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A Truly "Masterful" Headphone
The Sennheiser HD 800 has been cherished by music lovers throughout the world for its brilliant sound image and impressive spatiality. With the HD 800 S, Sennheiser presents a new version, which surpasses the highly praised listening experience of its predecessor.
"The HD 800 S adds musicality to the legendary precision of HD 800, strengthening its position as the world's finest dynamic headphone," reports Tyll Hertsens in his March 6, 2016 review for innerfidelity.com. "Well done, Sennheiser, a masterful tweaking of this great headphone!"
Gear Patrol "Best Expensive Headphones" Pick
The HD800 S was chosen by Gear Patrol in Ian White's "The Best Expensive Headphones That Are Actually Worth Buying" article, June 28, 2024.
"For many years, the original HD 800 sat on the iron throne in the world of headphones. They were revered for their reference-level neutrality and transparency. For some people, they were too much of a good thing; hence the interest in the warmer sounding planar magnetic headphones that ripped off its crown."
"The HD 800 S are a revised version of the over-the-ear open-back Teutonic classics with new driver technology, even better construction quality, and a much smoother presentation that is world class on many levels. The HD 800 S require a comparable headphone amplifier to justify their asking price, but get the combination right and these are sonic nirvana."
Proven Transducer Technology
The proven transducer technology and the innovative earcup design of the HD 800 are still being employed, while the sound image has once again been further optimized in the medium and low frequency range. Sennheiser has also enhanced the equipment level of the HD 800 S with the addition of a symmetrical XLR4 cable. The color was also slightly changed. The earcups of the new model are resplendent in a premium matte-black finish.
Enhancing Benchmark Sound Reproduction
Ever since its launch, the HD 800 has been a favorite among music lovers and audiophiles. Brilliant treble, precise bass reproduction, and a particularly clear sound image combined with a frequency response from 4 to 51,000 Hz are the outstanding qualities of the multi-award-winning HD 800.
With the HD 800 S, sound reproduction has been optimized even beyond the high benchmark set by the HD 800. This is made possible through the innovative absorber technology that was first introduced in the IE 800. This patented technology ensures that the so-called “masking effect” is neutralized.
Masking effect is an acoustic phenomenon that diminishes sound quality, arising as the human ear is unable to perceive higher-pitched sounds that have low volumes at the same time that significantly louder sounds in a lower frequency range occur. Through the application of the absorber technology, the energy of the resonances is absorbed, thus preventing unwanted peaks in the frequency response and ensuring that even the finest nuances in the music remain audible over the entire frequency range.
Impressive Sound Experience and Outstanding Technology
The improved audio quality of the HD 800 S is based on the high-end technology of its legendary predecessor. As before, the core of the new model is a unique transducer system, which, as in the HD 800, is the source and guarantee of an exceptionally detailed sound image. Measuring 2.2", it is the largest transducer currently to be found in a set of dynamic headphones. In spite of the size of the transducer, the patented diaphragm with its innovative ring design minimizes any distortion that might occur especially at higher frequencies – keeping total harmonic distortion to less than 0.02 percent.
Meticulous attention was also paid to the design of the earcups. These are designed in such a way that the sound waves are directed to the ear at a slight angle. This ensures a particularly natural and spatial sound perception.
In order to achieve even better audio quality in the reproduction of audio sources with a symmetrical output, such as the Sennheiser HDVD 800, the HD 800 S comes with a symmetrical XLR4 cable.
Luxury Materials for a Luxury Headphone
The HD 800 S uses only the highest quality materials. For example, the transducer is embedded in a specially manufactured stainless steel gauze. For the headband, Sennheiser has chosen a design consisting of several layers of sound-attenuating plastic and stainless steel, while the connector contacts are gold-plated to ensure optimum contact. The earcups are made of high-quality, high-attenuation plastic, which is used in aviation engineering as a substitute for metal.
