Sennheiser HD 820 Before getting too deep in the weeds, let’s start with the price: the Sennheiser HD 820s cost $2,400, meaning these aren’t your run-of-themill headphones that plug straight into your laptop or smartphone. No, these are much higher end than that, and they demand a proper headphone amp or DAC (a digital-to-analog converter) to drive them. Ideally, you also have a dedicated room and a comfy lounge chair (but you can make do without). Even among high-end headphones, the HD 820s are unique and ambitious. They’re high-end and closed-backed, two traits that tend to be mutually exclusive. Studio headphones normally have an open-back design that allows them to achieve a wider and more accurate soundstage — simply put, open-back headphones deliver a sound closer to what the artist originally envisioned. The problem is that audio bleeds through them, meaning they’re a no-go in noisy environments. And if that wasn’t enough, they’re loud — like, to others. Do you really want to be that person blasting music through his or her headphones? With the HD 820s, however, Sennheiser was able to beat the problems plaguing open-back headphones thanks to some clever engineering. They have similar drivers to those featured in their predecessor, Sennheiser’s open-backed HD 800S, but they’re also designed with curved Gorilla Glass-covered transducers, resulting in minimal resonance, and, ultimately, an ultra-accurate listening experience. If you’re an audiophile, Sennheiser’s innovation will feel like a game changer. You’ll be able to listen to studio-quality audio even if you don’t have a dedicated room for listening. Heck, you’ll even be able to take the HD 820s mobile without bothering those around you (assuming you have a high-quality portable hi-fi player). And when you consider that the HD 820s are lightweight and use plush microfiber earcups, you’ll never want to take them off. — TB Specs Type: Closed-back, dynamic headphones Frequency range: 12 - 43,800 Hz (-3 dB), 6 - 48,000 Hz (-10 dB) Impedance: 300 ohms $2,400
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