The Package

The Sennheiser HD800s ship in a huge box. Inside you find the headphones. a manual and a neat storage case. Surprisingly enough you do not get any extras with the HD800s, a spare set of pads would be nice especially on such an expensive set of headphones. Fortunately Sennheiser’s support division is always able to provide spare parts which is great since most users probably will be wanting to keep their investment performing perfectly for as long as possible.

Closer Examination

There is no doubt about it, the Sennheiser HD800s are a very high tech set of headphones. The geometry and shell design is intricate and reasonably good looking. It is definitely not as nice looking as some of the high end Audio-Technica or Sony headphones with wooden cups. The design is very Senn'ish and shares some design characteristics with the older HD6XX series headphones. The similarities probably end there because everything else about these headphones seems very different compared to anything else Sennheiser have done before.


One of the things that make the HD800s a bit special looking is the odd mix between metal and plastic. While the plastic pieces look less than exotic, the metal plating on the cups give the exterior design of the headphones a unique touch. Still, the general design of the HD800s is a bit dull, and somewhat unworthy of a $1400 set of headphones.


On the back of the cups there are two mesh plates protecting the driver assembly. The mesh part of the cups is very dominant even though the area it covers is much smaller than that on the older HD600 headphones from Sennheiser.


Even though the exterior looks quite conventional it features several little innovations that make the headphones more comfortable to wear. The joints now feature a spring loaded mechanism that allows you to get both a tight and comfortable coupling between the cup and head.


In usual Sennheiser style the joint mechanisms are well thought out and manufactured. Even though the set they sent for review had been around quite a few editors before landing on my desk everything felt fresh. Which is quite amazing since posing for photos and being tested can take its toll on the hardware.


In order to prevent dust from entering the driver there is an acoustic transparent soft mesh over the exit of the driver. Despite being covered you can just catch glimpse of how complex the inside cups are.


On each of the cups there are two sockets where you plug in the user replaceable cable. The connectors are very well made and look quite good in comparison to what we have previously seen on Sennheiser headphones with replaceable cables.


With the HD800 design it can be hard to figure out which way they go on your head. Sennheiser have done their bit to ensure that the users wear them properly. On each of the cups is a huge L/R label.