OLD LYME, Conn. – July 2, 2013 — Audio specialist Sennheiser announced that its new HDVD 800 digital amplifier is now shipping. The new amplifier is designed to provide a crystal clear, brilliant response and is ideally suited for driving the entire line of high-end headphones from Sennheiser, including the HD 600, HD 650, HD 700, HD 800 and other models.
The new HDVD 800 provides a crisp and detailed, distortion-free response — making the listener feel as they were sitting directly in front of the audio source. Designed, developed and manufactured in Germany, the new amplifier is a manifestation of the effort and vision that drives Sennheiser in the development of its high-end products, creating an unsurpassed level of acoustic performance.
Balanced sound image and impressive spaciality?Sonically, the HDVD 800 delivers a balanced sound image, maximum precision and impressive spatiality. It features a fully symmetrical layout that ensures even signal transmission from the source to the headphones. “The fully symmetrical principle effectively compensates for interference and distortion,” explains Axel Grell, Sennheiser’s High-End Product Manager at Sennheiser. “The sound therefore becomes much clearer as total harmonic distortion is minimized.”
The HDVD 800 is also equipped with an asymmetrical input socket; when using this input, incoming signals are symmetrized before further processing takes place. Digital sources are connected to the rear of the unit as an AES/EBU input or S/PDIF (optical and coaxial). The HDVD 800 also features an extra USB input, which offers 24 bit data transmission at 192 KHz*.
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. The rotary potentiometer is mechanically connected to the volume control by a 150mm long shaft. This unusually long 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.
The housing, the potentiometer control as well as the rotary switch for selecting the source are all made of anodized aluminium, while the front panel of the housing and the controls are milled from solid material. The HDVD 800, which is priced at $1,999.95, was developed and designed in Germany.
The Sennheiser Group, with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. The family-owned company, which was established in 1945, recorded sales of around €531 million in 2011. Sennheiser employs more than 2,100 people worldwide, and has manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA. The company is represented worldwide by subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as by long-term trading partners in many other countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin (studio microphones and monitor loudspeakers), and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications A/S (headsets for PCs, offices and call centres).
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*Driverless operation on a Mac from operating system OS 10.5 onwards. A driver is included for Windows computers from XP operating system onwards for 192 kHz operation.
