Sennheiser HD 800S · Midnight Black Review
Over-ear · 2016
Specdex verdict The Sennheiser HD 800S · Midnight Black is one of the strongest products in its category — Specdex's editor's pick at flagship tier.
Sennheiser's Sennheiser HD 800S — 2016 over-ear flagship.
Specdex doesn't run benchmarks in-house. The verdict is an editorial assessment based on manufacturer specs and public reviewer consensus. See methodology.
Sennheiser HD 800S · Midnight Black versus its closest rivals
- +Flagship comfort + ANC on modern models
- +Premium build
- +Active noise cancellation (most models)
- −Battery varies by codec
- −Some are Bluetooth-only
- −Price creep vs previous gen
Who's the Sennheiser HD 800S · Midnight Black for?
Quick verdicts for the most common buyer profiles, derived from the sub-scores above.
Compute scores trail current top-tier — look at our step-up alternatives below if performance is the priority.
Battery sub-score of 82 is solid but not class-leading — fine for typical days, charging top-up likely on heavy days.
At $1,699 you're in flagship territory — check the "cheaper alternatives" block below for nearer-equivalent picks at half the price.
In the box
What you get when you unbox the Sennheiser HD 800S · Midnight Black.
- Headphones
- Hard travel case
- USB-C charging cable
- 3.5 mm audio cable
- Airline adapter (region-dependent)
Standard contents — region/SKU may vary; confirm at retailer.
Sources & benchmarks
Cited, not generatedSpecdex does not run benchmarks in-house. We're rolling out cited public benchmark data category by category — PassMark for CPUs and GPUs is wired today; DXOMark, RTINGS, Geekbench, and NotebookCheck will follow.
Sources we use when available: PassMark for CPU/GPU, Geekbench Browser for synthetic, DXOMark for camera scores, RTINGS for TVs, monitors, and headphones. See methodology.
Specifications
Editorial · awaiting verification| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Over-ear |
| Release year | 2016 |
Cheaper alternatives to the Sennheiser HD 800S · Midnight Black
Same category, at least 20% cheaper, best-scoring picks from our catalog.
Step up from the Sennheiser HD 800S · Midnight Black
Higher-scoring headphones if you've got more to spend.
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Also consider
Where the Sennheiser HD 800S · Midnight Black appears on Specdex
Curated lists, spec rankings, and buying guides where this product is mentioned or ranked.