Thoughts on the Senngeiser HD 820?

[BLCT]

I've been temped on upgrading my audio setup recently. With the HD 820 out how do you audiophiles feel about it? My main cans are the HD 650, plugged onto a Schiit Audio mangi 3, and modi 2. Thinking of upgrading the Mangi 3 to a Vail. I prefer bright sounding headphones, as they help me hear the higher frequencies. I have a hearing loss, so my ability to hear the mids and especially highs are diminished. 

[spwath]

Overpriced. If you don't need closed headphones, don't get them, get hd800S instead

[BLCT]

2 minutes ago, spwath said:

Overpriced. If you don't need closed headphones, don't get them, get hd800S instead

I owe a pair of Hd 800s. They do not have a wide sound stage as a hd650. But I hate how the hd 800s treble is very fatiguing for me personally. According to online reviews, the hd820 are supposed to have the same wide sound stage as the 650. But, not as wide as the 800s, due to it being closed back. I guess what they always say is true. "There's never an end game headphone".

[spwath]

11 minutes ago, BLCT said:

I owe a pair of Hd 800s. They do not have a wide sound stage as a hd650. But I hate how the hd 800s treble is very fatiguing for me personally. According to online reviews, the hd820 are supposed to have the same wide sound stage as the 650. But, not as wide as the 800s, due to it being closed back. I guess what they always say is true. "There's never an end game headphone".

Yeah, I'm happy with my hd650s. I think endgame is speakers.

[jasonvp]

11 hours ago, BLCT said:

I've been temped on upgrading my audio setup recently. With the HD 820 out how do you audiophiles feel about it?

I have them and the HDV820 amplifier in my office.  I've written about the entire PC setup here.  My upgrade path was from the original HD800 cans to the HD820s.  The 800s for have ear-crushing mids and highs, specially when you use them for gaming like I do.  I don't consume music on my system, it's primarily for gaming as I explain in the other post.  I dialed in a little equalizing for the 800s to calm the mids-highs and add just a teeny bit of low-end thump.  That helped a lot.  It's a lot less necessary with the 820s.

 

But again: I'm not consuming music with them.

 

Quote

I prefer bright sounding headphones, as they help me hear the higher frequencies. I have a hearing loss, so my ability to hear the mids and especially highs are diminished. 

You sort of contradict yourself between this post and another in the thread.  Yes. the HD800 and HD800S cans tend towards the higher end with the former being way more pronounced in that department.  If your hearing loss is that bad that you're losing highs and mids, then why do the 800S cans bother you?

[BLCT]

8 hours ago, jasonvp said:

I have them and the HDV820 amplifier in my office.  I've written about the entire PC setup here.  My upgrade path was from the original HD800 cans to the HD820s.  The 800s for have ear-crushing mids and highs, specially when you use them for gaming like I do.  I don't consume music on my system, it's primarily for gaming as I explain in the other post.  I dialed in a little equalizing for the 800s to calm the mids-highs and add just a teeny bit of low-end thump.  That helped a lot.  It's a lot less necessary with the 820s.

 

But again: I'm not consuming music with them.

 

You sort of contradict yourself between this post and another in the thread.  Yes. the HD800 and HD800S cans tend towards the higher end with the former being way more pronounced in that department.  If your hearing loss is that bad that you're losing highs and mids, then why do the 800S cans bother you?

I may have a hearing lost for the high frequencies. But when plugged into an amp and pushed around 80%, which I tend to do because my disability, they start to become overpoweringly strong. Lowering the volume for me, causes the it to lose clarity. I really need them to be cracked up, I thought maybe I cannot hear those frequencies at lower volume because they are leaking out of the headphones themselves. So I figured a closed back HD 800 will make me hear them better at lower volume, before they start to be come very fatiguing.

[jasonvp]

2 hours ago, BLCT said:

I thought maybe I cannot hear those frequencies at lower volume because they are leaking out of the headphones themselves. 

I.... don't think that's the way it works.  Closed back cans aren't going to help you hear anything better.  They just change the sound stage of the cans.

[BLCT]

1 minute ago, jasonvp said:

I.... don't think that's the way it works.  Closed back cans aren't going to help you hear anything better.  They just change the sound stage of the cans.

If you have closed cans, the sound waves bounce around inside the cans and eventually into your ears. Open backs tend to leak out, due newton's third law of motion. Sure it is an added benefit that you can hear your surrounding more. But you do lose some sound due to it bouncing off your earlobe to outside your ears, as they leak out. If your put 2 identical headphones, assuming that they have same drivers and same ohms, and they're both at the same volume. You'll be able to hear the closed back ones more than the openbacks. Sure its minimal different, but for someone has troubles hearing sound. It's a HUGE different. I am not claiming that they are going to make myself magically "hear" everything, but since they will be bouncing inside the cans rather than losing some due to leakage. I just thought that It will "help" me in hearing more highs at lower volumes. Rather than cranking them all the way possibly risking damage to the speakers (I have popped many headphone in my life, one of them being an HD 600).

[jasonvp]

1 minute ago, BLCT said:

 I am not claiming that they are going to make myself magically "hear" everything, but since they will be bouncing inside the cans rather than losing some due to leakage.

No.  The rear of the 820s has the concave glass cap with sound absorbing material inside.  The sound bounces off the glass and is absorbed.  You don't hear it.  That's the point behind the 820's design: very much the sound stage of an open-backed can in a closed-back design.

[BLCT]

8 minutes ago, jasonvp said:

No.  The rear of the 820s has the concave glass cap with sound absorbing material inside.  The sound bounces off the glass and is absorbed.  You don't hear it.  That's the point behind the 820's design: very much the sound stage of an open-backed can in a closed-back design.

Ahh, hmm you think they might be able to help out a fellow deaf and hard of hearing person? The only thing I am worried about is if gets muddier, since there are not as much air surrounding the speaker to propel it forward.

[jasonvp]

6 minutes ago, BLCT said:

Ahh, hmm you think they might be able to help out a fellow deaf and hard of hearing person?

I couldn't even begin to guess.

[BLCT]

20 minutes ago, jasonvp said:

No.  The rear of the 820s has the concave glass cap with sound absorbing material inside.  The sound bounces off the glass and is absorbed.  You don't hear it.  That's the point behind the 820's design: very much the sound stage of an open-backed can in a closed-back design.

Aren't gorilla glass supposed to be sound reflective, not sound abortive? Buy yeah, I guess I gotta find some store that even allows you to try it on.