How Sennheiser Expanded its Brand With a Headphone Opera

“A lone operatic singer in a flowing white tunic sings into a headmic as she walks slowly through the lobby, trailed by some 200 audience members donning headphones. Suddenly, a line of dancers run and twist through the crowd. The audience disperses, some following the dancers, others the singer, to different parts of the station.”

— http://www.fastcocreate.com/3023205/how-sennheiser-expanded-its-brand-with-a-headphone-opera

If anyone is up to tacking the above task, it is Sennheiser. They've been gaining ground thanks in part to myriad high-end inner monitors which allow stage musicians and actors to put on more active performances than ever before. Bandwidth and signal fidelity are key items to conveying crystal clear performances to fans. 

And in the centre of Los Angeles' buzzing Union Station, that tech was key. Audience members wore Sennheiser headphones to tune into the unique performance. Those Sennheiser phones were part of a greater system of proprietary and shared tech that allowed the pristine transmission of audio signals from the performers to the audience members. 

Events like this put performers, directors, and musical producers on the map. Additionally, regular Joes and Joettes out there get to see headphones put to different -- and in this case, revolutionary -- uses.

Read all about it here.

The New York Times touts audiophilese in Sennheiser Momentum review

“As with the Sennheisers, the bass is pumped up more than you will find on colorless audiophile headphones. And they do reasonably well on a variety of music, although the sound is a little muddy on intricate orchestral pieces, like those in opera and on movie soundtracks.”

Muddy, intricate, pumped up, colorless:  the NYT's got all its bases covered in this compact review that proves again that headphones are audio's new face. By the way, these things rock. I got a few minutes with them whilst shooting the 2014 edition of Mac Audio and I didn't want to put them down. Comfortable, light, tough, and fun- everything a headphone should be.

Thanks for the heads-up, @SennheiserUSA.

Sennheiser MOMENTUM On-Ear Contest (US residents only)

Sennheiser USA are giving away a pair of their Momentum On-Ear headphones. Full contest details are available at headfi. 

I only got a few minutes with them whilst shooting the 2014 volume of Mac Audio . These bad boys are comfortable, solid, impeccably made, and so free of build niggles that mar lesser headphones. While the colour scheme isn't my favourite, the fit and finish are gorgeous. Alas, I was too busy to plug in my monstrously audiophiliac iPod nano and cue up John Denver, so I can't comment on sound. Trusted audio conspirator, Mr. Satoshi Oyama, promised me that it is worth it.

If I lived in the USA, you can be sure I would enter the contest. Because I don't, I will only harbinge the goodness to you that do. 

Momentum usually goes for 229$ USD.

If you don't want to take Mr. Oyama's advice, check out the following links. 

Headfi customer impressions
Trusted Reviews impressions
 Apple Store customer impressions

Colorware's Sennheiser HD800 and HDVD 800

Whether you send in your HD800 headphones and get Colorware treatment for 299$, or opt for a brand new set replete with Colorware's motley fingerprints for 1599$, there is but one reaction to the Senn/Colorware collab: whoa. (Channel Keanu Reeves to do it right.)

The Lego-dynamic duo also do the HDVD 800 headphone amp: post-sale whoa for 249,00$ or pre-sale whoa for 2099$. (Prices in USD.)

Whoa.