Sennheiser today announced the launch of two new high end audio devices for the most demanding audiophile- IE800 and headphone amplifier set HDVD 800 and HDVA600. True to its brand promise of Pursuit of Perfect Sound, Sennheiser launched the IE 800, a set of genuinely high-end portable earphones that ensures that audiophiles can get as close as possible to a perfect audio experience even when they’re on the move. Complementing the high end headphones, the newly launched Sennheiser HDVA 600 and HDVD 800 ensures that sound can be perfected even further to deliver sound in its purest form.
The IE 800, developed and designed at Sennheiser’s headquarters in Germany, not only boasts innovative technology that make it the perfect contender for any high end headphone but also features a modern design and high-quality materials such as the scratch-resistant ceramic housing.
Created to harmonize perfectly with the Sennheiser High-End headphone line, the HDVD 800 and HDVA 600 headphone amplifiers, honoured with the Red Dot Design Awards in the best of the best 2013 category, have a fully symmetrical layout that promises to create an unique listening experience that is crystal clear and distortion free.
Mr Kapil Gulati, Vice –President, Sales and Marketing, Consumer Segment, Sennheiser Electronics India Pvt Ltd said, “Sennheiser is a brand known for its premium product offering, supreme sound quality and pure listening pleasure and our latest offerings-the IE 800 and HDVD 800 and HDVA 600 are a reiteration of that brand philosophy. Sennheiser is on a continuous pursuit of perfect sound and with the creation these two new products we are a little closer to achieving the perfect audio experience that will please even the most discerning audiophile.”
IE 800
Outstanding in-ear sound system
The interior of the IE 800 conceals many small but effective innovations: the centre-piece is Sennheiser’s specially developed Extra Wide Band (XWB) driver. 
With a diameter of just 7 mm, it is the smallest wide-band sound transducer currently available in dynamic headphones. Its functional principle guarantees distortion-free sound even at high sound pressure levels. By contrast, the miniature-sized XWB driver developed by Sennheiser is able to perfectly reproduce the entire audible frequency spectrum and beyond. The advantage: music is played back with crystal clarity and with absolute time precision.
The endeavour to fully exploit the sound potential of the premium headphones led to a further small but highly effective innovation: a vented magnet system. The oscillating motion of the diaphragm produces an air flow in the magnet system housing that causes the diaphragm to wobble slightly and by positioning two precisely defined vent holes in the housing directly under the magnets, this is made possible. This minimises the wobbling motion of the diaphragm and reduces total harmonic distortion to less than 0.06 percent.
Innovative dual-chamber absorber
With the IE 800, Sennheiser has succeeded for the first time in solving what is known as the ‘masking effect’. This effect, which has a negative influence on overall sound quality, is due to the way in which our ears work. The human ear is unable to perceive low-volume frequency components of a sound if there are much louder sounds occurring in a lower frequency range at the same time. The sealing of the ear canal by the ear-phones normally causes resonances that result in a peak in the 7kHz to 8kHz range. This has the effect of masking the actual higher-frequency components. Precisely this problem has been overcome in the IE 800 by the use of an absorber. Sennheiser’s patented dual-chamber system absorbs the energy of the resonance, thus preventing any unwanted peaks. As a result, all frequency components – even the finest nuances – in the music material become audible.
Finest wearing comfort
The optimum sound properties of the IE 800 are further enhanced by excellent wearing comfort. The housing is made of scratch-resistant, skin-friendly ceramic, while the ear pads consist of skin friendly silicone, thereby ruling out any risk of allergies or skin irritation. To guarantee a perfect fit, Sennheiser has developed new ear adapters with an oval shape based on extensive international studies in ergonomics. According to their personal preference, users can choose from a selection of oval (SM/ML) and round (S/M/L) adapters. A protective mesh on the ear cushions effectively protects the drivers against dirt contamination.
HDVD 800 and HDVA 600
Years of knowledge in audio engineering and innovations in acoustic amplification, resulted in the creation of the HDVA 600 and HDVD 800. The consistently symmetrical signal processing and extremely low harmonic distortion guarantees an absolutely precise sound. The pre-amp performance of these amplifiers makes it easy to adjust and connect them directly to speakers for optimum audio amplification. In essence, the HDVD 800 and HDVA 600 provides a spectacular listening experience when paired with any Sennheiser’s audiophile headphones
Cutting-edge technology, top-quality sound 
Signal processing in the HiFi devices is fully symmetrical. That means that not only the signal input into the amplifier is symmetrical but also the signal output and therefore the connection to the headphones. Headphones can also be connected using a normal 6.3 mm jack plug. The amplifiers are also equipped with an asymmetrical input socket; when using this input, the incoming signals are symmetrised before further processing takes place. On the HDVD 800 digital sources are connected to the rear of the unit as an AES/EBU input or S/PDIF (optical and coaxial). The digital version is featured with an extra USB input, which offers 24 bit data transmission at 192 KHz*.
In order to fully exploit the sound potential of the HDVD 800 with any audio source, a rotary gain switch at the rear of the unit provides simple adaptation of the amplifier output to the audio input voltage. This ensures that the dynamic range can be used to its full extent.
Sophisticated materials for a premium touch
A glass panel embedded in the aluminium housing of the amplifier gives a clear view of the top-quality interior of the devices. Selected components and sophisticated circuitry promise the ultimate in listening pleasure. The rotary potentiometer is mechanically connected to the volume control by a 150mm long shaft. This unusually long potentiometer shaft allows the signal path between the audio source and the potentiometer to be kept very short, thus preventing possible interference of the signal. High-quality components (Alps RK 27 quad) ensure that the volume is controlled with maximum precision and a fine rotary ‘feel’. Also visible through the glass panel are the cooling element, the audio relay and countless MELF resistors for the amplifier.
In order to complement the premium internal designing, meticulous attention has also been applied to the exterior as well. The housing and the potentiometer control as well as the rotary switch for selecting the source are made of anodised aluminium, while the front panel of the housing and the controls are milled from solid material.
The HDVD 800 and the HDVA 600 were developed and designed in Germany, and the latest member of Sennheiser’s high-end series are also being manufactured there.
IE 800 is priced at Rs 54,990
HDVA 600 is priced at Rs. 1,19,990
HDVD 800 is priced at Rs. 1,59,990
The Sennheiser e-store now lets you check out and buy these headphones anytime and from anywhere. Visit the e-store at http://shop.sennheiserindia.com/
