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  1. Home
  2. Headphones
  3. Compare
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Stereo Mismatch
    9. Group Delay
    10. Cumulative Spectral Decay
    11. PRTF
    12. Harmonic Distortion
    13. Electrical Aspects
    14. Virtual Soundstage
    15. Test Settings
    16. Imaging
    17. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
  5. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
    8. PC / PS4 Compatibility
  10. Comments

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 vs Sennheiser HD 800 S

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Creative Sound BlasterX H5
Sennheiser HD 800 S

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Aug 07, 2021 12:22 AM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated May 20, 2025 04:10 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Picture
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
MicNo
Sound Signature
Flat
  1. Recommended in 9 articles:
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  3. Over-Ear
  4. Wired
  5. Music
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  7. Critical Listening
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  9. Open-Back
  10. Sennheiser

Variants

  • Sound BlasterX H5 (Analog)
  • Sound BlasterX H5 (USB/Analog)
  • HD 800 S

Review

See Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Review
See Sennheiser HD 800 S Review
0 
4 

Our Verdict

Creative Sound BlasterX H5

Sennheiser HD 800 S

Full comparison details regarding individual product score sets can be found in the section below

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Analog
Sound BlasterX H5
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Standard
HD 800 S
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USB/Analog
Sound BlasterX H5
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Standard
HD 800 S
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Standard
HD 800 S
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Standard
HD 800 S
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HD 800 S
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Main Differences for
-

Threshold 

0.10
No major differences between these headphones for this usage. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

650 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)

Bass Amount 
 

-1.79 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-1.66 dB

Treble Amount 
 

Balanced (0 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Flat
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

5.6
8.4

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

1.14 dB
0.71 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.5
8.0

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.42 dB
4.4 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-3.41 dB
-6.22 dB

Mid Bass 
 

0.36 dB
-2.53 dB

High Bass 
 

5.07 dB
0.69 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.2
9.2

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.67 dB
1.19 dB

Low Mid 
 

4.57 dB
0.86 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.07 dB
-0.22 dB

High Mid 
 

-3.51 dB
-1.65 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.0
9.5

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool

Treble  

See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.41 dB
2.03 dB

Low Treble 
 

0.36 dB
-1.99 dB

Mid Treble 
 

1.94 dB
0.55 dB

High Treble 
 

-3.58 dB
-4.44 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

6.8
7.7

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.98 dB
1.09 dB

Dips 
 

1.99 dB
2.36 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

8.4

Frequency Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.52
0.3 dB

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

1.48
1.1 dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

6.69
0.8°
Show Text 

Group Delay 
 

7.9

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.9 ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

Sennheiser HD 800 S CSD

PRTF 
 

5.7
9.4

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

2.8 dB
1.94 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

7.75 dB
4.62 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

11.26 dB
22.36 dB

Openness 
 

4.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.3
Show Text 

Harmonic Distortion 
 

9.2

Harmonics Levels  

See details on graph tool

THD Ratio  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

0.215
0.06%

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.079
0.19%
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

See details on graph tool

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

105.1 dB SPL

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Sennheiser HD 800 S Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No

Room Ambience 
 

No

Head Tracking 
 

No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

No Firmware

Power 
 

Passive

Connection 
 

Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.5

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.41

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.52
0.3 dB

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.48
1.1 dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

6.69
0.8°

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.2

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.215
0.06%

WHD @ 100 
 

0.079
0.19%
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Design Picture 2
Sennheiser HD 800 S Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-Ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Open-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

8.0
8.0

Comfort Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Comfort Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.6 lbs
0.82 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1 lbs
0.75 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

8.0
0.0

Controls Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Controls Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
No Controls

Ease Of Use  

Decent
No Controls

Feedback  

Okay
No Controls

Call/Music Control  

Yes
No

Volume Control  

Yes
No

Microphone Control  

Yes
No

Channel Mixing 
 

N/A
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

N/A
No

Talk-Through 
 

N/A
No

Additional Controls  

Multi function
No
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

6.3

Breathability After Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

6.2 °C

Portability 
 

5.3
5.2

Portability Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Portability Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Portability Picture

L  

7.8"
7.5" (19.0 cm)

W  

7"
7.7" (19.5 cm)

H  

3.9"
4.5" (11.5 cm)

Volume  

212 in³
259.94 in³ (4,259.64 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

N/A
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
0.0

Case Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Case Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Case Picture

Type  

No case
No case

L  

N/A
N/A

W  

N/A
N/A

H  

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.5

Build Quality Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Build Quality Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

7.0
6.5

Stability Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Stability Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Angled Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Side Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Front Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Rear Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Top Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 In The Box Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

5.9
1.2

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-15.23 dB
-2.77 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-0.43 dB
0.04 dB

Mid 
 

-14.46 dB
-0.80 dB

Treble 
 

-32.13 dB
-8.35 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

1.8

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-3.45 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-3.35 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-3.02 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Sennheiser HD 800 S ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A

Leakage 
 

7.3
0.9

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

37.55 dB
66.51 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

Yes
No

Detachable Boom 
 

N/A
No

Mic  

Yes
No
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

8.5
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
Sennheiser HD 800 S Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A

LFE 
 

20 Hz
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.58 dB
N/A

HFE 
 

7,561.35 Hz
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

0.405
N/A

Gain 
 

33.75 dB
N/A
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

8.9
0.0

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
Sennheiser HD 800 S SpNR

SpNR 
 

45.08 dB
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Type 
 

N/A
No Battery

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

N/A
No

Audio While Charging 
 

N/A
No

Passive Playback 
 

N/A
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

N/A
None

App Support 
 

6.5
0.0

App Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 App Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S App Picture

App Name  

BlasterX Acoustic Engine Lite
No App

iOS  

N/A
No

Android  

N/A
No

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

Yes
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

N/A
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

Yes
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Sound  

Yes

Surround Support 
 

No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.5
9.9

Cable Picture  

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Cable Picture
Sennheiser HD 800 S Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

7.5 ft
10.83 ft (3.30 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRRS
1/4" TRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.3 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog

Wired Latency 
 

0 ms
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

N/A
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

N/A
No

NFC Pairing 
 

N/A

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Codec  

No Bluetooth Audio

AAC Support 
 

No

aptX(LL) Latency 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

N/A
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

N/A
No

Line In 
 

N/A
No

Line Out 
 

N/A
No

Optical Input 
 

N/A
No

RCA Input 
 

N/A
No

Dock Charging 
 

N/A
No

Power Supply 
 

N/A
No Base/Dock

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC / PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

PC / PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Check Price

Analog
Sound BlasterX H5
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Standard
HD 800 S
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USB/Analog
Sound BlasterX H5
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Standard
HD 800 S
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Standard
HD 800 S
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Finding store
 
Standard
HD 800 S
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Standard
HD 800 S
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Creative Sound BlasterX H5

Sennheiser HD 800 S

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Creative Sound BlasterX H5 vs Sennheiser HD 800 S: Main Discussion

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