IF you’re a headfi enthusiast, here’s the chance to sample two high-end Sennheiser products, one of them slated for release in August – the HD 820 headphones and HDV 820 digital headphone amplifier. Just be at the Kuala Lumpur International Audio Visual (KLIAV) Show 2018, to be held in Kuala Lumpur on July 20-22.
The HD 820 is a closed dynamic design that features “unique glass transducer covers that minimise resonances”. Sennheiser claims the HD 820 is the “most transparent-sounding” headphones in the world” and achieves a performance beyond that of closed type headphones thus far.
As the company states: “When it came to circumaural headphones, the very best sound required an open-back design. This axiom has now been rendered obsolete by the youngest member of the Sennheiser Audiophile Range – the closed dynamic HD 820 headphones employ an innovative technology that make them sound breathtakingly transparent and natural. Developed and made in Germany, they offer an incredibly realistic, natural sound field and also stand apart by the extraordinary attention given to every detail of their design. Their soft comfortable microfibre ear pads are handcrafted, providing excellent attenuation of ambient noise, while the robust metal headband includes an inner damping element.”
The HD 820’s Sennheiser Ring Radiator transducers are fitted with unique glass covers, which while showing off the technical component within, was developed wholly for a sonic purpose. The concave glass reflects the sound waves from the rear of the transducer to an absorber, which results in minimal resonance. Thus, the sound waves are effectively dissipated, as in an open design.
Extra-comfortable handcrafted ear pads that insulate the listener from ambient noise, silver-cladded OFC cables and gold-plated plugs, and a robust metal headband with an inner damping element are among features offered on the HD 820. To ensure the user has the optimum experience, each pair is provided with “a specially tuned symmetrical, impedance-matching cable with low capacitance and a balanced 4.4mm gold plug, which offers superior characteristics in contact resistance, and thus in sound.”
Of course, you’ll need a match made in audio heaven when driving these cutting-edge cans, and Sennheiser has the HDV 820 amplifier for this very purpose.
“The HDV 820 is the next generation of Sennheiser’s acclaimed digital headphones amplifier, designed to complete the Sennheiser audio experience and perfectly complement its high-end audiophile headphone range for the ultimate acoustic performance.”
Driving the HDV 820 is the glorious ESS SABRE32 DAC that surpasses the previous generation with an even higher resolution of 32 bits and a sampling rate of up to 384kHz. The amplifier is also capable of playing DSD256 files of up to 12.3 MHz and will potentially extract maximum performance from all high-end cans in the market.
The company adds: “Fittingly for an audio component that delivers such an incredibly pure sonic experience, the HDV 820 has also been created to delight visually. It features a new anodised black finish with white LED lights.
“With a breadth of audio outputs that include XLR3, XLR4, 6.3 mm- and a 4.4 mm Pentaconn socket, it is easy to find the optimal way to connect your headphones with the HDV 820. It performs brilliantly with digital sources, whether optically, coaxially, or via USB, and features balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) analogue inputs. The HDV 820 also comes supplied with a dedicated, country-specific power cable.”
Both products are priced at US$2,399.95 each. The Malaysian prices are RM11,900 for the HD 820 and RM12,990 for the HDV 820.
The HD 820 and HDV 820 will be on display at the Sennheiser Booth by Jaben, Level 9, Open Space 11, at the Sunway Putra Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, where the KLIAV Show 2018 is being held next weekend.
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