Sennheiser HD 800 S headphones and HDV 820 DAC/amplifier

Sennheiser’s ‘functional’ top end (as in, excluding the “give me your Amex Black and repeat after me… help yourself!” Orpheus) was rebooted with the HD 800. This remains a stunning headphone that was launched with two tiny flaws; it was so detailed that it could seem a bit bright and it could get even brighter when partnered with the wrong amplifier. As Sennheiser at the time didn’t have a suitable DAC/amp partner to accompany the HD 800, the potential for brightness was a significant one. 

The HD 800 S is a response to that criticism and a mark of how much Sennheiser has learned even in the last few years. It retains the awesome detail and resolution of the HD 800, but without the sheer amount of upper end information to hand. The HDV 820 addresses the other side of the issue, by providing what Sennheiser believes to be the optimum electronic partner for this and other headphones in the range. However, as the HDV 820 is somewhat ‘spendy’, it seems unlikely that it would be used with anything in the Sennheiser range below the HD 800 S, so in a very real way this is kind of Sennheiser’s top-end ‘package deal’ (Orpheus notwithstanding).

The open-backed HD 800 S can be recognised as distinct from the original HD 800 by its more ‘tacticool’ appearance. It’s all stealth black and – it must be said – somewhat bolder looking than its silver/black older brother. It’s also a perfect match for the ‘none more black’ look of the HDV 820. 

In a very real way, the HD 800 S look and feel reflect the fact that Sennheiser faces one of the biggest challenges of all – staying relevant. It’s a company with a long history and a reputation for research-led design, in a market that is now incredibly fluid and filled with passionate newcomers with big ideas that can often shout down solid R&D. That makes a company as innovative as Sennheiser potentially seem like a part of a fusty ‘old guard’. Products like the HD 800 S quickly disabuse people of such thought-processes at the point of contact. Yes, Sennheiser is a mature brand and the HD 800 S reflects that maturity, but it does so in all the right ways; it’s not some reactionary paean to Sennheiser’s past glories, but a distillation of decades of development. The HD 800 S is not designed to be shiny bling, worn as a fashion accessory first and a music playing tool a distant second; it’s for those who appreciate the finer things in life – including excellent music – and don’t need to advertise their success in garish red plastic. That all being said, I think the look and feel HD 800 S are exceptionally refined, and intended for use in homes that people call ‘elegant’ and ‘sophisticated’. 

A lot of what goes into the HD 800 S was developed for the HD 800. In fact, Sennheiser isn’t saying a great deal about the changes between the two. The two share the same ring diaphragm and Helmholtz resonator design, and they both use the same connectors (now in black for the HD 800 S). The HD 800 S does come with two sets of cables – one set single-ended with a 1/4” headphone plug and the other with a four-pin XLR for balanced operation, but you could have easily bought a balanced cable for the HD 800. Aside from the black livery, you’d be hard pressed to see what had changed.

In fact, the biggest change is an acoustic absorber designed to make the high-frequency range more even and extended, and a damping weight causing a small extension to the low-frequency range. These are comparatively small changes, but they add up to make a comparatively big difference.

 Sennheiser’s HDV 820 is a flexible addition to the team. It’s a DSD256 and PCM 32bit, 384kHz compatible DAC (through USB, 24/96 and 24/192 PCM are the respective limits for Toslink and coaxial S/PDIF), but MQA is not on the radar. It has balanced and single-ended analogue line inputs, and balanced line outputs all on the rear panel. Moving to the front, it has provision for a standard 6.35mm stereo jack for single-ended output, and a single four-pin XLR and a pair of 4.4mm Pentaconn jack plugs for balanced connections. A source selector, rounded power switch and a volume control complete the deal. Display options are limited to selected source and the illuminated ring around the power button. Given its ability to cope with a wide range of digital file types, some indicator to suggest the file type would be useful, but sadly is not fitted. 

The HDV 820 is extremely well built, with a functionalist appearance, in that it is black and minimalist to the point that it follows most – if not all – of Dieter Rams’ 10 principles of good design. And if it was good enough for classic Braun, it’s good enough for a headphone amplifier with a built-in DAC.

I have to admit I admire the sound of the HD 800, and was somewhat concerned that the ‘improvements’ to the HD 800 S would somehow undermine what was good about the original model. The detail of the HD 800 is like a surgical strike on your musical collection and if that is ‘fixed’ some of the rationale for owning a top-end Sennheiser potentially goes away. The fact both are still available did nothing to make me think this was a step in the right direction. That concern went away about 10 minutes into the listening test. This preserves all of what’s good about the HD 800, but changes the sound as suggested, with a smoother treble that seems a little more extended, with more authority and depth of bass.

I’m not sure whether the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” exists in German, but this is the perfect example of improving on a product without wrecking that product in the process. While I wasn’t too troubled by its high frequencies when I auditioned the HD 800 back in issue 65, many other listeners found the first headphone accented sibilants, especially in female vocals. So, in listening, I threw a disproportionate number of women at the HD 800 S (not literally), and none of them spat back at me. That little bump at 6kHz that sometimes came across as brightness had gone, but in its passing, Sennheiser didn’t lose any of the recording-opening analysis or sheer detail of the HD 800.

This is a crucial change. I liked the HD 800 because it was hyper-analytical, and can understand that could come across as too ‘austere’. The HD 800 S adds more ‘visibility’, ‘body’, and ‘humanity’ to strings and voices, making it less austere without making it any less analytical. It’s like a recording studio for the home, but in a wholly good way.

This is coupled to a mild improvement to the bass. This is not a game-changer, because I already felt the HD 800 had good bass. But there’s a definite increase in accessibility to the bass notes that wasn’t there in the HD 800. Not that the HD 800 was somehow veiled or light in the bass, but just that the HD 800 S manages to tease out a more energetic and more accurate bass line than before. This is more of a side-benefit compared to the improvement in the treble smoothness, but it adds to the sense that the HD 800 S is more than just an HD 800 with more black bits.

Everything else is classic HD 800, unchanged as it should be. I did feel the HD 800’s uncompromising detail at the top end was replaced with a better overall sound at the expense of some separation of instruments in the high frequencies, but once again this is mostly splitting hairs; the ‘better’ more than makes up for that.

I’d say neither 800 model is an exceptionally ‘organic’ sounding headphone, but that’s not what you are buying an HD 800 or HD 800 S for. Instead, you want that cool, ultra-accurate presentation of detail that makes everything else sound soggy.

Playing ‘The New Cobweb Summer’ by Lambchop [Is A Woman, Merge], you find the deceptively minimalist recording is cracked open on the HD 800 S. Where this might seem like a brutal exercise in studio analysis, it’s like peeling back the layers of a musical onion to get to its core. Unlike the HD 800, though, there are no tears; the overall performance is musically satisfying as much as it is analytical. Thinking back to the performance of the HD 800, I can’t help thinking that was more about the analysis and less about the enjoyment. It’s amazing how just a small change in the design, resulting in small changes in the sound, can muster large changes in the perception of that sound. I’ve often thought there can be too much detail in high-end audio, but the HD 800 S shows that if you can get to that detail and present it in a way that isn’t harsh or aggressive sounding, all that information is a heady brew.

 The HDV 820 brings a sense of correctness and order. Back when the HD 800 first appeared, such things were rare, and many of the top-end headphone amplifiers were slightly wild and wacky designs. Although many of those still exist, there’s a maturity to the personal audio world now, and products that bring that sense of correctness and order are more common than before. Sennheiser’s offering stands close to the top of the tree, though, and it makes for an unusually honest sounding component, and one with a lot of power to back it up. This makes the HDV 820 a perfect match for both the HD 800 and HD 800 S because even the smallest deviation from tonal neutrality is drawn in sharp relief with these incredibly detailed transducers. Neutrality can seem like a loaded word, as it at once summons up a sense of balance and Orson Welles’ ‘Cuckoo Clock’ speech from The Third Man. In this case it means that sense of balance, and nothing whatsoever to do with Harry Lime.

Finding flaw with either component is difficult, although arguably the HDV 820 is merely ‘excellent’ in a market where that price-tag buys ‘outstanding’. However, the whole package works together extremely well, and there’s no drive to break up the band, here. In fact, that combination of HDV 820 and HD 800 S are so good, the tendency to turn the system up to hearing-threatening levels could be an issue. The point where the HD 800 S begins to struggle, and the point where the HDV 820 connected to the HD 800 S begins to clip is very loud indeed. If you cut your personal audio teeth on products made for lesser mortals (and let’s face it… that’s most of us) the amount of headroom on offer is well past most of our comfort zones, and potentially places great stress on the hearing of the listener. Which means the biggest problem with these headphones is the nut between the ear-cups!  

There’s just one other thing ‘wrong’ with the HD 800 S, something that was a problem with the original HD 800, too. It redefines the notion of ‘open backed’ headphones, an issue shared with a handful of designs. The sound of the outside world is virtually unattenuated by the construction of the headphone, and the sound of the headphone doesn’t just ‘leak’, it positively floodsout of the HD 800 S. That means, this is not a headphone that can be used in company, because you’ll hear that company and that company will be able to listen to your music. As the review was being put together, Sennheiser announced a closed-back version of the HD 800 that is designed to address that issue. Sadly, we all need to wait until the Summer of 2018 to find out just how successfully the HD 800 sound ports to the closed-back headphone world, but having heard what the company did with the HD 800 S over the HD800, I’m hopeful for the future.

As I wrote earlier, I really admire the sound of the HD 800. The Sennheiser HD 800 S builds upon that, and makes it one of the most satisfying headphone experiences – make that one of the most satisfying audio experiences full-stop – I’ve had. The HDV 820 is more than just along for the ride, and completes the system with both a sense of balance and a balanced connection. If I had to pull the ejector seat on my audio career tomorrow, this combination would be one of those systems I’d reach for as I walked out of the door. And, unlike most of the others, it doesn’t cost a fortune or weigh more than an Airbus. If you can afford one of these systems, put it on the listening list. If you can’t afford the HD 800 S and HDV 820, start saving! These two come very highly recommended.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

HD 800 S 

Type: circumaural open headphone

Frequency response: 4Hz-51kHz (-10dB)

Transducer principle: dynamic 

Impedance: 300Ω

THD (1kHz, 1Vrms): < 0.02 % 

Connectors: 6.3mm, XLR4

Cable length: 3m

Weight: 330g 

Price: £1399.99

HDV 820

Type: solid-state DAC/headphone amplifier

Frequency response: <10Hz to >100kHz

THD: < 0.001%

Gain: UNBAL input/XLR-4 output: Adjustable 14 dB, 22 dB, 30 dB, 38 dB, 46 dB: BAL input/XLR-4 output: 16 dB

Dynamic range: >115dB @ 600Ω load (A-weighted)

Dimensions (W×H×D): 224 × 44 × 306mm

Weight: 2.25kg

Price: £2,099.99

Manufactured by: Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG

URL: en-uk.sennheiser.com