Specs
- Sensitivity : 97.8 dB/mW / 103dB/V
- Frequency response: 6 – 48kHz
- Impedance : 300-ohms
- Weight: 360g
What’s In The Box?
- Sennheiser HD820
- 1/4″ cable
- 4.4mm Pentaconn cable
- XLR cable
Accessories
With the HD820 Sennheiser included not one, not two, but 3 cables in total.
Well now, that’s the kind of service we’d expect to get with a flagship product.
The cables aren’t exactly mind-blowingly premium, but they do feel very decent nonetheless. It’s great to see Sennheiser considering the multitude of options out there for their customers as getting the correct cable for your favourite amplifier included in the box is a major bonus.
Design
If you’re at all familiar with Sennheiser’s original HD800 and HD800S, then the HD820 will look very familiar to you.
Where the 800 had a very premium-looking silver colour scheme, Sennheiser went with an almost all-black theme for the 800S. So, in that regard, this new HD820 looks more closely related to the HD800S.
However, what is totally different is that the HD820 is in fact a closed-back set of headphones, rather than being of an open-back design like its predecessors. As you might be ale to tell from the all-black colour, the majority of the headphone, or at least the frame is made out of plastic.
It’s definitely not a cheap-feeling plastic, as it’s got a nice soft-touch texture and there are no weird squeaks when moving some of the movable parts or when stretching the headband.
But, I’m sure that most of you would agree that it would’ve been nice if such a high-end set of headphones featured more premium-feeling materials such as metal or wood. And yet, Sennheiser did do a little something here that we really don’t see very often..or at least it is a first for myself personally.
As mentioned, where the original HD800 and the subsequent HD800S were of an open-back design, the HD820 is a closed-back design. But it doesn’t look like a totally closed design, does it?That’s because, slap bang in the centre of the earcup is a concave disc of Gorilla glass.
Now, whilst this does give these headphones a bit more of a premium feel, I don’t know how thick, nor how strong this glass is.
As is the case with all glass products, the very nature of the material is that it’s incredibly stiff and scratch resistant, and as a result rather brittle. So, this is one area where you would want to be careful not to bump. You’d also want to keep your fingers away as the glass could pretty easily look terribly smudgy from fingerprints. The one thing I kind of like about the design of these headphones is that it’s got 2 pivot point on each side. So, whilst these don’t allow for a great deal of movement, the can move just enough to ensure that you get a comfortable fit.
As we’ve all got slightly different head shapes there is a real need to incorporate an adjustment feature other than just a simple headband size adjustment, and if a headphone sounds great but feels uncomfortable, then you’re not going to end up enjoying the experience of using it.
Speaking of comfort, I think Sennheiser did a really fine job here as the HD820 is easily one of the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever used. The headband doesn’t have a lot of padding, but it feels like the force is distributed over a wide enough area so that it can be comfortable without needing a lot of padding. The earcups too are not exactly the softest I’ve ever felt, but again the combination of the material used and the fact that they have just enough give to still feel very comfy.
But it’s only when I started listening to the HD820 that I realised that this level of comfort might just be the biggest enemy for the sound signature.
Specifically, what I’m referring to is the clamping force.
You see, the HD820 really doesn’t have much clamping force, and this is great for comfort as I don’t have that constant pressure reminding me that I’m wearing headphones.
But, there is a fine balance to be walked here as too little clamping force could mean that the earpads would not create a sufficient seal between the driver and the person’s ear. This would obviously differ from person to person because, as we’ve already covered, we all have uniquely sized and shaped heads. In my case, I think I’ve got perhaps a slightly smaller than average head, so the shape and size of a headphone’s earcups can tend to be a bit of a tricky thing for me.As you can see, the HD820 does have pretty large earcups…so, hopefully, you can see where I am going with this.
Sound
Let’s start off by talking about the treble. I honestly cannot tell you if I’ve ever heard such a pleasing treble response from another set of headphones.
The first thing I noticed about the treble was just how wonderfully detailed it sounded. Like, everything was there, all the subtle nuances, and they were all separated enough from each other to make them sound clear, yet still coherent.
But, it’s the next thing that really grabbed my attention, and that was, despite the exquisite detail, somehow, the treble still remained smooth. It sounded real, it sounded natural…it didn’t sound like it was tuned to “artificially” accentuate the treble region.
This trend carried over to the mid-range too. There was presence in the vocals, and again, it sounded natural.
Unfortunately, it’s when we get to the bass region that it all fell flat for me. Actually, no, flat is totally the wrong word to use, because instead it felt like the bass region had fallen off a cliff. It actually reminded me more of how the bass region rolls off in the open-back HD600-series.Now, remember when I said that the size and shape of a headphone’s earcups can be a tricky thing for me, this is exactly what I was referring to. Due to the sheer size of these earcups, coupled with the very little clamping force, what I get with the HD820 is a headphone that doesn’t seal properly against my head. And all of that results in a leak of the bass frequencies, especially those deep sub-bass notes.
I honestly can’t tell you just how disappointed I am about this because if I take my hands and apply just a bit of pressure on each earcup those bass regions just suddenly come alive and fill in the sound to give this wonderfully full, engaging, and refined signature. It really is one of, if not the best signatures I’ve ever experienced.
Not any single region of the frequency spectrum felt like it was being dominated by another. There is a sense of balance and, again, just this sense of coherence that I’ve very seldomly heard in other headphones.
And then there is the sound stage. Let’s keep in mind that the HD820 is still a closed-back set of headphones. And yet, I get the illusion of a sound stage far bigger than what I’ve ever heard on any other closed-back set of headphones. It’s as though it has just about all of the sonic benefits of an open-back, but absolutely none of the drawbacks.
This is essentially what my idea of an “end-game” signature is.
And that really makes me envy people with bigger heads.
Value
So, in this instance the value of the HD820 is quite tricky to work out. Let’s start off with the fact that these do come with a retail price tag of $2400.
That’s a butt-load of cash to be spending on a set of headphones by any sane person’s standards.
And yet, if you can try these out for yourself and if you can get a proper seal with them, then the HD820 could easily be the last set of headphones you ever buy.
Honestly, I don’t like to hype products simply because it’s so easy to raise people’s expectations far higher than what is realistic….but with the HD820 I feel like these are just about the perfect headphones. I don’t know if Sennheiser could perhaps make a slightly tweaked version that has maybe thicker pads or a bit more clamping force…but man if they do I would be all over them. If you’ve watched or read some of my past reviews then you’ll know that I can be very critical of headphones that cost this much, and I still do feel that it is perfectly warranted to be more critical of products as you move up the pricing ladder.
So, the fact that I don’t really have much criticism to say about the HD820 really should tell you a lot.
When I compare the HD820 to a couple of other headphones I recently reviewed, then that $2400 price-tag almost seems like a bargain when you consider what you’re getting.
It’s around $1000 cheaper but sounds like it should cost about a $1000 more than something like the HE1000se from HiFiMAN.
Again, if you’re able to try these for yourself and you can get a proper seal..then, first of all, I hate you. A lot.
But most important is that, if you can afford them, then I suggest that you don’t look at that $2400 price tag as less money in your bank account, but rather as a genuine investment into many years of audio enjoyment.