Sennheiser Orpheus - The best headphones in the world

When hi-fi manufacturers talk about a new product, they like to use superlatives of all kinds, but they are always careful. The danger is too great that the claim that the new device is the best of its kind will call a competitor onto the scene to prove the incorrectness of this statement by means of a warning attorney. When Sennheiser presented its new Orpheus as the best headphones in the world, there was no contradiction. The effort involved is too great, and the technological lead over everything that can otherwise be used for direct sound to the ears is too far. That almost inevitably brings with it another unattainable superlative. Because at around 50,000 euros, the Sennheiser Orpheus is by far the most expensive headphones in the world.

The original Orpheus from 1990 was already a real statement. Since there has been no challenger in the last 25 years, Sennheiser has simply built one itself. The story of Orpheus begins as early as 1990. At that time, the German headphone specialists demonstrated for the first time what they are technically capable of when neither costs nor common sense put stumbling blocks in the way of the developers. Sennheiser already set a brand with the original Orpheus - a comparatively bargain at just 16,000 euros - a brand that nobody has wanted or been able to measure themselves against since. And since no one else was trying to outperform the Orpheus and design an even better headphone, now, 25 years later, the company's own engineers had to do it again.

What the Orpheus of 1990 and that of 2015 have in common is above all the absolutely uncompromising approach of exploring the limits of what is technically feasible to the last. That is why the new one, like its predecessor, is designed as a complete system of headphones and a matching pre-stage to guarantee a perfectly coordinated playback chain. And as it should be, a whole battery of tubes in this pre-stage ensure the incomparably warm, 'analog' sound. The high level of sound optimization that the Sennheiser developers have achieved is evident here at first glance. Because all tubes are surrounded by a bulb made of quartz glass, which is supposed to protect them from at least theoretically sound-damaging air vibrations. In order to put an end to the usually much stronger vibrations that can be transmitted from the floor and furniture, a solution that is as unusual as it is effective has been devised. The housing of the preliminary stage is milled from a solid block of marble, which of course comes from Carrara. The whole thing rests on spring-loaded feet, so that the housing is more or less its own mass damper and can hardly be disturbed by anything.

When it comes to pre-amplification, Sennheiser uses absolutely consistent analog technology, but digital sources are of course not a problem for the Orpheus. These can be connected via TOSLINK, S / PDIF and USB, whereby the USB input also works well with modern high-resolution formats (PCM up to 384kHz, DSD256). With the SABER ES9018 from ESS, a high-quality DAC chip takes care of the D / A conversion, which thanks to its four internal converter strips per channel delivers high-precision and extremely noise-free signals to the amplifier tubes. The connection of analogue source devices is of course also possible, both conventional and symmetrical inputs in high quality are available here.

If you go to such an effort in the pre-stage, this high-quality approach must of course also be continued with the actual headphones. The sound transducers in the Orpheus are electrostats. With this principle, a wafer-thin film is made to vibrate evenly by electrostatic attraction, so that the entire membrane surface always radiates all frequencies. With headphones in particular, this technology offers clear sound advantages over conventional drivers. However, electrostats work with very high voltages, the high-voltage amplifiers required for this usually work in the external preamplifier box. But the developers of Orpheus found the capacitive resistance of the cable a thorn in the side when looking for the perfect sound. Without further ado, the existing technology was further developed so that the Class-A MOSFETs can now be found in the ear cups of the premium headphones, i.e. in the immediate vicinity of the drivers. The result of this enormous design effort is a previously unattainable degree of efficiency (Sennheiser himself speaks of an improvement of 200%), which is accompanied by practically seamless impulse fidelity.

As you can expect from headphones in this price and performance class, all other components also meet the highest demands. It starts with the silver-plated, oxygen-free cables, goes over the ear cups made of solid aluminum and doesn't end with the handmade ear pads with a cover made of real leather and micro-velor. For several months it has been rumored in the scene that Sennheiser was working on something really big. But when the Sennheiser was presented to the world press and selected dealers for the first time a few days ago, it was still astonishing. The chosen few who have been allowed to try out the new Orpheus are still looking for the right words to describe the hearing impression they have gained. Too far removed from all others, too far beyond the known, far from any comparability, these headphones are in a league of their own. Even phenomenal measured values such as a frequency response from 8 to 100,000 Hz or a distortion factor of 0.01% never before achieved are only partially suitable for describing the extraordinary nature of the Sennheiser Orpheus.

Listen to the smallest group. AUDITORIUM managing director Sebastian Schwarte was one of those chosen who recently had the chance to try out the new Orpheus in Wedemark. Sennheiser will start production in February 2016 and, if its capacities are fully utilized, plans to produce around 50 units - per year! The Orpheus will therefore remain at least as rare and exclusive as its predecessor. In order to have a chance at all to listen to a sample or even buy the noble piece, the curious have to put themselves on a waiting list, Sennheiser will then gradually offer listening sessions with the Orpheus at its home location Wedemark. As a special service, we offer you to simply and easily add yourself to this list. Simply leave us your name and email address in the following form and we will take care of everything else. Of course we will only use your data for the purpose of this registration!