The audiophile headphones all others are measured against.
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.
The HD 800 S demonstrates over 75 years of audio expertise, redefining the critical listening experience.
After launching its predecessor—the HD 800—we accepted a self-imposed challenge to completely disappear from the last link in the audio chain. 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 of the HD 800 S is possible not because of any one of them, but through the synergy of all of them. Let’s explore.
It Has a Ring to It
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. Instead of a single attachment on the outer circumference of the transducer, both outer and inner edges of the “ring” are secured to the drive unit. The voice coil excites the diaphragm, connected to the v-shaped groove found near the center of the ring. A feat in itself, the voice coil is 40mm and wound in-house to ensure the shape and consistency is held to the highest standard.
Solid as a Rock
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 out of the box. Even the steel mesh found in the baffle is matched and integrated with consistency in mind, as it contributes to ultra-low variance in the management of travelling sound waves. Each HD 800 S includes the frequency response plot unique to those perfectly matched transducers, sparing no resource to help you retrieve the most critical details from every corner of your music collection.
SPECIFICATION
Frequency response (speaker)
4 Hz – 51,000 Hz
Sound pressure level (SPL)
102 dB (1 V)
Impedance
300 Ω
Total harmonic distortion (THD)
< 0.02 % (1 kHz 1 Vrms)
Cable length
3 m
Adapter
stereo jack plug: 1/4″ (6.35 mm), unbalanced, 3-pin 4.4 mm, balanced, 5-pin
Transducer principle
dynamic, open
Weight
330 g
Ear coupling
circumaural
Magnetic field