Congratulations! I love these headphones, review on moon audio comparison between HD 800 s and Focal Utopia, she picked Sennheiser HD 800s, for sound qualities and comfort. That is amazing considering Focal Utopia is twice the cost. Regarding EQ it depends on music preference, If i am listening to jazz, or classical, i usually use presets.
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IMO, the arrival of the Utopia marked a shift to “price = quality” marketing in the headphone community. At one point the HD 800 and 800 S were considered extremely expensive, as just single dynamic drivers in a chassis.
While the Utopia has uncanny imaging, depth, and dynamic differentiation, I too passed in favor of the 800 S. I rate the 800 S as a bit less technically capable and it surely lacks the dynamic nuances of the Utopia, but I can’t get past the Utopia’s treble.
After the Utopia, a lot of new headphones hit the market at $4K, $6K, etc. Some of these have low production and high build costs, while others may put market price comparisons and wishful thinking ahead of quality, build cost, or value.
As always, listen for yourself and run your own race.
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I seem to lean towards simplicity in design and focus on quality, versus fancy wood or carbon fiber or fazors. I don’t even know what the heck a fazor is?
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I just set the fazors to stun via EQ and call it a day.
All jokes aside, don’t forget “ring radiator.” When I first got started, it took me a while to fully understand what Sennheiser meant by that.
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That’s so funny! I thought the ring radiator was. Supposed to keep the speakers cool 
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Bought my first flagship three weeks ago. So far, my sound impression is, they sound super clean and precise. I was initially running it with Aune X1s >RCA>Topping A30 Pro> 6.35mm HD800s. It sounded good but something was missing. A lack of body. Then I purchased Topping E70 dac and shifted to balanced xlr. Topping E70 >XLR>Topping A30 Pro > 4.4mm balanced HD800s. It sounds much fuller especially in the low end.
This thing opened up my HD800s quite a bit. Not because this dac sounds different to my previous dac ( Aune X1s pro) but the XLR output of 5V provides ample juice for my A30 Pro. I think it is because of the higher voltage and not because of the dac. Whatever DACs I came across sound more or less the same, this one I bought for the balanced connection though.
So far - great product. 
Pardon my cable management 
Pard
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Nice setup, the power boost makes listening experience much better. The balanced connection is a must have on really hi fi dac/amps. You might experiment with aftermarket cables. I have found that they do help with bass and mids. The cable i use is much more comfortable then heavy stock cables.
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Great job on getting your power dialed-in! If you want even more and aren’t already using EQ, you may consider playing around with some of the presets out there from Oratory1990 and others. IME, the HD800s low treble peak contributes to the lack of body you describe.
Edit: I just noticed you were asking about EQ earlier. Oratory1990 has some great presets for hd800s with adjustments for pads and other variables. I’ve enjoyed both his diffuse curve (for classical and jazz) and Harman curves, although the Harman does tend to expose the hd800s limits when pushing the bass.
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Does anyone have the ZMF pads for the HD800/S/xx, and if so, what do you think of them sonically? (Or anyone know if DMS plans to review them? 
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I’m eyeballing them after having a good experience with the ZMF fenestrated pads for my HD600.
On my HD800sdr, I’m currently using Dekoni hybrids, which fit great, but sonically not great.
The Sennheiser HD800S was introduced as an upgraded HD800 nine years ago. Late to the party, I am on day two of my Sennheiser HD800S. To reiterate and confirm some of what has already been said, I am experiencing exactly what many have stated to expect; lack of bass impact, heightened soundstage, shining performance with the right tubes. I can also add that HD800S lack comparative substance and weight in vocals and instruments when A/B compared to ZMF Aeolus and HiFiMan HE6se V2. I continue to keep both of these headphone models handy during my listening sessions to form baseline comparisons. And, the Sennheiser HD600 plugged in once in a while as I find that it does many things so much better than the HD800S and compliments it well.
Equalized on my PC and output through a Schiit Bifrost2 DAC, I have plugged HD800S repeatedly in and out of the ten amplifiers over the past two days. Of my large collection of headphones, none have ever come across like these in terms of heightened profoundly contrasting reactions when switching between amplifiers. With each amplifier pairing, I am presented with HD800S drastically morphed into an entirely different beast!
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Perhaps it’s premature to comment on solid state amplification. However, initial tube rolling of the past two days has resulted with a few of my favorite tube amplifiers failing miserably in the fun department. The first tube disappointment involved pairing the DarkVoice 336SE. Relative to the more favorable tube amp pairings, the DarkVoice sounded off somehow and the lack of bass impact that you all spoke of was heightened with this combination. Next, pairing with Eufonika H5DS, everything became a smeared blur. I shall have to revisit the Eufonika H5DS when I get a chance to roll some tubes. For the time being, I shall be too busy plugging the HD800S out of as many solid state and hybrid amplifiers that I can set up over the coming weeks.
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On the bright side, there were some tube pairing successes with the HD800S. The RSA Emmeline II The Raptor rolled with Tung-sol and Amprex Holland 12AU7/ECC82 tubes blew my mind. It produced mids and upper bass that was full, almost bloated. This combination also adds much needed weight to atmosphere and presence virtualizing a background and stage, producing an ultrawide consistent imaging of the stage. However, compared to my HE6se V2, the ambience presents itself less defined on HD800S, losing in terms of realism and sparkle. And, of course the HE6se V2 also has full satisfying bass which the HD800S is not capable of.
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Two other tube amplifiers performed miraculously with Sennheiser HD800S. In second place, I was pleasantly surprised when my Little Dot MKIII with Novosibirsk 6H6PI + Mullard 6AK5W cv850 mg absolutely sang when paired with Sennheiser HD800S. And in third place, it was no surprise to find the Quicksilver performed well as it consistently does with most headphones.
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That is all for now. I have to dig out the solid state amplifiers and the hybrid amplifiers next. That will likely take weeks or months to get through them. A quick preview spoiler, Headamp GS-X mini finally pairs at an acceptable expectation when plugging in HD800S, with crisp clear details, highs sizzling in a good way, and well controlled bass. And as usual, the Schiit Jotunheim 2 performs above its price, offering weighted midrange creating rounded body, and an increased intimate stage presence.
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I have a hard time understanding that anyone would want better headphones than the 800s, especially after using them with proper equipment, for me they are the end of the game.
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Well that’s because there are better headphones than the 800s, depending on your priorities for sound.
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