Selection Guide

How would you describe sonic perfection? How do we talk about something that disappears and evaporates? Neutral? Transparent? Just you and the night and the music? We listened agape ... astonished ... enthralled. Simply put, these are easily amongst the "best" audio-engineered, most precisely neutral and the most analytically responsive pair of headphones we've encountered during our 20+ years in the industry. Every hard-core audiophile, music lover or audio professional should hear a pair when possible. It's a truly kingly piece of ultra high-end audio art.

Wrap your head within the Sennheiser HD800 and the first thing you'll notice is the truly extraordinary transient response. The natural snap of the leading timbral edge of pianos, strings and voices is beautifully coherent without being overly sharp or bright. Within each vibraphone strike one hears both the instantaneously loud bell-like tone and the textured 'ting' of wood mallets striking metal tines. Trumpets and trombones cease to blare and become the the vibrant urging of tightly pressed fleshy lips. What was a crashing wash of cymbals and sodden drums now become authoritative musical instruments each with a clearly distinct timbre, tonal weight and musical body of its own. The previously bland notes from an upright bass or hand-bongo transform into audible fingerprints on gut and skin. What can we say, the HD800 is one of the most seamless, musically articulate, and accurately extended headphones we've experienced to date.

So, how did the poindexters at Sennheiser-Germany do it? At the heart of the HD800 is a patented ring radiating transducer whose special property is that it can radiate a very large -- and a very coherent -- audio wavefront. Sennheiser has placed these huge 55mm dynamic drivers slightly in front of, and pointing slightly rearward at the ear so as to mimic the more planar wavefront the ear hears in normal spatial (speaker) listening. This unique ring radiator has been specifically audio-engineered to be both extremely large and extremely fast to start/stop, thus allowing uber-clear highs without measurable cone diaphragm break-up yet with a very naturally responsive low-end and unmatched ability to move lots of acoustic "air" quickly. As much or more than any headphone we've heard before, the Sennheiser HD800 produces an exquisitely organic, vastly deep, and perfectly stable headphone soundstage image.

The luxuriant sumptousness doesn't just stop with the audio drivers either. Specially built ultra-high rigidity plastics, stainless steel mesh ear cup grilles, metal aluminum sandwich headband construction, and ergonomically correct, comfortable Leona earpads provide a beautifully engineered acoustic system along with a display-worthy 'high end' look and feel. A surprisingly excellent cable also comes with the HD800 headphone and it's easily user-detachable at the earcups via custom pin connectors. The cord extends about 9.5ft and terminates to an extremely beefy 1/4" inch headphone stereo plug. Each and every HD800 headphone is precisely hand-assembled and individually serial numbered at Sennheiser's factory headquarters in Bavaria Germany.

HD800's with HeadRoom Balanced Termination:

If you're looking for a balanced/XLR Sennheiser HD800 headphones for use with your favorite balanced headphone amp, HeadRoom has got you covered with our in-house HD800 balanced recabling job performed by our highly experienced headphone cable service experts. Check it out:

 Balanced Sennheiser HD800 Headphones.

Love Them
Posted by JefferyK from San Francisco on 2012-02-02

Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Terrific sound, comfortable
Cons: Tricky fit

I drive these with a balanced HeadRoom amp -- built-in DAC, stepped attenuator, Astrodyne power supply -- and I absolutely love how they sound. I primarily listen to stereo opera recordings from the 1950s and 1960s, and many of them sound live. To me, the biggest differences between balanced and unbalanced are (1) no hole in the middle; (2) tighter, deeper bass; and (3) less fatigue.

People have complained that wearing these is uncomfortable. I had some trouble with the headband hurting the top of my head until I realized that I wasn't wearing the headphones properly -- you need to turn them forward to move headband further toward the front of your head. Not only did the pain go away, but the sound became more focused.

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Well...
Posted by WWW from San Francisco, CA on 2012-02-01

Recommend Product: No
Pros: Nice detail
Cons: Harsh, hard treble

I heard these headphones at the HeadRoom table at the T.H.E. Show 2012 (a superb display - well done!). I compared the HD800 to the LCD-2, LCD-3 and HE-500. Athough the finish, ergonomics and sound detail was superb, I found the treble to be far too hot and ultimately did not select them. These will require a tone control for extended listening - if the treble is reduced, or a warm tube amp is used, they will likely sound quite nice. To each their own, but as a result they were third on my list.

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AMAZING. But, uncomfortable.
Posted by Mitch from Seattle on 2011-12-16

Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: *INCREDIBLE* sound stage, clarity, accuracy.
Cons: Terribly uncomfortable, and scratch easily

This is just a quick and dirty review, but I purchased these headphones and run them with a BUDA and UDAC. The combination was unparalleled. I recommend them, even at their insane price. They're the only headphones I've used that cost over $1,000, so I can't give you any relative comparisons within the price range. However, I can tell you that of all the headphones I've heard for under $1,000, the HD800s blow them out of the water. Specifically, the clarity, accuracy, and *RIDICULOUS* sound stage stand out. It's amazing.

The significant downside is that these are terribly uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. They're probably some of the least comfortable expensive pair of headphones that I've ever worn. They feel awkward and heavy when you wear them.

Another minor downside is that they seem to scratch easily -- though since most people will take impeccable care of a $1,500 set of cans, this probably isn't too concerning.

But, seriously, if you want some of the best sounding headphones on the planet, look no further.

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