New headphones to be revealed on Friday

Sennheiser reference headphones

New Shure Electrostatics and Sennheiser Reference headphones to be shown for the first time on Friday and Saturday in London's Metropolis studios

 There's a little gem of an audio show in London this weekend (Friday and Saturday), with some nice product launches all aimed at headphones and mobile high quality audio.

The show's called Headroom, and it's at London's famous Metropolis studios (ticket details below).

We're looking forward to seeing the new Shure Electrostatic headphones, simply bececause we love the idea of electrostatic reproduction, but also know that it's so hard to do well. Get it right and there's nothing even remotely as transparent and able to effortlessly handle transients. The electrostatic elements have such a low mass that there is almost no frequency they won't have a go at. 

Shure says that the KSE 1500 headphones are "designed for discerning audiophiles" and that they "combine a sound-isolating electrostatic earphone with a matched high-res SHURE amp/DAC, providing a unique system giving unmatched clarity and detail with extremely high fidelity". The price of the Shure electrostatic headphone system is £2,199.

Sennheiser is launching its new HD 800 S reference headphones (pictured above and costing around £1,200). These have a dual connection system with a 3.3mm connector as well as an XLR-4 balance cable for devices with balanced outputs. They're made from "advanced materials developed for the space industry". Which means they should be light but strong. 

Apparently there's a range of other high-end headphone-oriented products as well, so if you're in to this stuff (I am, and I'm going) then you can get tickets from here and go here for the show's website. Or just call +44 (0)20 8942 9567 for more info.