Details are ultra-clear. To the point that you may question some of your favorite music. Sloppy productions have nowhere to hide with the level of transparency the HD 800 S provides.

Their resolution earns top marks in all disciplines, as do the wearing comfort and workmanship. With these qualities, the HD 800 S are not only an extraordinarily fine tool for sophisticated music enjoyment, but also a magnifying glass for professional, sound engineering work. In short: these headphones are a dream. Of course, you pay a price for this sound experience, but it seems to me to be quite reasonable in view of the performance of the competition.

I recognize that the Sennheiser HD 800 S isn't a pair of headphones for everyone, but I do think that everyone should at least experience them. Like a ride in a supercar, these headphones traverse the same roads as everyone else, but do it with greater poise, precision, and ultimately pleasure for the passenger. The price tag may be high, but in my judgment it's completely justified

All of this leaves me somehow with confused HD800S feelings. I love the original HD800 in both SE and balanced mode but I clearly prefer the HD800S in balanced mode on solid state amplifiers. So depending on how you will use the new HD800S, I fully understand that people – who are using a balanced system – now favor the new version. The HD800S in balanced configuration produces a very high quality of sound while eliminating as good as all the points of criticism one may have with the HD800. And it gets better: on the better OTL tube amps, the new HD800S even shines in Single Ended mode and the HD800S becomes a headphone that shows you all the detail, clarity and precision as well as the smooth tube flavored bass, full mids and elegant highs. So in the end that makes it extra difficult for me. The HD800S in balanced mode and on tube amps simply is the best HD800 on the market but the original HD800 still has that unique character that made it famous, and that is less present in the S-version.

Fresh out of the box in stock form, the new HD 800 S provides a terrific listening experience; I don't think I've ever heard clarity expressed so musically before. Yes, the experienced listener may hear some slight loss of articulation in the bass due to increased distortion, but on the whole I do prefer the added warmth to the cooler presentation of the HD 800.

To my ears, there is a general sense of the HD800S being a superstar in some respects, and in others, being more middling or simply falling flat altogether. Consequently, my relationship with the HD800S has been a fickle one. From being a possible endgame headphone to being a headphone that I see as far from perfect these days, listeners like myself who want a more natural, organic sound would be best suited by steering away or by only owning the HD800S as a reference headphone. But beyond the scope of subjective preference, I have no problem respecting the HD800S for what it is. It has top-tier technical ability and maintains a reasonably balanced sound signature. For the discerning listener who desires a tool to analyze musical nuance at the highest level, the HD800S is definitely a headphone that should be on the list - scratch that, at the top of the list. It certainly doesn’t hurt that, as a testament to its relevance and staying power, it remains the benchmark with which top headphones are compared to today.

The Sennheiser HD 800 S have some of the best audio reproduction we've measured. They have a well-balanced mid-range that isn't too forward sounding with instruments and vocals. They also have a good amount of bass to cater well to most genres of music, although they will feel somewhat lacking in low-end thump and rumble compared to the HiFiMan Ananda or HiFiMan Sundara. Overall, their spacious, accurate stereo image reproduction makes them one of the best options for neutral listeners. You can also check out our review of the Stax SR-L300, which have a great open sound and electrostatic drivers instead of dynamic ones like the HD800S.

Sennheiser’s latest high-end headphones are a treat, and a clear step up from the standard version