Sennheiser HDV 820 (507442)

The perfect partner for reference-class headphones.
There are two things that mark a quest for perfection: It is never completed, and it has the potential to bring out the most extraordinary things with the power to shape the future within its field. Enter the HDV 820, which will surely change the way you listen to and experience your music. That is, if you are lucky enough to possess headphones capable of turning the extremely high-quality audio signal delivered by the HDV 820 into an aural quality just as supreme.

The mission: Better the best

When you have engineered audio components that represent the state of the art, going one better is the most rewarding task we at Sennheiser can think of. It was the task we set out on when we designed the HDV 820. Pioneering into new technological territory, we found still more sonic truth to bring to our most demanding clientele.

The sound: Making great headphones show all their class

Virtually everything. That is what the HDV 820 will give to your headphones. So, it will be up to them to make it heard. The different timbres of two otherwise identical instruments. The distance between the musicians of an orchestra, the tension before a singer delivers the first note. It is all there, for you to discover.

The sound: Making great headphones show all their class
The technology: Only the unsurpassed

The higher the tech, the higher the emotion. The heart of the new HDV 820 is a formidable ESS SABRE32 DAC (digital-to-analog converter) that surpasses the previous generation with an even higher resolution of 32 bits and a sampling rate of up to 384 kHz. The amplifier is also capable of playing DSD256 files of up to 12.3 MHz.

The technology: Only the unsurpassed
The design: Giving the eyes a taste of how it sounds

Fittingly for an audio component that delivers such an incredibly pure sonic experience, the HDV 820 has also been created to delight visually. It features a new anodized black finish with white LED lights that has been designed to perfectly complement the latest version of our flagship high-end headphone, the HD 800 S – by the way, an ideal partnership for the ultimate audiophile listening experience.

The design: Giving the eyes a taste of how it sounds
The compatibility: Outstanding sound will find a way

With a breadth of audio outputs that include XLR3, XLR4, 6.3 mm- and a 4.4 mm Pentaconn socket, it is easy to find the optimal way to connect your headphones with the HDV 820. It performs brilliantly with digital sources, whether optically, coaxially, or via USB, and features balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) analogue inputs. The HDV 820 also comes supplied with a dedicated, country-specific power cable.

Technical Data

Dimensions Approx. 224 x 44 x 306 mm
Frequency response < 10 Hz to > 100 kHz
THD, total harmonic distortion < 0.001 %
Weight Approx. 2.25 kg
Power consumption Nominal 12 W
(2 x 300 Ω headphones connected to the 4.4 mm outputs)
Gain UNBAL input/XLR-4 output:
Adjustable 14 dB, 22 dB, 30 dB, 38 dB, 46 dB
BAL input/XLR-4 output: 16 dB
Operating voltage (mains) 100 – 240 V ~, 50 – 60 Hz
Dynamic range > 115 dB @ 600 Ω load (A-weighted)