To start, I'm listening mostly only to classical or pre-60's jazz or 1930's movie musical soundtracks -- classical from Europe, India, Japan, Javanese classical music -- analog, a music made only for the music. Orchestra, piano and string quartets. CD's of old discs and some new recordings -- Operas on DVD, for instance. No Vinyl and no tube electronics... just trying to find whatever sound is actually on the recording. No tone-control warm tubes or compressed and cross-channel talking LP's. No warp and woof.
I'm very pleased with these headphones. They really do bring out much more detail than I even knew was on the CD or DVD. I'm listening instead of tolerating -- now, the sounds of the instruments are sometimes more important than the melody ( Dvorak trios, for instance, which were quaint, now become interesting dialogs in sound.) I'd been direct wiring my 600's to my SACD 777es, with only a couple of potentiometers for attenuation, and thought I had a very clear and open sound. I did, but only for the top. These HD 800 headphones, plugged into a not totally clean head-jack amp on an Oppo 105,brought not only more bass information but also middle information, bringing strings into the sound-stage with a very, very, sweet sound... These are not at all harsh headphones. The harshness people are talking about is maybe from lamp-wire interconnects, or spice-girl flash mixes on their CD's... or, maybe even their night-light 4000 dollar tube amps -- caramel-sauce on vanilla -- re-shaping the source material to sound 'mellow'. We KNOW tubes -- we grew up with them in the 50's.
I had thought that my next purchase would be aftermarket cables to tame these headphones. In the back of my mind was the consciousness that Sennheiser probably wanted the phones to sound exactly as they are. Now, how could that be, that these were too harsh? -- a headphone for old men with no hearing left? A trick bright sound, like cheap ear-pods for cheap musics? I couldn't reconcile what people were saying about the 800's with my 600's -- the 600's have a not-bright sound. Now,after hearing the 800's on my own system, I think the only mod I'll do is to have XLR connects on the ends of the stock cable, just so that I can go directly from the Oppo's rear output and not its headphone jack. And, too, I had tried these at Echo Audio here in Portland, and they did sound somewhat harsh, on their utility-grade head-amp, but they were so superior sounding in clarity to anything else, and the 600's -- way above the 700's by the way, which sound, simply, moogy next to the 800's, and maybe good enough if your source is moogy.
It's moronic and somewhat crushing that it costs this much to get this 25 percent better sound from my system ( yes, 25 percent, or whatever... enough to enter the music that much more, and not just look at it through an expensive shop window... something you could imagine yourself listening to live, instead of, now, actually hearing the live recording session. ), but it does. And, really, it's like lenses on a camera, with the same kinds of goal: getting a more holographic image, with light or with sound is much the same. A good lens brings all the spectrum to the plane at the same time, and, therefore, with the same amount of light for each color. That means all are equal: no blur or color shift. A good Leica or Zeiss or Canon 'L' lens is very expensive. And, that's also what good electronics and cable do for us with sound: all the pitches arrive to the ear at once, with no pushing, no overloading from some capacitance shifting which causes the flute to be clear but the piano to sound like its middle-register is made of rubber bands.
Note, though, my limitations: I'm listening to these through an Oppo 105 DVD player. I have a Sony SACD 777es, but I have to cable it to a head amp. The Oppo has a shorter signal path, and maybe that makes the Oppo sound better than the Sony. It sounds so, but that's not necessarily the case. A better CD player with a better DAC may show things about the HD 800's I hadn't noticed: it may actually be that with the HD 800's some ranges are brighter than they should sound. These are pretty good machines, though, these Oppo's.
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From the manufacturer
Sennheiser is shaping the Future of Audio – a vision built on a 70-year history of innovation and a continued drive for excellence that is woven into our company’s DNA and culture. Around the world, our employees share this passion in the pursuit of the perfect sound, creating products that exceed expectations and set new benchmarks in audio.
Meet the Sennheiser HD 800
Sennheiser 800 Series headphones were created with a singular goal: The pursuit of perfect sound. The HD 800 redefines the audiophile listening experience. It’s capable of breaking down the barrier between audio recording and playback equipment connecting the listener directly to an artist’s original performance. In doing this, the power of emotion is delivered through music.
The patented Ring Radiator transducer is central to the HD 800’s exceptional performance. This innovative 56 millimeter diameter driver is one of the largest used in dynamic headphones. The 40 millimeter aluminum voice coil is driven by a 42 millimeter magnet structure. The transducers diaphragm has two contact points (instead of one used in traditional drivers), at the inside and outside of the ring. Greater surface area coupled with enhanced control of two contact points deliver truly exceptional performance.
- The open back design architecture contributes to exceptional clarity, detail and dynamics.
- Angling the transducers forward of the listener ears helps deliver a wide and open spatial presentation unlike any other headphone.
- Listening to the HD 800 is like being in studio with the performers.
Features
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Ergonomic Ear CupsInnovative, ergonomically designed ear cup frame is crafted of Leona, an ultra-lightweight, non-resonant material with titanium like strength. Stainless steel mesh protects the transducers. Both contribute to wearing comfort and acoustic performance. |
Damped HeadbandThe metal headband is 'sandwiched' between several layers of resonance dampening polymers to eliminate unwanted vibrations from being transmitted to the headphone mountings and ear cups. |
Luxurious Ear CushionsHigh quality, easy to maintain and durable microfiber ear pads provide extreme comfort ensuring hours of listening pleasure. |
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Ring Radiator TransducerThe patented 56 millimeter ring radiator transducers are the largest dynamic driver used in a headphone. It delivers rich, full sound and reduced distortion by effectively controlling the oscillating surface. |
Insulated CablesImpedance matched, low capacitance feature insulated twin-core connections on each ear cup are shielded against frequency disturbance caused by ambient noise. |
Made in GermanyManufactured in Germany using handcrafted, artisan assembly complimented by state of the art electronic production and testing equipment. |
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| Price | — | $1,370.00 |
| Frequency Response | 4 – 51,000 Hz (-10 dB) | 4 – 51,000 Hz (-10 dB) |
| Impedance | 300 Ohm | 300 Ohm |
| Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) | <0.02% (1 kHz, 100 dB) | <0.02% (1 kHz, 100 dB) |
| Sound Pressure Level (SPL) | 102 db (1 kHz, 1 Vrm) | 102 db (1 kHz, 1 Vrm) |
| Contact Pressure | ~ 3.4 N (± 0.3 N) | ~ 3.4 N (± 0.3 N) |
| Ear Coupling | Circumaural | Circumaural |
| Transducer Principle | Dynamic Open | Dynamic Open |
| Audio-XLR Connector | 6.3mm | 6.3mm and XLR4 |
| Cable Length | 3m | 3m |
| Weight w/o Cable | 11.6 oz. (330 g) | 11.6 oz. (330 g) |
Reviews with images
Best Headphones I have ever owned
I started on headphones back in 1971 with a pair of Koss pro4AA that were built like a tank heavy and looked like Jet pilot phones but boy did they sound great blew me away. Over the years I got a way from headphones until around 2004 when I could afford better ones. After trying many including Bose, Koss, Pioneer Beats and even Sennheiser but nothing came close to those old pro4AA so I finally bit on the reviews and bought these HD800 and WOW these phones are absolutely the finest - I hear subtle sounds in all types of music I never heard before. I use my Mac Pro to play iTunes collection so the only thing lacking was being able to pump up the volume so I got a headphone amp and now I am BLOWN AWAY AGAIN!after using them for over ten years they still sound like new but for one thing which Sennheiser seems to falter on in the past - the cabling which went bad on my old HD650s and had to be replaced - now I am buying a Sennheiser replacement cord because the rubber jacket is splitting open (see picture) But after 10 years I'm ok with it even though I had to put out more than many headphones cost to get a new one - over $200 - which I did because I wanted the genuine Sennheiser cable since these things do have impedance matching.
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
Some thoughts...based on questions asked
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2018