Sennheiser IE 800 S Review | 93 Data compared

The Sennheiser IE 800 S are high-end, wired in-ear headphones tested at £870 that deliver exceptional clarity and an impressively spacious soundstage. Built with a refined 7mm Extra Wide Band driver and a dual-chamber absorber, they offer a very rich mid-range, a plump low-end, and a rolled-off treble that ensures a smooth performance even with harsh recordings. The premium package also stands out by including 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced cables alongside standard 3.5mm options, plus multiple Comply foam and silicone ear buds. Despite these high-end details, the headphones ultimately deliver a disappointing and underwhelming sonic experience for their hefty price tag. Their primary cons include a safe tuning that lacks punch, enthusiasm, and dynamic range, causing large-scale volume shifts to lack necessary attack and expression. Additionally, they suffer from an irritating amount of cable noise that requires the listener to sit completely still, making them highly impractical for use on the move.

The Sennheiser IE800S is a single dynamic driver flagship in-ear monitor (IEM) featuring tiny, premium matte-black ceramic shells. It utilizes proprietary 7mm Extra Wide Band (XWB) drivers paired with a Dampened Dual-Chamber Absorber (D2CA) system to eliminate unwanted frequency resonance peaks. Sonically, it delivers a very natural, resolving tonality with coherent tuning, making it highly versatile across multiple music genres. The unboxing experience provides a premium leather storage case alongside a unique display-style plastic back plate for eartips. It features a highly practical, modular cable design that includes short 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm termination extension pieces to effortlessly switch between balanced and single-ended sources. However, the earphones suffer from a notable lack of a fully detachable cable design, leaving the cable joint at the shell as a distinct single point of failure if damaged. Wearing the cable straight down also introduces significant microphonics (cable noise), requiring users to route the wire up over their ears or use the included shirt clip to mitigate the issue. The proprietary eartips—both the genuine Comply foam and the custom mesh-guarded silicone sets—rely on a...

The Sennheiser IE800S ($999.95) universal in-ear monitor is a high-end flagship earphone evaluated by reviewer Deezel, who praises its flawless presentation and outstanding construction. Equipped with a single Extra Wide Band dynamic driver and a patented dual-chamber absorber (D2CA) system, the IEM is designed to prevent low-volume details from being masked by louder, low-frequency sounds. On the pros side, the review highlights the exceptional matte-black ceramic housing, which is breathtakingly gorgeous, robust, and premium to the touch. Additionally, it achieves a consistent, secure, and highly comfortable self-adjusting fit, is accompanied by a beautifully crafted luxury leather case, and provides well-organized premium tips that include integrated wax guards. Acoustically, the D2CA technology successfully resolves lower-midrange harmonics expertly well. Conversely, the review notes several significant cons stemming from design oversights in the cable design and overall isolation. The primary drawback is the semi-detachable cable system that detaches at the Y-split via a 2.5mm plug rather than a standard, fully detachable connection at the earphone housing. This creates a high risk of failure, limits aftermarket customization, and results in awkwardly short upper wires...

The Sennheiser IE 800 S is a premium, flagship in-ear monitor (IEM) priced at $999 that delivers an organic, cohesive, and transparent sound signature via its proprietary 7 mm dynamic drivers and dual-chamber absorber (D2CA) system. The audio performance is highly praised for its masterful, deep sub-bass control, a rich and tonally accurate midrange, and an exceptionally clear, non-fatiguing treble extension. Built from a matte black, scratch-resistant ceramic housing, these minuscule earphones offer supreme lightweight comfort, an impressively wide soundstage, and excellent noise isolation suitable for noisy environments. The package also provides great versatility through a premium leather carry case and a modular cable system that includes standard 3.5 mm, 2.5 mm, and 4.4 mm Pentaconn balanced extensions. Despite its sterling build and high-end performance, the review highlights notable drawbacks regarding the cable design and overall dynamics. The most significant flaw is the excessive cable noise (microphonics) caused by the small shells, which requires using the included shirt clip to properly mitigate. Additionally, because the top section of the cable is non-detachable, long-term durability remains a point of concern for...

The Sennheiser IE 800 S is an ultra-lightweight, 8-gram audiophile in-ear headphone featuring a discreet ceramic housing design that offers exceptional, imperceptible comfort. On the positive side, it delivers a highly melodious, rounded, and non-agitated wideband sound signature that prioritizes warmth, midrange accuracy, and punchy bass over aggressive highs. Its technical prowess includes a massive frequency response of 5 Hz to 46.5 kHz, proprietary two-chamber absorber systems (D2CA) to minimize masking effects, and a low 17.6-ohm impedance that makes it easy to drive directly from smartphones. Additionally, it provides great value in the box, coming packaged with a premium carrying case, six pairs of ear-tips (silicone and Comply memory foam), and three interchangeable cables for 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm connections. However, these premium monitors have distinct drawbacks, particularly regarding functionality and staging given their roughly €1,000 price tag. Designed strictly as purist sound converters, they completely lack multimedia features like inline remote controls or hands-free microphones. Furthermore, audiophiles seeking expansive, wide sound "staging" will find them disappointing, as they focus entirely on strict acoustic accuracy rather than an exaggerated sense...

The Sennheiser IE800S is a discontinued, premium in-ear monitor (IEM) that originally launched with a $999 MSRP, featuring single 7 mm dynamic drivers packed inside ultra-tiny 8 g ceramic earpieces. This miniature model delivers a remarkably natural, organic, and effortless audio presentation that excels in vocal performance, mid-range clarity, and liquid, highly refined treble retrieval. It scales nicely with desktop rigs but remains highly efficient and versatile, performing well directly out of smartphones or portable USB dongles like the THX Onyx. Additionally, its excellent build quality is complemented by three detachable extension cables (3.5mm, 2.5mm, and 4.4mm) adapting from a 2.5mm TRRS connector at the Y-split. Despite its impressive, large-scale fidelity, the IE800S suffers from distinct design and sonic drawbacks. Its main structural flaws include a very short nozzle utilizing semi-proprietary ear tips—making secure aftermarket options difficult to find—and a short Y-split cable designed strictly for a straight-down fit rather than an over-the-ear style. Sonically, its soundstage is notably open but diffuse, lacking precise pinpoint instrument imaging and separation. Furthermore, its low-end performance falls short of competitors like the Moondrop...

The Major HiFi review compares the Sennheiser IE 800 S and Noble Audio Django, highlighting the IE 800 S for its organic, natural sound and superior, rich bass, though its bold profile may not suit those seeking strict neutrality. Conversely, the Noble Audio Django excels with a fast transient response and a spacious, well-balanced soundstage, but it faces criticism for lacking top-tier transparency in the high frequencies and carrying a high price tag. For the full comparison, read the review on Major HiFi.

The Sennheiser ie800S is an updated dynamic driver in-ear monitor (IEM) that preserves the core design of its predecessor while refining its sound and usability. Priced at $999 USD at release (and later discounted to $800), it features miniature, highly ergonomic housings sculpted from an incredibly durable ceramic alloy. A major highlight of the update is its highly engaging yet coherent tuning, which delivers terrific end-to-end extension alongside an incredibly crisp and clear treble response. Physically, the earphone excels with a flawless, lightweight comfort that allows it to disappear in the ear for long-term listening. Sennheiser also completely overhauled the original’s problematic, stiff cable, replacing it with a significantly softer, thicker, and less microphonic version, while bundling three separate modular cables (3.5mm, 4.4mm, and 2.5mm) to effortlessly accommodate balanced audio sources. Despite these notable refinements, the reviewer identifies several prominent drawbacks, particularly regarding stability and acoustic linearity. The shallow-fitting, vented housings remain unstable when used with standard silicone tips, making the IEMs poorly suited for heavy movement and heavily reliant on individual ear anatomy. To mitigate this, Sennheiser swapped the...

The review of the Sennheiser IE800S (priced at $999.95 USD) presents it as a highly capable, single 7mm Extra Wide Band (XWB) dynamic driver in-ear monitor that delivers a slightly warm, mild V-shaped, and relaxed sound signature. Among its core pros, the reviewer highlights its wonderful, deep-rumbling sub-bass that offers excellent texture and authority without bleeding into the mid-range. Additionally, the IEMs feature an exceptionally small and lightweight matte-black ceramic housing weighing just 8 grams, providing a highly discrete, organic, and comfortable fit. The soundstage is notably wide and deep, presenting a highly realistic timbre, smooth vocals, and a non-fatiguing treble that maintains a lively twinkle after a brief burn-in period. Furthermore, its unique modular cabling system is heavily praised for efficiently providing standard 3.5mm alongside balanced 2.5mm and 4.4mm Pentaconn extensions to match various digital audio players.

The Sennheiser IE800 S is a premium, German-made in-ear headphone retailing for $1,000 (£870 / AU$1,600) that features a single, redesigned 7mm driver inside each satin grey ceramic ear piece. It features an unusual, flexible cable system that allows users to swap the cord after the permanent "Y" splitter, packaging three specific configurations: a standard 3.5mm jack, a 4.4mm Pentaconn plug, and a 2.5mm balanced connector. Performance-wise, the reviewer found that using the 2.5mm balanced plug alongside a high-res Astell & Kern Kann portable music player noticeably tightened the bass definition and elevated overall clarity over a standard iPhone 6S playback. The primary pros of the IE800 S include its remarkably clear, open, and spacious soundstage that keeps music from feeling trapped inside the listener's head, alongside a highly refined, smooth midrange that makes acoustic instruments, strings, and vocals feel deeply atmospheric and inviting. On the downside, the cons include a higher price tag than its predecessor, a non-standard fitting design that completely blocks the use of third-party replacement ear tips, and a trickier-than-average fitment process to secure a proper,...

The Sennheiser IE 800 S earphonesGo to product viewer dialogue for this item. are praised for their robust matte-black ceramic housing and an innovative, comfortable design that offers excellent, long-term wearing comfort. Sonically, these single-driver IEMs deliver a neutral, spacious sound characterized by precise detail retrieval, clean instrument separation, and a fast, controlled bass response. However, the review notes that the standard silicone tips provide subpar noise isolation, and the design exhibits a slight mid-treble glare that can result in sibilance on certain tracks. Furthermore, the sound profile is described as tight and compact, which may not appeal to those seeking a warmer, more intimate sound signature.