CES 2009

Sennheiser's new HD 800 headphones cost a whopping $1,400 but they're exquisite.

(Credit: Sennheiser)

If you're someone doesn't like to pay more than $50 for a pair of headphones, look away, now. If you're someone who doesn't mind throwing down $300 for a pair of cans, you should probably look away, too. But if you've got $1,400 to burn on a sweet pair of headphones, read on because that's what Sennheiser's new HD 800 will retail for when they come out in February.

What do you get for $1,400? Well, for starters, the newly designed earcups are finished in Japanese Alcantara, which is a special form of man-made suede that's particularly friendly to the skin and easy to clean. After that, it gets pretty technical.

Sennheiser says the 56mm transducer in the HD 800 is "the largest that can currently be found in a dynamic headphone," explaining that the more transducer surface area that vibrates, the purer the headphone sounds at low frequencies. However, the problem with a transducer with a large surface area is that at high frequencies "undesired resonances occur at the diaphragm, resulting in distortions in sound reproduction." Apparently, the new design principle of the HD 800--which involves a patented ring design for the diaphragm--resolves this dilemma and minimizes the distortion of the sound image.

We haven't listened to them yet, but Sennheiser says, "The HD 800 has brilliant trebles, precise bass reproduction, and an exceptionally clear sound image. The frequency response is an unprecedented 6 to 51,000 Hertz."

Alright, as soon as the recession ends, I'm in. Who needs a new 50-inch HDTV when you can have these babies?