As the name implies, these are a development of the highly rated HD800 headphones we reviewed back in 2009. The ‘S’ version doesn’t replace the originals, sitting above them in price instead. Sennheiser is very proud of this new design judging by the magnitude of the bluster in the press release.
The word ‘perfection’ gets mentioned, which always worries us. It overstates things somewhat – but that doesn’t mean these are any less than terrific.
Read more at https://www.whathifi.com/sennheiser/hd800s/review#PQMGQhfeBv6EOtxR.99
The striking industrial design combines form and function seamlessly, the layered metal and plastic headband construction attenuating vibrations to the earcups while the handmade microfiber earpads offer exceptional comfort for even long periods of listening enjoyment.
Crafted for perfection, the HD 800 and the HD 800 S are precision-built in Germany from only the finest materials and components. The transducer is encased by stainless steel, while the headband and headphone mounting utilises the most advanced materials developed in the aerospace industry for high strength with minimal weight.
The new HD 800 S offers even better high precision connectivity options and is now supplied with two connection leads, a 6.3mm connector and a pentacon 4mm cable to offer even better quality sound from sources with balanced outputs such as the Sennheiser HDVD 800 headphones amplifier.
Absorber technology of the HD 800 S
The enhanced sound reproduction of the HD 800 S is achieved through the addition of the innovative absorber technology that was pioneered in the Sennheiser IE 800 – a breakthrough that preserved the audibility of very high frequency sounds by eliminating a phenomenon known as the “masking effect”, where the human hear struggles to hear frequencies of sound when lower frequencies of a higher volume occur at the same time. By absorbing the energy of the resonance, Sennheiser’s patented absorber technology prevents any unwanted peaks and allows all frequency components – even the finest nuances – in the music material to become audible. This innovation was a key element in making the IE 800 the world’s best sounding in ear headphone, and in the HD 800 S it helps to bring even greater purity and precision.
Such enhancements build on the formidable achievements of the classic, with the 56mm sound transducer – the largest ever used in dynamic headphones. The unique ear cup design directs sound waves to the ear at a slight angle to create an impressively natural and spatial listening experience.
While much appears the same, the enhanced performance within is revealed by a distinctive new look, with the silver finish of the 2009 classic HD 800 making way for high-class matt black for the HD 800 S.
Features
- Further optimised reference class in wired headphones
- Open, circum-aural dynamic stereo headphones
- Enhanced sound reproduction achieved through absorber technology
- Additional cable with 4.4mm Pentaconn connectors
- High-class matt black metal parts
- Natural hearing experience – realistic and natural sound field with minimal resonance
- Biggest transducers ever used in headphones including new innovative dynamic transducer design
- Uncovered earcups for enhanced acoustics
- Handcrafted ear pads, made of high-quality microfiber fabric
- Metal headband with an inner damping element
- Specially tuned balanced, impedance matching cable with low capacitance
- Special high precision headphone connectors
Impedance 300 Ω
Frequency response 4 – 51,000 Hz (-10 dB)
THD, total harmonic distortion 0.02 % (1 kHz 1 Vrms)
Jack plug 6.3mm/ Balanced 4.4,Cable length 3m
Transducer principle Dynamic Open
Weight w/o cable 330 g
Audio-XLR connector XLR4
