Sennheiser HD 800 S Open-back Audiophile and Reference Headphones Reviews

I have had my HD800S since 06/2023 and they sound superb with my high-end audio system. My system comprised of the following: PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube DAC with upgraded NOS tubes, Lamm LL2 Deluxe preamp (highly Modified w/Duelund VSF Components and more + upgraded NOS tubes), Primaluna EVO 300 Int with KT150 tubes + NOS 1960's 12AU7 tubes. I am also using a free software "Peter's Equalizer APO Config. Extension (APO) with the preset set on classic. This settings really helped boosting the bottom end and lowering the brightness of the top end just a tad. I highly recommend the HD800S for all of you who has a great sound system and is looking for a great headphones to compliment your system.

I read the articles, reviews, and watched videos on every headphone made until I came across one that compared all the Sennheiser headphones and these are the best Sennheiser has to offer. I was going to get a headphone amp (Neve, Little Labs, SPL) until I got the Apollo X8P BLA mod and decided it was not necessary with the upgrade and the HD 800 S cans are now a pleasure to listen to with no ear fatigue and silky high detail.

If you get these cans you have to consider the headphone amp and D/A conversion as well, otherwise you have Indy wheels on a Yugo.

I don't guess anything in audio is "perfect", but the HD 800S are close. There could be a bit more low end, it's there and defined, but lacks the punch of other headphones. The clarity and details are amazing, with great image separation and sound stage.
They are very light, and sit well on my head. There's very little clamp force, I could bend over and have them fall off, these are for sitting still, not head banging.

As a musician and audiophile, I have several pairs of headphones but these have a clarity like no other cans I've listened to ever. Definitely need headphone amp unless it's built into component. My Marantz has built in amp for headphones. Not cheap, but if you are wanting to hear the recordings as if you are in the studio, these are for you!

These headphones are a huge improvement over my old AKG headphones. The treble is much more tame and is less fatiguing when mixing or listening for hours. Bass is very clear and crisp. They translate well when mixing between studio speakers and HD 800 S (good for mixing late at night).

As a music transcriber, I was able to pick out the background instruments in an orchestra. They're very transparent. With my old headphones, the flutes would blend in with the strings, which made it hard to pick apart. It was a joy to be able to hear them distinctly. The choirs are simply out of this world.

These headphones are also comfortable to wear, although they are slightly on the heavier side due to larger cups.

The earcup is very spacious, so it's a bit daunting to find the right position compared to many other headphones. I have an average-sized head. So for me, it's 5 clicks out when adjusting the cups vertically so that the "L" and "R" is centered around the middle of my ears. However, you can change the sound signature by adjusting it vertically as well as moving the headphones forward or backward. A lot of headphones have only one sound signature. This has multiple sound signatures depending on adjustment if you want to listen to your music in a new light. That makes it fun.

One thing that I don't see much support for is the 4.4mm pentaconn connection. They're aren't that many amps that support it. HDV 820 amp is Sennheiser's flagship headphone amp, but is too pricey for me to justify it.

I highly recommend these headphones to professionals and audiophiles as a supplement to your speakers.

Highest quality audio and most comfortable to wear. Simply the best listening experience. Period.

What else can I say besides that these are some GREAT CANS!!! Wonderful Headphones! Extremely high quality, well constructed, with clear resolution and very little coloration of sound (if any). A must buy for the Audiophile, Composer, Studio Engineer or Producer. I was impressed as soon as I opened the packaging, because most Headphones come with a bag to place them in when not in use, these come with a large padded case! They are a little on the pricey side, but well worth it! My Sweetwater Sale Rep Ian Lemberg (ext. 1280) recommended them, and boy was he right!

BUY THEM!

I have only had these HD 800 S for a few weeks but even in this short time I have been very pleased. First they are beautifully made. Second they are very light and very comfortable. Most important the sound is wonderful! I have just in the last few days begun using the balanced cable they came with and exploring how it may impact the sound through my Benchmark preamp fed by a RME dac from Jriver. The music from these headphones is very detailed and balanced. It not fatiguing to me at all. And the soundstage is wide and deep. I have not yet tried any equalization but the unequalized sound is excellent. Again I am very pleased!

These are the best mixing headphones bar none!

I don't know how I lived without these.
Worth the investment.
Perfect for mixing and mastering and getting a true reference.
They do not flatter the sound or add extra bass or EQ. Just honest and reliable.

Mike Parlett.

Talented Productions Los Angeles.

There's no-longer a need to look. Simply the best. WOW!

These are our choice for checking stereo field when mixing. They are true to spec; when you put them on the frequency response is identical to our carefully tuned control room. Comfortable, too. Recommended by our sales engineer.

You need to get this one if you want to listen and fix most of your problems when mixing, and make a good balance in your mix . I don't have a treated room , so this is perfect for me , you are not going to regret your investment

First, this is from a very experienced performer and LISTENER.
A performer has to be able to listen to music and begin to experience it within before attempting to present a performance.
Have in the past years, assembled a 11.2 very advanced listening center within an 11' by 11' room.
Really great stuff.
But, always has to be more!
Well, after using a great media player coupled with the top Shure ear buds, was pleased with the results.
Then other notions entered my head and decided to advance to headphones.
Thus, enter the Sennheiser HD800S.
Plugging them directly into the Oppo 105D Blu-ray player - which also happens to be a great DAC headphone amp - music is now being experienced in a whole new way.
They are actually better than the 11.2 speakers. They are around me; the Sennheisers are encapsulating me within the performance.
Now, there will be no attempt at technical issues or comparisons, just pure statements of reality.
The speakers are great and you can hear all the sounds and voices and harmonies and nuances, etc.
but these headphones take ME into an intimacy, that heretofore was unimaginable!
For example: when listening to a Bach Cantata with an ear to the magnificent "everything" that is a true, pure Bach playing, to have it enhanced by the sounds echoing off the walls and buoying up my spirit of excitement of the moment and the architecture so true and clear displayed in a "up close and personal" way is beyond words.
If there has to be a way of getting these headphones that means saving, thrifting, working extra hours,
maybe borrowing on your home or selling your car and walking ( and that's great too, because you can have the joy of listening while walking - beware of passing people, cars, etc.!) then just do it.
As far as bass goes, that is just impossible to believe! It isn't just bass anymore, it and treble, middle, etc is a beautiful part of the whole: a melding of all into a glorious experience.
Harold Edward Wills, DMA

Incredible sound but expensive otherwise 5 stars. Because I live in a condo most of my listening and playing is through headphones. I tried some other options after my HD600's broke but there was always some sound coloration. These are other worldly. Some reviews say they can be a little too transparent. I don't see how that can be a bad thing if you want to hear every detail of your music. In summary, best headphones I've ever had or heard.

I'm a huge fan of Sennheiser 'phones from the 560 Ovations back in the day, and currently own multiple pairs including the HD580, HD600 and HD650. I thought I'd splurge and 'get the best' in their range, and I have to say I'm pretty disappointed by these. True, they are very detailed in the upper frequencies, but to me that comes with a real edginess and an overblown treble response. Hi-hats are clear, but piercing. Voices are crisp, but sibilant. I own a pair of ATC SCM25's that are certainly in the 'revealing' end of the monitor spectrum, and I have them optimized with a Trinnov ST 2 system for my mixing and mastering studio. I was hoping these phones would present the sound spectrum in a similar way for when I need to check stereo imaging more closely etc - but they are significantly more high-frequency biased than my speakers. I wondered if I was not driving them properly and short-changing their performance, but recent purchase of an SPL Phonitor 3 confirmed what my Dangerous MQ was already telling me. In short, I can't really trust what I hear on them, and use them only occasionally to hear top end detail or distortion more forensically. Just too fatiguing to use regularly, and in my opinion, not 'truthful' in their representation of the frequency spectrum. I'd save $1300 and get the HD650's every time, but your needs/tastes may be different!