10 years Later: Designing Sennheiser HE1
After a decade of R&D and four years of intensive development, Sennheiser released what many consider the finest headphone system ever made – the HE1. As the industrial designer on the project, I witnessed how our strategic pivot from "premium audio product" to "luxury experience" transformed not just the positioning of HE1, but its entire design approach. This is the story of how passionate engineers, visionary product managers, and designers collaborated to create an icon that would elevate Sennheiser's entire brand.
“It’s a statement, a love letter to people that care about music.”
The world’s best sounding headphone system: Sennheiser HE1
The Technical Breakthrough
In 2015, Sennheiser launched a new electrostatic headphone system with a tube amplifier and a Cool Class A MOS-FET high-voltage amplifier directly integrated in the headphone itself.
This innovation allowed significantly lower voltage to travel through the cable, enabling thinner cables and thus a more immersive listening experience. The tradeoff, however, required integrating additional electronics into the headphones and solving heat management challenges. It wasn't the easy path, but it was the path to achieve the perfect listening experience.
From Audio Product to Luxury Statement
By the time I joined the project, Sennheiser’s leadership had defined a bold strategic vision: to position the successor to the legendary Orpheus not just as a premium audiophile product, but as an ultra-luxury experience aimed at high-net-worth individuals. The expected price point far exceeded traditional high-end headphones, and the ambition extended well beyond audio fidelity.
The marketing director envisioned a "mystical sculpture that magically transforms" when used – something monolithic, reminiscent of the iconic object from 2001: A Space Odyssey. This vision was already steering early design discussions, influencing priorities across engineering, product management, and marketing. Our role as designers became clear: interpret and translate this vision into something tangible, emotionally resonant, and technically uncompromising.
This pivot raised fundamental questions for our team: What would a truly luxurious Sennheiser experience look like? How could we make it both technically excellent and visually striking? And perhaps most challenging – how could we manufacture something extraordinary in very limited quantities?
Designing an icon means challenging conventions.
Designing for Conversation and Display
Our research unveiled that luxury products are often as much about display as they are about use. While typical audiophile setups consist of many components, visible cables, amps and more – often chaotically arranged – we needed to create something that would look magnificent, almost sculptural, in the homes of collectors and connoisseurs.
Using the standard 19-inch rack width as our foundation (to have a starting point, and to maintain visual compatibility with other high-end audio equipment), we arranged all the critical parts of the system; power module, amplifier, headphone storage, and user interface to achieve one cohesive design. Each of those elements are striking on it’s own and our challenge was to find the right stack-up that will enable a beautiful, luxurious industrial design.
Our goal wasn't to create a subtle design. We aimed to create an object so unusual and striking that it would invite conversation – a luxury showpiece that signaled status, passion, and taste.
The system looks intriguing when it is not in use: A conversation starter.
Choreography and Ritual
Our team faced an interesting challenge: the tube amplifier requires 30–40 seconds to warm up before optimal listening. Rather than hide this limitation, we embraced it.
We developed a choreographed "awakening" sequence: when powered on, the user interface mechanically emerges, the tubes rise into position, and the headphone compartment lid opens in perfect synchronization. This 35-second ritual creates anticipation and transforms what could have been a frustration into a moment of delight.
This is where the engineering team truly shone. Developing these precise mechanisms required extraordinary attention to detail and countless iterations. Their obsession over quality was inspiring.
The startup ritual was not just functional – it aligns with known luxury principles: Ceremony and anticipation elevate the perceived value of a product experience.
The tubes of the amplifier raise from the housing when He1 is turned on. The natural glow of the amplifier tube is supported with a subtle LED to show the active state of the system.
Material Contrasts and Technical Challenges
The product's most striking design element is its material contrast: the engineering precision of machined aluminum against the organic, archaic quality of marble. This wasn't just about aesthetics – it was inspired by function. Audiophiles often use resonant mass to dampen external mechanical vibrations which might impact an amplifier, and consequently the sound quality. Marble was chosen as a damping mass - in combination with a spring loaded suspension - to isolate the amplifier from structure-borne resonance.
Implementing this idea was not easy. There were no established methods in our supply chain for creating precision marble components at our scale. In collaboration with marble suppliers, we developed a process combining water-jet cutting, CNC milling, drilling, and polishing – techniques known to the marble industry but never combined in this way.
Developing the marble base of the amplifier required us to co-design the manufacturing process step-by-step with our suppliers.
The engineering team faced other obstacles that showcased their brilliance. At one point, they detected unexplained noise in the audio reproduction. After exhaustive testing, they discovered the system was so sensitive it was picking up ambient radiation through the tubes. Their solution? A platinum coating on the glass that reduced interference without compromising the visual design. I just love anecdotes like this.
Our manufacturing methods reflected the product's small-batch nature:
Precision CNC-milled aluminum
Metal sheets for inner housing
Polyurethane casting for complex shapes
Custom-processed marble bases
The headphones themselves presented unique challenges. With projected volumes of only ~200 units annually, based on a one-per-day build capacity, we couldn't justify tooling for mass production. For the earcups, we developed a double-layered aluminum design with cooling ribs organically integrated into the shape, housing both the large electrostatic transducer and amplifier electronics without excessive bulk.
Excellence comes from the careful selection of suitable materials and manufacturing processes.
Team Passion Transforms Constraints into Strengths
What made this project remarkable was the extraordinary dedication of the entire team. Engineers, product managers, and designers worked in close collaboration for nearly a decade to bring this vision to life. The engineering team's commitment went far beyond typical product development. When faced with seemingly impossible challenges, they didn't compromise – they innovated. Their passion for audio excellence drove them to find solutions where others might have settled for "good enough."
I was continually impressed by how constraints became opportunities for creativity. The need for a resonant mass led inspired us to use marble for the amplifier housing. The delay in amplifier warm-up transformed into a ceremonial experience.
The Legacy and Lessons
The result of our collective efforts is considered by many to be the finest headphone system ever created. It succeeds not just as an audiophile reference but as a true luxury product that elevates Sennheiser's entire brand.
The HE1 demonstrates what's possible when engineering excellence meets thoughtful design and strategic positioning. It embodies Sennheiser's core values: passion for excellence, challenging the status quo, and the pursuit of perfect sound.
Unfortunately for this product, Sennheiser’s strategic shift in 2020 meant the company did not follow through with the plan to develop derivatives of HE1, and consequently, the marketing mix was not executed to support the luxury positioning. This highlights a common challenge in product development: when the strategy cycle is shorter than the product lifecycle, opportunities are missed.
Nevertheless, the project offers valuable lessons for product leaders:
Technical excellence alone isn't enough – the complete experience matters
Technical constraints are the fruitful starting point for creativity
For luxury products, display presence is as important as usage performance
Luxury does not happen on the product level only – it requires pricing, communication, placement, and concierge-level service to work properly
Being part of this extraordinary project will make me proud for the rest of my life. The Sennheiser HE1 is a testament to what's possible when vision, engineering prowess, and industrial design converge – a product that continues to put people into tears with its sound quality and visual presence.
This video below captures this soul of this product in a beautiful way: