There were two extremes on the Sennheiser stand at CES. First there was their really cool but brutally expensive Sennheiser IE 800 earphones which cost a $1000 and then there was a pair of their Orpheus model headphones.Originally released in 1991 for a staggering $12,900 the Orpheus headphones were originally a headphone/amplifier/DAC combo, consisting of an electrostatic headphone technology paired with an HEV90 vacuum tube amplifier.
The old vacuum tube amplifier, which Samsung is now building into Bluetooth sound bars and home theatre kits, is making a comeback because it looks cool and trendy.
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The HE90 headphone design has a microscopically thin, platinum-coated diaphragm and electrodes made of special glass. This was designed this way to help deliver a superior time response while reducing acoustical losses in the audio frequency range.
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As for the top end IE 800s these extremely tiny buds have a range of 5Hz to 46,000Hz and the dual-vented design reduces any unwanted distortion, while the sonic impact is meant to be extremely natural, with a slightly elevated bass level to counteract the noises of aircraft or when on crowded trains.
