Sennheiser HD800 S Review | 93 Data compared

The Audiomatome review praises the Sennheiser HD800S as an exceptional audio system, highlighting its unparalleled, massive, and holographic soundstage for immense immersion. Key pros include the lightweight (330g) design with comfortable D-shaped earcups, combined with excellent micro-detail retrieval, natural vocals, and fast, precise instrument separation. Conversely, the review notes significant cons, specifically a lean sub-bass extension lacking punch for modern genres and a 5–6 kHz resonance peak that can sound overly bright or harsh without EQ. Furthermore, the open-back design offers no sound isolation, making them unsuitable for noisy environments, and the 3-meter cable can be unwieldy for desktop use.

The Sennheiser HD800S remains a legendary, world-class reference headphone that holds its ground in the modern market thanks to its exceptional engineering and unmatched spatial presentation. Built with aerospace-grade vibration-damping materials and a unique 56mm Ring Radiator transducer, its physical design directly translates into its acoustic strengths. The headphone is a "soundstage machine" that provides an incredibly open, spacious, and precise audio environment, making it perfect for classical pieces where instrument layering and room resonance can truly shine. Its midrange is pristine and uncolored, vocals are clear, and the treble—which is a major improvement over the original HD800—delivers phenomenal detail retrieval and sparkle without causing fatigue. Additionally, its robust, German-engineered build offers long-term reliability and a highly trustworthy structure compared to newer competitors.

The Sennheiser HD800S remains a benchmark in high-fidelity audio, celebrated for its massive, holographic soundstage and exceptional detail retrieval. Built primarily from lightweight plastic with user-replaceable microfiber pads, it offers top-tier wearing comfort. Its sound profile is balanced and highly neutral, featuring an airy upper end, linear sub-bass extension, and incredibly accurate instrument timbre. To address the notorious treble piercing of its predecessor (the HD800), Sennheiser incorporated an innovative internal Helmholtz resonator. This successfully smooths out the highs while maintaining microdynamic precision. Despite these refinements, the headphone still suffers from a slightly bright, lean, and sometimes fatiguing upper treble. The bass, while highly textured and accurate, lacks physical punch and rolls off gently in the lower sub-bass frequencies. The midrange also exhibits a slight recession in the 2-4 kHz vocal region, occasionally making performances sound distant or "polite". Furthermore, its 300-ohm impedance makes it highly picky regarding amplification; it requires pairing with warmer solid-state or tube amplifiers (like the Sparkos Labs Gemini or Woo WA22) to truly tame its clinical nature and unlock its full potential.

The Sennheiser HD 800 S headphones are praised for exceptional audio reproduction accuracy, featuring an open-back design that creates an incredibly wide, immersive, and speaker-like soundstage. These lightweight, comfortable headphones offer superior breathability and a durable, sturdy build, making them ideal for long-duration critical listening sessions. RTINGS.comHowever, the design results in virtually no noise isolation, leading to significant sound leakage, and the headphones lack low-bass extension for genres requiring heavy sub-bass. Additionally, the high impedance necessitates an external amplifier and DAC, while the premium-priced units lack an integrated microphone. RTINGS.

The Sennheiser HD800S is a solid yet remarkably lightweight headphone that offers excellent build quality and exceptional long-term wearing comfort. Structurally, it features exceptionally large ear cups that fit optimally without fuss, paired with a long, robust, and lightweight cord terminated with a high-quality 1/4-inch connector. In listening tests, the reviewer highlighted a unique, captivating presentation characterized by an effortless, congestion-free sound that provides a "spooky" layering and precise instrument separation within a small spatial field around each ear. Because of these outstanding traits, the headphone earned a spot on the reviewer's recommended list, provided the user utilizes equalization. However, the headphone falls short out of the box due to significant deficiencies in its native tonality and frequency response. Measurements reveal an anemic, light bass performance that lacks the preferred target boost, alongside a notable dip in energy between 1 kHz and 4 kHz. Additionally, it exhibits a non-linear spike in distortion at higher volumes in the lower registers, and its high retail cost of $1,700 makes it a heavy financial investment. Ultimately, while the stock sound profile is considered...

The Sennheiser HD 800S open-back headphones provide an outstanding sonic experience that rectifies the few shortcomings of their legendary predecessor, the HD 800, for a price of £1,400. Their biggest strength lies in an unparalleled, expansive soundstage with exceptional instrument separation and a highly refined, accurate midrange. Sennheiser successfully smoothed out the sibilant treble peaks found in the older model and extended the sub-bass rumble below 50Hz. Additionally, these all-black headphones offer elite comfort for long listening sessions due to their soft microfibre pads and weak clamp force, and they come packaged with both an unbalanced 6.3mm cable and a 3m balanced XLR 4-pin cable. However, these flagship headphones require premium equipment and specific environments to truly shine. On the downside, they are highly expensive and lack a punchy, head-bobbing mid-bass slam, meaning genres requiring heavy bass might feel less exciting compared to closed-back alternatives. Because of their open-back construction, they completely lack sound isolation and will heavily leak audio, making them entirely unsuitable for office environments or noisy commutes. Furthermore, they must be paired with a high-end external amplifier—such...

The MajorHiFi review describes the Sennheiser HD800 S as an endgame open-back headphone that improves upon its predecessor with superior articulation, higher resolution, and a refined, expansive soundstage. Key enhancements include a more graceful, less piercing treble response, alongside detailed, linear low-end performance and excellent comfort for long listening sessions. Conversely, the review notes the 300-ohm headphones require high-quality dedicated amplification to perform optimally, and bass enthusiasts may find the low-end presentation too subtle. The $1,699 price point is identified as a significant barrier for those outside the high-end audiophile market.

The Sennheiser HD 800 S is a revoiced, open-back headphone designed to deliver a more natural, full, and forgiving tonal balance compared to its notoriously bass-light predecessor, the HD 800. According to factory specifications, it introduces an extra 1.5dB of bass below 150Hz and attenuates mid-treble output by 3dB to round out its sound profile. Hand-built in Germany with massive 2.2-inch drivers, these $1,699 headphones prioritize critical home listening and are celebrated as some of the most comfortable and lightweight options in their high-end class. However, they present a steep 300-ohm impedance that demands a high-voltage, dedicated headphone amplifier to properly power them, making them entirely unsuited for direct use with standard portable devices or cheap setups. Sonically, the HD 800 S excels at midrange definition, soundstage spaciousness, and lower-treble imaging, effortlessly unearthing faint instrument details like a hidden tambourine track that competitive models from Audeze and HiFiMan failed to capture. Acoustic elements like double bass resonate with a realistic "woody" depth, and flawed recordings are treated kindly without being overly smoothed over. On the downside, the upper treble is...

The Sennheiser HD800S open-back headphones offer sensational sound quality, representing a clear performance step up from the original HD800 model. Priced at £1200, these domestic headphones weigh a relatively light 330g and are built using a durable, modern combination of metal, high-quality plastics, and comfortable microfibre cloth ear pads. Their technical design features a large 56mm ring radiator driver that fires sound at a slight angle to create an impressive, spacious soundfield. They deliver a slightly wider claimed frequency response of 4Hz to 51kHz. They also include a choice of standard 6.3mm and balanced cables. The primary pros of the HD800S are its highly detailed, articulate sound, a nicely balanced and refined presentation, exceptional comfort, and durable build quality. Reviewers praised how beautifully textured it renders vocals and how seamlessly it organizes complex instrumental layers with grace, insight, and a lovely sense of space. Conversely, the main con is that they require a very high-quality source and dedicated amplification to truly reveal their capabilities. Additionally, due to their open-back construction, there is considerable two-way sound leakage, meaning you will hear...

The Sennheiser HD 800 S is praised for its exceptional, expansive soundstage and lightweight, comfortable fit, offering a balanced and highly detailed, neutral sound profile ideal for orchestral music and gaming. These open-back headphones are recognized for their durable, high-quality construction, providing long-term reliability for heavy use. Conversely, the review notes that the wide soundstage can make vocals feel flat, a limitation often addressed by using a warm tube amplifier. Additionally, the industrial aesthetic is described as less premium than some competitors, and the value is deemed average at full MSRP, though excellent on the used market.