Sennheiser Orpheus Headphones

25 years ago, Sennheiser made the Orpheus HE90, which were largely considered the best headphones ever made, though they cost $16,000. 300 of those were manufactured and people still talk about them to this day. Now, in a bid to one-up themselves, the German headphone giant has created a new set of Orpheus headphones, this time running $55,000.

The new Orpheus headphones use the same basic technology as the original. They are electrostatic, meaning they charge a thin, lighter-than-air film that is placed between two metal plates with static electricity. Different voltages passing through the headphones then make this film oscillate, which in turn creates the sound. This kind of construction is extremely difficult to do and it took engineers nearly a decade to get it right. The sound out of these headphones has no resonance, making it exceptionally clear and pure, hence the immense cost. [Purchase]