About once a year, HE-1 headphones are available for personal demonstration by appointment at Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto. Sign up for our email newsletter to be notified about future listening opportunities.

Sennheiser HE 1

The greatest headphones in the world.

In 1991, Sennheiser created Orpheus, the best headphones in the world. Now, they’ve done it again.

Equipped with unique features and state-of-the-art technology unlike any other, HE1 transforms music from something you listen to, into something you live in.

The HE 1 Story

Dark stones fall from the sky and form the building blocks for a major monument of sound. This monument is the Sennheiser HE 1 – headphones made with the finest materials. A new way of listening. And as with so many good things, it’s worth waiting for. Once you bring the Sennheiser HE 1 to life, it takes a few seconds before the amplifier tubes stand to attention and the black lid opens to release the headphones within.

With HE 1, Sennheiser has created another milestone in the search for the ultimate sound experience. Sennheiser set out on this search for the perfect sound under the motto “reshaping audio excellence.” But really, it’s a journey which began decades before. For over 75 years, Sennheiser has stood for German engineering, for quality products, excellence in sound and unconventional innovation. Sennheiser has shaped the future of audio.

A major leg of this journey toward true audio leadership came with the launch of the electrostatic Orpheus HE 90/HEV 90. These headphones were presented to an international public in 1991 – and are still regarded as ground breaking headphones, the best in the world. Headphones which are regarded as a sign of an unconventional innovation culture. It takes the turn of a key to bring them to life, and about 20 minutes later the tube amplifier is ready for action. A wait rewarded by excellence. The press is unanimous: these headphones offer sound “as if from another world.” It’s a sound made possible by a 500-volt tube amplifier and two platinum-vaporized diaphragms which oscillate between gold-vaporized glass electrodes. Limited to just 300 units, today it is considered a collector’s item.

With the highest quality standards, the legacy of the first Orpheus was taken to the next stage, and the result is the new Sennheiser HE 1. Each of the thousands of individual parts in the new headphones is the product of manufacturing excellence, selected and processed by hand. This is work which demands precise craftsmanship. The headphones cover an ultra-wide frequency range of between 8Hz and 100kHz. It would take a bat and an elephant together to perceive the extremes of this spectrum. The distortion level of just 0.01 percent at a sound pressure level of 100dB is the lowest ever measured in a sound reproduction system. The headphones use gold-vaporized ceramic transducers to guarantee outstanding electrical and acoustic performance. The vacuum tubes are wrapped in high-quality quartz bulbs to prevent any sonic influence. The 99.9% silver-plated copper cables ensure there is no loss in quality. This is technology which makes the ultimate sound experience possible. But it’s not just the technology which is first class; the design, too, uses only the finest materials. The result: a work of design art. The ear pads are made from leather and velour. Each control dial is made from a single piece of brass beneath a layer of chrome. The housing of the Sennheiser HE 1 is made from fine Carrara marble which can withstand any vibration.

Sennheiser HE 1 Flagship Electrostatic Headphone System -Trendy Electronic Audio Supplies Store 1515033680313090221

Travel into pure sound

With an audio range from 8 Hz to more than 100 kHz, and the lowest distortion ever measured in a sound reproduction system: 0.01% at 1 kHz, 100 dB SPL.

Sennheiser HE1 takes you there. You may have never seen such beauty in headphones. But this is just for starters. Watch Sennheiser HE 1 gradually come to life with a touch – allowing a momentary pause to let the tubes of its amplifier reach the optimum temperature. Then put them on and travel into pure sound. To places you’ve never been. Places hidden in your music. On vinyl. On CDs. In high-res data files.

The striking design marries form to function

Its amplifier sits on a housing crafted from glass, and a solid block of Carrara marble.

Beauty with a purpose. This luxurious natural stone—the type made famous by Michelangelo’s Renaissance sculptures—lends beauty but also prevents structure-borne noise. To create a visually stunning design, control dials are painstakingly crafted to the highest quality. Each dial is milled from a single piece of brass before being plated with chrome. This is music turned into an object.

The relentless pursuit of perfection

The HE 1 is the first electrostatic headphone with a Cool Class A MOS-FET high voltage amplifier integrated into the ear cups.

Eliminating the capacitive reactance of the cable, delivering an ultra-high impulse fidelity 200% more efficient than any other solution currently available. 2.4-micrometer platinum-vaporised diaphragms are employed as their size was shown by Sennheiser’s research to deliver optimal sound reproduction. Outstanding electrical and acoustical performance is ensured through gold-vaporised ceramic transducers, while 99.9 % silver-plated OFC cables are used for optimal conductivity. To allow you to immerse in the result of all of this are Sennheiser HE 1’s ear cups, precision-machined from solid aluminum, featuring handmade ear pads of finest leather and a soft, allergen-free velour/microfibre construction.

Everything but compromises

The advantages of tube amplifiers and transistor amplifiers— with Sennheiser HE 1, you have them all.

Thanks to a patent pending circuit design Its vacuum tubes connected to the spring-loaded, damped marble housing to prevent structure-borne noise and surrounded by high quality quartz bulbs that protect against air-borne noise this state-of-the-art amplifier delivers ultra-high impulse fidelity at an ultra-low distortion level. For digital to analogue conversion, the amplifier can receive digital signals via optical and coaxial SPDIF inputs or USB input, it also accepts high-resolution PCM and DSD data. Music data is converted to analogue signals using the 8 internal DACs of the ESS SABRE ES9018. Four channels in parallel are used for each stereo side to enhance accuracy and decrease distortion and noise level.

The purchase process

Make the extraordinary HE 1 yours.

Each Sennheiser HE 1 is as individual as its future owner. Therefore, Bay Bloor Radio and Sennheiser invite you to be part of every step of the process when we create your custom Sennheiser HE 1.