Sennheiser is continuing its 75th-anniversary celebration with another special edition of a classic pair of headphones.
Sennheiser has announced the HD 800 S Anniversary Edition, a collector’s edition of the high-end headphones. The $1,700 commemorative pair will come in a matte gold color and will be limited to 750 units worldwide when they become available on September 22.
“Our 75-year history has not only been shaped by exceptional ideas and innovations, by taking on challenging projects and achieving numerous successes — above all, we are celebrating an enduring passion for great sound this year,” said Andreas Sennheiser, co-CEO of Sennheiser, who alongside his brother Daniel Sennheiser is the third generation of the family to manage the company.
More than a decade ago we reviewed the original HD 800 and commended the headphones for their exceptional sound and high-quality construction. Judging by the specs provided by Sennheiser in a press release, that same heritage has been continued in this limited celebratory run. According to Sennheiser, the HD 800 S Anniversary Edition have a frequency range of 4 to 51,000 Hz and feature a 56mm transducer that’s designed to keep total harmonic distortion to less than 0.02 percent.
Beyond that, the HD 800 S have Sennheiser’s absorber technology that’s meant to reduce the “masking effect,” which the company describes as a situation where the human ear is unable to pick up high-pitched sounds at low volumes while louder sounds in a lower frequency range occur.
Sennheiser says the anniversary headphones were handcrafted at the company’s headquarters in Wedemark, Germany, where it uses glass-fiber strengthened plastic for the headphones’ housing to make them durable and lightweight. The earpads are made from a velour material for increased comfort, and each of the 750 units in the collector’s edition has its serial number laser-engraved on the headband.
Earlier this year, Sennheiser unveiled a 75th-anniversary edition of its HD 25 headphones. The DJ headphones are much more budget-minded than the HD 800 S, retailing at $100 for the special edition. There were also far more units of the HD 25 produced, with 25,000 limited-edition models being made available worldwide.
These anniversary products are part of a year filled with new releases for Sennheiser, which include the incredible-sounding Momentum True Wireless 2 earbuds and the still great-sounding but more affordable CX 400BT. By the looks of it, the prestigious audio company is going to great lengths to deliver products designed for everyone from the nostalgic audiophile to the true wireless fanatic. In most cases, it seems to be paying off for the 75-year-old brand.
