Sennheiser launches marble encased headphones for €50k

Sennheiser today announces Orpheus – the best headphones in the world, offering an unprecedented audio experience. The electrostatic headphone system combines the most innovative technology, highest quality craftsmanship and luxurious materials including Italian Carrara marble. The high-end headphones, which will be hand-crafted in Germany from next year onwards, will carry a price tag around €50,000 EUR.

Orpheus fulfils an ambition of the audio specialists, to build a high-end headphone which sounds so brilliant that you feel that you are in a concert hall; creating acoustics that surpass anything that has been heard before. The new launch is the second in the Orpheus series, bringing new technology that surpasses the original design created in 1990/1991, which took the audio world by storm. The product became an icon of the audio industry and was recognised as the best headphones in the world – until now. Almost 25 years later, Sennheiser is now opening up a new chapter in audio history with the successor, one that shares its famous name: “With the new Orpheus, we once again push the boundaries and show that we can repeatedly set new benchmarks in excellence and with that shape the future of the audio world,” said Sennheiser CEO Daniel Sennheiser.

With the first few models only just being created, there have been a series of limited listening sessions and alongside star producer Steve Levine, Grammy award-winner Gregory Porter was one of the first to be invited to an exclusive listening trial. “When I record my own music, I always try to convey my emotions. I don’t know how exactly, but these headphones really do succeed in getting those emotions across,” said the jazz musician, describing his listening experience with the Orpheus.

The unique Orpheus experience begins even before you start listening. When the system is inactive, the components are all retracted and the Orpheus has the serene beauty of a sculpture. Gently pushing the on/off-volume control brings the sculpture to life: the control elements, each of which are crafted from a single piece of brass and then plated with chrome, slowly extend from the marble housing, before the vacuum tubes enclosed in quartz glass bulbs rise from the base and start to glow. Finally, a glass cover is raised, allowing the headphones with ear cups finished in genuine leather to be removed.

The Orpheus uses an innovative amplifier concept that combines to perfection the advantages of a tube amplifier with those of a transistor amplifier.

The selection of all materials consequently supports the acoustic excellence of this milestone product.  Over 6,000 components were meticulously chosen to ensure an outstanding acoustic performance. Sennheiser used exclusive components such as gold-vaporized ceramic electrodes and platinum-vaporized diaphragms. The marble that Sennheiser chose for the amplifier housing comes from Carrara in Italy and is the same type of marble that Michelangelo used to create his sculptures.

To immerse yourself in the unique world of the Orpheus, please visit www.sennheiser-reshapingexcellence.com. You can watch the full interview with Gregory Porter by clicking the following link: www.sennheiser.com/bluestage.