The Sennheiser Orpheus 2? A First Look At The Sennheiser HE-1 (The New Orpheus)

[raypin]

Mmmm.......a friend of mine was able to audition the HE 1 in Singapore. He and his friends were super-impressed. The cost (including shipping and taxes) to the Philippines is around USD 63,000.00 (Php 3,000,000.00) and a waiting time of 18 months. Too rich for my blood, although I can't think of a better retirement gift for myself. Lol!

 

[mulder01]

It seems like after the initial 100+ pages of excitement and speculation, the interest has died off now that the reality that nobody can really afford one has set in.

Or the people who can afford one don't post about it on head fi.

Or if they can afford one and do post on head fi, they won't be giving their thoughts for another year and a half...

 

[raypin]

Mmm,......yeah, you have to be crazy rich or a rich and crazy headphile to get the HE 1. Us, mere mortals, have to set our sights to something more "affordable."

 

[VandyMan]

It seems like after the initial 100+ pages of excitement and speculation, the interest has died off now that the reality that nobody can really afford one has set in.

Or the people who can afford one don't post about it on head fi.

Or if they can afford one and do post on head fi, they won't be giving their thoughts for another year and a half...

A lot of us have still not gotten to hear it yet and almost no one has gotten to spend significant time with them.

 

[charliex]

Hmmm.... A Sennheiser Orpheus 2 or a 2017 Mercedes Benz SLK 350 ..... duh, I think I'll take the Benz 

 

[SACD-Man]

They say that you need to spend 3 months worth of salary for a diamond engagement ring. So 1 year salary for this is reasonable, right? 

 

[mulder01]

  Hmmm.... A Sennheiser Orpheus 2 or a 2017 Mercedes Benz SLK 350 ..... duh, I think I'll take the Benz 

 
If you didn't buy all the gear in your signature you could probably have a Mercedes Benz SLK 350
 
Or a HE1

 

[charliex]

   
If you didn't buy all the gear in your signature you could probably have a Mercedes Benz SLK 350
 
Or a HE1

    Touchè 

 

[Vigrith]

  Hmmm.... A Sennheiser Orpheus 2 or a 2017 Mercedes Benz SLK 350 ..... duh, I think I'll take the Benz 

 
Priorities and preferences are a funny thing indeed. I'd instantly take the Orpheus because I care much more about music as well as the interior design of my home than I do about driving a sports car when I already have one I'm more than happy with.
 
The HE1 is a work of art that if the 1991 original can be taken as example, will be the pinnacle for the next x amount of decades as well as remaining ultra exclusive. Meanwhile Joe down the street owns a 2015 SLK, should he invest in the new 2017 one? Or wait for the 2019? Or 2020? If I'm going to invest 50 grand in a statement more than anything else I would put into something I care deeply about in order to own the best (arguably, at least most expensive) headphone system in the world rather than something I care less about in the form an entry level sports car.
 
Now if we're talking would I rather the HE1 or a six figure Continental GT/RR Ghost or Phantom my view on this would change drastically. 

 Worlds apart in terms of cost obviously but point being that's what it would take to sway my personal perceived value of the Orpheus vs a car.

 

[Sennheiser]

And here's another piece of coverage for the HE 1 from lowyat.net: 
 
https://www.lowyat.net/2016/108775/whats-it-like-to-listen-to-a-pair-of-rm221000-headphones/
 

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

  And here's another piece of coverage for the HE 1 from lowyat.net: 
 
https://www.lowyat.net/2016/108775/whats-it-like-to-listen-to-a-pair-of-rm221000-headphones/
 

 
Lol, send the HE1 to a serious reviewer, one with experiencie and a top Stax system. All the reviews you send say the same (yeah it costs 55k so it sounds great)

 

[supabayes]

Good idea but I don't think Sennheiser will send a set to any reviewer anytime soon. I understand that there are only 3 set in the world on tour to different cities/shows where prospective customers are pre-ordering for delivery in 12-18 months time. I was one of a few lucky ones to listen the new Orpheus while it was in Singapore earlier this month. 
 

 
Sennheiser gave a class act with "The Repertoire" - 6 minute course of 3 songs, which you may have read in other blog shared in earlier posts. Here is a photo of the three tracks and description of what to listen out for. These are well recorded and showcase well the HE1. The 1st track "Strive" had me removing the headphone from my head as the cello sounded like it came from a speaker located on my far left. The soundstage was huge and instruments rendered as real as it gets. The 2nd track "Somewhere Somebody" was perfect - vocal were smooth warm, bass plucking were rich/textured. The 3d track "Money for Nothing" was a familiar one I grew up listening and shows that the HE1 can rock with excellent speed and timing. The drumbeats were powerful and electric guitars growling - I want my MTV ...  
 

 
The 3 tracks were wonderful. But how good is the new Orpheus for the crappy stuff that I listen to? I asked Sennheiser nicely if I could bring my own music and they obliged! Here's a screenshot of what my Macbook says about the new Orpheus, which must be the most pricey device that it could ever hook up.
 

 
 
With my own music, I could truly appreciate what Jude and Lieven (Headfonia*) said about the new Orpheus. The new Orpheus is smooth and natural sounding with a large soundstage (kind of like the HD800S for soundstage), lots of defined bass/sub bass. Its treble are detailed but not harsh. The speed, timing, timbre are perfect. The large oval ear cups are very comfortable and headphone weight is just right. Is it worth the price? IMHO, yes!
 
* http://www.headfonia.com/review-the-week-my-life-changed-sennheiser-orpheus/

 

[jibzilla]

   
Lol, send the HE1 to a serious reviewer, one with experiencie and a top Stax system. All the reviews you send say the same (yeah it costs 55k so it sounds great)

 
They need to scrap this project.

 

[Guss2]

  Good idea but I don't think Sennheiser will send a set to any reviewer anytime soon. I understand that there are only 3 set in the world on tour to different cities/shows where prospective customers are pre-ordering for delivery in 12-18 months time. I was one of a few lucky ones to listen the new Orpheus while it was in Singapore earlier this month. 
 

 
Sennheiser gave a class act with "The Repertoire" - 6 minute course of 3 songs, which you may have read in other blog shared in earlier posts. Here is a photo of the three tracks and description of what to listen out for. These are well recorded and showcase well the HE1. The 1st track "Strive" had me removing the headphone from my head as the cello sounded like it came from a speaker located on my far left. The soundstage was huge and instruments rendered as real as it gets. The 2nd track "Somewhere Somebody" was perfect - vocal were smooth warm, bass plucking were rich/textured. The 3d track "Money for Nothing" was a familiar one I grew up listening and shows that the HE1 can rock with excellent speed and timing. The drumbeats were powerful and electric guitars growling - I want my MTV ...  
 

 
The 3 tracks were wonderful. But how good is the new Orpheus for the crappy stuff that I listen to? I asked Sennheiser nicely if I could bring my own music and they obliged! Here's a screenshot of what my Macbook says about the new Orpheus, which must be the most pricey device that it could ever hook up.
 

 
 
With my own music, I could truly appreciate what Jude and Lieven (Headfonia*) said about the new Orpheus. The new Orpheus is smooth and natural sounding with a large soundstage (kind of like the HD800S for soundstage), lots of defined bass/sub bass. Its treble are detailed but not harsh. The speed, timing, timbre are perfect. The large oval ear cups are very comfortable and headphone weight is just right. Is it worth the price? IMHO, yes!
 
* http://www.headfonia.com/review-the-week-my-life-changed-sennheiser-orpheus/

Track 1 was a binaural recording, so the soundstage would be staggeringly huge. I've had the same(double take) experience with my HE90's.

 

[supabayes]

 
Track 1 was a binaural recording, so the soundstage would be staggeringly huge. I've had the same(double take) experience with my HE90's.

 
Exactly, my impressions were "the cello sounded like it came from a speaker located on my far left. The soundstage was huge and ... "  
 
It was so huge, almost felt it extended far left to far right passing the listener. With a track like that it is hard to figure out the soundstage of HE1. I had to replicate track 1 with my Schiit stack/HD800S at home and felt that HE1 was "kind of like the HD800S for soundstage" after some mental compensation for the binaural recording. Cool that you have the HE90. I have not had the chance to hear one - hopefully at the next CanJam.