With the HD 800, Sennheiser has had what is probably the best dynamic headphones in the world in its range for several years. For a long time it was believed that its sonic precision, clarity and resolution were the measure of all things and could not be easily surpassed. It was certainly not easy, but the developers in Wedemark near Hanover have actually achieved another significant improvement with the new HD 800 S.
The original 800 already benefited greatly from the more than 60 years of experience that Sennheiser can draw on in headphone development. The materials used, the shape of its auricles, the mechanics and wearing comfort of the headband and of course the largest transducer with a diameter of 56 millimeters that has ever been used in dynamic headphones - every single detail on the HD 800 has been optimized and technically exhausted. So where did the engineers find an approach for further improvement? 
In this case, the answer came from a little brother to the big over-ear headphones. At first glance, the IE 800 in-ear headphones are really tiny compared to the HD 800, but technically the small one is at least as clever as the big one. With the IE 800, Sennheiser pursued the simple but difficult-to-achieve goal of creating the best-sounding in-ear headphones in the world. According to popular opinion, the fact that the Lower Saxony has absolutely succeeded in this is due, among other things, to the special absorber technology that was developed for them. 
In addition, unlike the 800, the 800 S is equipped with a high-quality cable with an XLR4 connector as standard, so that the elegant headphones can be connected directly to high-quality analog sources with balanced outputs. Preferably, of course, on the tried and tested HDVD 800, which as a preamplifier already provides the 'normal' HD 800 with excellent signals. 
Taken together, the sound of the HD 800S can best be described as a further refinement of the excellent sound of the 800. The basic character is retained, but the definition of the music is a little better, the detail resolution finer, the spatial representation a little more precise and the voice reproduction even more natural. Subjectively, the biggest differences seem to manifest themselves in the bass range. Both the technical data and careful listening show that the HD 800S does not downplay it (that would hardly be possible). Rather, it seems to descend a little softer, more harmoniously into the frequency cellar, the bass gives the rest of the music noticeably more space, but without stepping into the background itself. 
The further development of something that is already very good usually has its price. However, if you consider that the XLR-4 cable CH-800S included with the HD 800 S normally costs 299.00 euros, the price difference is put into perspective (1,299.00 vs. 1,598.00 euros), so that the further developed 800S almost is a real bargain. More information