Balanced headphone suggestions
 

I am starting to think about getting a nice balanced headphone. In all of the research and reading that I have been doing it seems to keep coming back to Sennheiser.

The HD800S would be the absolute upper end of the budget for me. I would prefer a little less. I have also found the HD700 around. Adding the balanced cable puts them in the $770 range versus over $1600 for the HD800S.

Has anyone compared these two? I have read some reviews discussing pros and cons, but I trust the opinions of folks on here.

Are there anything else in this range worth considering?

As always, I both appreciate and desire everyone's input and opinions!

Thank you!

I may have an alternative for you if interested. I have some Audeze LCD-2's I would be willing to part with for a good price, which would easily leave enough money to get some good cables to match. Since getting the LCD-4's and LCD-X's, my HD 800's have been collecting dust.

You could also consider getting the HD800 instead of the HD800s. The HD800 can now be had for only $1000 before cable upgrade.

Cable sells for $380... Amazon has the HD800s for $1599, and from what i hear a very nice improvement... so worth the couple hundred extra to me. Thx for suggestion though... oh the HD800 at $999 I have seen are refurbished units at this point... but I have not seen ever deal out tHere of course.

If you are looking for headphones in this range, I think you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't check out the Audeze LCD-X and if you want/need closed back, LCD-XC, before you bite on something. I've got the XC and they are fabulous. Either one comes with both balanced and single ended cables. If they are stretching your budget, get the phones first and pick up some upgraded cables later. I believe Ivan is an Audeze dealer now so maybe he makes you a deal you can't refuse. A good listen to them and... you may not be able to refuse.

+1 ;)

Thanks for all the input everyone. I also got some fantastic input from Dan. I made my decision and ended up getting a pair of the Sennheiser HD800S headphones. The main things that influenced the final decision were the light weight comfort. I also like that they appear to have addressed the only complaints people had on the legendary predecessors.

I was very happy to see that Sennheiser is now including their 4-Pin XLR balanced cable (the very one that they sell separately for $380).

I know there are many fine products out there. Audeze, Mr. Speakers, Focal, etc. I did a lot of research and reading and one thing that became clear is that many brands were mentioned but in almost every discussion the HD800(S) were included. And I do not believe I read a single word about the HD800S that was anything but praise.

So there you have it. In a couple evenings listening sessions so far I am fairly impressed. The one thing I have noticed is they are much more unforgiving of poor source material then my speakers are.

I love Audeze, especially the LCD-4, but they are known for their reliably problems. For that reason, I will never buy them. Sennheiser, on the other hand, are extremely reliable. The coolest thing about the HD800s is that when I auditioned them, it didn't feel like I was wearing headphones at all. I kept having to reach up and touch the headphones with my hands because I couldn't feel them with my head...lol. They are THAT comfortable! The only thing I didn't like about them is that they seem to lack the deep thunderous bass and musical sound that the Fostex TH900 MKII offers. Regardless, the HD800s is one of the best headphones out there. Congratulations!

Thank you sir.

The only thing I have noticed is they seem to be able to show which recordings are a little lacking. Especially DSD files. They really seem to not like a DSD file that is not the best recording. Ones that are nice recordings sound amazing. They seem to be more forgiving on lower res files than they are on DSD???? Pretty much exactly opposite of my speakers in this regards :)....

Perhaps I like older gear too much, but I have Sennheiser HD600s wth balanced cables driven by MC2205 off of the 8 ohm tap. The connection box has the output wired in parallel with two 200 watt 10 ohm resistors. With the Sennheisers rated at 300 ohms, I believe that any excess power (due to my exuberance) would be drained off by the 10 ohm resisters and not hurt the 300 ohm cans.
One thing about driving headphones with 200WPC, the meters barely go above 0.02 watts at normal listening levels. 0.2 watts will hurt my ears!
At that low of output, the amp is running where the distortion levels are almost unmeasurable.
And the detail is incredible!
In my early life, I wanted to be a jazz musician. Later, I spent time giving private lessons for Ludwig Music House in St. Louis. Later I conducted a local amateur 50 piece orchestra. I spent enough time on a bandstand or in an orchestra pit to know what to listen for. The HD600s with balanced cables from the MC2205 gives me the detail and resolution I remember from within an acoustic musical group!!