At the edge of what’s possible

Sennheiser’s engineers are happiest when they’re making something that should be impossible. Take the €50,000 HE 1 electrostatic headphones – the follow-up to 1991’s Orpheus – which can delve as low as 8Hz and reach to more than 100khz. “We’re at the edge of what’s possible,” says Sennheiser’s Portfolio Manager Audiophile Axel Grell. “And that’s not only about measurement and engineering – it’s also about the emotion.” Grell continues, “The old Orpheus was very electrostatic. Very crisp. But here, we’ve added something extra at the low-end – this is an electrostatic headphone with balls!” Or Sennheiser’s collaboration with singersongwriter Imogen Heap, who uses a motionsensing glove as part of her performance. The company’s enthusiasm for sparking emotion through innovation is tireless – excellent news, then, for artists and for listeners…