daniel_chalyan

That much is clear: every price point has inherent limitations associated with it. I won't comment on all the things you've probably already read about the HS8 - they are most likely all true. I will, however, say this: once you've learned to make peace with the slight bass 'hump' around the 50-80Hz spot, and once you know exactly how your (and other) tracks sound, this is a very good option. That said, as with most sub-$1,000 models, the bass will slightly overpower the lower mids in untreated rooms, but that's a small price to pay, and, arguably, something you'll face with almost every pair below the $1,000 mark. The upper mids is where the HS8 really shines - and that's an important place to shine, at least to me. This goes for vocals, just as it does for all instruments in the vocal range. Very lifelike 800Hz-10KHZ representation!

I challenge anyone to pick a pair that gets the 16-18KHz sizzle of an open hi-hat sounding so natural, soft and yet incredibly alive and perfectly audible. This is of course my own taste (some prefer warmer cans), but everything above 5KHz is really important to me and the music I enjoy (everything electronic and not very commercial-sounding; classical; ambient). I can't go as far as recommending an amp model, but something warmer could probably even out the highs - if that's your thing. However, there is absolutely nothing brittle here all the way into 18KHz territory - which is hugely impressive. The most transparent and crystal-clear highs I've ever heard for the price. If you can tolerate the slightly diffuse mid-range (which is solved by purchasing an amp), definitely get these!

As the review summary states, the bass is really good. Not the best, but much better than anything at this price that is not driven by an amp. The moderate impedance makes them easy to drive on their own - so while some more expensive cans might match that capability, they'll almost always require an amp. The AKG 712s go really deep without a need for one, which is a godsend for bedroom producers on a budget - if you can dish out the $400-500 for the headphones. The rest of the sound is superb, albiet with slightly blurry highs above 10KHz (unlike my favourite - the Beyerdynamic DT880, which do, sadly, require an amp), but that is a small price to pay for the overall quite spectacular performance across the frequency range. So, if you're getting them to produce music on, this is a great choice. I'm not going to get into how analytical they are (which is "very"). For listening purposes, it's not the highs that would be a deal breaker for me, but the fact that they're simply too analytical to enjoy music in the warm way the vast majority of headphones teach us too. The same can be said for Beyerdynamic's clinical representation, but something about the Beyers just makes them stand out - it's a separate camp of people who really love listening to music for the highs as much as the lows, and I'm part of it. My next purchase for listening/production will probably be Sennheiser HD600 - the exact middle between the Beyers and the AKGs, when it comes to balancing analytical listening with pure bassy pleasure.