a microphone on them like the 38x and everyone always says 38x or 800s are best for gaming, is there seriously not another really good pair in the over $1000 price gap?
Will you buying a pair to review later on?
Can you share your recommended EQ settings? I don't really want to get into EQing, but if there some settings that I could set and forget that would be a good compromise.
There's no standard, every headphone is different. A lot of it is preference too.
Josh must’ve have ascended to Headphone Heaven with that Halo on his head lol 😂
the best headphones which you could missused for gaming and its worth :D
Is this the same version of the HD 8xx crinacle reviewed? Hard to square the reviews against each other...
your light kinda looks like a halo he he he
Wanted to look into your top amps/dacs and headphones and the Amazon links go straight to the home page. Would appreciate that fix.
what were the orange speakers shown in the back at 1:31?
Daamn, who made that midtempo intro music... 🔥
So, it sounds like they went more in the direction of Audeze house sound? Seems like a good idea, but I'm biased as an Audeze man.
All the links in the description are broken
I trust Drop zero… that’s why I come here (and a couple of others) to get reliable input
I was going to buy these headphones on Black Friday: with the $ 150 saved, I could cover the shipping costs and import taxes (I live in Europe). I didn't do it because I had seen your previous video... 🤐
Currently Sennheiser is selling the 800s in New Zealand for around 1.3k USD, and Drop is selling these for 1.1k USD....
I had own my hd8xx about 2months now, I don't like hd8xx and I've just stack it in cabinet and ignore it for replacement parts of my 800s.
Assuming, the virtual speaker sound like hd800s, then 8xx sounds feels like hear the sound outside of the room which playing virtual hd800s speaker with door open.
That's what I feel compare both my own 8xx and 800s.
I never recommend this 8xx for any type of ppl.
For bass, dt1990pro will be better choice to price and performance.
For 800s followers, just buy discounted 800s on drop or find used one.
What they did to change the sound of the HD-8XX is add dampening tape inside the cups. The tape can be peeled off and it will sound like the HD-800S. they use the same parts, the only difference is most likely the factory they were produced in.
If I had endless money these would be my gaming headphones
You could prob get some used OG HD-800 (silver paintjob) for cheaper and they would actually image better than these, although you can remove the inner dampening "tape" on the HD-8XX and get them back to stock HD-800S sound
Wait, the Focal Clear is a midrange headphone now?
1:50 joshua are you an Angel?
Hey Josh I got questions, I'm looking for a headset for a Xbox series x and what I've seen its a limited I was looking into 800hd at one point in time but Xbox dont support dac other than astros mix amp, the questions is can you do a video of endgame headset thats compatible with xbox series x, thanks in advance
Glad I got the Arya (v2) 🙂
i like the little halo above your head
I kinda hope they do a revision of theese but i guess the tuning is set in stone now.
Nice Daytona Josh!😉
Is there a correlation between the frequency curve and the sound stage? I mean could you look at a frequency curve of a headphone before hearing them and say "Hey, they've got a wide soundstage because of this formation of the curve"
Would love to see a video about how different properties of a headphone is represented in a frequency curve chart of sorts.
Typically, decreased lower mids is a common motif for good staging headphones, IEMs.
Yes, but the cups can also add a sense of spaciousness. EQ'ing a closed back will not sound like an HD800s, but the FR is probably the main element.
HD8xx vs Sundaras? completely diff price point - should I upgrade?
I would take the Sundara over the HD8XX. EQ might make the gap even bigger. There are no certainly better headphones than the Sundaras. It depends on personal taste. LCD-2 Closed, LCD-X, Clear MG, Ananda or something might be better in most ways.
Maybe a crazy request but would you review the bang and olufsen h95?? 😅🙏