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Sennheiser HD800S Over-ear Audiophile Reference Headphones $1,679.00 Shipped @ Sennheiser eBay

660
HGTSAVE

Not as good as the last deal unfortunately, but still a decent price.

The HGTSAVE code gives an additional $120 off Sennheiser's Click Frenzy price of $1799.

THING10|15 isn't working for me on these.

Also watch out, eBay might sneakily apply the OCT5UPA code at checkout which only discounts $89.95, make sure you replace it with HGTSAVE.

To anticipate some of the comments:

  • Are these headphones good? Yes.
  • Are they really worth $1500? No, spending $1500 on headphone is foolish.
  • Are they better than the Drop HD6XX? Very different. Much better in some ways, but worse in others.
  • Do I need an amp for these? Yes absolutely essential.
  • Will this specific Toppping/Fiio/iFi/whatever amp be good enough? In my opinion, yes definitely. In others' opinion: no way.

Note: Cheaper at $1439.10 if you have access to UNiDAYS

This is part of Click Frenzy deals for 2023

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closed Comments

  • +9

    Extra points for great anticipation from the can nerds

  • +7

    Worth every penny for a very unique sound signature. If you enjoy clinical listening with a spacious sound stage, amazing.

    • For privacy purposes how much you would lose quality/sound stage wise if you go with HD820? Open ended question from audiophile ozbargainers.

      • +1

        HD820 Is very terrible. the tuning and sound is completely different and mostly for the worse. Very bassy and the midrange is completely incoherent.

  • +3

    😱

  • My friend has this, sounds amazing streaming music off Spotify, very clear. Only problem is not good bass but everything else is very clear.

    • +1

      yeah, I changed the pads, and bass is bit better

      • what did you swap to?

      • Is it from Dekoni?

    • +10

      Your friend has a HD800S, but is using Spotify and not one of the Hi-Res streaming services such as Amazon Music/Apple Music/Tidal/Qobuz?

      • ^ this.

        High quality equipment to listen to music streamed or even on Bluetooth,
        diminishes the listening experience, but each to their own!

        I've tried the HD800s and they are indeed amazing,
        and the only open-back headphones I would consider buying myself,
        because I don't really like open-back for privacy sake (eg. sound bleed)
        and also I'm not into the planar magnetic sound,
        so HD800s fit my neutral sound profile very well.

        • +3

          YouTube high quality, Apple high quality, both use 256kbps AAC or OPUS, both better codecs than MP3, delivering objectively better sound than mp3 320kbps. Multiple double blind tests have shown very, very, few audiophiles can discern the difference between lossless audio and mp3 320kbps.

          The whole "must be lossless" hi-res streaming thing is a wank, it's modern audio snake-oil.

          You do need Bluetooth equipment that has the protocols that can send/receive data in those codecs though, otherwise you get transcoding that damages quality.

          • +1

            @Tunblor: I agree. Personally, I can indeed distinguish between 320Kbps MP3 and lossless versions from the same source file, especially if I know the song really well. Still, honestly, the 2% difference is not worth losing hair over. This was just done using the ABX component and replaygain in foobar2000. We're here to enjoy the music, not analyse each and every cymbal and pick out the tiniest compression artefacts.

            I'm still young and can hear the whole frequency range, but I expect that as I get older it will be even more minute… If I can even tell a difference anymore.

            Although a lot of people would argue that disk space is ubiquitous nowadays and why not have the best possible quality, and to that, I also agree. Whatever floats your boat, I'm not about to tell you that it's a waste or that it's worse, because it's not.

            AAC 320 would be my favourite if I were to store my library on my phone, but otherwise I'm not fussed about mainstream music streaming services like spotify.

            • +2

              @itchy scratchy:

              I can indeed distinguish between 320Kbps MP3 and lossless versions from the same source file

              Same.
              I can tell difference between 320kbps MP3 < FLAC < WAV of the same song.
              Still, FLAC is a good enough compromise for me but I have never heard any AAC or Opus,
              so I'm intrigued even more by these comparisons to 320kbps.

              disk space is ubiquitous nowadays

              Agreed.
              Since storage is cheaper now (and I have better IEMs than before),
              I actually started gathering FLACs , which I am enjoying immensely.

              • +1

                @whyisave: AAC is like MP3 on steroids. Better to much better sound quality at the same bitrate, and compatible with a lot of devices as it's been out for many decades.

                Opus to my knowledge is mostly optimised for lower bitrate, but I think you might be surprised if you listen to a 64Kbps Opus file especially as unlike MP3 it doesn't sacrifice the higher frequencies. Although I don't think that many devices will natively support it. Software players should.

              • @whyisave:

                Same.
                I can tell difference between 320kbps MP3 < FLAC < WAV of the same song.

                Funny how a human can tell the difference between FLAC and WAV when digital music players can't…

                • @skeptic: FLAC and MP3 (320kbps) are kind of obvious,
                  but with WAV is very subtle, and it 'feels' there is a difference :-D

                  I think it depends with FLAC "compression" too,
                  because if the FLAC was level-5 or level-8.

      • +3

        Using Spotify won't take away from the core listening experience. High res definitely can squeeze out the extra couple % but it is not completely essential. Many people stick to spotify because of the amazing algorithm for finding new music

      • +3

        https://abx.digitalfeed.net/

        Easy test to tell.

        I can guarantee you the difference is so small between 320kbps Vorbis and Lossless that you likely won't be able to tell.

        I can hit 70-80% accuracy on the test on kilobuck gear (U12T, Monarch3, Clears) , but the difference is so small that I use spotify anyways - I have to concentrate in a quite enviroment to pass with anything higher than 50%.

        • https://abx.digitalfeed.net/
          difference is so small between 320kbps Vorbis and Lossless that you likely won't be able to tell.

          I just 'zoomed' through this test,
          as I was getting impatient and sleepy,
          and my gosh, I could not tell the difference at all.

          If that's how they're pitching lossy and lossless streaming files,
          then, a decent IEM or headphone would be good enough to enjoy.
          Though, I still recommend a DAC to give the music some 'body'.

          Side-note:
          How do you find U12T compared to Monarch III ?
          I have Monarch II and demo'd U12T recently,
          but was underwhelmed by U12T.
          ( I had Focal Clears briefly but sold them,
          and they were OK, but didn't impress me so much,
          plus plastic headband was turn off )

  • +16

    "Are they really worth $1500? No, spending $1500 on headphone is foolish."

    Each their own, people don't bat an eye spending $1500 on a tv, I would get more use and comfort out of a pair of $1500 headphones.

    I do already have Audeze LCD-X Headphones though so… I am certainly biased.

    • +2

      Plus, this is likely something you'll be using for another decade or so, so if you count cost for per hour of listening, it's probably still a bargain.

      On a different note, HD800 are rather bass light, I had a chance to listen to them and was rather disappointed, even if I'm in the group willing to spend $1.5k on a headset and like flat response curves.

      • +1

        Yeah these could and probably will easily last a decade if looked after, and will likely perform just as well.

        I personally wouldn't buy the HD800s… the LCD-X was the perfect headphone for me, easy to drive, good response curve and takes EQ like an absolute champ.

        HD800s have their place, but their sound is an acquired taste.

        • +2

          Used to own a pair of these. Technically amazing, but as I don't spend hours every day concentrating on the finest details in music, found they were not worth keeping around.

          Sound signature is definitely on the bright side, which I initially found very fatiguing.

          Overall, am happier with the 650/6XX. More comfortable sound, if not as detailed. Very robust. Cheaper.

          • @rumblytangara: I have some HD6XX that I bought in 2017, and used every day (minimum 4 hours a day with them on my head) for about 5 years, they are still in great condition (have had to replace the cables countless times, they're very bad, definitely buy aftermarket, and the ear pads {upgraded them to dekoni elite fenestrated lambskin and never looked back}) They are fantastic headphones and what I would suggest anyone that wants to invest in some quality lowermidrange headphones.. They will do more or less everything that you need of them.

            The other choice being the Beyerdynamic Tygr 300r which are KILLER headphones for the price, especially if you like bass.

            • @buku: Oddly enough, I have had no problems at all with stock Sennheiser cables, and this is across three pairs. Two of those are daily use by kids (59X) so they are not being babied.

              • @rumblytangara: Interesting, I had nothing but issues until I replaced them, would get random cutting out in one ear and then a week or so later would completely lose that channel. No continuity at all.

                Every replacement cable that it happened with was official Sennheiser as well.

                • +1

                  @buku: Weird. Just putting it out there for the info and not for arguing. I've had 4 Sennheiser cables. 3 were the default ones that came with the headphones via Massdrop, one was sourced direct from a the Sennheiser office in Asia because I wanted a different length cable.

                  Have never noticed a dropout on any of the headphones (nor have the wife/kids ever mentioned issues).

                  Worth mentioning that the plugs that go into the earcups are not symmetric, one pin is slightly larger than the other, but you probably know that already.

                  Also had the two the cables for the 800 S with no issues, but that was long ago enough that I cannot even remember the connector type for the earcups.

                  • +1

                    @rumblytangara: I always appreciate it to hear others perspectives, honestly not sure why I have had such issues with the HD6xx cables, but I am glad that you haven't had any issues. In my experience you would have to try pretty hard to shove the terminate cable into the wrong slots on the earphone, you would also have to ignore the L/R indication, but I do see your point, I'm guilty of just saying "(profanity) it" and forcing something into the wrong slot before (giggity), but not in this case thankfully.

                    It could possibly be the length? The cables I always got from Sennheiser were the 3m ones, the very first aftermarket cable I got was 1.3, but I couldn't tell you WHY that would make a difference unless the longer cable was getting snagged but having inspected all the broken cables to find fault there was no glaring issues internally or externally.

                    Either way, seems like a skill issue on my end, thankfully it's not an issue I have to deal with anymore :)

                    Appreciate your input!

      • Girl math on OzB goes crazy

  • +14

    Standing by for the people who will say "it's not a bargain if it isn't what I consider cheap," even though this is almost 50% below RRP and several hundred less than the normal best street price…

    Bargain doesnt mean cheap.
    Bargain means a significant discount on normal price.

    • +2

      This is the semi-annual sale price, and other vendors have caught up. Arguably should be a bit more competitive these days, especially given Sennheiser/Sonova are seemingly working on lowering manufacturing costs.

      • +1

        I believe the HD800S is also made in Ireland these days, instead of Germany

        • Yup, which means they've at least been able to re-establish the manufacturing line and train up a group of testers somewhere outside of Germany.

          If they can figure out how to automate more of the assembly and testing, I'd imagine it'd drop dramatically.

    • +9

      Yep. Apparently Ozbargain is only for people wanting to save $5 on a $100 gift card.

  • My daily drivers, the sound stage is what sold me when auditioning, never heard anything else replicate.

  • Are these what dank pods uses?

    • +1

      He uses HD600s in his comparisons.

  • +1

    Being using HD800 since late 2000s, and got a HD800s about 5 yrs ago. Worth every cent to me.

  • Now the question is, how to get rid of HD800

    • i dropped mine HD800 to office.

      • +1

        I'd buy if it hits previous low. HD800 is still worth every penny, my reference sound.

    • +1

      Can always just mod it in the same spirit that delivered the HD 800S.

  • Already have this - looking at a tube amp upgrade to bring this excellent headphone to the next level.

    • This tube amp truly unlocks the full potential of the HD800s. https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/microzotl-mz3

      Do it.

      • Thanks but that's way beyond my budget and ears to discern, looking at Feliks Audio Echo MK2, which is likely enough for my ears.

    • Why did you get negged?

    • Euforia Evo or original euforia - the most beautiful tube amps I have listened to. Amazing lush midrange and soundstage. However with sources I highly -i cannot stress this enough- recommend demoing before buying. You can demo at addicted to audio

      • +1

        To demo at ATA, do I need to bring my own headphone and source?

        • +1

          Bring the headphone, yes, because ata dont have sony stuff anymore. As for source they have ipads but if you have your own music then bring your phone or digital audio player if you have one.

    • You can try build the Bottlehead Crack (with Speedball upgrade)

  • The only reason I would consider this is so I would have some non fragile headphones to flex on my coworkers on my monthly in office day, but I can't cheat on my STAX EARSPEAKERS like that, I just can't.

    • +1

      You mean your Edifier earspeakers?

      • +1

        ;( dont bully me pls

  • +10

    Good deal.. Bought 2

    In all honesty though, I would rate a $1500+ pair of headphones in the same category as a fine wine. I probably wouldn't notice much of a difference or appreciate the difference in quality in comparison to a good $500 pair. My ears are probably not worthy lol

    • I agree.

      Anyone who buys these and is not an audiophile has more money than sense.

      • +1

        But in reality that’s 90% “audiophile “

    • +7

      I'm the same with wine…a $30 bottle of red tastes the same to me as a $200 bottle but I totally understand some people can tell the difference and good luck to them if they want to spend their money on expensive bottles.

      Same with headphones, each to their own.

      • I own Focal Clear, direct competitor to these, and I demoed it to many friends in two years of ownership.
        I haven't found anyone who wouldn't notice the difference in sound quality - it is very…. clear ;)

        At the same time, I didn't convince anyone to buy it and fully understand people with different preferences.

    • These are hugely distinctive compared to most other headphones. In some ways that are not terribly pleasant.

  • +5

    Do I need an amp for these?

    Will this specific Toppping/Fiio/iFi/whatever amp be good enough?

    If you're asking this, congratulations, you don't need these headphones.

    • A cheap topping Dx3+ drives these just fine

      • -2

        Dx3 is pretty bad in terms of dynamic compression and grainy treble. I'd highly recommend something from schiit instead such as the magni or the new Midgard that I recently received for review from schiit

        • +1

          Go listen to other amplifiers first before negging me. Your inexperience shows.

    • -2

      I would argue that nobody NEEDS these headphones, but I am curious why you said this?

      Are you saying that because people are looking at these "cheaper" brands that they don't know enough about expensive audio gear to buy these headphones?

      Are you saying that because people don't already own this equipment that they don't need expensive headphones?

      Are you saying that because people have to ask for other people's opinions on audio equipment that they don't need these headphones?

      Or is it something entirely different?

  • I got an hd8xx off amazon for ~$900 a while back and with the tape mod, they sound pretty darn close to an hd800s, if anyone’s on a budget both the Hd8xx/og 800’s are quite a bit cheaper second hand and can be eq’d to pretty much the same sound

    • How did you get an 8xx for $900?

      • +1

        Open box like new off Amazon warehouse

        • Any issues with them? being seconds.

        • Damn, I gotta watch out for that

  • +4

    Great deal for fantastic headphones. I've had my HD800 for around seven years now and have no urge to change anything. I have pieces of advice for those looking at these or have the HD800.

    1. You can get super close to the HD800s sound with the HD800 by doing the 'Superdupont Resonator' mod. Its cheap if you DIY or around $40 landed from online. The HD800s' bass increase is from the use of a resonator, albeit a less crude one, with very similar results. Expanding on sound for those that are looking at these;
    2. A two piece software combo can change your world. PEACE + Equalizer APO are system-wide free equalizer with linear-phase and a fantastic GUI via PEACE. On Reddit there's a subreddit from user Oratory1990 who accurately acoustically measures the response of as many headphones as he can and generates target curves for headphones. I absolutely prefer and love the Harmon curve for my HD800. It changed how much I enjoy it and there's no desire to upgrade after changing to it. The HD800 respond very well to EQ. There's much more bass with the Harmon curve. Example:
      https://www.dropbox.com/s/v999jbft39506ma/Sennheiser%20HD800…

    Suppose point 2. is for everyone.Highly recommend these if you love listening to music. Comments of $500 being the point of diminishing returns for headphones are nonsense. Having been through the HD600, HD650, K701, K550, etc. Mid-fi headphones always come with large caveats - HD800 have minor "I would like more/less x a little more but its still fantastic" responses from people. Buy once and cry once, as my Gramps says.

    • Another point to add to the EQ part, Planers usually have a noticeably lower distortion especially in the bass area so if someone wants to eq a lot, they might be the better choice

    • A two piece software combo can change your world. PEACE + Equalizer APO

      Have you heard of HQPlayer ?
      It's an upsampling multichannel audio player for Linux, macOS and Windows,
      with lots of audio tweaking features.
      It's not cheap (AUD 505 now), but worth a look.

    • +1

      Above is great advice I bought HD 800S used in perfect condition and really struggled with the sibilant treble until I used EQ per above. Also, there are some good EQ apps for Android/IOS I use Wavelet you can just search headphone model and install the pre setup EQ profiles.

      But I do tend to agree with other comments around diminishing returns beyond the HD 600 / HD 650 are amazing headphones at a much lower price point. Especially if you grab the HD 6XX from drop which you can get landed for under $400.

      Having said that there is a clear win the HD800S over the HD 600 with a very source headphone DAC/AMP.

    • +2

      Just want to add that the PEACE + Equalizer APO is great for Windows users.
      On Mac I use SoundSource - comes with headphone EQ presets (oratory1990).

  • +2

    I have had a few pairs of headphones from the likes of Audeze DCA and STAX and amps and dacs over the years from the likes of FiiO, Burson and topping, and I can confirm that the HD800S paired with the magic Chord Mojo2 is actually the perfect match.
    Both products are worth every penny and the Mojo2 brings out more from the HD800S than sennheisers own HDV820 DAC Amp which is around quadruple the price of the Mojo2.

  • Great price, I bought mine last time they were on special for $1500 and have no regrets

  • +1

    Is this good for zoom calls? Asking for a friend who seems to just need an excuse.

    • +2

      Think my accountant would approve the capex on this? "required for work".

      • Sounds ok to me 😊

  • +2

    Auditioned backed in the day and ended up with the Focal Clear instead.
    These were better only for classical and orchestra focused music.

  • -2

    these are ridiculously harsh, honestly makes me suicidal. 0/10 recommend.

  • +1

    Original price is $3K, so you would be saving $1.4K
    But I would rather buy 2x laptops:
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/807462

    • But what if you already had a Thinkpad P1 gen4 with a 3080, or an Legion, or <some other high end laptop> and loved headphones?

      The comparison just doesnt make sense mate.

      • OK! You can get many different hp:

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/tag/headphones

        • I was joking mate. I'm just saying for someone who is in the market for higher- end headphones, why would they go buy laptops or some other headphone?

          This is an excellent price for an excellent pair of cans. Obviously, its not for everyone

          • @ThadtheChad: I think these need to come down to under $1K for them to be popular on Ozbargain.

            • @congo: For a niche item, they're plenty popular. If I wasn't saving up for an Audeze LCD-X I'd be on this. My original comment was in response to you saying essentially, "why buy an expensive pair of headphones when you can buy 2 very basic budget laptops?"

              Also I genuinely think its important to point that Ozb covers a wide demographic, from povvo students to folks in the top <single digit> % of income.

              Not everything needs to appeal to everyone. As an example, some of the resoundingly popular deals are things around KFC/Hungry Jacks and other fast food trash which just isnt for me. As I mentioned in another post, there are actually people here buying the several thousand dollar headphones (focal, Audeze etc), RTX 4090, a 7k coffee machine, a 2k robovac etc.

              • @ThadtheChad: What are povvo students?

                • @congo: Poor students. Lmao looking at the unidays HD-800S deal I stand corrected, though. I definitely remember being poor as dirt during my student days.

                  • +1

                    @ThadtheChad: Yes! I had a lot of instant noddles and part time jobs in my uni days.

  • @!(#^&!@#^&@!^&#!@^&*

    I paid a lot more for this…F@(#!&!@(#&(!@^&(#^&!@#(@!#&()!&*()#!@()#@

    • +1

      All you needed to do was look at the historic cheapest price for these which is around $1449 before buying them.

      With the Australian dollar where it is, this is probably the current best price to expect for a while.

      • +2

        I have 5 pairs of very expensive headphones, this one is usually considered a "must have" entry to mid tier hifi headphone.
        So finally during Covid, I seize the opportunity and paid "only" 1800 bucks for this and bought them from Japan.
        So I basically paid almost 200 extra KFC wicked wings for this headphone.

        The headphone itself is solid though, and most importantly, relatively comfortable

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