Sennheiser HD 800

Cable Connectivity (12.93)

The HD 800s’ cable is just a bit shy of 11 feet in length. This is a great length for home use, because it’s long enough to reach an audio setup that’s clear across a reasonably-sized room. Those with rooms larger than what’s reasonable will just have to scootch their chair closer.

The cable is also detachable, so if you run over the cord one too many times in a rolling chair, you can always buy a new one without dropping another $1400.

The HD 800s have a 1/4-inch plug and don’t come with an 1/8-inch adapter. This is a bit annoying, because it seems like Sennheiser could have sprung for some accessories for the $1400 you’re shelling out. We’re guessing it’s because the HD 800s would never stoop to connect to something as lowly as an iPod.

Portability (0.14)

The HD 800s aren’t portable. They’re gigantic in size, have an 11-foot cord. Their case is a giant, hard-cover box that takes up 80% of the interior of a backpack. You could bring them loose, but then you’re just gambling with $1400 for the sake of convenience. Leave these at home, safely locked in your anechoic listening chamber.

Maintenance (3.00)

There’s not an awful lot you can do to maintain your HD 800s. They do have a removable cord and cup padding, but don’t really disassemble past that. If you’re amathaphobic, these aren’t the semi-open headphones for you.

Other Features (5.00)

Battery

The HD 800s don’t technically require batteries, but they might require an amp. While we thought they still offered excellent audio quality without one, we’d probably recommend making the additional investment. After all, you’ve already dropped $1400, so the rest should be cake.

In any case, since they don’t require batteries, we gave the HD 800s some points. Huzzah.