Reddit mentions of Sennheiser HD 800 Reference Dynamic Headphone

"Surround sound" is a gimmick when talking about headphones of any kind. The real determining factors in how good the 'surround sound' will be are these:

• The sound source. You won't be able to hear where sounds are coming from if the game you are playing does not have positional audio. Games like CS:GO and Overwatch invest a lot of money into proper audio because it is very important to the gameplay. You don't want to have to spin around every 10 seconds to figure out where people are. You will be able to hear the location of enemies with $2 earbuds, it just might be harder. This is the most important factor in how good the positional audio will be.
  
  
• Openness of the headphone/headset. A headphone that is closed back (doesn't let outside noise in/out) will sound like things are right on top of you. You won't have as much 'distance' between sounds. An open back headphone (one that allows sound in/out) will generally have a more spacious sound to it. This can make it easier to determine distance from just listening.
  
  
• The detail of the headphone. The more small details you can hear, the easier time your brain has locating a sound. Playing CS:GO with a SuperLux HD681 will give you good positional audio due to the open nature of the headphone and the great sound source, but you would get even better positional audio with something even more open and detailed like the Sennheiser HD800.
  
  For reference I have used many gaming headsets over the years (Astro A50, TurtleBeach X1, Logitech G933, HyperX Cloud II) and even more headphones (Beyerdynamic DT1990 and DT990, Sennheiser HD600 and HD598, Etymotic ER-4P, Shure SE215, Audio Technica ATH-AD900x and A900x, and AKG K701). I will always recommend someone buy a decent sent of headphones (even that superlux I linked earlier is nicer sounding than the Cloud II) and a dedicated microphone over a headset. I see a lot of people with over the top gaming rigs that then skimp on peripherals and especially audio. If you are gaming for hours on end, treat your ears to something nicer than a gaming headset.

Those headphones ALONE are 1300.

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[Lens 2] (https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Micro-NIKKOR-2177-Standard-Cameras/dp/B0013A1XDY/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Nikkor+60mm+2.8&qid=1556581194&s=gateway&sr=8-2)

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I recommend a pair of these bad boys: Sennheiser HD 800

perfect for your budget and needs

Nah! I forgot I have only one left as the other one already got me Sennheiser HD 800

Let me introduce you to your future last headphone for everything ever

For most audiophiles?

All of them... except the SE215 and maybe the B&W P7.
With the rest it's down to preference, they're all top-tier.

Like, I'm very happy with my HD 650s and a couple hundred dollars worth of amp/DAC. He's got these (and all the other ones) and thousands of dollars worth of amp/DAC. Basically when he listens to music with headphones or earbuds, he's putting $500 in each ear, then using thousands of dollars to send music to them.

I'd suggest these based on the criteria you posted:

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Dynamic-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA/

What is your budget?

Once you pass the 80$USD range, you can actually get significantly better audio and build quality by buying a pair of quality "audiophile" headphones and a stand-alone mic or a clip-on microphone.

Another particular upside is that they wont easily break, because you dont have in-line volume control. aka a splice in the wire to make room for a resistor. This makes an intentional weak point in the wiring, and is a contributing factor to why the majority of heavily used headsets fail in the first 2 years under normal usage. (Ever have headset that the microphone stopped working, or you lost sound in one ear?).

Or alternatively, non-gaming headsets made by high-end audiophile companies like Sennheiser.

You're also looking for closed headphones and not open headphones. You get a worse soundstage, but they tend to "clamp" quite a bit more on your head.

http://www.amazon.com/California-Headphone-Co-Headphones-Detachable/dp/B009F4BV8C

These are probably the best low-end headphones you can get, especially in terms of build quality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUNovoA9w0KnxyDP5bGrOYzg&feature=player_detailpage&v=3fD-M1F6L4g#t=495

Here is a video review from Tek Syndicate.

Once you start looking at "high-end" headsets like Astro A50's, you should really be considering mid-range headphones like AKG 701's, or Sennheiser 598's. And that 300-350$ Astro A50's have sound quality comparable to 80-150$ headphones like Audio Technica M50's.

Or if you really want the best of the best for consumer grade headphones, you could drop 1,500$ on a pair of these;

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Dynamic-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA/

There are a few other things to remember as well. With the exception of the Razer Tiamat, virtually all other "7.1" headsets and headphones are really 2.0 stereo. They have a single audio driver in each ear and use software like Dolby Digital to downmix audio from 7.1 channels into 2.0. You can get exactly the same thing with a 30$ 7.1 soundcard.

But often you dont need to. Any game or audio source that had a decent sound engineer will already be setup for a binaural/stereo experience, because the majority of users are not using 5.1 or 7.1 sound setups.

In short this means that there will be almost zero perceptible difference between 7.1 downmixed into Stereo by a dolby algorithm, and 7.1 downmixed into Stereo by an audio engineer.

But this will also help cut costs. Licensing for proprietary software like Dolby is expensive, and manufacturers have to pay a royalty on every pair of 5.1 or 7.1 dolby headphones to them that hike up the MSRP for consumers.

And if you have a high end onboard sound chipset, or a soundcard.. you do not want a USB headset. USB is a digital signal and bypasses your soundcard, rendering it useless.

> Do you have them?

I have them and their big brother, the HD 800.

> Do they induce headaches because of the band?

They are widely considered one of the most comfortable lines of headphones on the market, and I certainly agree. They are made of study plastic and ultra-soft velour. They do not induce headaches or irritate my ears, and I consider myself vulnerable to these sorts of things.

> All I need to do is plug them into the headphone jack on any fitting device

The stock termination is 1/4'' TRS (big headphone jack), which may not fit in your computer or other source player. The HD 558 ships with a 1/4''-to-1/8'' converter, but many people find it bulky. I recommend this Grado adapter cable, Grado being a headphone company we all know and love.

> and it'll output 7.1 warranted it's available?

Don't worry about how many speakers you're supposed to be hearing. If you're a fan of surround sound, I guarantee any (well-mastered) recording will sound phenomenal to you through these cans. Sennheiser headphones are known and praised for this quality.

Sennheiser HD800

Prices for a used HD800 have probably gone as low as they're going to get (around $800 in 9/10 condition).

Now for all you young'uns, the HD600 and HD650 used to be regularly discounted by retailers down to the $200-$250 range. Sennheiser didn't like this because they thought it lowered the value proposition of their gear. So Sennheiser locked down prices for their authorized dealers unless corporate specifically authorized a sale, like during black Friday. Now you can still buy Sennheisers from non-authorized dealers, but Sennheiser won't honor the warranty.

> WARRANTY ELIGIBILITY STATEMENT
In order to be considered eligible for repair or replacement under warranty, included with the repair item(s) must be a valid bill of sale (please see below for more information) from an authorized Sennheiser retailer


B&H, authorized retailer, sells for MSRP

Sonic Electronix, another authorized dealer, selling for MSRP

While this is a great price, there's no warranty

Here's a list of authorized dealers. They always sell at MSRP.

Now a workaround for this is to buy from a non-authorized dealer using a credit card like AMEX that provides an extended warranty for electronics. If it's defective, you'll know in the return period. But you don't have to worry about not having a warranty on your headphones.

Here's the link to the album as well as a long list of things!

ALBUM - 25 IMAGES

Monitor 1 - Dell U2711

Monitor 2 - Dell U2312

Desk 1 - IKEA Galant

Desk 2 - IKEA Micke (Looks like they don't have it in black color anymore)

Footstool - IKEA POANG

Chair - IKEA MARKUS

LED Lights - IKEA Dioder

LED Clamp on Light - IKEA Jansjo

Headphone 1 - Sennheiser HD800

Headphone 2 - Sennheiser HD650

Headphone Stand

Headphone Amplifier

DAC 1

DAC 2

DAC 3

Earphones - Sennheiser IE80

Keyboard 1 - Filco (Red Switch)

Keyboard 2 - Filco (Brown Switch)

Keyboard 3 - REALFORCE 87U (Uniform 55g)

Speaker Stands

Monitor Stand - Ergotron MX

Mouse - Steelseries Sensei

Mousepad

iPod Classic 160GB

Laptop - Samsung Ultrabook 9

The only reason I even know about these is because they are called HD800, same as a considerably more expensive headphone.

I wouldn't expect much in terms of sound quality. Looking at reviews, it appears these are very bassy without much clarity. Seems like all the other things like Bluetooth stability are OK, but I personally wouldn't get them because of sound.

The other two comments seem to imply that they believe they're EG shoe trees when they're actually Skoak's.

There's a couple reasons they're more expensive. First of all, they're made in England. They're also made of Beech (or obeche for the travel ones), which is probably more expensive than Cedar. I can't tell from the photos, but the hardware is probably brass or stainless steel which would also bring the price up. They're also using more hardware than the cheaper ones would. There's the economy of scale-- there isn't much demand for higher quality shoe trees.

And most importantly, people will pay for it! It looks better, the quality is better and there's some artistry behind it. It's the same reason someone would pay $200 for a black t-shirt or over $1000 for headphones. There's a perceived quality over cheaper products that you're only going to get for an increasingly higher price.

And if you think $100 is a lot, don't look into the world of lasted shoe trees. (EG's go for $160)

more like an entire FN dlore

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Dynamic-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA

If they're not Sennheiser HD800s, I'm not interested.

I don't have the Zalman mic, but I do have those headphones. The sound is amazing and you can wear them for hours with amazing comfort. Wouldn't trade these for anything, except maybe these

Meanwhile in Germany: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B001OTZ8DA

I've heard. I don't think i'll be buying these http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001OTZ8DA/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?redirect=true

Headphones huh?

Start with this mic. It's still in preorder status sadly, but it offers great flexibility in attachment. But honestly, any other clip on mic will do, voip comm in any game or program is heavily compressed.

As for headphones the Sennheiser HD800 are the best you can get for gaming.

But you'd definitely need to drive them with something more powerful than a onboard sound chip. For an external solution the Beyerdynamic Headzone Base Station gives you the best sound quality and amplification.

If you are more of a soundcard guy the Xonar Essence ST will do fine too, at least for gaming.

Bro you still have like 7k to spend. I would recommend replacing the AKGK712 with a pair of sennheiser hd800s.

The modi and magni combo stack are a low end dac/amp combo I would recommend he get the Gungir (with usb input) ragnarok stack. If he likes listening to music he can also get a lyr 2 or bottlehead crack because nothing sounds as good as a tube amp.

Your still at around $11,000 with all that stuff and now you have a kickass audio setup on top of your gaming nirvana.

You could get the 598 for 240 USD.

Or the 600 for only 400 USD

Or...you know...the 800 for just a little bit more.

You have to make your own call. I'm of the opinion that the difference between a $100 and $200 headphone can be very much worth the money. It might sound silly, but go with the most expensive model you can stomach. Sorry about your wallet.

These monstrous, overkill-for-the-vast-majority-of-people beasts

Probably forgot some stuff, but here it goes anyways.

**

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7 Extreme i7-3960X 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor | $1044.98 @ NCIX US
Motherboard | Asus Rampage IV Extreme/BF3 EATX LGA2011 Motherboard | $460.98 @ NCIX US
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory | $449.99 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory | $449.99 @ Newegg
Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $169.99 @ NCIX US
Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $169.99 @ NCIX US
Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $169.99 @ NCIX US
Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $169.99 @ NCIX US
Hard Drive | Intel 520 Series Cherryville 480GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | $828.99 @ Mac Mall
Hard Drive | Intel 520 Series Cherryville 480GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | $828.99 @ Mac Mall
Hard Drive | Intel 520 Series Cherryville 480GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | $828.99 @ Mac Mall
Hard Drive | Intel 520 Series Cherryville 480GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | $828.99 @ Mac Mall
Video Card | Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) | $599.99 @ NCIX US
Video Card | Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) | $599.99 @ NCIX US
Video Card | Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) | $599.99 @ NCIX US
Video Card | Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) | $599.99 @ NCIX US
Case | Silverstone TJ11B-W ATX Full Tower Case | $580.68 @ NCIX US
Power Supply | Silverstone 1500W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply | $329.99 @ Amazon
Optical Drive | Plextor PX-LB950SA Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer | $152.98 @ Newegg
Monitor | Samsung S23A950D 23.0" Monitor | $549.99 @ Mac Connection
Monitor | Samsung S23A950D 23.0" Monitor | $549.99 @ Mac Connection
Monitor | Samsung S23A950D 23.0" Monitor | $549.99 @ Mac Connection
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (64-bit) | $188.88 @ Mac Mall
Keyboard | Das Keyboard DASK3PROMS1 Wired Standard Keyboard | $144.99 @ Newegg
| | Total
| Prices include shipping and discounts when available. | $11849.31
| Generated 2012-03-04 16:21 EST-0500 |

+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826876016

+ http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD800-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1330896193&sr=1-1

+ http://www.amazon.com/Asus-XONAR_EONE-ASUS-Digital-to-Analog-Converter/dp/B00612ZZSS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330896595&sr=8-1

+ http://www.frozencpu.com/products/15036/ex-wat-200/Ek_H30_360_HFX_Advanced_Liquid_Cooling_Kit_EK-KIT_H3O_360_HFX.html?tl=g30c83s137

+ 4x http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14867/ex-blc-1044/EK_Radeon_HD_7970_VGA_Liquid_Cooling_Block_-_Acetal_Electroless_Nickel_Plated_EK-FC7970_-_AcetalEN_Nickel.html

+ 3x http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10744/ex-tub-669/Bitspower_SLI_Crossfire_Crystal_Link_Tube_Set_-_2_Slot_Spacing_BP-CLTAC-S2.html?tl=g30c101s873

+ a fuck ton of these http://www.frozencpu.com/products/15196/ex-tub-1189/Alphacool_Compression_Fitting_-_G_14_Thread_38_ID_x_12_OD_1310mm_-_Deep_Black.html

+ http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14724/ex-blc-1029/EK_ASUS_Rampage_IV_Extreme_Full_Board_Cooling_Block_Kit_-_Acetal_Electroless_Nickel_Plated_EK-FB_KIT_RE4_-_AcetalEN_Nickel.html

Amazon.ca deals (availability may fluctuate; open box prices include Warehouse 25-45% discount, exclude taxes)

audio-technica ATH-M40x - $116.99, $75-85 used through Warehouse Deals

audio-technica ATH-M50x (open box) - $153.33

beyerdynamic DT-770-80 Pro (open box) - $148.03

Jaybird X2 - $99.99

beyerdynamic DT-880-250 Premium (open box) - $157.85

Sennheiser HD598 - $109.99

Sennheiser HD800 (open box) - $1012.87

Sennheiser IE80 (open box) - $189.95

V-Moda M100 Crossfade (Shadow) (open box) - $173.37

for sennhiser hd 800, should i go Mayflower Electronics Desktop O2 / ODAC Rev B. or should i use Valhalla 2 Headphone Amplifier by Schiit with their modi uber 2? is the mayflower even good enough?

These are pretty good.

Open back:

Fidelio X2 (yes, order them from the UK)

Closed back:

AT-MSR7

I chose these two because you mentioned the desire for an attached microphone. Either of these will accept the VModa BoomPro which is an affordable, nice sounding mic that plugs right in and avoids having extra cable clutter.

Your other best options would be the AKG712pro or the DT880 paired with an Antlion Modmic at the expense of an additional cable.

Or a desktop mic.

The 'I've lost my mind, but found my wallet' options include the HD800 or Focal Elear.

In-depth reviews for everything mentioned available on youtube.

WA7 FireFlies

HD800, currently on a pretty significant sale for US terms

Don't know how much he paid for the HD800 but assuming $1000 and I think that's a vacuum tube version so it's $2400.

http://www.amazon.com/Wooden-Omega-Headphones-Hanger-Holder/dp/B00F2L1NOO
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-800-Around-Dynamic-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1457499885&sr=1-1&keywords=hd+800

https://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-HD800-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483468857&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+hd+800

Lowest price i've seen, but I must have missed the 1300$

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-Premium-Open-Back-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B07DJ17FTG

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-1990-Pro-Black-Dt1990/dp/B01KM9EJ7I

https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Replacement-Compatible-HDJ-2000-Headphones/dp/B00WHJ2ZGY


https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-700-Headphone-stereo/dp/B0070U8KSM

https://www.amazon.com/Dekoni-Audio-Fenestrated-Sennheiser-Headphones/dp/B07JN9363X

https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Replacement-Compatible-Sennheiser-Headphones/dp/B07HMKHVLF


Some of the best options for you


Here's what you want if you want to get For some of the best game and movies
https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-800-Reference-Dynamic-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA

[Sennheiser HD800] (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Dynamic-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409519442&sr=8-1&keywords=hd800) I wear it more than 5 hours a day. Extremely comfortable and the sound quality is amazing.

Dude those are $1,500.....http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Dynamic-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA

The average user with their iPhone is not going to be able to appreciate those.

>I don't buy higher end Sennheisers out of principle that they require an amp to drive moderately well.

This is true of all high end headphones though, not just Sennheisers. My current pair of Sennheisers are the 558s, which I guess are a mid range model, and I can use them just fine without an amp and they sound great. To really push them hard I'd need an amp, but I rarely listen to music at that kind of volume anyway.

I've been eyeing this pair of 598s for awhile. Now that Amazon is selling them for less than $200 I might finally take the plunge.

I've also been lusting after a pair of 650s for a very long time, but I just can't justify it to myself. $400) (even at a deep discount) is too much for me, and my ears aren't good enough to be able to really tell the difference between something like the 598s and the 650s--or at least not good enough to justify the difference in cost between the two.

Of course if you really want to splurge you could get a pair of HD800s. They're only $1500 after all.

$1,399.95?!?

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-800-Reference-Dynamic-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Well I guess if money isn't too much of an issue then I would recommend these: http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Professional-PS1000-Headphones-ear-cup/dp/B002SKKQZO

After that the second best would probably be these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/tech-data/B001OTZ8DA

Compared to the Grado Headphones the Sennheisers are kinda shitty though..
Hope this helped!

Yeah but I didn't go on and on about it. I acknowledged a previous post and then went off on something else entirely.

But it literally is about quality. It is absolutely, objectively about quality. I'm not going to get into a debate about whether or not we can hear the difference between 320 mp3 and lossless (we can't) but the quality is still greater on a wired set. Period. Some people have specific quality demands, and that's why products such as this exist (as well as the thousand something dollar amp that is designed to power those headphones).

Needless to say, all the other points still stand (interference, setup, convenience, headphone abundance, batteries).

For unamped I really like my Sennheiser HD280 Pro (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-280-Pro-Headphones/dp/B000065BPB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420313791&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+hd280+pro=

I'm a big fan of anything Sennheiser and don't think you can go wrong with them.

I have two amped setups I run (both are way out of your budget though):

Tubed:

• Sennheiser HD650 (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Headphones/dp/B00018MSNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420313833&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+hd650)
  
• Cambridge Audio DAC Magic (http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Audio-Azur-DacMagic-100/dp/B0078Q4FEG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1420313867&sr=8-4&keywords=dac+magic)
  
• Kimber Kable Hero Interconnects: http://www.amazon.com/Kimber-Kable-Hero-Interconnect-Ultraplate/dp/B00F6EXFD4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419908235&sr=8-1&keywords=kimber+hero
  
• Woo Audio WA-6 Amplifier (http://wooaudio.com/products/wa6.html)
  
  Woo Audio now makes the WA7 which is an amp and DAC in one, if it was available when I bought my setup I probably would have gotten that instead (http://wooaudio.com/products/wa7fireflies.html)
  
  Solid State:
  
• Sennheiser HD800 (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Over-Ear-Circum-Aural-Dynamic-Headphone/dp/B001OTZ8DA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420313993&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+hd800)
  
• Sennheiser HDVD800 (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HDVD-800-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00BHBWWFW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420314024&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+hdvd800)
  
  Personally I prefer the warmer sound of the tubed setup.

You get what you pay for