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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Sound
- Design
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Sennheiser HD 800 S vs Sennheiser HD 820
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Sennheiser HD 800 S
Sennheiser HD 820
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated May 20, 2025 04:10 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.3.1
Updated Sep 26, 2023 01:56 PM
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TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
Bass AmountSlightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
Treble AmountBalanced (0 dB)
MicNo
Sound SignatureFlat
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicNo
Variants
- HD 800 S
- HD 820
Our Verdict
Sennheiser HD 800 S
Sennheiser HD 820
The Sennheiser HD 800 S are better headphones for mixing audio than the Sennheiser HD 820. The HD 800 S have a better-balanced sound that adheres closer to our target with much more consistent bass and treble between wears. They also have a more immersive sound, thanks to their open-back design. They're a bit more breathable, too, so your ears won't get as warm during longer listening sessions. On the other hand, the HD 820 have a slightly more polished build quality, although they are very close in design. Also, since they have closed-back ear cups, they leak a little less, prevent more ambient noise from seeping into your audio.
Check Price
Standard
HD 800 S
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Amazon.comStandard
HD 820
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Amazon.comStandard
HD 800 S
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Amazon.comStandard
HD 820
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Amazon.comStandard
HD 800 S
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Amazon.comStandard
HD 820
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Amazon.comStandard
HD 820
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Amazon.comMain Differences forMixed Usage
Mixed Usage
Threshold
Mixed Usage
6.0
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Frequency Response
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
650 Hz
Bass Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
Bass Amount
-2.06 dB
Treble Amount
-2.38 dB
Treble Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
Sound Signature
Flat
Frequency Response Consistency
8.4
5.5
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.71 dB
1.22 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Raw FR L
Raw FR L
Raw FR R
Raw FR R
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.0
8.9
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
4.4 dB
1.58 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
10 Hz
Low Bass
-6.22 dB
-0.52 dB
Mid Bass
-2.53 dB
0.71 dB
High Bass
0.69 dB
1.89 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.2
7.3
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.19 dB
3.64 dB
Low Mid
0.86 dB
-2.29 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.22 dB
3.81 dB
High Mid
-1.65 dB
3.09 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
9.5
7.5
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
Treble
RMS Deviation From Target
2.03 dB
3.94 dB
Low Treble
-1.99 dB
-1.7 dB
Mid Treble
0.55 dB
0.2 dB
High Treble
-4.44 dB
-4.39 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.7
6.9
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.09 dB
1.74 dB
Dips
2.36 dB
2.29 dB
Stereo Mismatch
8.4
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.3 dB
0.93
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.1 dB
1.45
Weighted Phase Mismatch
0.8°
5.1
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
9.4
6.9
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
1.94 dB
3.21 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.62 dB
3.33 dB
PRTF Distance
22.36 dB
24.23 dB
Openness
4.0
Acoustic Space Excitation
5.6
Harmonic Distortion
9.2
Harmonics Levels
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.06%
0.245
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.19%
0.094
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
105.1 dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
N/A
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
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
Imaging
8.3
Group Delay
Phase Response
Weighted Group Delay
0.52
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.3 dB
0.93
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.1 dB
1.45
Weighted Phase Mismatch
0.8°
5.1
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.0
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.06%
0.245
WHD @ 100
0.19%
0.094
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-Ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Open-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
No
No
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
8.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.82 lbs
0.8 lbs
Clamping Force
0.75 lbs
0.7 lbs
Controls
0.0
0.0
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
No Controls
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
No Controls
N/A
Feedback
No Controls
N/A
Call/Music Control
No
No
Volume Control
No
No
Microphone Control
No
N/A
Channel Mixing
No
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control
No
N/A
Talk-Through
No
N/A
Additional Controls
No
N/A
Breathability
6.8
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
4.8 °C
Portability
5.2
5.2
Portability Picture
L
7.5" (19.0 cm)
7.6"
W
7.7" (19.5 cm)
7.6"
H
4.5" (11.5 cm)
4.4"
Volume
259.94 in³ (4,259.64 cm³)
260 in³
Transmitter Required
No
N/A
Case
0.0
0.0
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
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
6.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
1.2
5.8
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-2.77 dB
-14.94 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
0.04 dB
0.59 dB
Mid
-0.80 dB
-14.45 dB
Treble
-8.35 dB
-32.42 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
1.8
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
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
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
Leakage
0.9
5.5
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
66.51 dB
47.56 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
N/A
In-Line
No
N/A
Boom
No
N/A
Detachable Boom
No
N/A
Mic
No
No
Recording Quality
0.0
0.0
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
N/A
N/A
LFE
N/A
N/A
FR Std. Dev.
N/A
N/A
HFE
N/A
N/A
Weighted THD
N/A
N/A
Gain
N/A
N/A
Noise Handling
0.0
0.0
SpNR
SpNR
N/A
N/A
Noise Gate
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
N/A
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
N/A
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
N/A
N/A
Active Features
Battery
0.0
0.0
Battery Type
No Battery
N/A
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
No
N/A
Audio While Charging
No
N/A
Passive Playback
Passive Headphone
N/A
Charging Port
None
N/A
App Support
0.0
0.0
App Picture
App Name
No App
N/A
iOS
No
N/A
Android
No
N/A
macOS
No
N/A
Windows
No
N/A
Equalizer
No
N/A
ANC Control
No
N/A
Mic Control
No
N/A
Room Effects
No
N/A
Playback Control
No
N/A
Button Mapping
No
N/A
Surround Sound
N/A
Surround Support
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.9
9.5
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
10.83 ft (3.30 m)
10 ft
Connector
1/4" TRS
1/4" TRS
Latency - Analog
0.3 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Wired Latency
0 ms
Bluetooth Connection
0.0
0.0
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
No
N/A
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
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
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
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
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
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
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
N/A
USB Input
No
N/A
Line In
No
N/A
Line Out
No
N/A
Optical Input
No
N/A
RCA Input
No
N/A
Dock Charging
No
N/A
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
N/A
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Check Price
Standard
HD 800 S
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comStandard
HD 820
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comStandard
HD 800 S
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comStandard
HD 820
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comStandard
HD 800 S
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comStandard
HD 820
SEARCH
Amazon.comStandard
HD 820
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Sennheiser HD 800 S
Sennheiser HD 820
Comments
Sennheiser HD 800 S vs Sennheiser HD 820: Main Discussion
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