Sennheiser HD 800 S Reference Headphone System

HD 800 S — The audiophile headphones all others are measured against, our HD 800 S doesn’t just raise the ceiling for critical listening—it smashes right through it. Combining the care taken with a handcrafted instrument and the precision of modern manufacturing, the HD 800 S is assembled at our state-of-the-art facility in Germany so you can explore your entire music collection from the inside out.

The Exploration of Sound

The HD 800 S demonstrates over 75 years of audio expertise, redefining the critical listening experience. After launching its predecessor—the HD 800—we accepted a self-imposed challenge to completely disappear from the last link in the audio chain. Our goal was to provide acoustics so immersive that your awareness dissolves into the creator’s perspective. On their own, each component of the HD 800 S is world-class. The signature sound of the HD 800 S is possible not because of any one of them, but through the synergy of all of them. Let’s explore.

It Has a Ring to It

The heart of the HD 800 S and its striking sound is the 56mm Ring Radiator transducer. It leverages the key benefit of a large diaphragm transducer—air displacement—without losing the rigidity that favorably impacts rest and response times. Instead of a single attachment on the outer circumference of the transducer, both outer and inner edges of the “ring” are secured to the drive unit. The voice coil excites the diaphragm, connected to the v-shaped groove found near the center of the ring. A feat in itself, the voice coil is 40mm and wound in-house to ensure the shape and consistency is held to the highest standard.

Solid as a Rock

The headphones’ vibration damping chassis and inert headband insert provide complete stability—what you put into the HD 800 S is precisely what you will get out of it. Each transducer is manufactured, tested, and measured to the tightest tolerance to ensure the most dependable performance out of the box. Even the steel mesh found in the baffle is matched and integrated with consistency in mind, as it contributes to ultra-low variance in the management of travelling sound waves. Each HD 800 S includes the frequency response plot unique to those perfectly matched transducers, sparing no resource to help you retrieve the most critical details from every corner of your music collection.

All the World’s a Stage

The HD 800 S features a mesmerizing soundstage that seemingly transports the listener into the recording environment. This is no accident, and is the result of several key features. The drivers are mounted at a precise angle, guiding the sound directly to the listener’s ears at their natural inflection point. Instead of hearing a sound that forms between your ears, you experience a vivid wash of frequencies and sensory-stimulating transients. When finally combined, the vibration damping chassis, perfectly matched transducer systems and wide-open construction work in concert to provide the most striking soundstage yet. This orientation rivals or exceeds loudspeaker setups costing exponentially more—especially when room acoustics are factored in. The HD 800 S offers you a personal concert hall on-demand—without waking the neighbors.