Performance Continued

It seems the push Sennheiser made to develop the ring driver has brought an amazing performance improvement over the traditional dynamic driver. What really brings the sound together is that you cannot pinpoint a single flaw, be it bass midrange or treble. The immaculate presentation that the HD800s are capable of providing is incredible in all its neutral glory, however, some might find it a bit lackluster due to the lack of coloration. If you want the very best neutral sounding headphone go for the HD800s.

The treble has both great extension and detail without being fatiguing or excessively bright. Sibilance is not an issue with the HD800s except when you listen to a CD with overemphasized highs, then and only then does the lower treble become a problem. The fact that Sennheiser really nailed the highs in all aspects enhances sound quality greatly compared to older HD6xx series headphones, the fact that it is a bit more emphasized makes music less dull to listen, and since they managed to steer around severe sibilance issues I think the treble of the HD800 is perfect.

Performance wise the HD800 sets the pace all aspects considered, however, it is extremely costly and when you factor in the amount of money you will have to throw at a good DAC, headphone amplifier, and quite possibly interconnects to get them to truly shine they will leave a mighty big hole in your wallet. Considering the options available, the Sennheisers are every bit as expensive as an advanced electrostatic system, and almost double the cost of an ortodynamic setup like the Head-Direct EF5 coupled with the HE-5s headphones.

The driver design is intriguing and while it comes at a hefty price it is still worth it. When it finally trickles down into the more reasonably priced models from Sennheiser the average listener will also be able to enjoy the advancements Sennheiser have made with the ring driver.