The Orpheus headphone, the HE90 to be exact, was created by Sennheiser in 1991, and it costs $16,000. After almost 25 years, the Wedemark-based audio company has created a new version of the headset, but it is priced at €50,000 or approximately $55,000.
There are some people who would not mind spending much for headsets, and back in the '90s, the HE90 was reportedly well-received by the public despite its price. But will Sennheiser's new Orpheus headphone share the same success as it predecessor?
The new headphone is undeniably expensive, but is it worth the price? Let's have a closer look at its features, and we'll let you decide.
It took Sennheiser over ten years to develop the new Orpheus headphone, according to The Verge. The company used over 6,000 components, which includes gold-vaporized ceramic electrodes, platinum-vaporized diaphragms and Italian Carrara marble — the same kind Michaelangelo used in his sculptures — amplifier housing.
Maurice Quarré, director of Select & Audiophile at Sennheiser, explained that the marble's properties would protect the amplifier's core and its unique optics.
The Orpheus headphone system brings an exceptional experience, even before you begin listening, according to Virtual Strategy. The controls and vacuum tubes ascend from the marble base, then a protective glass cover opens up giving access to the headphones when you gently press the on/off button.
Each control element is reportedly made of brass and plated with chrome, while the vacuum tubes are hemmed in quartz glass bulbs, which glows. When the entire Orpheus headphone system is at rest, all these components are withdrawn, and all you could see is its serene and elegant beauty.
The expense of the Orpheus headphone came largely from the fact that it is electrostatic. The headset works by putting the static electric charge on a thin film to oscillate and produce sound, Gizmodo explained.
The film does not have a damping or resonance problem because it is so light; therefore, creating an amazingly clear sound. The report added that the digital music input was handled by a chip — ESS SABRE ES9018 — that uses eight internal DACs to convert 32 bits audio data up to 384 kHz sampling rate.
Sennheiser's vision has always been to build a high-end headphone, whose sound can make you feel like you are in a concert hall. Orpheus headphone's predecessor surpassed the limitations of a standard headset in terms of performance, and the company is doing it again.
This high-end headphones — handcrafted in Germany — will be available in the middle of 2016 and onwards. Sennheiser, however, will reportedly manufacture no more than 250 units each year.
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