Sennheiser HD 820 Review | 93 Data compared

The Sennheiser HD 820 is a closed-back headphone designed to provide better sound isolation than its famous open-back predecessor, the HD 800 S, while maintaining a similar high-end industrial design featuring 56mm ring drivers and stainless steel components. However, the reviewer found its performance disappointing in comparison, noting a significant lack of vitality and "presence" across various musical genres. A major technical drawback is its extreme sensitivity to earpad sealing; users with glasses or thick hair may experience a dramatic loss of bass and lower-midrange output, potentially altering the tonal balance by up to 15dB. Pros and Cons Pros:Effective Isolation: Provides significant noise attenuation above 300Hz, making it suitable for blocking domestic environmental sounds. High-End Build: Features a premium design with transparent glass covers that allow a view of the internal drive units, and includes a deluxe wooden storage box. High Impedance Stability: At 300 Ohms, the frequency response remains largely unaffected by different source impedances. Cons:Bloated Bass: The reviewer criticized the shelved-up bass for being excessive and causing "bloat" in double bass and acoustic guitar recordings. Reduced Clarity: Compared...

In The Headphoneer’s review, the Sennheiser HD820 is highlighted as a visually stunning, premium closed-back headphone featuring deep-drawn Gorilla Glass and a lightweight 360-gram build that ensures top-notch long-term comfort. Performance-wise, the reviewer notes that it delivers exceptional bass extension that surpasses the HD800S, along with an impressive soundstage and pinpoint imaging that easily outperforms competitors like the Dan Clark Audio Ether Flow C. Furthermore, the harsh sibilance and piercing treble peaks that plagued previous models like the HD800 and HD700 have been effectively smoothed out, creating a highly detailed yet non-fatiguing top-end resolution. Despite these positive traits, the reviewer identifies several major flaws that prevent a recommendation at its high retail price of $2,126 USD. The most prominent acoustic drawback is a significant midrange dip starting at 150Hz, which awkwardly pulls vocals back into the mix and makes them sound unnatural when overrun by the music. Structurally, the ear pads fail to establish a proper seal near the temples due to a weak clamping force, turning the headphone into a "leak bucket" that offers poor passive noise isolation from...

The Headphonesty review characterizes the Sennheiser HD820 as a closed-back headphone with elite, class-leading technical performance, offering a remarkably wide soundstage, articulate treble, and superior comfort. While physically and technically impressive, the review notes significant drawbacks regarding a lack of cohesive, impactful bass and an uneven, "wonky" midrange that requires equalization to sound natural.

The RTINGS review of the Sennheiser HD 820 highlights these high-end, closed-back headphones for their premium build quality, using dense plastic and metal, and exceptional comfort during long listening sessions. They deliver a deep, well-balanced bass response that extends further into the sub-bass than their open-back counterpart, along with a mostly neutral treble and a generous selection of high-end, detachable cables included. However, the review points out several significant drawbacks, including high-frequency response inconsistency due to the massive ear cups struggling to form a reliable, airtight seal on all head shapes, which causes variable bass delivery. Additionally, the midrange tuning is uneven and somewhat boxy, and the closed-back design lacks the precise clarity, breathability, and immense, immersive soundstage of the HD 800 S. Finally, they offer disappointing noise isolation and leak too much sound for quiet or noisy office environments.

The Sennheiser HD 820 is recognized as a polarizing flagship closed-back headphone, praised for its exceptional comfort, lightweight design, and premium Gorilla Glass construction that offers a wide, open-back-like soundstage. When perfectly sealed and adjusted with EQ, the drivers provide high resolution and precise imaging, although the stock sound is considered deeply flawed. Cons include a divisive, unnatural sound signature characterized by an overpowering, loose bass and a hollow lower midrange, requiring heavy EQ to correct. Additionally, the low clamping force makes maintaining an adequate seal difficult, and users cite the high price point and cumbersome stock cables as major drawbacks. Read user experiences at Head-Fi.

The Sennheiser HD820 is presented as a flagship, closed-back headphone offering excellent dynamics, a silky midrange, and robust mid-bass, delivering a private yet epic listening experience. While initially criticized for a compressed "in-your-face" soundstage, the review notes these headphones are often misunderstood by users lacking proper equipment. The review highlights that the HD820's audio fidelity is heavily dependent on system optimization, as stock cables fail to adequately display its potential, leading to complaints about restricted staging. Ultimately, the reviewer concludes that the headphones require high-end amplification and after-market cable upgrades, such as the Moon Audio Black Dragon, to resolve these acoustic limitations and unlock their true performance.

The Sennheiser HD820 is a high-end, closed-back headphone ($1,699 RRP) that delivers a technically impressive performance but suffers from a highly polarizing, "wonky" stock tuning. Without equalization (EQ), the sound profile is heavily imbalanced, characterized by a bloated and overpowering bass boost that creates a congested low-end, alongside a "honky" and nasal midrange caused by a lack of lower-mids and lower treble. However, the headphones feature excellent build quality, outstanding ergonomic comfort at 360 grams, and strong passive isolation. Most notably, they inherit the large front volume construction of the open-back HD800, granting them an exceptionally wide, open, and expansive horizontal soundstage that easily outperforms average closed-back rivals. Ultimately, the reviewer notes that the HD820 is a niche product best reserved for users who are proficient with EQ to correct its flawed default tonal balance. On the positive side (pros), the treble is a major strength, remaining clear, smooth, and free of the sharp 6kHz peak found in its open-back sibling, while the overall technical resolution is easy to EQ and highly capable. Once EQ is applied—specifically by reducing the...

The Sennheiser HD 820 is a high-end, closed-back dynamic headphone that leverages a unique, concave Gorilla glass acoustic lens to redirect rear-driver sound waves into two absorber chambers, mimicking the airy performance of open-back models without the sound leakage. It features a large 56mm toroidal ring radiator diaphragm, a high 300-ohm impedance, a robust 360-gram build, and premium synthetic leather/microfiber earpads designed to provide a comfortable, long-lasting acoustic seal. On the positive side (pros), the HD 820 delivers an exceptionally wide, deep, and out-of-the-head soundstage that sets a new transparency standard for closed-back designs, while offering a warmer, more inviting tonal balance than its predecessor, the HD 800. It provides a punchy, highly linear bass response with zero midrange bleed, excellent micro-dynamic shading, a rich midrange, and a smooth treble that avoids harsh peakiness. However, the headphones exhibit several notable trade-offs and limitations (cons). In terms of frequency response, it adopts a less neutral "W" shape, which includes a distinct 300 Hz dip introduced by the engineers to mitigate internal enclosure resonances. While the low-end performance is highly textured and...

The October 22, 2019, review of the Sennheiser HD820 on hear.audio highlights the premium closed-back model for exceptional technical performance, including superb imaging, an expansive soundstage, and a balanced, transparent, and clear tonal profile. Key strengths noted include impressive bass extension, high-tier build quality, and versatile performance across various musical genres. Conversely, the review identifies significant drawbacks, particularly the high retail price and a heavy, twist-prone stock cable. Critically, the HD820 is noted for having poor acoustic isolation for a sealed design, resulting in significant ambient noise penetration and sound leakage.

The Sennheiser HD 820 is a large, comfortable, closed-back headphone weighing 409 grams that retails for $2,400, offering generous cup dimensions and angled drivers designed to optimize spatial properties. Objectively, its stock frequency response is highly uneven, characterized by a sharp bass dip around 60 Hz, a substantial low-midrange hump, and a significant broad notch between 3 and 5 kHz. While the 3 to 5 kHz region exhibits elevated distortion, the headphone generally maintains low distortion across the rest of the spectrum. However, its variable, high impedance and slightly below-average efficiency make it a poor match for typical smartphone outputs, requiring a high-voltage headphone amplifier to drive properly. On the positive side (pros), the headphone delivers deep sub-bass out of the box, provides decent passive isolation, and offers exceptional, expansive spatial effects that match the open-back HD 800(S). It tracks excellently in the critical 1 to 3 kHz range, and its subjective performance can be significantly improved with parametric equalization (PEQ), which makes the sound cleaner, more detailed, and more tonally correct. On the negative side (cons), the out-of-the-box frequency...

The Sennheiser HD 820 is an over-ear, closed-back dynamic audiophile headphone that stands out for its innovative design and exceptional build quality. Its most distinctive design pro is the eye-catching, concave glass panel on the earcups that redirects resonant frequencies into internal sound absorbers, delivering an industrial aesthetic alongside a highly functional, comfortable fit complete with large microfiber and leather-coated earpads. Performance pros include a superb, spacious soundstage with highly realistic depth and width, exceptionally airy and harmoniously rich high frequencies, and a punchy, neutral low-end that responds excellently to equalization. Additionally, it provides high versatility by including three premium, silver-clad detachable cables (6.3 mm, 4.4 mm Pentaconn, and XLR 4-Pin) right out of the box. On the downside, a notable sonic con is a distinct emphasis in the high-mid frequencies, which pulls vocals higher into the mix than usual and may throw off listeners looking for a perfectly natural, even vocal presentation. The sub-frequencies can also sound quiet in general unless given specific space within a music track. In terms of usability cons, the included premium cables are bulky,...