The impressions on the 800s KILLED ME 😂 PLEASE keep up such content its super enjoyable and fascinating.

What's funny to me, is that they said: "it sounds like you are in your car" that's actually a complement 😂 they make you feel like your listening to stereo in an open frame? That is good staging! This was fun, I hope they have fun

i think next time you should test these vs common consumer headphones like beats, sony mdr, audio technica 50x, skullcrusher etc... I think this would give a better perspective on where these headphones land and I think they would understand the differences better.

Great series! Might be interesting to have them bring their own headphones in and compare straight after. Who knows, the comments could be even more savage

Some suggestions: - It'd be great to know what tracks they listened to. - At the end and before the reveal, make them rank their picks, individually. - Not sure if it'll help, but perhaps show them a list of common positive and negative adjectives/descriptors while they describe the headphones (or even at the end when the blindfolds are off). Regardless, this is a fantastic video.

7:57 I love how he poses for every snobby audiophile term that he is about to spout out.

I will say the 800S lack of tight extended bass was a deal breaker for me, even with its incredible soundstage. But that car speaker comparison got me lol. I would take the Sundara over it for my preferences.

I think a "Normal people try expensive speakers" type of video would be pretty interesting, because then they only get the sound. When wearing headphones you feel how heavy they are, how much they clamp etc which will influence their decisions

I feel like the first Headphone tried will always be at a disadvantage, as they don't have something to compare them to yet. It would've been interesting to have put them on their head again as the last headphone, without telling them it's the same again. Lastly, my god, all of these headphones got critiqued really harshly 😅 But i appreciate the honesty

Love this series! I think maybe do 5 headphones per video, that way there is more to compare to. Even outside of the science, hearing your friends opinions on a range of sounds people describe online is very interesting.

Such a guilty pleasure. I love this series. Please keep it up!!

love this series, what i would like to see is 3 music producers to do such a blind test, and more models, like 5-6 ?

I am surprised by this outcome. When I first got my hd800s' I was very impressed with the technological performance, mainly the instrument separation, the detail, and the soundstage of course. They were my first expensive headphones. It was funny to see their reaction when they took the blindfold off. I would like to see a version of this with gammers.

I didn’t expect anybody to be blown away by non eq’d hd800s. They’re absolutely not going to blow away any normies with their stock tuning. As a matter of fact, the more clinical sound is what likely drove them away from enjoying them altogether. Get them properly eq’d and I’d wager their minds will be blown. Maybe an idea for the next video? Try out these headphones again but eq out all the peaks and maybe add a small bass shelf? It might also help encourage people do the same if they’re not a fan of a headphone’s stock sound and want to continue enjoying them with their technicalities

7:50 - "So what did you like most about them, what was really working for you?" "The sound." This man is a genius

Like someone else said, what they were listening to is crucial to the viewers. Also, assuming that they were listening to the same song, maybe let them listen through the same headphone group another round of times to make sure they could properly compare them to one-another and also had the same reaction after hearing all the other options. But great video. Very fun. Not sure if any of the manufacturers will like you after this though. 😅

Always a nice break from the baroque measurement analysis episodes and glad to see more creativity being brought to the broadcast choices. Well done sir!

Would be interesting to know if your friends have headphones (e.g. True Wireless, or others) on their own and if they do, if the like them. Those could be included in the blind test. It would be interesting to hear from them, how they would rate each others/their own headphones blind.

I get it...When I first got into headphones I had COMPLETELY different taste...I just wanted bass...but, after awhile, the more genres I got into, the more I learned about music and what to listen for, what nuances to appreciate. Now I have completely different tastes in sound signature. I still like bass, but clean, tight bass, no longer that boomy muddy crap. I used to hate treble but now I love hearing those crips details in music. IDK, to each their own but normally after someone starts to really delve into music and not just casually listen they start to appreciate higher end audio

the best series of this channel

Completely mind-blowing. Our ears don't hear price , they only hear sound and they will always tell you what you like. Then our eyes take over and that's when we see a different interpretation. Great video!

This is what I look forward to the most on this channel, love these guys!

No matter what level of expertise..the Sen’s 800s…LACK OF BASS PUNCH AND SLAM at nearly $2k is a deal breaker ..tho wide soundstage is great ..no one even noticed 🤦‍♂️ Great video 🍕☕️👍

5:09 your editor must be wearing his headphones backwards lmao

I can say that my listening preferences and analysis changed quite a bit with time and experience, so watching your friends was definitely fun.

Great series! Just some comments from my observation: - I see some people wear headphones over their hair, which can significantly influence the sound: + Imperfect seal will cause the Arya and Sundara to have a resonance peak in the bass region, while the HD 800 S rolls off even more. I'd assume that they experienced significantly less bass on the HD 800 S than it actually has, especially compared to planars which benefit from this effect. + Having material like hair between the driver and pinna will cause a dampening-like effect, down-tilting the FR and taming treble peaks in many cases. Again, the already-warm HD 800 S will get even warmer, while the other two will down-tilt to a more desirable slope and be less shouty. - Without visual cue, weight is the main factor when it comes to perception of quality. I don't know to what degree does this effect comes in to play, but might be interesting to note in the future. For those of you who's interested, the HD 800 S was the top performing open-back headphones in the 2018 Harman Research, just slightly behind the Harman Target and Harman-like closed-back headphones. Which is to say, a lot of people really liked it, surprisingly. I don't doubt the Hifimans would do better, but they wouldn't do significantly better since there's little gap between the HD 800 S and the absolute best.

I think people that dont know headphones well... and especially younger people are going to associate more bass with better sounding. Which makes complete sense why the HD800s would rank so low with them. I have a feeling most of them would probably pick beats if that were an option.

this shows how different tastes are and how different people hear things. i think it is crazy how different every person is.

These are my favorite segments/programs, 100% please post more content like this. Like the Kiwi Cadenza reveal, this is second best.

Firstly: Cute Sleepmasks ❤! Secondly: Your friends seem like a tough crowd 😅. And lastly: Gotta love James‘ „Audiophile Parody Routine“. It is pretty much perfect. Or, high fidelity, if you like (SCNR)

Cool video, I would be interested in a video like this with high impedance hp and you do tube vs solidstate.

i love these types of videos thanks chrono and friends

Love it. What is the Headphone Amp that you have used during the experiment?

I also noticed it takes time to get to know sound and their various qualities. If you just give someone a super high end headphone one day, they might not be able to distinguish various low high or mid bass qualities. Though of course good sound is good sound, so there should always be tests like this one. Good job. 🤓

That was a really fun watch, i need to see more blind tests like this

Love the Sennheiser HD 800S for the clarity and sound stage. But they do really lack the "oompf" in the bass region, no argument there. It surprised me that the lacking "oompf" was the thing that stood out the most. Maybe if the Sennheiser had come last, the clarity and sound stage would have stood out among the three.

When i was on pursuit for speakers, i listened many different ones in showroom, and asked the guy not to tell me price, just to demonstrate me speakers within my max budget, because i didn't want to be biased to some model cause of price. I choose at the end Wharfedale diamond 12.3 which were among least expensive i heard in showroom. They sounded me absolutely best and I'm still loving em.

Interesting series, keep it up.

This is great. I love this series 😁

I just did a review of one of my headphones but my friends are musicians and in the entertainment business. They really liked the HD6xx through the A & K SR35.

I had HE-500's and an Audio GD DAC and amp on my desk in a large IT office and encouraged everyone to try them. It was quite an intimidating looking setup looking back which is probably why I didn't get many takers and from the ones who did it was a very male vs female outcome. We had a near 1-to-1 male to female ratio and the result of my "research" cough, was that audio reproduction is not a priority for women when listening to music. The gist being that they were clear but didn't see any advantage over what they already had to enjoy music. Males were more engaged and quite a few upgraded as a result. One guy bought my old K702 Audio GD DAC and amp and had it set up at his desk. The one outlier was the lady who sat opposite me who fell in love with the sound and used them more than me with the cable draped over the desk partition :)

I'm always excited for these videos😂😁

I think the "problem" here is that most people don't understand that getting a pair of headphones to sound "neutral" is difficult. Most people outside of the audiophile hobby wants a pair of headphones that enhances stuff like bass and mids whereas audiophiles sees it as something negative. There is nothing wrong with any of it since it's a matter of taste and preference. Thinking about it for a moment gave me the idea that comparing very neutral recorded vocals (like audio books for example) would make it harder to choose. Or maybe very well recorded records that are NOT bricked in terms of dynamics (like non-remastered Kraftwerk for example).

Chrono, if you end up doing another one of these videos, I suggest the following headphones - Audeze LCD-2/2C/X, Hifiman Ananda, Meze 109 Pro. Maybe even throw a consumer headphone like a Sony XM5, Sennheiser Momentum 4 etc😃

That Arya reaction almost broke my heart, luckily the second duo was able to save it.

3 iems I would like to see would be the 1.P1 max (budget friendly and relaxed sound) 2. Mangird Xenns Top (mid range dynamic sound) 3. Sony IER-M9 (1k killer with good bass)

I think a big difference between us nerds and more "normal" people is the value that's placed on soundstage. To audiophiles, a wide stage is great and allows for more nuance in terms of imaging etc whereas a more average consumer will just interpret it as distant and less involved. A snaller stage makes things like detail and dynamics more immediately apparent - think of it like tasting a delicate dish with many small nuances vs strongly flavoured condiments like hot sauce. Or a pour-over, single origin brewed black coffee vs a syrup flavoured latte from a chain.

I really wish every headphone review did this in addition to their review - got say 3-4 random non-audiophiles to try the headphone and describe the sound using normal language. I feel like when you remove existing knowledge and expectations, you quickly get to which aspects about the sound really stand out because they aren't going in looking for [x] and [y] that they read about in other reviews before their purchase. Looking forward to seeing the IEM follow-up.

I think that putting gaming headphones on the blind test, along with audiophile headphones, would be a great experiment

Yeah... They nailed it, though, with the Sundara. Fine headphone. I could understand a broad, easy appeal. And the price guesses for it were right on.

If you have the Airpods Max or Sony WH1000-XM5, that would be great to put in these videos as a potential reference point like what you did with the Airpods pros

A comparison with bassy / Vshaped / Warm headphones could be interesting, Beyer DT770/990, AKG K371, Fidelio X2, AKG K712, Sony MDR-1AM2 / Z7 / Z1R, Any of the big biodynamic driver Denon, Fostex TH610/900, Klipsch HP-3, Audeze LCD-2 for example

Keep doing these vids they are so much fun…a good break from the norm 😊

Awesome reviews.

Lol 😂 This is a fantastic series. I don’t know what it says about hobbyists and our tastes in what or how we all hear things. But regular people have a much different experience than almost every other reviewer/audiophile. Regular people, I think like music more than they like measurements. Also equating headphone weight with cost is something that is common in consumer products. Also who chose the music they listened to for the review? Maybe next time you can have them select music they listen too and are familiar with in their daily listening rotation.

This is the best way to test, unbiased and importantly blind.

I would venture to guess that besides not being experienced with quality headphones, the quality of the recorded tracks were a variable that they're not used to in determining what they liked in headphone. As in if a track doesn't sound similar to what they're used to hearing in a muffled, dropped highs headphone they will dislike a very revealing headphone that accentuates the treble details.

I’ve owned Focal Utopia, Focal Stellia, Audeze LCD-X, Audeze LCD-4Z, Meza Empyrean, Hifiman HE1000 V2 and sennheiser HD800S. I’ve sold all except for my HD800S. I don’t think the 800s is the best for all types of music but it’s absolutely the best gaming set ever built and I can’t imagine gaming without it. One day I hope to find a pair of headphones I think the same about for music. Then it also can remain in my collection forever like the hd800s which imo are my only end game find this far into my audiophile journey. (Gaming endgame)

Since all 4 had same comments about the HD800S, I have little doubt about incorrect ear positioning, but the other 2 headphones were the same brand, and the 2 girls who praised the cheaper Sundara from the brand said the more expensive Arya was fuzzy, while the other 2 testers praised the Sundara, then the Arya more. Since the Arya is sensitive to ear positioning and the 2 girls wore the Arya a bit lower than the other 2 testers, I would have to wonder if imperfect ear alignment messed up the sound quality, imaging, and stereo separation for the 2 girls. Hifiman doesn't seem like a company that can release a significantly cheaper product that sounds superior to their expensive offerings. Hifiman seems to tune their headphones with purpose, as opposed to random releases. The 2 testers who praised the Arya seems to align with Hifiman's pricing. The 2 girl testers, I have to wonder if they way their ears were bent by the blindfold, or the ear positioning was messed up. For the HD800S, they were all very consistent, so I don't have much question marks regarding their verdict for that.

Thank you, I might be missing it but while you said what the headphones were plugged into the music used is not listed. And while it might offend some audiophile souls a Spotify playlist as the lowest common denominator reference would be useful perhaps ?

this is real life comparisons, good stuff. sennheiser in general lacks low bass response imo. i own the hd650's with a schiit magnius and i find myself reaching for the low end eq on my lokius everytime i listen to them. they are very clear and capable of handling a ton of power but my personal preference is a more v-shape freq curve which these are def not.

I found it really interesting, and I want to get a pair of Sundara’s, but I’m probably gonna hold out for the new Audeze MM-100’s

Your point about "the other person's opinion influences one's own" is spot on... the same is true with audiophiles. That's why there's a lot of "audiophile memes" picked up from reviews, reddit, head-fi and the other usual places.

This was great!!

I kept seeing all the 'hair' in the cups and wondering what kind of fit/seal they were getting. Also, since bass is something that you don't usually get in most listening scenarios (muggles) that can be stark with a good headphone with decent SPLs for the first time since your high-school friend splurged on a big sub in their car. Am i missing any other experience of powerful bass that normies get to experience before putting on a pair of nice cans?

A good 10 band equalizer does it for me. Music is a matter of individual taste and I don't care much about flat response. Of course I make presets for different genres, classical and pop aren't mixed the same way.

What were the components used? What Dac/Amp?

Love those videos. Brings you a bit down to earth. And I wanna hang with Grace and Selina. Love their vibe.

To anyone who has one, what was your experience regarding durability with the sundaras? Personally it took like a year for my ear pads to wear down and the replacements looked like they were gonna last long either. Made me switch to dt 900 pro x because of the better durability and replaceable parts.

Interesting, I have the Aryas and HD800S. Aryas have the best bass, and good sound stage but the HD800S have the best sound stage and clarity for me. I love both, for different music genres.

that was cool :) I think if they go back to budget headphones or airpods after listening to the "audiophile" equipment, they'll see what this kind of headphones do to music.

She felt the exact same way about the HD800s' bass as I do.

Any chance the track selection might have tripped them up? A track you might listen to for sibilance might just turn them off. But thanks to them for participating.

They sould not be able to hear other people's opinion next to them. That will give unnecessary bias to the second person who tries the headset

The HD6XX had to be in the mix. Probably would have come out tops 🔥

Interestingly I'd agree with the Sundara vs HD800s though not exactly in the same terms😅

Keep doing this

From what I understand most people just look for bass. Which makes sense since most music these days focuses primarily on the bass.

It's hard to listen to a new headphone in a vacuum. So give them some "standard" headphone first (Koss Porta Pro or something). Then let them compare it to that. And I agree on 2 people will influence each others opinions more than the (relatively small) changes in soundsignature of the headphones.

you should tell them you added more padding to the head band and cushions without impacting the sound, that way they're less likely to count how it feels on the head as an indicator. and add a 'no touching' rule.

I'd like to know what they think of the HE-1.

I think they'll have a blast with some Audezes.

Would love you to have six pairs of headphones - split into three pairs. One they can touch and feel while blindfolded, the other to actually listen to. The thing being that the listener thinks they have handled and listened to the same headphone. Would be great to see if handling the headphone has any effect on how they think they sounded. Giving them really expensive headphones to handle before swapping them out for a far cheaper option, or the other way with very cheap headphones to handle and the swapping them out for really expensive ones to listen to.

I love how they're all saying "we're gonna get cooked" after they just got done roasting us all alive for our bad spending habits LMAO

Camille knows audio.

I think they should have started off with or added some more common ones like something from beats or apple just to see what their opinion would be on the sound.

Did you print that Eng Zelda bootleg yourself or pay for it?

I think the microphones for the James and Camille pair got switched. I hear audio on the right for the woman, and on the left for James :) The video is really insightful because it shows what people PAY for, and it doesn't have to do with what headphones cost.

I think a lot depends on what they were listening to. Thanks for the video.

Compare them against consumer headphones. I notice the difference most between HiFi when I go from a Sony or Beats to a set of Sennheiser Cups.

I would love to hear what normal people think about stack headphones, can a "normal" person hear the difference between a dynamic, a planar and an electrostatic headphone?? 🤔

Love this series!

Is all about personal taste, sometimes when what is good sounding for us doesn't mean that the others have the same thought. Same like food, u either love it or u don't.

I would also go 800s, Arya, and then sundara. Most people I know would pick a pair of bose qc or AirPods Max lol

Please do IEM and headphone in one video. Let them decide IEM or headphone more worth the price

I personally was not impressed by the 800s when I tried it at an audiofest. Preferred planars for the detail and imaging, and the focal clear for their lively and punchy character

This is very interesting! So…I think being an audiophile sometimes means getting so intent on the micro architecture of sound that one will prefer something like the Sennheiser, which can be so precise-but so flawed with regards to bass output. An audiophile might subconsciously or otherwise disregard that. But most people want to listen to music, and the lack of bass is inherently unrealistic and even jarring, especially if the music is known to the person. Further, the audiophile who knows he/she just spent $1800 on it may subconsciously decide to like it. Maybe like the emperor’s new clothes, a level of self-deception?

If I remember clearly, at the dawn of sound recording, some famous companies (like Western Electric) used to make demos in theater in front of public. Everything was made behind curtains, a real orchestra was playing and after they played the record with their system (no even in stereo). People were so baffled that they could'nt tell what was from the orchestra and what was from the record.

Love the videos but please give Chrono a better mic, or better treat the room - compare vs the production quality of other personalities on your channel.

I have loads of people over trying hd800s for the first time. Not saying what price they are then giving them some other lower ends. No one has ever chosen lower end stuff over them. Weird