>>106520639
Took a bit to win her over. She's a metal head so "planar magnetic magic" won her over for snappy bass. It is a dramatic change for sure, for around the same price. The XS has no business being as good as it is. She has to wear a headband sleeve for it to fit on her skull tho. Tiny head. Tiny woman.
If my HD800S ever dies (dread this everyday) after a decade of service I don't know what I'll do because with a wife and kids now (didn't in 2015) and the price of it has only gone up not down since I got them a month after launch. There doesn't seem to be much else out there with the same pinna transfer function accuracy, tight group delay, low harmonic distortion or general FR consistency.
Maybe with AI we can get some headphones designed around all the new PRTF modeling research happening for the most immersive listening experience you can get with speakers strapped to your head on the cheap. Free us from counting on Sennheiser accidentally creating a masterpiece then immediately forgetting how to do it again.