Sennheiser has finally launched their well anticipated Sennheiser HE 1 headphones, and I’m going to do my best to describe the experience to you and do it justice.
Priced at €50,000, I was a little terrified to handle the set – mostly because I’m so clumsy and I really did not want to break it. Sure, they look a little bulky, but I promise you that they are not as heavy as they look. Honestly, when I put them on and listened to a song in its entirety, I didn’t even realise where I was. After experiencing the HE 1 for the first time, the first words that came out of my mouth were “that was magical”.
A successor to the renowned ‘Orpheus’, the HE 1 is a force of nature. At its price range, it’s aimed at the high-end audiophile market all over the world – and now in the Middle East. It’s been in the making for 20 years and I still don’t think the world is ready for this. It’s so beautiful in every way. The casing itself is so breathtaking, that the few seconds it takes to reveal the actual headphones, you don’t even mind the wait.
Gently pushing the on/off volume control brings the sculpture to life: the control elements, each of which is crafted from a single piece of brass and then plated with chrome, slowly extend from the marble housing, before the vacuum tubes enclosed in quartz glass bulbs rise from the base and start to glow. Finally, a glass cover is raised, allowing the headphones with ear cups finished in genuine leather to be removed.
At a private listening session at the launch event, we geeks were able to marvel at the beauty that is the HE 1. Everything about the set is so extravagant and you feel as though you’re living the high life, with this pair of headphones that would cost just as much as a fancy car. You can easily tell it has been so carefully curated and perfected, that you just cannot help but be in awe when you see it.
Before I can dive into the equipment itself more, I need to introduce you all to the person who has made the Sennheiser HE 1 possible – Axel Grell. One of the top headphone engineers in the world graced us with his presence at the Middle East launch and sat down with everyone who had the opportunity to test out the headphones. Grell has been at the helm of the Sennheiser HE 1, perfecting it before presenting it to the public and letting everyone know that he means serious business.
I briefly spoke to him about the technical aspects of the headphones and let me just tell you, I’ve never felt so lost before. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t completely baffled when he spoke about it; I just didn’t know as much as I would’ve liked. It’s times like that where an extensive knowledge of audio engineering would’ve really helped. I’m sure even he could tell I was lost, but hey, at least I can acknowledge and appreciate something that is so obviously terrific.
You can’t expect anything less from a pair of headphones that cost the amount that they do. I literally stood there for a whole four minutes, barely moving and just staring at the floor while hugging myself (I may have been a little cold). I knew these were going to be good, but I wasn’t expecting something so magical and stunning. Like many Sennheiser headphones that I’ve tried out, the HE 1 broadcasts music so beautifully – but amplified. I could feel the music, I could almost see it. Of course I had to play Another One Bites The Dust by Queen, but eventually, I switched it up to a more fast-paced, garage-y type of song, Hot Blood by Kaleo. And then I was shocked. I didn’t move, I just stood there taking in the sound; how extra crisp it sounded from anything else I’ve ever tried out, how perfectly it flowed through each ear cup. The vocals boomed over the instruments, which is perfect for music with a garage punk sound to it because you don’t want the vocals to get drowned out by the quick paced instruments.
Being electrostatic headphones, the Sennheiser HE 1 delivers spectacularly. Electrostatic headphones have a rather different concept from your normal conventional headphones. You can read more about the specifics here, but transmitting sound through their 2.4 microns thick film allows for clarity that you wouldn’t normally receive from your day-to-day sound systems.
The Sennheiser HE 1 is so lavish, without being over the top, and is perfect for all audiophiles. I won’t lie, I saw the headphones charging up twice, and both times, I was waiting for the box to overflow with smoke (not the hazardous type) and reveal the beautiful pair of headphones that were sitting snug in its case. Everything about the HE 1 is spectacular, and even if you aren’t an audiophile, this is something you need test out at least once in your life. It truly is a magical experience.
