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Sennheiser

Sennheiser HD 800 S Over-The-Ear Audiophile Reference Headphones - Ring Radiator Drivers with Open-Back Earcups, Includes Balanced Cable, 2-Year Warranty (Black)

Based on 525 reviews
Condition: New
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$1,999.95

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At a glance

Condition
New
Model
HD 800 S
Weight
330 g
Color
Black
Ear Placement
Over Ear
Impedance
300 ohm
Age Range Description
Adult
Warranty
2 year coverage for labor, 2 year coverage for parts
Works with
Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Music Production Equipment, Tablets

Features 6

  • Open back, around ear, reference class dynamic headphone
  • 56mm ring radiator transducers are the largest drivers ever used in dynamic headphones
  • Innovative absorber technology reduces unwanted frequency response peaks allowing all the music nuances to become audible
  • Unique ear cup design directs sound waves to the ear at a slight angle to create an impressively natural and spatial listening experience

Description

Combining the care devoted to a handcrafted instrument and the precision of modern manufacturing, the HD 800 S lets you explore your entire music collection from the inside out. 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 is possible not because of any one of them, but through the synergy of all of them. Let’s explore. 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. 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. All the World’s a stage This 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. Achieving acoustics that are true to the source also requires management of compounding frequency clusters that produce undesirable masking effects. We integrated a patented frequency absorber to reduce resonances that hide extraordinary musical details in plain sight. Every contact point utilizes ultra-soft microfiber padding, while purpose-built composites reduce weight and unwanted pressure. Each earcup provides dual-axis articulation—the HD 800 S will instantly and effortlessly conform to your unique structure. The result is a remarkable listening session. An open-back masterpiece for advanced streamers (and gamers) who are looking for the best-in-class soundstage and the most immersive gaming experience headphones can provide. Enjoy unmatched detail, natural sound, and supreme comfort with these hand-assembled top-of-the-line audiophile headphones. HD 800 S HD 560S HD 599 HD 600 HD 650 HD 660S2

Specs 39

Brand Sennheiser
Color Black
Ear Placement Over Ear
Form Factor Over Ear
Impedance 300 ohm
Brand Name Sennheiser
Model Number HD 800 S
Model Name 960-000733

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Top Amazon Reviews

Precision audio instrument
These headphones are precision machines created to enable hearing exactly what is in a recording. They are Zeiss cinema lenses for audio: Smooth, precise, effortless, free of distortion...they make phenomenal recordings/productions shine like you are in the studio listening to master tapes through the board, and they expose any and all defects in a mix/recording (or repro signal chain). Owning them is a real treat. IMO, they greatly benefit from using inline EQ (preferably 10 band or more), because they instantly expose the vast differences between the eq curves used by producers on recordings (not to mention digital quality/sampling/bit rates, mastering compression modes, microphone/room choice...). Since purchasing these, I have been making and saving custom 10 band eq curves via VLC for specific favorite albums to bring out the best in recordings for MY ears which, at 60 years of age, are still excellent but certainly do not have a "flat" response. Some recordings sound great "flat" but most are engineered to compensate for terrible car/home audio systems, or were mangled in the analog to digital mastering process during the early CD era...so these re-EQs can make a MASSIVE difference. The HD 800s headphones are made by the venerable Sennheiser corp, but could easily be a pro-NAGRA product - Swiss/German absolute precision. They are open backed, which I favor b/c they breathe and do not cut the listener off from the ambient environment...VERY comfortable for long listening sessions. I am currently running them via a simple inexpensive chain: Apple Mac playing back a variety of audio formats via the VLC player/EQ, into a Dragonfly Cobalt DAC, into an Apos Duoo TA-66 tube headphone amp...only $500 or so of equipment, but phenomenal quality**. The TA-66 puts out 200mw into 300 Ohms (the impedance of the HD 800s), and with the Mac volume setting at unity, and the TA-66 at 50% (12 o'clock), I am at/beyond my tolerance for loudness (suspect this is producing spl of ~ 95db peaks at my ears). So plenty of power. At this power level there is zero noise, zero clipping/artifacting, unbelievably precise dynamics (the speed with which these headphones can transition from max loudness to absolute silence or visa versa is hard to describe), a massive soundstage, complete transparency of human vocals and all musical instruments (from softest violins, to ridiculously saturated heavy metal guitars/drums such as in Rammstein's Deutschland). Santana's Europa from an old low-rez ripped CD file of the Moonflower album brought tears to my eyes...I could "see" Carlos' fingers moving to every fret/bend, hear every nuance of his pick interacting with the strings, all while the synth strings and drums surrounded him in massive perfectly detailed layers - the mental impression/vision was that I was Carlos looking down at my hands on the guitar and the band was behind, left and right of me -a pretty unique, nearly psychedelic "staging" compared to the thousands of other times I've listened to this recording on vinyl/cd. There is no doubt owning this set of headphones will make one want to upgrade ALL favorite recordings to lossless/remastered 24/96 (minimum) versions as they become available. In conclusion, these are headphones...they DO NOT reproduce the experience of incredible speakers moving huge amounts of air in a large well tuned listening room, but for close listening of audio recordings they are truly wonderful, emotionally engaging, reference instruments in the very top strata of headphone products... There may be "different" and there are certainly more expensive, but to say "better" requires personal/subjective interpretation of extraordinarily marginal diminishing returns. ** For reference, I'm a vintage Marantz tube preamp/amp owner (who has also owned a large list of other top tier tube and solid state signal chain components - Conrad Johnson, HK, Bryston, Crown, Macintosh, Audio Research...) who is used to driving LARGE speakers from the likes of B&W, JBL, Klipsch in large well proportioned listening rooms. As a musician who plays piano, guitars, drums/percussion, synths, etc., and has performed in live environments with orchestras, small ensembles, rock/fusion bands, jazz big bands) I know from experience what real instruments sound/feel like in all sorts of audio environments good/bad/ugly... ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2024 by S. Bové
For Those Who Own HD650
Review Image by TP
Review Image by TP
Review Image by TP
I own Senn HD650 and the Audeze MX-4 together with some other common headphones in the mixing and mastering world of music. The MX-4 got bored after a while to me, while the HD650 is unbeatable. (If you have read to this point, you would easily know that I’m a musician, not a gamer, and I use these headphones for mixing and mastering music. Thus, I have NO idea how these cans work with XBox or Playstation. My review is for those who work with music. My apology, gamers). So, should I buy the HD800s? Is it a good upgrade from the HD650? Is it worth the price tag? Short answer: I fell in love with the HD800s right away. - Build quality: It’s German quality, so you can rest assure it will last long with you. These are also huge cans. They almost cover all of the sides of my face. - Design: It’s open-back, so your ears do not get hot after wearing these for some time. - Sound: My point of comparison is the HD650. These cans sound brighter, crispier, and clearer than the HD650 in the mid frequencies, but they do not make my ears fatigue. Since the HD650 sounds warmer, I have the feeling that the HD800s sounds thinner. But that’s my feeling. Different ears may feel different. The only cons that I have against the HD800s is the lack of bass. If you like bass, these cans may not make you happy. Now, what I said above is filtered by the EQ correction that I applied to the headphones. In the photos that I attached with this review, you’ll see the EQ curve for frequencies corrections of the HD800s. With this EQ curve, the headphones become completely flat and very suitable for mixing and mastering. So, people without this EQ correction will hear differently from these headphones. I found this EQ correction online and it is called Oratory 1990 EQ Correction. RME Audio uses these EQ curves to correct headphones that connect to their ADI-2 audio converters. I use Fabfilter Pro Q3 for this correction to the headphones I use for mixing and mastering and it works well for my purpose. I don’t have RME ADI-2 converter, though. In conclusion, is it a good upgrade? It is absolutely yes. Is it worth the money? Well, I would not pay the original price for these headphones. I got them during the sales, so it’s worth it. Will I buy it again? Yes I surely will. Should you buy it? If you mix and master using headphones, you should buy them. You won’t regret. That’s all I have to say. Thanks for reading my review. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024 by TP
Expensive But Quality That Matches The Price
There's a distinct law of diminishing returns when it comes to high-end audio gear. I suppose that can be said for any kind of product but weighing the pros and cons and determining the "value" of a headphone like this is purely up to the beholder since sound is so subjective and people hear things differently. I work in the musical instruments (high-end electric guitars) and music (artist/band management) industry so I'm around high-end gear and people who take sound very seriously all the time. When it comes to sound people can be very opinionated and one cannot prove or dispute that one piece of high-end gear is better or worse than the other at relatively similar price points. And as we get to higher and higher price points, we are sure to find more and more people arguing about the justification of such prices. Some new custom electric guitars can cost $5000 and up. Does that make a custom guitar from company "A" twice as good as a custom guitar from company "B" that's priced at $2500? Of course not. This also applies to amplifiers, speaker cabinets, effects pedals, cables and everything else involved in producing a good sound. Ultimately, all that matters is that the gear you choose works for you. Obviously, this applies to audiophile gear as well. I've had some good headphones from the likes of AKG, Grado and Sennheiser and I've noticed that all manufacturers have their distinctive sonic stamp. For me, the Sennheiser's character seemed to suit me best as I highly value clarity, balance and prefer "brilliance" over "mellow" and "warmth". Again, it's personal taste and I perfectly understand why some people would prefer more bass or mellowness. I, for one, do not like bass to be emphasized at all and despise boomy bass that overwhelms all the other frequency ranges. So I decided that I could afford to splurge on the one "ultimate" (for me, anyway) over-ears open-back headphone that I've always wanted. After going over various options, I settled on the HD800S and I can honestly say that I'm very pleased with what I'm hearing. I use it with Chord Electronics' Hugo and Mojo DAC/headphone amps and they match up perfectly. I only play ALAC, high-res FLAC and DSD files to listen to my favorite music with a heavy emphasis on classical music and jazz. For rock, metal and modern pop, ALAC in my iTunes library is fine but for classical and jazz that have much greater dynamic range I definitely prefer high-res FLAC and DSD. The soundstage of the HD 800S is superb - extremely broad but also with detailed depth that I have not heard from my previous headphones. There is a three-dimensional quality in where the instruments are placed in the stereo spectrum - not only left to right but front to back. It's by far the largest soundstage I've heard from a headphone but it should be noted that high-res FLAC and DSD files along with a superb DAC like the Chord Hugo have a lot to with that as well. To get the most out of a headphone like the HD800S, you do need other critical components to work in conjunction with it. As for the overall sound quality, it is what I expected out of Sennheiser - bright and super clear but not strident, firm and defined lows, rich mids that are beautifully balanced but with a tad bit more emphasis on the high-mids. I can understand why some would consider this kind of "voicing" to be too bright and prefer something more mellower and warmer but, as I said before, everyone hears things differently. I love the clarity and the definition of the HD800S but also the smoothness of the highs. I haven't heard the 800 but I can say the 800S' highs are silky smooth - especially the string sections of an orchestra which, to me, is the benchmark to check during listening tests. The lows are big and firm but play more of a "supporting" role to everything else than being out at the front which is, again, exactly the way I like to hear things. Listening to some techno-electronica kinds of stuff, the bass has more than enough punch with plenty of definition along with a nice smooth balance amongst the bass frequencies. The truly beautiful thing about the HD 800S sound is its smoothness across the entire sonic spectrum without any noticeable peaks and valleys. It's not just a matter of balance but a very musical "sheen" around the edges. The all-critical mids where the ears naturally tune into is rich but super clear with excellent separation between instruments (including voice) across the stereo field. Whether it's Beethoven's 'Eroica' symphony or Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue' or The Rolling Stones' 'Let It Bleed', I'm hearing details that I've never heard before in all their sonic glory and every one of those little details sounds sublime. Yes, the HD 800S is certainly an expensive piece of gear but if music and sound quality matter that much to you, it's worth a shot. I certainly didn't expect a $1600 headphone to sound "three times" better than a $500 headphone (and I've had a few in that range). Anyone who expects that doesn't understand the law of diminishing returns when it comes to high-end gear. But in the end, if that last 5~10% in greater clarity, depth and detail can be experienced over the previous headphone and greatly increases your overall enjoyment of the music, then it becomes worth every extra dollar and penny. It's easy to feel a sense of "buyer's remorse" after purchasing a headphone like this. Expectations can be too high. I had very realistic expectations and in which areas I expected to hear improvements. In those areas, the HD 800S actually exceeded all my expectations and sounds even better than I thought it would. And, as expected, the sound keeps improving as I'm only now reaching the 100th hour with it. It's a great audio device - one of the best I've ever owned and heard. The industrial design and the workmanship are about as good as they get but, ultimately, it's the sound and the HD 800S really delivers like none that I had ever heard. Addendum: I believe my HD 800S now has surpassed the 150-hour mark. It really does sound so much better than the first few hours. The bit of stiffness I heard around the edges of the notes is now gone. I can sense more "elasticity" in the way the different frequencies and instruments interact with each other. The highs sound smoother, the lows have more bounce and the mids sound richer with even greater detail. The first 100~120 hours really do make a big difference. It just keeps sounding better and better and that's a mighty good thing. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2016 by Virtuoso Fan
A
So... I bought these after I kept looking at them for almost a year. I'm glad I did. They are now the daily use headphone. Here's why: - Main running setup is a FiiO K17 Amp/DAC for gaming since you want that precision, and a FiiO Warmer R2R tube DAC into the Fiio K17 when listening to music or videos for the warmth. - Gaming I mostly play DayZ and Battlefield 6 and Battlefield 4. Incredible fidelity, ability to hear foot steps with that sound stage is really something else. Hear that jet fly over you in BF6? Wild to hear. - Music I know most people comment on lack of bass but I don't really understand that. I run a little bit of EQ on the FiiO K17 and to me listening to Above and Beyond Group Therapy episodes, pure EDM, it sounds so much better than the Sennheiser 600s2's that I upgraded from but keep as a backup and won't sell. - Comfort Very comfortable for my head. They do sit more on top of your head than on your ears if that makes sense. My hair has impression after a listening session and they surround your ears nicely. Very little "clamping force" as others have mentioned. Comfy for long sessions. - Endgame It really is an amazing headphone. At least for my ears. I know everyone is different but being that I'm into this type of stuff I really enjoy these for listening in multiple mediums. I have not put the 660s2's back in since I've bought them. A really enjoyable and listenable headphone. Gaming and music is A+ on them. Quality of the build is outstanding. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2026 by brendan
and i can confidently say that i am not sure i've ever been happier with a purchase in my life
I purchased these headphones just a few weeks ago, just as a test to see for myself if $1,800 of headphones could really be worth the price, and i can confidently say that i am not sure i've ever been happier with a purchase in my life. Now i'm not some sound engineer who has been working with headphones all my life and is here to tell you the indepth technical specs of these headphones, there are other reviews that do that much better than i could. This is simply my personal opinion as a consumer who enjoys a high quality sound. From the second you open the box you can tell these headphones are something special, with the solid hindged box, nestling these headphones in a silk holder, to just the polished sturdy look of the headphones themselves. They are unbelievably light, with cushions that are not overly large but still very comfortable, making it easy to forget that i'm even wearing them. Now, knowing that these headphones would require a little extra power i went ahead and order a DAC to pair with them, and would highly recommend doing the same, but even going through a four dollar adapter and plugged into my phone these headphones still provided a better sound then anything i have owned before. As someone who has a broad taste in music, and enjoys some online gaming in my spare time, these headphones appealed to me because of how versatile their range and tone are. These headphones are open-backed, something you should look into before considering these headphones as it could change your mind entirely, basically this allows for the headphones to deliver a much wider sound stage. I kinda like to explain this as "it's like having the worlds best home speaker an inch for your ear." but that doesn't truly do these justice. The open back makes you feel as if you're actually in the same room as the people playing the music, it's hard to describe and understand until you've felt it yourself, and after a few days adjusting to how it feels, i can't say i'll ever miss closed back headphones. That being said the main draw back to open-backed headphones is that they don't stop noise, from coming in or going out. As someone who uses these alone in a quiet studio or room this doesn't bother me, but if you're in a place where you don't want other people heading your music, or don't want to hear other people, then you might want to rethink these headphones. Most people say that headphones in this price range are all about opinion and music taste, and i would agree with that completely, but as someone who listens to almost any type of music, i've come to really appreciate the HD 800 S's range and sound quality. I like to make a little bet with my friends when they come over by telling them to pick their favorite song and see if they can hear something they've never heard before, and every time they have. These headphones are perfect for instrumental music, such as jazz or classical music. They easily balance a whole band allowing you to hear not just every note the melody plays, but every not from the counter-melody, harmony, bass line, you name it. That being said, listening to things like the Hamilton Soundtrack where you would want the voices to shine out give you just that. They are a bit bass light, but they still pack enough of a punch to give me chills on a good bass drop. The HD 800 S also excel in online gaming. The open sound stage and lightness of the headphones makes for a completely immersive feeling that no close back gaming headset could ever replicate. It feels as though you could find something in the game after closing your eyes with how accurate the sound is. Over all the HD 800 S perfectly fit my musical and gaming needs all while providing a sleek comfortable feel, giving me something that i look forward to putting on at the end of the day. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2017 by John Frerichmann
Buy Top Scams
Seller sold a used and defective item as new and full price. Internal box was ripped open and smashed down. You would think an $1800 headset's sound would not be off balance right out of the box. Regardless the sellers should be listing these with a discount. They didn't even bother to repackage it correctly. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2026 by Joe
Once you go black they say...
Review Image by Camerin F.
Long story short the hd800 has sibiliance issues, the hd800S has less of a sibiliance issue. Some of the S's are some what sharp but for me I can bear it. If you like the silver paint job and dont mind it chipping then buy a second (or even a 3rd or 4th) hand hd800 and just mod them. I Spent around 60 to 72 hours of listening time with the longest I've had them on for was 8 hours and I didn't want to take them off. Not as comfortable as the hd600 but still comfortable. I will keep listening to them longer and see if my mind changes. So far I love them. I use the schiit jot along with the Teac UD 301 with xlr cables and the four pin xlr fully balanced. To me balance for headphones doesn't really "improve" the quality, it just amplifies the sound by giving it more power which can be good and bad. Amplifing bad quality makes it sound louder revealing more flaws in the music. The quarter inch is good enough ( cough cough hd800 modded). I played music from YouTube with low quality and it sounded like crap. No surprise. I played flac files or music of better quality and it sounds amazing depending on how its mixed. Older music like Nat King Cole unforgettable, Frank Sinatra, and Swingin Brass aint she sweet (flac files) sounded slightly flawed to me but still a great experience. The bass is there for sure but nothing to write home about. Your not buying these for bass honestly. You can eq it for more bass if you want. Sound stage is wonderful and spacious. Try the virtual barber shop on YouTube it sounds like your getting a hair cut. Vocal presents takes a slight step back compared to the hd600 but makes up in everything else. Treble is obviously crisp (to me) but to some people it might come off as harsh. Gaming is wonderful, I played bf4 and things came to life. Foot steps are easier to pin point but these won't make you a gaming god. There are way cheaper options if you need a pair of cans solely for gaming. The hd600 sounds to layed back compaired to these. I would say these are about 20 to 30 percent better than the hd600 even thought these cost so much more. There are other cans at this price point to consider especially if you are into a more warmer sound signature. I don't regret buying these and if my wife got mad at me and destroyed them, I would not but these again, I would buy hd800 and mod them, honestly. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2018 by Camerin F.
Disappointing
TLDR; comfortable with amazing soundstage and imaging but bass even with EQ is not the best for EDM/pop etc… but still present with good EQ profiles either sonarworks or Peace EQ. The truth is these headphones are polarizing and buyers will either love them or hate them. First, they are super comfortable and light weight. The build quality is good but they are big and look like something out of Star Trek, but once you put them on you forget they are even on your head after a few minutes. The cables are good and solid quality but crazy long, if you are at your desk like me gaming and listening to music you would want a slightly shorter cable so you don’t accidentally roll over them with your computer chair. Second, the stock tuning is just okay with bass/sub bass lacking, but soundstage/imaging and vocals/select music shine. With EQ you get the bass that these need, but not the rumble or slam you would get with say DT 1990 pros or A planar magnetic like the Hifiman Arya Stealth. My biggest gripe/con is their price. For a headphone that is nearly 8 years old, I’d easily buy these and keep them if they were like $900/$1000 open box or like $1,200 brand new (or even at their holiday sale price of $1,300 being new), but at their msrp their are plenty of headphones that perform very close to this headphone at significantly cheaper prices. History, I have tried/own HD 490 pro, Meze 109 pro, Arya stealth and organic, DT 1990 pro, and demoed the Focal Clear OG. For me, with EQ and Dekoni Elite Velour pads my daily drivers of DT 1990 pros are extremely close to the HD 800s performance with better base at nearly 1/3 the cost. I ended up returning these as I had my wife A/B test them to help pull me away from the audiophile kool aid. I was torn between keeping these or returning them, and she said while they felt better, the difference between the 2 was minimal but slightly better. I wholeheartedly agree and couldn’t justify the price for the slight improvement. Of all the headphones I tested, I ended up ordering these Hifiman Arya stealth as these sounded the closest with terms of imaging and soundstage while providing the amazing bass of planar magnetic headphones. The Arya Stealth will literally make you cry with joy when you close your eyes and enjoy the music and are great at gaming. I ordered them from a different vendor so I could get upgraded ear pads (fenestrated sheepskin), 2 year warranty (to protect me from the questionable but slowly improving QC concerns about Hifiman), and an improved cable (as the stock one that comes with them sucks. Note: I bought a used like new, and while the headphones surely looked used like new, the packaging and storage box look like they have seen better days. I may have kept them for a discount or if they were priced closer to $1k. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2025 by Clayton Chroust
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