Both have the same nominal impedance (300 ohms) and nearly the same sensitivity (103 dB for the HD820 and 102 dB for the HD800s). The HD 800 S have a better-balanced sound that is more neutral and even with instruments, more consistent with their bass and slightly more detailed on lead vocals and instruments. It's easy! Josh is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia, where he teaches classes on modern U.S. politics and the history of popular music. And although both headphones’ drivers are covered (the HD 820 by glass and the HD 800 S by a metal grill), they are both visible. If the HD820’s build and presentation share much in common with the HD800S’s, its sound is where it deviates. Sennheiser has clearly made the HD 800 S to address the one major criticism that was consistently levelled at the HD 800, that their treble can sound a little harsh. Steph is a musician, recordist, mixer, and producer. Well, even though HD800 still sounded very good from a technical perspective, the speakers were also very advanced in areas like d… Compared to the Focal Clear (U.S. MSRP $1,500), which is arguably the HD800S’s clearest (pun intended) competition in the open-back audiophile category, the HD800S (green) is slightly brighter, while the Clear (blue) is slightly warmer: The Clear and the HD800S are remarkably close when it comes to factors like transient response, dynamics, and overall clarity. As Sennheiser intended, the controversial upper-bass/lower-mids dip reduces muddiness in most (but not all) recordings. For example, in the song Moon and Sound by Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette, the piano really has the stage when I was listening with the HD 820. However, the HD 800 S has an emphasis that is a little bit higher, bordering the lower high frequencies whereas the HD 820’s is a little bit lower in the high-mids. Introduction. I own both HD800S and HD820. Not only because of the color and the absorber that removes the 6kHz peak somewhat but also because of the extra (balanced) cable that comes with it. The Sennheiser HD 800 S are a better critical listening headphone than the Sennheiser HD 820. However, the HD800S is slightly better than the Clear in retrieving microdetail (even accounting for the HD800S’s brighter character), and the HD800S’s significantly more spacious soundstage also allows for better separation between instruments than the Clear can muster. On the other hand, the ridged piece of the HD 800 S is super thin and pliable. It's the kind of brightness people eventually learned to love, You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. The low frequencies of the Focal Stellia and Sennheiser HD 820 are quite different from each other. They attach to the back of their respective earcups and curl around to the top of the cups. The Beyerdynamic DT 1770 and DT 1990 Pro could be another closed/open comparison. In others, it’s as little as 3 db. Despite the Clear’s extra bass, its bass is also cleaner than the HD800S’s. At the same time, the violin piece at 1:00 is a little bright/sibilant on the HD800S, and is a whisker more tamed on the HD820. The path to the HD820 began in 2012 with a simple attempt to close the company’s flagship open-back, the HD800. In his 2018 CanJam presentation, Grell graphed the frequency response of the HD800S and the HD820, which was still just a prototype at the time, to illustrate how the HD820’s response would deviate from the HD800S’s. Lastly, both headbands have a soft, microfiber-coated padding. On “Baba,” the opening synthesizer line is crisp and tonally accurate on the HD800S. Both the Sennheiser HD 820 and the Sennheiser HD 800 S have a high-mid emphasis. They’re classy and well made, built sturdily e… They also have a larger soundstage thanks to their open-back design. On the other hand, when I was listening with the HD 800 S, the cymbals had much more energy and sometimes would take the attention away from the piano. It'd been a while since I've heard the HD800s before hearing the HD820 but the perceived difference in "stereo width" was negligible. Find out how you can become a sponsor here. First few days impressions THE TREBLE: Tie HD800S keeps up the brilliance of OG HD800 (owned this a few yr ago), but dials it down to the level where it rides the cutting edge of being brilliant yet not irritating like the OG HD800 can be. The HD 800 S is the result of Sennheiser following its users' example. For example, in the song Highways and Clouds by Amos Lee, his voice seems to sit more evenly in the mix when I was listening to the HD 800 S. However, the HD 820’s boost helps melodies in strings, pianos, synths (etc), especially in meaty arrangements, stay on top so they are easy to follow and don’t disappear in the thickness. Shares. Instruments and voices are easily placed in space and are remarkably clear, likely owing to the HD820’s remarkably low distortion. The HD820S arrived in August 2018, after a week's burn in, I haven't touched the HD800S since, well maybe to dust it. Our Verdict. In fact, Sennheiser isn’t saying a great deal about the changes between the two. After testing different cup materials, Grell and his fellow designers settled on Gorilla Glass due to its rigidity. Since then, Josh has listened to lots of music, owned lots of gear, and done lots of book learnin'. UPDATE: Data has been corrected). The HD820, according to Grell, would have a small dip between 150hz to 200hz in order to compensate for the resonances of closed-back cans, allowing the the HD820 to possess the extra bass thump of closed cans without “blur[ring]the mid details.”. On the flat side of the pad, where the pad touches the head,, they are coated in microfiber. Both headphones are made to listen at home, and Sennheiser claims that the goal of the HD 820 was to replicate the magnificent soundstage of the HD 800 S. Today, I will try to answer that question as best as I can with this Sennheiser HD 820 vs Sennheiser HD 800 S Comparison Review. The HD 800 S has a natural sounding frequency response. When the band enters, Keith Moon’s cymbals project far left and Pete Townshend’s guitar far right without any sense of exaggeration. It’s ridged embellishments are actually part of the frame as a whole. Beyerdynamic T5p Vs Sennheiser HD800 I think I weigh the Clear's "cleaner" bass performance more than you do. The HD800S has been the go to HP for two years something. 31 points. Exploring the differences between two awesome headphones! The 800 were and still are, to this day, one of the best sounding headphones on the planet. Otherwise, enjoy the showdown… Sennheiser has fixed the original HD 800's Achilles' heel. They made the Gorilla Glass panels in the cups convex to direct reflections into dampened chambers so that “reflected sound waves have virtually no chance of disturbing the movement of the HD 820's advanced 56 mm transducers and of compromising the precision of the audio reproduction,” as Sennheiser puts it. Sennheiser HD800S. vs. vs. 15 facts in comparison. Yes, this big can is now available for audiophiles who seek closed-back Sennheiser high-end headphones. While the dip seems to accentuate the instrumental separation and reduce muddiness with well-recorded, well-mixed material, the HD820’s unique frequency response makes some sonically less-than-stellar material even cloudier. The openness and elevated highs of the Sennheiser HD 800 S lays a blanket of slightly dramatic height over everything. 00. Switching to a more neutral set of cans, including the HD800S, is a sonic breath of fresh air. Could Sennheiser capture the HD800S series sound in a closed back design? DISCLOSURE: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com, affiliated sites and sponsors. Hopefully, as was the case with the HD800, Sennheiser will release a revision of the HD820 in the not-too-distant future that remedies its flaws and keeps its strengths. All of the included cables are sort of big and bulky. I auditioned both and I preferred the HD-800S. The Sennheiser HD800S is an open over-ear dynamic headphone. It is used to extend the size of the headphones for different shaped heads. I have no experience with the 820 but this comparison gives me a very good idea... Nice piece of work @JoshM, a spot on takeaway with HD820, even though we like them! 11 April 2016. The HD 820 has more of a sense of intimacy but still feels wide and expansive when the mix becomes wide and expansive. The summit of hi-fi headphones has usually been occupied by open cans. I'm sure some people will prefer the HD800S. He's written about music for publications like Filter and Under the Radar and about politics for publications like New Republic, Jacobin, and Dissent. The dip creates a separation between the bass and the mids that, besides affecting tonality, leads to a notable sonic incoherence. As a result, vocals sound more natural and brighter in the HD 800 S than the HD 820. As the piano and drums kick in, the impressive bass slam of the HD820 becomes obvious, but so does its somewhat disjoined presentation. Both the Sennheiser HD 820 and the Sennheiser HD 800 S have earpads that follow the asymmetrical shape of their earcups. As a result, it has more contrast in the soundstage which provides emotional impact, even though it does feel quite as deep as the HD 800 S. For example, in the piece La Mer, L. 111aL II, Jeux de vagues by Claude Debussy, the woodwind melodies sit more in the middle of my head when I listened with the HD 820. Over the new few months, I’ll be reviewing a few of these new entrants into the closed-back market. Like the HD800S, the HD820’s clamping force is minimal, and with proper adjustment both the HD820 and HD800S are comfortable over long listening sessions. Both headphones high frequency responses have a very similar vibe, it’s just that the HD 800 S tilts up. 00 $ 1,449. Switching to the HD820, it’s immediately clear that Grell and his team at Sennheiser succeeded in one of their top goals, which was creating a closed set of cans with the soundstage of an open pair. I read the review above and thought, what's driving the HP's and the rest of the system, cause I honestly don't hear the tonally flawed character. Sly5thAve - Still D.R.E: The strings at the very start are a little more coherent on the HD800S. As a result, they are extremely comfortable and lightweight. For the HD820 (red) and HD800s (green) measurements below, my EARS were calibrated with a slightly modified version of Marv from SBAF’s compensation curve, where a flat frequency response is represented by a flat line: With the EARS, the the HD820’s upper-bass/lower-mids dip appears to be what the kids call “lorge.” However, the size of the dip as captured by the EARS is in line with other other measurements of the HD820. The only difference is that the HD 820, in addition to the cable with the 6.3 mm connector and the cable with the 4-pin XLR, it has a 4.4 mm Pentaconn cable. Focal Clear. However, it sounds like their low frequencies have emphasis in slightly different parts of the region. Like any daring and controversial deviation from neutrality, the pros and cons of the HD820’s unique presentation become apparent very quickly. Conversely, the HD 800 S has emphasis in the lower lows. Focal Clear vs Sennheiser HD 800 S. Focal Clear. In general, the biggest difference between the Sennheiser HD 820 and the Sennheiser HD 800 S is, of course, one has a closed-back design, and the other has an open-back design, respectively. Add that to the fact that "headstage" is something I find more elusive than most other HP enthusiasts (It's all "between the ears" and nothing compared to a normal two channel image IMO), the Sennheisers are a bit flawed - but I know I swim upstream in this opinion. Both the Sennheiser HD 820 and the Sennheiser HD 800 S are awesome! Today, we’re going to start at the top, both in terms of price (U.S. MSRP of $2,399) and in terms of expectations, with Sennheiser’s HD820. On 1/3/2019 at 1:54 AM, One and a half said. That’s even more true when those headphones come with the HD820’s hefty price tag. I have heard the HD700, HD800, HD800s and the HD820. No EQ. The design of the headbands of the Sennheiser HD 820 and the Sennheiser HD 800 S are the exact same. However, the HD 800 S has much thinner pads than the HD 820. Grado Wireless Headphones GW100, Everything We Know! Sennheiser HD800S review If sensational sound quality is your priority, these high-end headphones are worth an audition Tested at £1200. Interesting review, looking forward to more. The HD820 uses the same 56-mm “ring radiator” as the HD800S. Note: If you were looking for a review of the Sennheiser HD 650 vs. HD 700, click on over! The rest of the headphones are typically Sennheiser. The cables of both the Sennheiser HD 820 and the Sennheiser HD 800 S are pretty much identical. Introduction The Sennheiser HD820 has always been compared to its open-back counterpart the HD800s. (I had to travel couple of hundred miles to audition these) I have heard the HD800S before many times, and still with the massive soundstage it "wow'ed" me. Sennheiser recently released the HD 820 headphones and also dropped the accompanying HDV 820 amplifier. If your preference is for a (mostly) neutral set of cans (as mine is), the bad news is that the HD820’s dip is clearly audible when listening to frequency sweeps. It’s also super wide, expansive, and has a real sense of depth. Excellent review! The string section on the HD800S gets a bit more of a "outside of the head" experience compared to the HD820. As a fellow HD800S fan, and having heard the the HD820 at various shows, your impressions are spot on. HD800S 75th Anniversary Edition vs HD820 on Liquid Platinum fed by MXDAC. Keeping with The Who, the Mobile Fidelity mastering of Quadrophenia presents that somewhat murky mix at its best. Around the earpad, they’re made of leather. But it's undoubtedly a very colored headphone, and I just can't get past that huge dip, as someone who prefers only modest deviations from neutral. (I think I may have screwed up HD800 data because it was so long ago - I will revisit the above the post. Contact: steph@majorhifi.com, Sennheiser HD 820 vs Sennheiser HD 800 S Comparison Review. Home > Headphones comparison > Focal Clear vs Sennheiser HD 800 S. 38 points. Nonetheless, the upper-bass/lower-mids dip of the HD820 clearly affects how it reproduces music. On the other hand, a sense of width is there for much of the mix with the HD 800 S. The HD 800 S gets its emotional lift there moreso from the change in dynamic than the change in width. That driver is effectively the same as used on the open-backed, and rather excellent, HD800Ses. After getting my speakers, Piega Premium 5.2, but especially the Focal Electra 1028, I found myself to listen to them on fewer and fewer occasions. The two share the same ring diaphragm and Helmholtz resonator design, and they both use the same connectors (now in black for the HD 800 S). Electric guitars lose some of their fullness, string articulation on bass guitars is lost, and drums sound hollow. Cyrus Audio Announces the New XR Series Amplifiers, Cambridge Audio to Release Melomania Touch True Wireless In Ear Headphone. Josh Mound has been an audiophile since age 14, when his father played Spirit's "Natures Way" through his Boston Acoustics floorstanders and told Josh to listen closely. The HD820 is basically an HD800S, closed-back. Their coated in the same microfiber coating as the headband. Underneath its fancy Gorilla glass exterior, the HD820 shares much in common with Sennheiser’s open flagship HD800 and its revised incarnation, the HD800S (U.S. MSRP $1,699), which I’ll be reviewing in this piece to provide a comparison with the HD820. For example, in the song Growing Trade by Levon Help, the cymbals are higher in the mix when listening with the HD 800 S. However, with both headphones, those cymbals are long and full of rich harmonics. However, there’s a good case to be made that world class headphones shouldn’t have a flaw that you need to acclimate your ears to before you can fully enjoy them. But the past few years have seen companies like Focal, Audeze, and Sennheiser attempting to turn some of their best open headphones into audiophile-grade closed cans. Sennheiser HD 800 S $ 1,490. Sign up for a new account in our community. The opening synth line of “Baba O’Riley” sounds “scooped out” on the HD820, suppressing harmonics that are usually front-and-center and revealing others that are usually inaudible. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his wife and two cats. HD800 S vs HD800 S Anniversary Edition Frequency Response GRN/RED = HD800 S Anniversary Edition GRY= HD800 S Flate Plate Coupler (no comp)