Inside Sennheiser’s Irish factory where some of the world’s best headphones are hand-crafted
by Mark Kavanagh · Irish MirrorSennheiser is one of the world’s most reputable audio brands - and it manufactures some of its most acclaimed products in Ireland.
I recently spent a day at the firm’s Irish base to find out how it builds audiophile headphones - and I crafted my own set of HD660 S2 cans.
I’ve long been a fan of the brand and used its HD25 cans as a DJ tool for many years. I’m also a fan of their IE600 in-ear monitors (IEMs) which provide much better audio quality than Bluetooth earbuds for when you want to immerse yourself in a new album by your favourite band.
In recent years, the firm’s audio prowess has been a big selling point for its more convenient Bluetooth headphones Momentum 4 and earbuds such as Momentum True Wireless 4.
And that reputation for great sounding audio has been built upon products that since 1991 have been made in Tullamore in Co Offaly.
Among the audiophile headphones currently in production in the Irish operation are the closed back HD820, the open back HD800 S, HD600, HD650 and HD660 S2 and the IE600 and IE900 IEMs.
The factory also hand-assembles the Sennheiser HE 1 €70,000 headphone system, which combines Orpheus electrostatic headphones powered by a dedicated valve amplifier housed in a case made with Italian marble.
Around 3,000 different parts are needed to make the HE 1 system and it takes one man two weeks to complete the job. Testing is all done on-site, with a climatic chamber that ensures the HE 1 can withstand different temperatures and humidities. It can take up to 600 test cycles.
The result delivers the most incredible piece of audio kit. Sennheiser has a special HE 1 listening room where I enjoyed vinyl records from Pink Floyd and Massive Attack as I’d never heard them before. The sound is clean and spacious, rich in texture and detail, with fantastic dynamics and crystal clear vocals.
Overall, the Tullamore plant makes and packs a couple of hundred sets of cans each day. It was eye-opening to see the care and attention to detail given to every stage of the processes and I marvelled at the high standards Pat Fulton’s team holds itself to. At any given time, the range of specially-made machines in the plant are engaged in dozens of different processes. There is also constant testing of all the different elements of each product along the assembly line.
It’s rare that headphones’ transducers — the speaker driver and electronics found inside the ear cup — and the headphones’ assembly happen in the same factory. Plant manager Pat Fulton told Irish Daily Star that this improves driver matching and aids efficiency while ensuring quality control standards are met throughout the production and packaging process. And he said the set-up is flexible enough for the firm to switch about its production if necessary for differing requirements or demands.
Pat was keen to emphasise that his dedicated locally based workers take immense pride in what they do every day. This was evident among all the employees I spoke to during my time there.
Some headphone drivers can be made fully by hand like the 56mm driver in the flagship Sennheiser HD800S and HD820 headphones. The firm also employs fully automated processes and on some products uses a blend of both automation and manual assembly. The latter combination is what is used on the set of HD660 S2 cans I helped make.
I was lucky enough to take the set of HD660 S2 home and I’ve been using them every day since along with my Fiio M23 digital audio player on which I store my vast personal collection of albums and tunes.
One huge benefit of spending more on a set of wired audiophile headphones from Sennheiser is that they are a better value long-term investment - they do not use any software that’s likely to be outdated in a couple of years as can be the case with Bluetooth headphones and earbuds.
And if you do invest in a Sennheiser product such as the HD660 S2, isn’t it great to know you are supporting Irish jobs along with getting a fantastic piece of kit that was made with expertise and love.
Pricing and availability
Sennheiser HD660 S2 cost €489 at HiFi Hut or €575 from Sennheiser-hearing.com.
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