Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

How $1,500 Headphones Are Made

Posted by kdawson on from the oiled-by-mother-nature dept.

CNETNate writes "A tour of Sennheiser's Hanover factory reveals for the first time how its audiophile headphones are assembled by hand. The company recently announced its most expensive and innovative headphones to date, the HD 800, which discarded the conventional method of headphone driver design for a new 'donut-shaped' ring driver idea. Only 5,000 of these headphones can be made in a year, and this gallery offers a behind-the-scenes look at the construction process."

20 of 353 comments (clear)

  1. Sarcastic or not? by tpgp · · Score: 5, Funny

    From TFA:

    moist-making and grin-producing...we-would-genuinely-consider-intercourse-with-these-headphones scale....Fo' shizzle...clarity was mesmerising....experiencing these headphones is akin to having your head oiled and massaged by Mother Nature herself.....Teflon-insulated oxygen-free cabling.....mouth-wateringly gorgeous and stunning

    Honest to god, I can't tell real audiophile reviews from the parodies anymore :-(

    --
    My pics.
    1. Re:Sarcastic or not? by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 5, Funny

      They are however excellent when it comes to playing games at a fun volume and getting decent positional audio.

      And flattening my ears. And yanking things off my desk.

      --
      A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
    2. Re:Sarcastic or not? by Hal_Porter · · Score: 5, Funny

      Honest to god, I can't tell real audiophile reviews from the parodies anymore :-(

      I bet you're reading it on a cheap LCD display that discards all the engrams in the article so it is impossible to spot parody, irony or sarcasm. If you really want to be able to appreciate this sort of thing you need to read the page on a real man's display

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    3. Re:Sarcastic or not? by TransientAlias · · Score: 3, Funny

      buy them, take them home, and a few minutes later you have plugged them into your Ipod and all is for naught...

    4. Re:Sarcastic or not? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Labratory levels of precision are soooooo 2005. This is 2009, give us golden retriever precision or nothing.

    5. Re:Sarcastic or not? by jsse · · Score: 5, Funny

      And flattening my ears. And yanking things off my desk.

      Do you want my gf at less than $1,500? She could scream your ears to flat and yank things off your apartment.

    6. Re:Sarcastic or not? by Jurily · · Score: 5, Funny

      And yanking things off my desk.

      Doom 3, Nightmare, in total darkness except for the screen. You know what happens when your cat touches you?

    7. Re:Sarcastic or not? by Yocto+Yotta · · Score: 4, Funny

      Crappy comfortable headphones, what an obvious design flaw. My headphones pinch me every 30 seconds to remind me that I'm wearing them. Adds a bit to the cost, but you'll save money in the long run.

      --
      A B A C A B B
    8. Re:Sarcastic or not? by Nobody+Real · · Score: 4, Funny

      Your lack of scritches annoys her.

    9. Re:Sarcastic or not? by JRIsidore · · Score: 5, Funny

      Most of the time you'll have total darkness on the screen as well...

      --
      :w!q
    10. Re:Sarcastic or not? by mh1997 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Do you want my gf at less than $1,500? She could scream your ears to flat and yank things off your apartment.

      I've had your gf and I'd like my headphones back please.

    11. Re:Sarcastic or not? by robthebloke · · Score: 2, Funny

      A visit from the local environmental health department telling you to turn it down?

    12. Re:Sarcastic or not? by furby076 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Only on /. would you have to specify "except for the screen". Good job there pre-empting the "you play with your screen off?"

      --

      I do not support "The Man". I also do not support your irrational stupidity
    13. Re:Sarcastic or not? by roman_mir · · Score: 2, Funny

      Great, now Slashdot is going to be sued by a sheriff in Illinois.

      Stop pimping here, go back to craigslist!

      --
      You can't handle the truth.
    14. Re:Sarcastic or not? by furby076 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Geeks love gadgets....so the audio industry is helping them out...today, $1500 headphones...tomorrow, $4,500 hearing aids. All made by the same company.

      --

      I do not support "The Man". I also do not support your irrational stupidity
  2. or else by Kamineko · · Score: 4, Funny

    Only 5,000 of these headphones can be made in a year... OR ELSE

    1. Re:or else by RuBLed · · Score: 2, Funny

      I myself had a hard time hoarding 100 cute kittens per year as a sacrifice for the safety of our numerous gadgets from gremlins. 5,000 cute kittens a year is no joke but kudos for them in making sure that unfathomable things would not happen to their customer's headphones.

  3. Re:All headphones are hand-made... by Hal_Porter · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well, at least you know they won't skimp on the lead in the solder.

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  4. Re:In case there's someone here that doesn't know. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I recently bought a copy of Closer by Plastikman...

    Ah, the ultimate irony of audiophiles! They get so distracted by picking out which gear meets their exacting and nuanced specifications that they forget they're listening to shitty music.

  5. Re:Hanover -- Hannover by MrEricSir · · Score: 2, Funny

    No, it's "Hangover." As in the sick feeling you'll have the morning after you realize you just blew $1,500 on a pair of goddamn headphones.

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."