So Close, Yet, So Far | Sennheiser HD820 Review

[@GAzcona]

I first own the HD650 then ended buying the 800s and now the 820 for night time listening. I have total respect for you Josh as a KZbinr and product reviewer. You are spot on comparing HD820 with HD600/800s. I could not feel the vocals on my 820 compared to my two other headphones. Now, I just want to sell my 820s because these cans are no way comparable to the HD650/800s. You have convince me.

[@Cove4773]

I need to be at the stage financially where I can buy these just to look at, my god they are beautiful.

[@LaSombraa]

Go become a hedge fund manager and you can then go buy whatever you want after 20-30 years with a successful career.

[@DuranInternational]

You just have to budget properly and you can buy them.

[@TheDiscardedFoot]

Currently setting aside $25 per paycheck. I'll get em and the matching amp in 2-3 more years and feel no remorse about spending that kind of cash.

[@Malangsufi]

Joshu, 8 years ago I was thinking of what you are doing now, but god I could never imagine anyone from my hobby would come about which can produce video with such level of production. Amazing production, sonically we are a little different, but I'm so happy to finally see video of such production quality, thank you.

[@Ryknex]

Nah! too cheap for my taste

[@zodspeed]

Orpheus is my minimum budget

[@yoursinisterdoge2785]

@@zodspeed get an Orpheus and then mod it so that is made out of gold

[@MohsinChheena]

@@zodspeed ugh, why do cheap?

[@МаксимМилеб]

Правильно - «Нах их!».

[@tomlademann2521]

There‘s a 300$ cable to it for your needs

[@vorkap]

I remember trying out these headphones and the sales guy admiring them, so I had like real high expectations, and I just couldn't believe how shallow they sounded with such extreme highs as well, I thought I'm crazy or something

[@loucipher7782]

the reality is good headphones stop at $500 anything higher than that is garbage with a big price tag for audiophiles wannabe better spend the extra $$$ on a good dac amp

[@Lunaq]

​@@loucipher7782 na not really

[@kchuen]

Wow I just listened to the HD820 2 hours ago in a store and your review confirms everything I heard. I’m new to headphones and was trying out every pair on the demo section. This pair sounds so open, the sound stage was so wide that it sounded unnatural. And for some songs the male vocal just disappeared. These 2 things were the ones that stood out for me and you just confirmed it wasn’t just in my head.

[@1TheWolfKing1]

clean your eyes and try again

[@natevirtual]

now, we can all agree, these got two beautiful plexiglass pieces to see the drivers

[@diegoreyes2212]

Happy New Year!

[@pvtcmyers87]

Can we get a review pretty please of the hd800s?

[@Thinkofsomethingnew]

Just bought my pair. Excited is an understatement. I apprediate the honestly on it's weaknesses.

[@2Dimples4U]

After a year, are you still using them?

[@Thinkofsomethingnew]

@@2Dimples4U nearly every day! honestly the best thing i've ever bought really.

[@2Dimples4U]

@@Thinkofsomethingnew Do you feel like these are better all around compared to the HD800S? I just bought a pair of the 800S but I've always been a closed back headset type of person. I enjoy those deep bass.

[@Thinkofsomethingnew]

@@2Dimples4U no i don't think the HD820 are better, in fact years ago i had the 800S and I actually love open headphones i like the airy big open sound. Maybe we should swap!

[@CosmicPotato]

Wow that review is kind of surprising since the 600 series is well renowned for its great mids. Wonder what Sennheiser was aiming for by cutting the mids so much.

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

It may not be by intent. 'Closing' the open 800s may have hemmed them in in this direction. If that were the case it would definitely be something to keep working on. Or is it because of a "monitor" hp slant? Keeping tabs on all relevant details of a good recording? Headphones for producing may be amazingly detailed, engineers know what they are looking for. ...yet not be as enjoyable for audiophile listening.

[@mgtow-extraits]

maybe you could add a word on the cables and connectors when you review headphones. length isn't always the best and some are harder to find or very expensive.

[@minjunkim2707]

Can you review the new Aeon Flow 2?

[@EndlngAnthem]

Just got these as. The soundstage was mostly the reasoning behind purchasing since it is very wide. The midrange pitfall can probably be fixed with a decent amp and setup. As far as mixing and studio work the thing that is very good about them is they pick up on imperfections in a track/recording. I used Sennheiser HD Dj8's previously and the 820's are much clearer and more detailed so they help with identifying an unintended sound on a track. I haven't picked up a headphone amp yet, so the 820's are just being driven by a focusrite 2i2 atm. The sound isn't terrible but no where near the detail an actual headphone amp would provide.

[@Bootrosgali]

This is a grandstand review, won't see it through , the EQing, the amping... not helpful at all when the reviewer has a lot of self imaging projecting over the end product. Reckon he found the flaws and ran with those, and be right about them, but wrong in not trying to help them out of it. Still he is not alone in not really trying to figure them out. But once you do paint the sky with sonic colours.

[@EndlngAnthem]

@@Bootrosgali I was able to fix most of the complaints with the 820s. I bought an rme adi fs pro 2 dac, it has enough power output to power the headphones and an EQ. I messed with the EQ settings after using a template I found on a reddit thread. The headphones sound pretty good now. Just took editing some settings.

[@jessebrunsveld1]

I really enjoy your reviews man. Have a good year!

[@mikeantner44]

Great video review! Love your review style. Please don't forget to do a thorough compare to Z1R ... as soon as you mentioned it my curiosity got super peaked. Can't wait to hear your thoughts.

[@RoseGold823]

Would love to see you review the Klipsch HP 3's before I jump on that purchase lol

[@BrJD-ii4iv]

I have that headphone. Very powerful bass and smooth highs. It’s a fun-sounding headphone. Worth every penny, especially linking it to the Klipsch heritage amp.

[@cfoyt]

Really enjoy hearing your honest thoughts.

[@benkrake3678]

I have the Sennheiser Momentum over ear headphones, and the mids on those headphones seem a little recessed as well and the high’s roll off a little early for my liking, but that does result in a headphone that isn’t fatiguing which I guess is a good thing.

[@thomaskunz3726]

Hi, thanx for the fantastic review. I actually got the HD820. Fantastic microdynamics and imaging, but it really sounds wrong in the lower mids/upper bass. I use a UAD DA Converter with DSP, and I let the SSL E Channel do the corrections for the frequency response. With these corrections, it sounds superb :) Kind regards and namaste

[@ATK.]

I bought a pair of these just for running.

[@MRFUTURETECHNOLOGYGAMING]

Dekoni elite hybrid ear pads would probably fix the isolation issue and definitely fix sound I knew they had a cheap out on something at least it was the past and not the build quality or the sound I like the longer reviews

[@ToriksLV]

Does Senheissers HDV 820 help for this in any way or sounds the same as with others DACs/Amps?

[@nicoras8803]

Nice and honest review. That is what I like about your reviews, you say it as it is to you and I think your appreciation and appreciation of reproduced sound is very similar to my own. Thank Josh, great stuff.

[@PureVisionGFX]

Thanks for your video, Joshua. The lens has been used in this video has a lot of achromatic aberration. Sorry, my eyes mentioned it! :)

[@DeanMurphyCDM]

Purple fringing?

[@youtibiwatchersan133]

Hello, Thanks for the great informational take on the HD820. If I may ask - have you ran into any fit\seal issues with the HD820 during your review? I find that fit drastically changes the sound characteristics. You can check by pressing a tiny bit against the cups and seeing if it affects the sound. If yes, you’re likely experiencing the same issue that drove many away from these headphones. This issue isn’t present in the may other closed cans like the Z1R for instance. I also agree that the midrange is definitely recessed compared to the HD600 and 650. Similar to the Z1R, it’s not for everyone but unlike the Z1R, seal is a real concern. I hope Sennheiser takes some steps to remedy. Cheers,

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

A bit surprised that you still have the Z1R is it on your ownership or something now, Josh? Yes id very like to hear a separate piece about the 820 and Z1R together. I've heard both the Z1R and 800S, and own a Z7, so very am interested with what you have to say about the Senn Closed. 😉

[@agmos01]

Sorry for the potentially dumb/newbie question: how can the 820s have recessed mids when the graph at 10:32 shows that it's louder than the 800/800S from 500Hz all the way up to 3kHz? Sure, I saw the dip at 300Hz, which is where mids start, but is that dip enough to say mids are simply not there? How about 500-3kHz?

[@bunozen1]

Nice, I am thinking to get again the Z1R. It should sound fantastic with the Hugo TT2. Happy new year 🎆

[@halimj7]

Bismillah What do you like about the Z1R?! I don’t get it. I want to like it but after two attempts I just can’t. The bass to my ears is sooo overrated.

[@Olaipai]

I can get the 820 for 1400 usd or I could get the HD800s for 1700. I'm not sure which one I should pick up? I own Modhouse MK3, DT-1990 and I use a RME Adi 2 FS dac. Any tips? I really enjoy my headphones and the 820 caught my eye due to the looks (amazing) but the HD800s gets soo much praise for its sound. Need some help.

[@filovirus1]

10:57 ouch. TL;DR: none existing mid range. didn't expect that from 2400.00 USD headphone. wondering if this unit is broken or it's a manufacturing defect. but I completely dig the glass back. all closed back headphone should have glass cover.

[@ProLaytonxPhoenix]

Thank you so much for the review, you saved me lots of money. I'll probably get them used just, as you said, the novelty of them.

[@koolpep]

I have these and I love them. It’s important to have a good seal and the ear pads need to “warm up” on your head to provide it, at least for me. I am sure if they had better softer ear pads and a bit more clamping force more people would like them immediately.

[@jamiesmith6838]

That's the case for most closed back headphones. Warming of the pads to secure proper seal for Bass and noise isolation is mandatory. Most don't realize that. I believe that's one of the reasons most testers give poor evaluations often? I myself am guilty of this with my ATH-M70X. Tried them on took them off put them back in the box. Then I revisited one year later! Broke them in. Warmed the pads. Now I get it! Dislike turned into respect, then like! Now they're my go tos. 👍

[@doylempc100024]

Ralf peppekus, your comment has made me feel a lot better, I purchased these on Amazon yesterday and then Joshua drops this video 😭

[@AndreiMuntean0]

Doyle Smith there will always be someone who doesn’t like a particular pair of headphones. Don’t worry about it!

[@jamiesmith6838]

@@doylempc100024 Lol Remember, it's his opinion and preferences. I felt the same way with the ATH-M70X. Give them time to break in. Plug them in, put them down and let the music play. Try a pair of warmed Sennheiser HD 820 pads. That's what I'd do.

[@koolpep]

@@doylempc100024 exactly. Find the right position for them on your head, leave them on your head for some time to warm up and enjoy the hell out of them. I love their sound signature, space and detail. And I think they are FUN. I use the ifi iDSD micro black label mostly to listen to these, besides and am a very happy camper! Focal Elear, HD650 and Fostex TH900 get way less head time.

[@matrixz6]

Hope you can review the Sennheiser hd 800s

[@holongwong6479]

🤔An opened closed headphone

[@thegloriouspotato6223]

This has gotta be the best looking pair of headphones I've seen. If only they were any good. Whose idea was it to use glass anyways?

[@spud1300]

I did watch it all the way through but maybe I missed it. Which amp were you using to power these?

[@euphoria3066]

You should directly tell this to MKHD. He saying is worth every penny. I tried myself and it really sucks. Mid range is almost non-existence like you mention. Next time I could trust you for audio tips but still i have to listen in person.

[@xentiment6581]

When you are used to V shaped sound and only other reference for high end audio is bright HD800(s?), and its free, it is kinda expected that you'd like it.

[@iTzxNooBs]

I would love to see you do a comparison of budget dacs and amps. Khadas tone board/geshelli labs compared to your Topping D70, budget tube amps, and what you think a good progression with a baseline understanding of having budget headphones all under X amount of dollars. Maybe this could be a part of your "how much amp do you need" video that you are working on.

[@Nikeatstrike]

Meze elite owner, but was thinking of this one, was that a ifi idsd in the background?

[@Kyodaikuma]

Joshua can you please review the new hd 205 budget dj headphones from Sennhisser?

[@ric.e214]

Aside from specs and lossless audio, how do these compare to the sound stage against the B&O H95. Want to see if the upgrade to these from the best wireless to the best wired is worth it. I won’t call myself an audiophile since I favor bass but as a former musician want to dive into a live orchestra and feel as if I’m there but not at the studio lol. Idk if that makes sense but …the 820s look cool and I can do payments with my CC lol 😂

[@3-y86]

ok, but where is th900 review?

[@sauhamm3821]

i walked this path from the cheapest 80s plastic headphones, to big honkin' pioneer monitor 10s, to senny hd555s. the 555s lead to grado... fostex... buyerdynamic etc let that cook for 15 years and i've owned 8xx, 800s, 820s - those 3 headphones are the single most confusing deviation i've ever ventured down in this hobby. i ended up modding my 8xx, the other two i happily returned. literally a $700 lesson to myself to always buy things with a return policy. while i don't hate them. i hate that i have to EQ them to even listen. and when i listen i go huh... yeah... oh that's nice.... wait... what? ok... and then the hd660s or literally anything else is back on my head. for the money, these shouldn't be so weird.

[@ThatDarnGenius]

Here I am listening to this video on my HD660s...

[@mikecoshan3752]

Sebatian Singleton me too

[@Varskar]

[@bjrnf.3389]

Just bought a pair, cant wait

[@666dreamboat]

Quick question, why is the LCD x not your studio pick? any particular reason the dt 1990 wins out?

[@rhodey2952]

Can the tr-x00 mahogany hold up vs the ebony since it looks like they're gone now? Heard they're close, heard the mahogany isn't as good. Reviews/opinions are all over the place.

[@CHUCKACIOUS]

So with EQ. Which has the highest ceiling?

[@saurav_varma]

It would be great if you could review the Verite Closed and Denon D9200 to finish off the end game closed back headphone race

[@bjornszz]

Spot on. Dont understand how anyone would think this is a neutral/correct/natural sounding headphone.

[@AB-80X]

It does not sound that great. Beyer T1 Gen 2 on Feliks Euphoria will absolutely blow it clean out the water.

[@bjornszz]

ABOlsen80X Don’t know about gen 2, but gen 1 had a really nasty treble bite. Not for me.

[@AB-80X]

@@bjornszz the gen 1 was very sensitive to amp choice. With the right amp, it lost the spikyness. A neutral phone will always be sensitive to peaky highs. But I was in fact reffering to the gen 2. That thing combined with a Feliks Euphoria is a wonderful setup.

[@painkillz2732]

Anything >= HD700 middle range sounds dead, you are right, however, after years of trials i found that if you connect it to any Yamaha receiver ( and anything of that category) or Fiio Dacs, you will get midrange come alive more than life itself.

[@JohnDoe-ni7kl]

Hello, question! . I have ear damage so mids (600-12000hz) are painful to me. Would the HD820s be better for me than the 800Ss due to them being V-shaped? Lower ends of vocals and slapping of drums is painful to me. The Focal Utopias were too harsh for me for reference.

[@NeapolitanApe]

That’s strange... I have hearing damage and only highs are bad.

[@JohnDoe-ni7kl]

@@NeapolitanApe I believe I mixed up the frequency range. High-midtones are the worst for me. Fast forward to now, I own HD800Ss and an HDV820 amp. Very happy with my purchase, especially since they are very tuneable.

[@mohammadmoezi3813]

Hi sir I saw your video.. and that was perfect...sir I have a question I want to know between headphone sennhiser hd820 and focal mg professional which one is the best???please lead me..and thankyou

[@msteele0]

Ouch! Great review Josh!

[@jekken333]

What's the stand you are using on kef ls50?

[@fredeso7844]

Interesting review. Thanks! As someone who EQs this might work for me, but that concave glass surface looks like it may prevent fitting a Modmic, so I don't know about gaming.

[@fredeso7844]

@picknett Ironically the 300 quid HD600/650/6xx headphones are the only ones I know that don't need EQ, but they aren't nearly as resolving as my EQd LCD-2s or Focal Clears. While the latter don't need EQ like Audezes do, they still clearly benefit from it. You can spend, spend, spend, trying to find the right amp pairing or you can buy a cheap Behringer digital EQ once. Those things are astonishing value and quite transparent. You're going to get far more artefacts and variations in sound quality from headphones than you get from that box. It not only allows you to EQ, but also to measure speakers and, surprisingly, headphones.

[@LewisHolford]

Was thinking of getting these for long flights with my Fiio M15 and obviously what appear to close back Hd800s appeared to be a good choice but now I’m not so sure. Any other recommendations?

[@DuranInternational]

Listen for yourself they sound great to me.

[@aventur1809]

For gaming, what would you recommend pairing this headphone with? I have a crazy idea of having this with my PS5, but having a hard time finding the perfect AMP and DAC.

[@antonhelsgaun]

So have you tried eq?

[@antonhelsgaun]

I just bought the quad era-1. I can't live without them right now, but if you can get your hands on them I'd love to see a review on them. Given that I paid $450 for them I highly doubt they're as good as the lcd4 as some reviewers said, but they're really nice

[@kriegkorp]

Haha yeah it would be fun with a review they have like zero KZbin presence which is weird when all the written reviews praises them to high heavens, have not found a single negative review :)

[@Flavius7]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXTSpZacobSeiLM

[@antonhelsgaun]

@@Flavius7 yup. I'd just like to hear the opinions of zeos, dms and Joshua

[@Emmbedd]

Nice video, I tried them and I was so exited to hear 2.4k headphone and I was not happy at all with the whole different selection I heard. Actually some tracks sounded trash, even one I know are super well mastered. They are clinical for some certain field I feel like. Way cheaper ones from senheiser are way better, but I guess they know that. Still don’t understand the price.

[@deanchur]

When your headphones cost more than your gaming rig... I bought and fixed a pair of Sony MDRV-700 for $130AUD all up and I'm pretty sure they have less plastic than the 820's. Would also make a decent pair of gaming headphones.

[@Sc2God724]

Some people like light weight headphones and plastic is the way to go

[@reptilejesus829]

Best audio reviews on the platform

[@510MyTube]

If what you say is true, man spending over $2k for some shitty cans is crazy. You can buy a chi-fi iem for under $100 that can perform better. I'm just glad I realized that buying headphones/iems for under $300 is good enough. I too have heard cans that are in the thousands and are underwhelming. People, I just hope you don't fall too far down the audiophile rabbit hole.

[@MrFahrenheit2k]

Hey, Josh. Have you considered to review in-ear headphones? Would be interesting to hear what you think about SONY XBA-N3AP and XBA-N1AP, for example. There's no good reviews on KZbin for these, sadly.

[@avapire2359]

So i'm using a pair of athad700x from audiotechica, which are a rather large open back headset. They sound wonderful, though they have a very neutral sound. Vocals are great, treble is crisp and detailed, and the bass is there; lacking real power. I wanted to know your opinion: What headset could i get that wouldn't sacrifice the clarity i get from these, but perhaps adds more powerful bass? Its just really hard to know without wearing them. I trust your opinion on this though, you're very knowledgeable.

[@avapire2359]

forgot this but i set a budget for myself of around 150 dollars but im open to anything!

[@locogocrazy1140]

Since they’re closed back, are these also good for tracking other than mixing?

[@MrKrampyHands]

Man I want to try a hd8xx series headphone period so far my favorite DD headphone is my hd650 love that thing so good almost as good as my lcd

[@devenmajmudar839]

Hi heard them with hugo2 it was rattling at high volumes. Preferred Stellias.

[@20puskinas1992]

Late response, but hugo is shit it dont have a power to drive these

[@fenrix155]

I’m no audiophile, so I’m not really sure what equipment is needed to use a pair of headphones like these. Can you give me suggestions?

[@ozymandias7940]

Would help to have shares in a power company, 300ohm and the size of the drivers needs a lot of power. I have a Burson ACV2+ which would drive virtually anything. But there's no way I'd part with $2500US for a pair of headphones. Of years ago I bought a pair of HD800's to replace my ageing HD650's. Only had them 2wks and hated them. To high end and little bass, so I sold them & went back to the HD650. i have recently bought a pair of Massdrop HD6xx (new HD650's) and cant fault them. Beautiful balanced sound across the board, best vocals I've ever heard from any headphone and for $200, can't go wrong.

[@4lc441]

If you wanna spend $2500 on headphones and can afford it, do it. You really don't need to spend much on gear to "get the most" out of basically any headphone though. A $200 Schiit stack is going to be fine, or there are many other options for less as well. I don't think you'll see big, or any improvements from spending more than that on gear.

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

Can the mids be EQd into place?

[@germanisaacvalenzuelaperez7974]

Can you help me?! I dont think i notice any changes of sound whit my 5 dolar headphones and my 250 dolar headphones. I though that it will be best to just buy cheap, bluetooth and comfy but if it really is a diference i want it :c

[@logik1677]

i want whatever shirt/hoody/sweater thing that is youre wearing! haha

[@jamiesmith6838]

$2400 is insane for all that plastic and shotty workmanship! Gaming? Wow. Lol Surprising for Sennheiser? I have two pair of Senns. Momentum and PX-100 II. This, also still has to be one of the ugliest looking headphones available. Now they also sound bad to match! Send them back. Did someone say Focal Stellia? The most beautiful sounding, looking and feeling cans available! Even if they are out of my price range at $2999! The Stellia and Stax SR-L700 are my reference cans. I'm getting here the DT-1990 are possibly yours? I actually like them, I just couldn't commit to the DT-1990. I've tried 3 separate times at CanJams. $600 wasn't computing for me? Personally, I think a reference is what's missing in most audio reviews? A reference component most of the audience can agree with would be a start. Afteral, at audiophile price points it's mearly opinions and preferences! Surprisingly, my go to cans are currently ATH M70X! I grab them over my Grado RS2e?

[@ambroseathello]

Run as far away from the stellia as you can. I own the 820 and the Meze Empyrean and both of them absolutely blow the stellia out of the water. The soundstage on them is non existent compared to the 820. Not for me whatsoever

[@crazypigs100]

Should i get this as an upgrade to my HD598s

[@MilesMetal]

I wonder how good these sound if you eq out the problem with the midrange.

[@RoseGold823]

How much money and I have use an eq to get mid-range.... Yikes

[@fredeso7844]

@@RoseGold823 Headphones you don't have to EQ seem rare. Outside of the HD6xx line, is there a single one? I have a Focal Clear. While it isn't as obviously flawed as my LCD-2, I was shocked at how much more natural it sounds with EQ (something I was hoping to avoid). I add a broad 3dB dip at 1250Hz into a 2dB raise at 2.5K and another 3dB dip at 6kHz, based on measurements and listening. In other words, while the upper midrange and treble of that headphone is broadly on target and is regarded as neutral by some, it is actually quite uneven. EQ cures some honkiness at 1250Hz and sibilance at 6kHz. This is a far from subtle effect and IMO markedly improves the sound.

[@agmos01]

I really do appreciate the content provided by Josh, Zeos Pantera, DMS, Crinacle... I have owned a bunch of headphones over the last couple years - I currently own the following: Drop + Focal Elex, Focal Celestee, Sennheiser HD 800S, and Drop + Sennheiser HD 800X (got them for $700.00 and thought that was an excellent price point). DMS liked the Celestee while Zeos not so much. I sure do like them as well. The HD 8XX received nothing but bad reviews - especially from Crinacle. I honestly don't hear that much of a difference between the HD 800S and the HD 8XX (again, newbie? Bad ears? 🤔)... I have tried Crinacle's EQ Profile for the HD 8XX and that sure made them sound like garbage in my *HUMBLE* opinion. They are much better OOTB (again, in my newbie *HUMBLE* opinion). I guess what I am trying to say is: watching reviews is a GREAT starting point. However, don't let any reviews prevent you from getting anything... I'm about to pull the plug on the HD 820. If I truly hate what I hear, I'll simply return them and get my money back. I don't usually try "fixing" with EQ what I don't like in the first place. 👍

[@musicxxa6678]

Since i'm a DT 770 fan i would probably like these however they are too expensive.

[@Sup3riorr]

tbh i own hd800 and i must say i love hate the soundsignature the S sounds are the hate part. But let me tell u this the buiild quality on hd800 is beyond joke... cheap plastic that wares out quite fast of all the touching. Then u have the earpads gosh... u kind of need to replace them quite often 80$ where i live :/

[@skylordsrebornpvpreplays5795]

great review 👍

[@gracefullygraceful9776]

I think every reviewer has a role to declare what tracks were used in the actual review. Nothing wrong in carry on about the mid-range, but what electronic (dacs/amps solid state/tubes) and recordings were used. I think you sound and present a very intelligent discussion, but overall i would never used your reviews to short list a product. The Sony has some serious flaws too that you are not mentioning, which concerns me about your review and your channel in general. Although the 800S are enjoyable at times, they are not natural and not what an engineers hears during mastering. 800S is not a good choice for purest.

[@IsraelCruzJr]

Watch his Sony MDR-Z1R review to get his complete thoughts on it.

[@gracefullygraceful9776]

@@IsraelCruzJr i've own both and currently own the 820. He must realise that no stereo component is perfect which leaves the consumer to decide. To highlight in his option the drawback of the 820 and not the Sony is criminal

[@gracefullygraceful9776]

@@IsraelCruzJr In my opinion it does lack mids, But how does lacking mids makes a headphone dead over a 40K response curve. Mid-range and drums are different frequencies. He then moved on to say that the drums are also dead!! In the world of headphones there are specialised pads and cables on the market to meet a variety of customer needs

[@IsraelCruzJr]

@@gracefullygraceful9776 To be fair, he did describe both as V-Shaped, which means that both will have recessed mids in some fashion. Since this is an HD820 review video and not necessarily a comparison video, it would make sense for him to not go too in depth regarding the differences. My recommendation to you for watching his Z1R review is to let you see that he does point out flaws of that particular headphone, so that information is technically out there for the consumer to review on their own before making a purchasing decision. I do understand your point for wanting more info on the topic within this video, but the Z1R sound wasn't in the overall scope of this review. At least you brought attention to this in the comments for people to be aware of and they are now aware that there is a Z1R video for reference as well.

[@gracefullygraceful9776]

@@IsraelCruzJr I will pass on his sony review. All i can say is my second headphones consist of planar magnetic drivers which delivers emotion and midrange. The 820 is a different kind of animal

[@HiCZoK]

This is so damn expensive... but a good and interesting review ! I am actually looking for something sounding similarly warm and not sibilant like my koss porta pro... kinda like PP but something with more sub bass capability. No matter if over, on ear or open or closed. Any ideas ? maybe sub 200

[@jamiesmith6838]

Try a pair of Audio-Technica MSR7B! $249. BEST VALUE

[@adeelzero1445]

Oof! That midrange dip looks horrific as you described. I thought they'd bring more juice to the mids on this thing since the 800/800S sound flat on that range imo but they totally screwed it with the 820. Also the price they're asking is laughable. They at least could've used some carbon fiber parts to make it look premium.

[@mauriceelet6376]

you know, the HD 800 comes with a single 6,3mm/ 1/4" cable. the HD 800S gets an additional 4-pin XLR and the HD820 a third with 4,4mm balanced. each cable coasts 300€ new and the difference between each headphone is 500€ (1100

[@MrR2185]

And being all plastic is a deal breaker at 2400 bucks. My Audeze LCD2C are built like tanks and cost 1/3...and sound fabulous.

[@mauriceelet6376]

@@MrR2185 if you ask me, the sound improvement you get after 500-600 is not worth it allone. maybe with stax or some planares. the problem is not that it is plastic. like with cars where they spend x3 on an aluminium part because "weight" but actually steal is stronger so you dont need it as thic and that would bring the weight down and costs less. the problem is, that is plastic and cost that much. stax are a even better example. really poor build quality, like a 30€ random headset. costs 525 minimum. want something with more metal? 4500 or you just pay the 5250 for the best they have. difference is, they dont sell much and have an allmost unique "driver". the HD 800 are dynamic and they sell thousands of them

[@marksafe5463]

800 and 820 seem not worth time and money... an experimental headphone?

[@Florianski]

Hd800s is my favourite headphone thou...

[@marksafe5463]

Florianski _ you like what you like. Enjoy it.

[@Angel-AbC9]

Wow 2000, are they nuts, yes that's last year but still expensive I rather get the Focal Celeste for 900 if I'm will to go high..

[@baan7782]

Source for the intro?

[@MeteoraEra]

Which one are more enjoyable to listen to and less fatiguiging, these or meze empyrean?

[@HiLoMusic]

The empyreans are better

[@reptilez13]

I always think of Senheiser when I think of midrangey stuff which is why i like them, weird to hear this, tho this is about 12x my price range lol

[@hcho8164]

Is it fair to complain about physics? Large sound stage puts voices far away, not intimate.

[@AB-80X]

Not so. If the sound comes out of the speakers, you will get a large soundstage, but you can still get intimacy. I've had this for testing for a few weeks, and it does have some rather big issues with soundstaging. It is ridiculously expensive for what it is. Need closed back? Beyer T5P, DT1770 Pro or Kennerton Magni. All of them are better and more detailed.

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

Good job. And I'm kind of sad because a headphone without midrange is like a person without a heart...or even blood.

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

A bloodless person...

[@user-vi3tb3bw5t]

Good review Josh. I demo'd these before and was shocked on how much I didn't like them...

[@ydem2nir9tag]

Update on he 60?

[@mikecoshan3752]

At £2000 I’d have thought Sennheiser would make them out of carbon fibre rather than plastic. (Though I’m sure there must be a reason they don’t )

[@lfilipelp]

Want tô block out everything? V-Moda Crossfade M100

[@Sergio6077]

Maybe it's just need the hdv 800 amp

[@Jordonater]

Havent Focals headphones basically made these pointless?

[@richardlaub889]

I don't understand why you keep choosing to evaluate two different kinds of headphones. Open-backed is not closed backed. Planer is not Dynamic. 2000.00 is not 500.00. I don't mind you trashing the Sennheisers...that's okay with me but don't compare them to open-backed or the 800s. It seems disingenuous to compare apples and oranges yet you do it ball the time. I'm here to find out about the headphones so I can choose to buy or not. I'm not here to kiss your ass about production values of your videos. I want a true video on the sound and build of these and many other headphones. Also, why would you leave the house with a 2000.00 pair of headphones? Seems stupid to me. These were obviously designed for home listening not on a bus or at work. You never take a 2400.00 pair of headphones out of the house unless it's on fire.

[@kyrkish]

the open backs are better than this. No wonder I didn't like it when I auditioned it. It lacks midrange.

[@d.n.a5415]

If you’ve owned the HD800s or the former, the HD820 is NOT an upgrade! It is a very disappointing sequel to their flagship HD800 line up of headphones. HD800s is much superior in every way. Get the HD800s if you’re deciding a Sennheiser.

[@Alby911]

No such thing as superior, everyone has their preference when it comes to audio.

[@erenorchan6985]

@@Alby911 明明HD820就是很糟糕的Sennheiser耳機 這沒有好惡之分 就是很糟糕的耳機 awful headphone