Between the HD 800 S and ULT Wear 2, the HD 800 S comes out ahead in driver size, while the ULT Wear 2 wins on weight and active noise cancellation. Overall, the HD 800 S scores 73.6 and the ULT Wear 2 scores 70.9 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (73.6 vs 70.9). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the HD 800 S if you care most about driver size. The biggest gaps in its favor are driver size.
Pick the ULT Wear 2 if you carry the device everywhere and weight or thickness has been the deciding factor before. Its strongest claims are weight, active noise cancellation, multipoint, among others.
Both ship with comparable spatial audio, water resistance, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why Sennheiser - HD 800 S wins
- ▲Driver size — 40.00% more. 56 mm vs 40 mm.
Why Sony - ULT Wear 2 wins
- ▲Weight — 75.00 g less. 255 vs 330.
- ▲Has Active noise cancellation.
- ▲Has Multipoint.
- ▲Has LDAC.
- ▲Battery life: 50 h vs 0 h.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Sennheiser - HD 800 S | Sony - ULT Wear 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | over-ear | over-ear |
| Weight | 330 g | 255 glead |
| Water resistance | none | none |
Audio
| Spec | Sennheiser - HD 800 S | Sony - ULT Wear 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 56 mmlead | 40 mm |
| Impedanceⓘ | 300 Ωlead | 32 Ω |
| Sensitivityⓘ | 102 dBlead | 100 dB |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | false | truelead |
| Transparency mode | false | truelead |
| Spatial audioⓘ | false | false |
Battery
| Spec | Sennheiser - HD 800 S | Sony - ULT Wear 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 0 h | 50 hlead |
| Fast chargeⓘ | false | truelead |
Connectivity
| Spec | Sennheiser - HD 800 S | Sony - ULT Wear 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 0 | 5.3lead |
| Multipointⓘ | false | truelead |
| 3.5mm jack | true | true |
| LDACⓘ | false | truelead |
| aptX HDⓘ | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, HD 800 S or ULT Wear 2?+
ULT Wear 2 lasts 50 hours vs 0 hours.
Do HD 800 S or ULT Wear 2 have active noise cancellation?+
ULT Wear 2 has ANC; HD 800 S does not.
Which supports LDAC, HD 800 S or ULT Wear 2?+
ULT Wear 2 supports LDAC; HD 800 S does not.
Spec-level deep dives
More from the same brands
vsMars is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.