CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS

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Author Topic: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?  (Read 3209 times)

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Marvey

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Re: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2012, 05:25:11 AM »

interesting. less 3-4k dip and less 6k peak.
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Marvey

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Re: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?
« Reply #11 on: August 12, 2012, 05:31:39 AM »

Raw response?

What hrtf/equalisation curve did you use?

Already adjusted/compensated. The HD800 to me is a bright headphone with a 6k peak and a lifted upper treble. It also has a slight warmth (emphasis in the upper bass and lower mids) which can be beaten into submission by its treble behavior depending upon the recording. Those curves are honestly how I hear the HD800.

The differences were emphasized by stretching the vertical axis. No HRTF curve because I don't use a dummy head. Various couplers are used and the results blended together. Take everything you may know about how other people do headphone measurements and throw it down the sewer. A few people here know how I do it, some industry people have asked me how I do it, but I'm keeping it secret for various reasons. The only thing I will admit is that the compensating EQ is very rough, and that I determined them via painstaking comparison to neutral near-field speakers of my own design using 1/3 octave white-noise. Input from others who I felt had trained ears was also much solicited.
« Last Edit: August 12, 2012, 05:42:28 AM by purrin »
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Marvey

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Re: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2012, 05:48:58 AM »

CSD plots. First is Maxvla's HD800. Second id Anax's HD800. Both with no mods applied and dust covers removed.

I never noticed this before. Anax's HD800 (second below), has a tiny peak a little below 12kHz, which would be sympathetic with the more evident 5.5-6kHz bump. I did feel that Max's HD800 was a little bit more tolerable in the treble and did not require the Anax mod as much as Anax's pair.
« Last Edit: August 12, 2012, 05:53:16 AM by purrin »
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Maxvla

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Re: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?
« Reply #13 on: August 12, 2012, 05:59:34 AM »

Basically he's saying I'm better than you Anax!  :-DD
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Anaxilus.

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Re: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?
« Reply #14 on: August 12, 2012, 06:23:29 AM »

Basically he's saying I'm better than you Anax!  :-DD


I already said that in the shout box if you recall.   ;)   Something about my acoustic memory being retarded if your's didn't measure better.  Of course, the jihadists will say that's within the margin of error and not audible and it was a lucky guess if anything because ears are FAIL.  facepalm
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ihasmario

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Re: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?
« Reply #15 on: August 12, 2012, 04:35:14 PM »

Raw response?

What hrtf/equalisation curve did you use?

Already adjusted/compensated. The HD800 to me is a bright headphone with a 6k peak and a lifted upper treble. It also has a slight warmth (emphasis in the upper bass and lower mids) which can be beaten into submission by its treble behavior depending upon the recording. Those curves are honestly how I hear the HD800.

The differences were emphasized by stretching the vertical axis. No HRTF curve because I don't use a dummy head. Various couplers are used and the results blended together. Take everything you may know about how other people do headphone measurements and throw it down the sewer. A few people here know how I do it, some industry people have asked me how I do it, but I'm keeping it secret for various reasons. The only thing I will admit is that the compensating EQ is very rough, and that I determined them via painstaking comparison to neutral near-field speakers of my own design using 1/3 octave white-noise. Input from others who I felt had trained ears was also much solicited.

I only have a very brief experience with the HD800 and also agree about the midbass. IMHO it seems a characteristic that a lot of dynamic headphones have.

I was simply asking because I don't remember that huge dip at all.
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Marvey

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Re: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?
« Reply #16 on: August 12, 2012, 04:38:19 PM »

That dip was definitely there. Anax and I surgically EQ'd that dip up, and it did fill it it. Dips are so hard to hear though, at least for me. I think Anax is better at hearing those than I am.
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Tyll Hertsens

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Re: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?
« Reply #17 on: August 24, 2012, 02:45:03 PM »

If I had to guess, I would think that Sennheiser's measurements are plots of deviation from a standard and not an absolute measurement of the FR. IE, they measure a golden sample, then in production 800 measurements are plotted as the difference from that sample. Just a guess, but that's how things are often done in manufacturing QA.
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MomijiTMO

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Re: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?
« Reply #18 on: August 24, 2012, 08:52:27 PM »

I have a 13xxx and a 15xxx here now and I think the 13xxx isn't as bright. Ordered frequency response graphs.

I'm too busy listening to music. ;)
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arnaud

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Re: HD800 peak. New, old, or simply driver variation?
« Reply #19 on: August 25, 2012, 12:44:22 AM »

If I had to guess, I would think that Sennheiser's measurements are plots of deviation from a standard and not an absolute measurement of the FR. IE, they measure a golden sample, then in production 800 measurements are plotted as the difference from that sample. Just a guess, but that's how things are often done in manufacturing QA.

That makes sense as it is hard to imagine this could be deviation from a target equalization curve (as in some kind of FF or DF for that measurement gear).
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