By aspect — in detail
Soundstage
Strong consensus · 8 srcThe headline strength and a rare point of near-universal agreement: an exceptionally wide, open, 'out-of-head' stage that reviewers repeatedly call the best they've heard. The common caveat is that width outruns depth, and a minority find it less immersive than the reputation promises.
“To this day, I haven’t heard anything that beats them in terms of image depth and width.”
Headphonesty
“it sounds VAST, not artificially wide. All of the sound is actually focused in front of you.”
TheGamingOnion (r/headphones)
Measured
No standard graph captures stage, but reviewers tie it to the physical design — angled 56 mm ring-radiator drivers and huge cups. Headphones.com notes it 'excels in horizontal width' with 'comparatively limited' depth; the effect tracks a proper seal (glasses/long hair shrink it).
Imaging
Strong consensus · 7 srcPraised nearly as loudly as the stage: pinpoint separation and layering are a signature strength. The one recurring dissent is center image — a relaxed center that reads as depth to some and as vocals 'trapped in your head' to others.
“for layering ability - the perceived sense of space between instruments - I have heard no other headphone with such stellar distinction.”
Precogvision, Headphones.com
“The imaging is the best I've ever heard, easily beating out my entry level Stax setups by a LARGE MARGIN.”
TheGamingOnion (r/headphones)
Measured
Headphones.com attributes the presentation to two diffusion points (one per ear) rather than a central hotspot; the same review that praises separation flags where it stumbles: 'Where the HD800S stumbles - stumbles hard, I might add - is the center image.'
Detail
Strong consensus · 8 srcReference-grade resolution is the other pillar of its reputation — a 'detail lover's dream' that lays a recording bare. The measured caveat is that modern top planars and Focal's metal-driver open-backs now match or out-resolve it.
“again, I’ve heard no peer to the HD800S, and it is a detail lover’s dream headphone.”
Precogvision, Headphones.com
“the HD800S easily competes at the top for being one of the most resolving headphones in the market.”
Headphones.com
Measured
Headphonesty tempers the ranking: 'Focal’s metal driver open-backs have the HD800S beat pretty squarely' on sheer resolution — so it's reference-class, not uniquely untouchable a decade on.
Tonality
Contested · 9 srcThe core argument. Everyone agrees on the character — a lean, bright-of-neutral diffuse-field voicing, not warm or lush — but splits hard on the verdict: a transparent reference tool to some, thin, clinical and emotionally distant to others. Much of the 'boring'/'clinical' reputation lives here.
Measured
ASR (GRAS 45C): the FR sits below its target from ~1–4 kHz then 'shoots up a bit over our target' past 5 kHz, with no bass boost — 'light and potentially bright.' Sonarworks scores the stock FR 5.5/10 with 'upper mids and up being roughly 6dB louder than the rest of the spectrum.'
⚠ vs. listeners — The camps aren't disputing the graph — it's a lean, bright-tilted response. 'Transparent reference' and 'thin/clinical' are opposite valences on that same measured tilt, and it EQs toward warmth easily.
Where it splits
A neutral, transparent reference — accurate voicing that works as a monitoring tool.32%
“So the HD 800 S can be considered a reference monitoring tool.”
dSONIQ
Lean and clinical — technically accurate but emotionally distant, not an immersive listen.68%
“The midrange doesn’t really draw me in to keep listening. It eschews the typical audiophile trappings of being “warm” or “lush” and keeps me at an arm's length away.”
Headphones.com
The classic HD 800 debate, softened but not settled by the 'S.' Its added absorber tames the original's harsh ~6 kHz spike, and there's a measured lift above ~5 kHz plus a ~10 kHz peak. Sources split on whether the result is now well-controlled or still too hot and fatiguing.
Measured
The 'S' adds an 'innovative absorber' to attenuate the OG HD 800's ~6 kHz resonance; Headphonesty still measures ~5 kHz up around 6 dB hot with a ~10 kHz peak, and Sonarworks flags a ~14 kHz spike. How much it bites tracks recording, volume, source/amp and ear sensitivity.
Where it splits
Still too bright / hot — sparkly but fatiguing on busy or aggressive recordings.64%
“I find 5kHz and up to be around 6dB too hot for my liking.”
Headphonesty
Well-controlled now — the 'S' fixed the peak; bright but tolerable and it blends in.36%
“Though the treble is definitely a bit bright, it doesn’t overtly call attention to itself and does a good job of blending in with the rest of the track.”
Headphones.com
The agreed weak point. Sub-bass rolls off, quantity is light, and dynamic slam is the common knock — the big 56 mm ring-radiator doesn't move much more air than a 40 mm driver, and bass distortion rises quickly. Quality (tight, clean, fast) is respected; a minority find it 'enough' and EQ helps.
“In other words, don’t get this headphone if you like a bit of bass.”
Headphones.com
“You’re not buying this headphone for rumble or slam.”
Precogvision, Headphones.com
Measured
ASR reads it 'light in bass' with sub-bass below its target and sharply nonlinear bass distortion; Headphonesty notes the Focal Clear MG beats it ~3 dB at the very bottom and most planars extend further. EQ-ing bass up works but 'distortion would creep up fast.'
Praised for clarity and vocal intelligibility — 'hard to fault,' transparent, correct — but with a lean, distant character rather than warmth or body. A ~1–2 kHz dip thins male vocals for some, and the presentation is described as emotionally 'distant' as often as it's called realistic.
“Conversely, the midrange of the HD800S is the most solid part of the tuning in my opinion.”
Precogvision, Headphones.com
“I think the best way to describe it is as distant - both spatially and emotionally.”
Headphones.com
Measured
Headphones.com notes pinna-gain rise starting at ~1.5 kHz rather than 1 kHz; Precogvision hears a 'relative lack of energy from roughly 1-2kHz which cuts a good deal of body out of male vocals.'
The softer of its technical traits: transient attack and micro-detail are sharp, but macro-dynamic punch and slam are widely called lacking — part of the 'bass has no oomph' and 'sterile' impressions.
“the HD800S lacks the same level of visceral macrodynamic punch. This culminates in a decidedly more sterile technical showing.”
Precogvision, Headphones.com
“it’s almost as if it’s puffing air rather than producing a bass response with substance or weight.”
Headphones.com
Comfort
Strong consensus · 8 srcNear-universal top marks and a benchmark for the category: light (~330 g), cavernous cups that clear the ears, plush contact points and a gentle clamp mean many forget they're wearing it. The only caveats are thin pads, a little headband pressure for some, and a light clamp that won't hold during movement.
“I was surprised how they just melted on my head the moment I put them on.”
amirm, Audio Science Review
“Sennheiser HD 800 S feels like your wearing nothing.”
Sonarworks
Measured
≈330 g without cable; 300 Ω; large velour-covered cups; Sonarworks scores comfort 10/10.
Premium and confidence-inspiring: a metal/plastic mix chosen to keep weight down, no creak, and — unusually — fully user-serviceable with parts sold separately. Minor gripes are that it's largely plastic for the money and uses fiddly proprietary connectors; the OG's paint-flaking is fixed.
“The build quality is excellent without creaking and inspires a sense of confidence.”
Precogvision, Headphones.com
“All parts can be bought separately from Sennheiser, and earpads are affordable.”
Headphonesty
Measured
dSONIQ: 'manufactured only in Germany from materials and components used in the aerospace industry'; the proprietary ODU-style connector locks and takes real force to seat/remove.
Isolation
Strong consensus · 4 srcOpen-back by design: essentially zero passive isolation, and it leaks both ways. Expected for the type and not a flaw — but it rules out commutes, offices and shared rooms.
“For isolation, although it might seem obvious, there is zero isolation because this is an open-back headphone.”
Precogvision, Headphones.com
Genuinely split. At a four-figure price with a tonality a much cheaper reference arguably does better, critics call the value poor; defenders answer that you're paying for staging, comfort and longevity no cheaper set matches, and that it EQs to 'endgame.' The two sides aren't really arguing the same thing.
Measured
Sonarworks scores value 6/10; dSONIQ and Headphonesty both flag price, the latter noting 'a well-cared-for HD800 can be found for about half what the HD800S cost new.'
Where it splits· split roughly even
Poor value — a far cheaper reference nails the tonality; you pay a huge premium for staging.
“It’s a €1400 headphone with a tonal response that’s worse than the one offered by the €250 HD 650. Value is poor”
Sonarworks
Worth it for what it uniquely does — staging, comfort and 20-year longevity, and it EQs to endgame.
“I think with EQ the 800S is still one of the best value headphones at its price”
Venny36 (r/headphones)
