Sennheiser HD 800 S Over-the-Ear Audiophile Reference Headphones - Ring Radiator Drivers With Open-Back Earcups, Includes Balanced Cable, 2-Year Warranty (Black)

These headphones are precision machines created to enable hearing exactly what is in a recording. They are Zeiss cinema lenses for audio: Smooth, precise, effortless, free of distortion...they make phenomenal recordings/productions shine like you are in the studio listening to master tapes through the board, and they expose any and all defects in a mix/recording (or repro signal chain). Owning them is a real treat. IMO, they greatly benefit from using inline EQ (preferably 10 band or more), because they instantly expose the vast differences between the eq curves used by producers on recordings (not to mention digital quality/sampling/bit rates, mastering compression modes, microphone/room choice...). Since purchasing these, I have been making and saving custom 10 band eq curves via VLC for specific favorite albums to bring out the best in recordings for MY ears which, at 60 years of age, are still excellent but certainly do not have a "flat" response. Some recordings sound great "flat" but most are engineered to compensate for terrible car/home audio systems, or were mangled in the analog to digital mastering process during the early CD era...so these re-EQs can make a MASSIVE difference. The HD 800s headphones are made by the venerable Sennheiser corp, but could easily be a pro-NAGRA product - Swiss/German absolute precision. They are open backed, which I favor b/c they breathe and do not cut the listener off from the ambient environment...VERY comfortable for long listening sessions. I am currently running them via a simple inexpensive chain: Apple Mac playing back a variety of audio formats via the VLC player/EQ, into a Dragonfly Cobalt DAC, into an Apos Duoo TA-66 tube headphone amp...only $500 or so of equipment, but phenomenal quality**. The TA-66 puts out 200mw into 300 Ohms (the impedance of the HD 800s), and with the Mac volume setting at unity, and the TA-66 at 50% (12 o'clock), I am at/beyond my tolerance for loudness (suspect this is producing spl of ~ 95db peaks at my ears). So plenty of power. At this power level there is zero noise, zero clipping/artifacting, unbelievably precise dynamics (the speed with which these headphones can transition from max loudness to absolute silence or visa versa is hard to describe), a massive soundstage, complete transparency of human vocals and all musical instruments (from softest violins, to ridiculously saturated heavy metal guitars/drums such as in Rammstein's Deutschland). Santana's Europa from an old low-rez ripped CD file of the Moonflower album brought tears to my eyes...I could "see" Carlos' fingers moving to every fret/bend, hear every nuance of his pick interacting with the strings, all while the synth strings and drums surrounded him in massive perfectly detailed layers - the mental impression/vision was that I was Carlos looking down at my hands on the guitar and the band was behind, left and right of me -a pretty unique, nearly psychedelic "staging" compared to the thousands of other times I've listened to this recording on vinyl/cd. There is no doubt owning this set of headphones will make one want to upgrade ALL favorite recordings to lossless/remastered 24/96 (minimum) versions as they become available. In conclusion, these are headphones...they DO NOT reproduce the experience of incredible speakers moving huge amounts of air in a large well tuned listening room, but for close listening of audio recordings they are truly wonderful, emotionally engaging, reference instruments in the very top strata of headphone products... There may be "different" and there are certainly more expensive, but to say "better" requires personal/subjective interpretation of extraordinarily marginal diminishing returns. ** For reference, I'm a vintage Marantz tube preamp/amp owner (who has also owned a large list of other top tier tube and solid state signal chain components - Conrad Johnson, HK, Bryston, Crown, Macintosh, Audio Research...) who is used to driving LARGE speakers from the likes of B&W, JBL, Klipsch in large well proportioned listening rooms. As a musician who plays piano, guitars, drums/percussion, synths, etc., and has performed in live environments with orchestras, small ensembles, rock/fusion bands, jazz big bands) I know from experience what real instruments sound/feel like in all sorts of audio environments good/bad/ugly...

There's a distinct law of diminishing returns when it comes to high-end audio gear. I suppose that can be said for any kind of product but weighing the pros and cons and determining the "value" of a headphone like this is purely up to the beholder since sound is so subjective and people hear things differently. I work in the musical instruments (high-end electric guitars) and music (artist/band management) industry so I'm around high-end gear and people who take sound very seriously all the time. When it comes to sound people can be very opinionated and one cannot prove or dispute that one piece of high-end gear is better or worse than the other at relatively similar price points. And as we get to higher and higher price points, we are sure to find more and more people arguing about the justification of such prices. Some new custom electric guitars can cost $5000 and up. Does that make a custom guitar from company "A" twice as good as a custom guitar from company "B" that's priced at $2500? Of course not. This also applies to amplifiers, speaker cabinets, effects pedals, cables and everything else involved in producing a good sound. Ultimately, all that matters is that the gear you choose works for you. Obviously, this applies to audiophile gear as well. I've had some good headphones from the likes of AKG, Grado and Sennheiser and I've noticed that all manufacturers have their distinctive sonic stamp. For me, the Sennheiser's character seemed to suit me best as I highly value clarity, balance and prefer "brilliance" over "mellow" and "warmth". Again, it's personal taste and I perfectly understand why some people would prefer more bass or mellowness. I, for one, do not like bass to be emphasized at all and despise boomy bass that overwhelms all the other frequency ranges. So I decided that I could afford to splurge on the one "ultimate" (for me, anyway) over-ears open-back headphone that I've always wanted. After going over various options, I settled on the HD800S and I can honestly say that I'm very pleased with what I'm hearing. I use it with Chord Electronics' Hugo and Mojo DAC/headphone amps and they match up perfectly. I only play ALAC, high-res FLAC and DSD files to listen to my favorite music with a heavy emphasis on classical music and jazz. For rock, metal and modern pop, ALAC in my iTunes library is fine but for classical and jazz that have much greater dynamic range I definitely prefer high-res FLAC and DSD. The soundstage of the HD 800S is superb - extremely broad but also with detailed depth that I have not heard from my previous headphones. There is a three-dimensional quality in where the instruments are placed in the stereo spectrum - not only left to right but front to back. It's by far the largest soundstage I've heard from a headphone but it should be noted that high-res FLAC and DSD files along with a superb DAC like the Chord Hugo have a lot to with that as well. To get the most out of a headphone like the HD800S, you do need other critical components to work in conjunction with it. As for the overall sound quality, it is what I expected out of Sennheiser - bright and super clear but not strident, firm and defined lows, rich mids that are beautifully balanced but with a tad bit more emphasis on the high-mids. I can understand why some would consider this kind of "voicing" to be too bright and prefer something more mellower and warmer but, as I said before, everyone hears things differently. I love the clarity and the definition of the HD800S but also the smoothness of the highs. I haven't heard the 800 but I can say the 800S' highs are silky smooth - especially the string sections of an orchestra which, to me, is the benchmark to check during listening tests. The lows are big and firm but play more of a "supporting" role to everything else than being out at the front which is, again, exactly the way I like to hear things. Listening to some techno-electronica kinds of stuff, the bass has more than enough punch with plenty of definition along with a nice smooth balance amongst the bass frequencies. The truly beautiful thing about the HD 800S sound is its smoothness across the entire sonic spectrum without any noticeable peaks and valleys. It's not just a matter of balance but a very musical "sheen" around the edges. The all-critical mids where the ears naturally tune into is rich but super clear with excellent separation between instruments (including voice) across the stereo field. Whether it's Beethoven's 'Eroica' symphony or Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue' or The Rolling Stones' 'Let It Bleed', I'm hearing details that I've never heard before in all their sonic glory and every one of those little details sounds sublime. Yes, the HD 800S is certainly an expensive piece of gear but if music and sound quality matter that much to you, it's worth a shot. I certainly didn't expect a $1600 headphone to sound "three times" better than a $500 headphone (and I've had a few in that range). Anyone who expects that doesn't understand the law of diminishing returns when it comes to high-end gear. But in the end, if that last 5~10% in greater clarity, depth and detail can be experienced over the previous headphone and greatly increases your overall enjoyment of the music, then it becomes worth every extra dollar and penny. It's easy to feel a sense of "buyer's remorse" after purchasing a headphone like this. Expectations can be too high. I had very realistic expectations and in which areas I expected to hear improvements. In those areas, the HD 800S actually exceeded all my expectations and sounds even better than I thought it would. And, as expected, the sound keeps improving as I'm only now reaching the 100th hour with it. It's a great audio device - one of the best I've ever owned and heard. The industrial design and the workmanship are about as good as they get but, ultimately, it's the sound and the HD 800S really delivers like none that I had ever heard. Addendum: I believe my HD 800S now has surpassed the 150-hour mark. It really does sound so much better than the first few hours. The bit of stiffness I heard around the edges of the notes is now gone. I can sense more "elasticity" in the way the different frequencies and instruments interact with each other. The highs sound smoother, the lows have more bounce and the mids sound richer with even greater detail. The first 100~120 hours really do make a big difference. It just keeps sounding better and better and that's a mighty good thing.

I own Senn HD650 and the Audeze MX-4 together with some other common headphones in the mixing and mastering world of music. The MX-4 got bored after a while to me, while the HD650 is unbeatable. (If you have read to this point, you would easily know that I’m a musician, not a gamer, and I use these headphones for mixing and mastering music. Thus, I have NO idea how these cans work with XBox or Playstation. My review is for those who work with music. My apology, gamers). So, should I buy the HD800s? Is it a good upgrade from the HD650? Is it worth the price tag? Short answer: I fell in love with the HD800s right away. - Build quality: It’s German quality, so you can rest assure it will last long with you. These are also huge cans. They almost cover all of the sides of my face. - Design: It’s open-back, so your ears do not get hot after wearing these for some time. - Sound: My point of comparison is the HD650. These cans sound brighter, crispier, and clearer than the HD650 in the mid frequencies, but they do not make my ears fatigue. Since the HD650 sounds warmer, I have the feeling that the HD800s sounds thinner. But that’s my feeling. Different ears may feel different. The only cons that I have against the HD800s is the lack of bass. If you like bass, these cans may not make you happy. Now, what I said above is filtered by the EQ correction that I applied to the headphones. In the photos that I attached with this review, you’ll see the EQ curve for frequencies corrections of the HD800s. With this EQ curve, the headphones become completely flat and very suitable for mixing and mastering. So, people without this EQ correction will hear differently from these headphones. I found this EQ correction online and it is called Oratory 1990 EQ Correction. RME Audio uses these EQ curves to correct headphones that connect to their ADI-2 audio converters. I use Fabfilter Pro Q3 for this correction to the headphones I use for mixing and mastering and it works well for my purpose. I don’t have RME ADI-2 converter, though. In conclusion, is it a good upgrade? It is absolutely yes. Is it worth the money? Well, I would not pay the original price for these headphones. I got them during the sales, so it’s worth it. Will I buy it again? Yes I surely will. Should you buy it? If you mix and master using headphones, you should buy them. You won’t regret. That’s all I have to say. Thanks for reading my review.

Incredibly clear, accurate, and comfortable. These things hit everything I could ask for in a pair of headphones. I'm not really an audiophile. I work at the computer all day long, and I'm a gamer in the evenings, so I've been working to upgrade my home work area to be somewhere I can be truly comfortable. I drive these with a Schiit Modi 2 and Schiit Asgard 2, which will get an upgrade as I have the funds. I hear things in my music I've never heard before. Positional instruments, every string picked or strummed, crystal clear vocals - just more getting through and it all sounds absolutely amazing. I use these headphones some days 12 hours at a time between work and gaming after work. I got a Blue Snowball condenser microphone, and the combo of these headphones and the new mic work for all my WebEx's and gaming after work. My wife was skeptical on my spending this much on a set of headphones - mostly that headphones couldn't be worth that kind of cost. After I got them, it took me a week to convince her to come down to the office and try them out. After listening to a couple of her favorites by Josh Groban and Pentatonix, she was literally brought to tears. I might now have an ally in this fairly expensive hobby. I read about 25 reviews by various audiophile professional reviewers on both the previous version (HD 800) and these (HD 800S) when considering which headphones to buy. After owning and listening to these, I now have a real concept of 'sound stage' and 'technical accuracy', even though prior to owning these they didn't mean much to me based on my experience with Bose QC25s. All I can say is, they are worth every penny. If you can, get a pair. Update: Figured I'd update this review as I was on answering a recently asked question about them and I'm currently wearing them. I've been using these for almost 2 years now - every single day - multiple hours a day. The build quality is amazing. They're as sturdy as they day I bought them - not a single part is showing wear. The pads are even still perfect somehow, other than cleaning them, I haven't had to replace them. My 1 year old and 3 year old have knocked them off my work area, I've dropped them accidentally a few times, sat on them once - these things still sound amazing and look great. I love them for music listening, movie watching, gaming (add a snowball microphone), and audio books. If you're on your computer a good deal for work or if you're a serious audiophile, you will get your money out of these.

This is the most painful thing I've ever put on my head, I am sure there are plenty of people that find these insanely comfortable, but OMFG the cups are so large it pinches beneath my ear at the jawline. It's bad, very very very bad (for me). Sorry Sennheiser. :-(

I purchased these headphones just a few weeks ago, just as a test to see for myself if $1,800 of headphones could really be worth the price, and i can confidently say that i am not sure i've ever been happier with a purchase in my life. Now i'm not some sound engineer who has been working with headphones all my life and is here to tell you the indepth technical specs of these headphones, there are other reviews that do that much better than i could. This is simply my personal opinion as a consumer who enjoys a high quality sound. From the second you open the box you can tell these headphones are something special, with the solid hindged box, nestling these headphones in a silk holder, to just the polished sturdy look of the headphones themselves. They are unbelievably light, with cushions that are not overly large but still very comfortable, making it easy to forget that i'm even wearing them. Now, knowing that these headphones would require a little extra power i went ahead and order a DAC to pair with them, and would highly recommend doing the same, but even going through a four dollar adapter and plugged into my phone these headphones still provided a better sound then anything i have owned before. As someone who has a broad taste in music, and enjoys some online gaming in my spare time, these headphones appealed to me because of how versatile their range and tone are. These headphones are open-backed, something you should look into before considering these headphones as it could change your mind entirely, basically this allows for the headphones to deliver a much wider sound stage. I kinda like to explain this as "it's like having the worlds best home speaker an inch for your ear." but that doesn't truly do these justice. The open back makes you feel as if you're actually in the same room as the people playing the music, it's hard to describe and understand until you've felt it yourself, and after a few days adjusting to how it feels, i can't say i'll ever miss closed back headphones. That being said the main draw back to open-backed headphones is that they don't stop noise, from coming in or going out. As someone who uses these alone in a quiet studio or room this doesn't bother me, but if you're in a place where you don't want other people heading your music, or don't want to hear other people, then you might want to rethink these headphones. Most people say that headphones in this price range are all about opinion and music taste, and i would agree with that completely, but as someone who listens to almost any type of music, i've come to really appreciate the HD 800 S's range and sound quality. I like to make a little bet with my friends when they come over by telling them to pick their favorite song and see if they can hear something they've never heard before, and every time they have. These headphones are perfect for instrumental music, such as jazz or classical music. They easily balance a whole band allowing you to hear not just every note the melody plays, but every not from the counter-melody, harmony, bass line, you name it. That being said, listening to things like the Hamilton Soundtrack where you would want the voices to shine out give you just that. They are a bit bass light, but they still pack enough of a punch to give me chills on a good bass drop. The HD 800 S also excel in online gaming. The open sound stage and lightness of the headphones makes for a completely immersive feeling that no close back gaming headset could ever replicate. It feels as though you could find something in the game after closing your eyes with how accurate the sound is. Over all the HD 800 S perfectly fit my musical and gaming needs all while providing a sleek comfortable feel, giving me something that i look forward to putting on at the end of the day.

I've purchased two pairs of these. I bought a pair of these for my older brother as a present for a milestone birthday, and then splurged and got myself a pair a few months later around Christmas after listening to him rave about them throughout 2016. My brother would give these 10 stars, and while I think that they are very good headphones, I'm not convinced that they're worth the price tag. My brother is, but he got them for free. :D My impressions of their sound are those of a 44-year-old that has listened to headphones since I was a kid, but I'm not a professional reviewer. I'd like to give you my brother's impressions first, then give you mine, so you get the opinion of two people with different prior experiences with headphones. Before that, though, a brief discussion of headphone amp impedance that I think might help you either before and/or after you get these (if you decide to). (*) Headphone Amp Impedance. In general, you want the impedance of your headphone amp (either a dedicated amp, AV receiver, smart phone, or whatever) to be quite a bit smaller than that of your headphones (some say 1/8 the impedance). This value is rarely specified except for on dedicated headphone amps. Usually items like smart phones are designed for ear buds/headphones with low impedance, so they have a low output impedance. AV receivers, on the other hand, seem to be have higher output impedance. I mention this because these headphones have a pretty high impedance at 300 Ohms, so they'll sound good on many sources if the source has enough power to drive them. Other headphones, like my pair of HD 598's with an impedance of 50 Ohms, sound great on low impedance sources but sound very muddy and plain horrible on my Pioneer Elite receiver. On my amps with lower impedance, my 800 S sound better but not "oh my goodness" better than my 598's. On my Pioneer Elite, it's night and day in that the 800 S are so (soooo) much better - but not because the 800 S sound that much better than they do on the other amps, but because the 598's sound so much worse than normal on that receiver. So...if you're unsatisfied with your current headphones, perhaps try them with a lower impedance source and see if they sound better to you. (*) Some background: my brother has owned a pair of HD 600's for several years and loves them. On Black Friday in 2015, we both bought a pair of HD 598's from Amazon, and that was my first pair of "real" Sennheiser headphones. I love them. I think the 598's are super comfortable and have a wonderful sound to them. Wanting a pair for work that wouldn't let so much sound out through the open ear design, I bought a pair of HD 598 Cs on Black Friday 2016 (as did my brother for the same reason). I don't like those as well as the 598's, but they're still good headphones. We both also have experience with other headphones in the $100+ price range, including Audio Technica and others, as well as many less expensive headphones. Enter the 800 S. After my brother told me that he was putting his beloved 600's into storage because they were getting so worn, I decided that I wanted to get him a new pair for his birthday. I thought perhaps a pair of HD 700's instead, but reviews made me think that they weren't worth the extra cost. Then I saw these...and I just knew he'd love them. And he does. My goodness, he does. (*) MY BROTHER'S IMPRESSIONS: 10 Stars One of the first words that he used to describe these was "sublime." He just kept using that word. He'll sit for hours just listening to music on them. When I had asked him how the 598's compare to the 600's, he said the 598's were about 98% as good...not quite as good, but very close. When I asked him how the 600's compare to the 800 S, he said that there was no comparison. The 800 S are just so much better. He jokingly complained that I cost him more money because he subscribed to Tidal in order to get higher quality music because his other digital music no longer sounded good. These made him notice poorly recorded or compressed music that the other headphones didn't. To reiterate, though...he absolutely loves these. However, he'd definitely tell you (and he told me before I ordered my set) that these certainly aren't 17 times as good as the 598's (they cost 17 times as much when I got them). He just thinks that they're worth the extra money. (*) MY IMPRESSIONS: Good comfort and performance...still deciding on value You just read a short paragraph on my brother's thoughts, but I heard for months about how amazing these are. I finally broke down around Christmas and bought myself a pair. Now, I admit that my expectations were super high after listening to my brother (even with him trying to temper those expectations), so my first impressions were based on anticipating hearing a choir of angels when I put these on. I did not. Yeah, they sounded good, but I admit that my first impressions of the 598's were a bigger improvement over my other headphones than I thought these were over the 598's. Outside of those initial impressions, I have some lingering reasons for not giving these five stars. One big one is that (and this seems bizarre to me because I can't remember any other headphone doing this), for whatever reason, sometimes my ears start to feel quite warm when I'm listening to these. It's not from them physically covering my ears, because I can wear them while they're off and not experience that. Something in the frequency response seems to be causing it, and it's not very comfortable. I wonder if the uncomfortable "warmth" that I feel is due to the second harmonic distortion that Sennheiser added to lower frequencies on the 800 S (which you may have already read about if you're shopping for headphones this pricey - if you haven't, you can find professional reviews on these that discuss it). I do think that the fit and physical comfort of these is very good. I thought that the 598's were comfortable, but these are at a different level. It's not that they have superior padding, but rather that they seem to put less pressure on the sides of my head. Outside of that odd "warm ear" sensation, the sound quality of these is top notch. While an open ear design tends to have less bass response, I think that these have plenty. Far more than I expected, to be honest, when these are paired with certain amps of mine. I personally prefer the sound of these when connected to a USB-powered DAC/amp of mine because the mids and highs are crystal clear, and the lower amount of bass is more enjoyable to me - perhaps because of lower second harmonic distortion, but I don't know for sure. (*) Amps Neither one of us has "high end" headphone amps. My brother uses a Marantz NR1504 receiver that I gave him, and he thinks it's a wonderful pairing with the 800 S. He has also used these and his other headphones with his smart phones, as well as at least one portable headphone amp (and probably other amps that he didn't mention). I've used these with my Pioneer Elite receiver, as well as a Marantz NR1604 (based on my brother's good experience with his Marantz), a Focusrite Clarett 2Pre, a Focusrite Scarlett Solo, and a Monoprice 111567 headphone amp. I think that they all sound good with these, and the Scarlett Solo is the USB-powered amp that I mentioned above that I find more comfortable to listen to. I've contemplated getting a more expensive headphone DAC/amp to try with these, but I haven't found one yet that is universally praised (including Sennheiser's own HDVD800, which seems to be a great amp for these but with a so-so DAC). (*) Conclusion I do like these, but they are one of the rare purchases that I partially regret having made. It's not just the cost of them, but that's part of it. I'm just not convinced that I'm going to ever really love these, whereas I never once regretted getting the 598's. These get praised by many people on the internet, and my brother absolutely loves them. Had I only heard my 598's on my receiver and then gotten these, I'd be singing their praises, too. However, having heard the 598's and these on amps that (I think) allow them both to sound good, these weren't such a big jump over the 598's. I am keeping an open mind that I just haven't heard these on a truly worthy headphone amp, though, so someday I might come back and update this.

These headphones are a gift from Sennheiser to the world. I hesitated for a while before getting these headphones, but I am certainly not disappointed. The audio quality of these headphones is something like I've never experienced. I'm used to using headphones that come with devices, or getting some random mid grade ones, or the Bose SoundSport In-Ear headphones, but these are just a gem. The Sennheiser HD 800 S headphones don't give the feedback from the cord getting moved, or knocked around like some headphones. They sit comfortably on my head. But most importantly... they produce fantastic, quality sound. I'm using these headphones for several reasons: audiobook creation, karaoke track laying on Smule, and general entertainment listening (movies, gaming, and music listening) purposes. The Sennheiser HD 800 S headphones elevate every experience I have had while sitting, and listening. Unfortunately, the 10 foot cable is far too long for what I'm doing with it, and I have to find a place to keep the excess. Shorter replacements are about $100-200. Keep in mind the replacement for an original cable is about $230 (Prices as of 15 Oct 2021). Also, the cable is made with a fabric exterior, and picks up dust and dirt easily. If using these headphones for a long time, your head/ears might get warm because they hold a decent amount of heat. I find I'm pulling them off of my ears to cool off after a while, so you might want to use these in a cool place. The good thing about the long wear is that the physical comfort (feel/squeeze/weight), for me, doesn't affect my comfort in the use of these headphones. I'm able to go multiple hours comfortably wearing these headphones if the room is cool. I would, personally, like a smaller box for traveling because the box these headphones comes with is massive, and heavy (though it is really nice). With me traveling, I transferred the headphones to a bag, and hoped nothing bad would happen to these beauties. The flaws are very minimal compared to the listening pleasure the Sennheiser HD 800 S headphones give me. I like that I can hear things around me while I have the headphones on. They don't block a lot of sound like other headphones do. These headphones are meant to be hooked up to a high powered system, so if you want more from small devices like laptops, phones or anything, I recommend getting an preamp such as the iRig Pre HD to boost power. When I do this, and have the volume on full blast, the audio is still pure and clear. I highly recommend the Sennheiser HD 800 S headphones to anyone who is looking for a serious set of headphones for their listening needs, but not for active lifestyle uses. I suggest you keep these headphones indoors, perhaps only in one room.