SeriesSennheiser HD

I've had these headphones since time immemorial. I have the HD540 Reference, the ones whose ear cups have a velvet rim. They are the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn. The cups' protective cushions wore out pretty quickly and I had to replace the cable once, but they still work fine. They sound precise, very nice and quite natural, not too flattering, especially in the lows. I have even managed to mix a couple of things with them without any unpleasant surprises. I really hope they last for a long time, because I'm very satisfied with them.

I make soundtracks for videogames, and wanted a headphone good enough to mix my projects with when I'm not at home and to use as a second reference for my monitors when I am. A friend of mine gave me the best recommendations about the Sennheiser HD 650, let me borrow it for a couple days and I was totally convinced after that. It comes in a big and nice box with foam enough to keep it safe in case of falling or being hit by anything (you never know). The headphone's grey color is discrete and good looking, it is easy to adjust to your head and is very, very comfortable to use, even for long periods of work: that's because the phone's headband padding quite cleverly has a space in the middle, so it never presses the top your head. Also, its earpads are pretty big and stay around your ears, not agaisnt them. It's and open-back model, so the sound isolation is not so great, but good enough anyway. The sound quality of this headphone is outstanding. The bass is full and round, mids and highs are very clear, transient response is excellent. You can totally trust it if you want your mixes to translate well to other systems: stereo, tv, car, etc. It might be only my impression, but to me it sounds like the stereo image is a little bit narrower than some other ones I've used. Nothing that will make your work any worse - I don't even think that this is bad, to be honest - but it might be something you'll notice in an A/B comparison. The only thing I don't really like about it is that the cable is way too long... it might be a good thing maybe for a studio, but in my case I just don't need it. So, lastly, I can say that the HD650 is definitely not cheap, but absolutely worth it. I would buy another one without thinking twice.

The Sennheiser HD 600 has a very clean sound and they are very comfortable. The only thing I didn’t like about them is the look and design of them. I feel the splashed color on them is very unattractive and should have been left off. But the sound of them outshines the look; they have an amazing sound with great bass response. The mids and highs are very clean and crisp and can be used to mix songs with. The stereo sound and spread in these headphones is great. I have used them to work with in a studio and a band that I work with has used them to work live with. They have a frequency response of 12 Hz to 39 kHz. They come with a 10 foot cable which makes them perfect for my studio because they can reach just about anywhere. They are built well and will last a long time I just didn’t like the look of them. When wearing the HD 600 around ear headphones I immediately noticed how comfortable they were but they made my ears really hot. I am not sure if they size of the was too big or what the issue was but for some reason my ears would get really hot and start sweating easily when wearing them and this doesn’t happen too often with many sets of headphones. The sound is amazing and it should be for this price, but I do not know why they didn’t make them more appealing color and design wise. I even tried to look and see if they came in different colors but I could not find any different colors or designs. If the look does not bother you I highly suggest spending the money on these because you will not get a better studio sound under 500 bucks. The HD 600 headphones are some of my favorite headphones when comparing the sound of them to other ones that I have used under 500 dollars.

These are very well-made and most comfortable headphones I have ever worn and can wear them for hours while twiddling and tweaking parameters in wee hours of night without neighbors thinking aliens have landed. These have in my opinion, the same neutrality in highs, mids and lows; exactly what I hear from my studio monitors with no insanely distorted bass nor aliasing highs--can hear everything clearly at ALL levels of volume. Very good bang for buck and am going to pick-up an extra set as a back-up. Sennheiser have been sticking to what they do very well for many decades; mics and headphones, unlike many other manufacturers whom also side-step into making all kinds of speakers for sound systems--professional and commercial, and Sennheiser does this well.Sennheiser has never used the newest "seller-point-gimmicks" of having artists in certain genres "endorse a product" while forsaking their legacy. Have gone through a few other types in past that just to don't cut it when I am using multiple modulation sources/destinations in higher-end synths that also just happen to be of German origin. Sennheiser provides a print-out of the frequency response across spectrum and if one used that in relation to setting-up the bands in a wide spectrum equalizer for just regular listening of music, will see why these are indeed the way studio monitor speakers are in being "flat and equal" with no exagerated lows or highs. You simply can hear everything, even at very low volume. The true test was using them with my newly added Dave Smith Instruments Mono Evolver Keyboard that I now have polychained to a Desktop Evolver. True stereo path for a mono/duophonic voice where half oscillators are real analog, the other half digital, in-fact, wavetables--with true analog filterson both sides because this instrument can make the deepest juicy bass as well as in a good way crazily distortion laddened output hack highs--with these headphone not breaking a sweat with that and infinite possibilities therein. The noise isolating/canceling is very good and can see why DJ's and sound guys at the helm of the band on-stage love these as well. Only wished I had learned about these before going through a few other brands and yes, would purchase these for twice the going price. It's rare to be able to wear set of headphones for really long periods without feeling uncomfortable, nor encountering "listening fatigue", and Sennheiser makes/stocks replacement parts if needed for these, and yes, even for products of theirs still in-service from the 70's. Simply love them still--more than a year later, having put them through alot of synth sound programming. There's a reason the term "Pro" is utilized in product name!

I use it every day for several months. Before I had headphones that isolate completely, such as earplugs (I don't know how it's called). Even if a headphone is bigger, the sound is really better. I want to say that I purchased this helmet before their ad campaign with Guetta and co and it is really not what motivated my choice... I have the white model, my friend has the black one. Both are very nice but I would not recommend anyone to buy the white. It may sound silly but it's gets messy easily and I cannot it clean properly ... The sound is excellent, even the basses, there is no crackling. It is nice for any kind of music, from classical to techno or jazz (I'm listening to a bit of everything ...). In short, what I like most, the sound ... what is logically the most important! After it has a good look and is quite comfortable (it does not hurt, does not heat up your ears or do not give headache because it is too tight). It is a closed headphone, so no risk to annoy your neighbor in the subway ... What I like least ... white. Very nice, there's no doubt, but over the long term it is more gray than white ... Pretty good value for money compared to other market offerings. I would buy it again, but in black!

The Sennheiser HD-580's are a set of high end studio headphones for all purposes. I don't own these headphones myself, but I often work with a producer out of his home studio and he's got these there. It's kind of a small space, so having headphones to help isolate sounds in there is definitely important. I haven't really used these in any other capacity other than listening during and after recording to get another perspective. However, they're certainly useful in other situations including monitoring during recording for players, checking mixes, and simple listening. The HD-580's are pretty big headphones and fit all the way over your ears. They're definitely pretty comfortable as I can see myself using them throughout a full day without it getting annoying or hurting too much since they're soft. In terms of sound quality, they're definitely nice sounding headphones as they seem to present a full and clear picture of your sound. They also have a very nice and rich low end presence, which isn't something too common with headphones in general. However, they're also well rounded with solid high and mid frequencies response as well. While the overall sound is impressive, I still wouldn't mix with these since I just don't think mixing on headphones is a good idea in general. Although the Sennheiser HD-580's are very nice headphones overall, I do think they're a bit overpriced. I honestly like the HD-280's just as much and they're a fraction of the price. Unless you're really looking to spend a lot of dough on a single pair of headphones, I'd still shoot for something like the HD-280's as they should do the job more times than not. That's no knock on the HD-580's themselves as headphones as they're awesome headphones, I just don't think they're worth the expensive price tag.

The HD 201 has a decent sound but they didn’t appeal to me because the bass was not that good. When playing music that didn’t have deep bass they were not too bad. But when playing bass and low frequency heavy music they didn’t perform well. The bass would get really distorted and would not be clean. Even though the frequency response went down to 21 hz they still didn’t deliver clean enough for me. They are very comfortable and felt great on my head. I only used them a few times at a local studio. They seemed rather ‘cheap’ to me but that is because they are. They only cost around 25 bucks, most headphones in this price range are not very good at all and will not last that long. I do not see these headphones lasting a long time either. The mids and highs are pretty clean though and were not too sharp or piercing when listening to them but the bass just didn’t do it for me. They do have a 9 foot cable on them which is great for the price they cost. They are very light and have an impedance of 24 ohms. They do not come with a ¼ adapter nor do they have a “coiled” cable. They cable is straight and the style of them is circumaural. If the bass response was a little cleaner and wider I would think these headphones could be the best headphones under 50 dollars. But because the bass can get sloppy when turned up I would have to say it is better to just go with a cheaper pair of Sony headphones. The bass in the HD 201 sound like the bass in a cheap pair of head phones that can be purchase at any store. If your budget doesn’t allow you to spend more money then look into some of the inexpensive Shure or Sony headphones for a better bass response.

The Sennheiser HD 205 II are a “cheaper” pair of headphones price wise, they have a closed back and rotating ear cups. I do not feel like they are very comfortable though, after wearing them for over an hour I could definitely feel them on my head getting uncomfortable and I wanted to take them off from time to time. They only cost around 75 dollars though, so that could probably be the reason. The bass in them is very good though; I did some DJ sets in them as well as use them for studio use from time to time. The ear pads can be replaced, which will need to be done eventually because they do not last that long on these headphones. They come with a ¼ adapter and a carrying pouch for transportation. After using them multiple times the rotating part of the ear cup started to get kind of “loose” and felt like it was losing its strength. I could not replace any parts for that myself and Sennheiser told me that they could fix it but for the price they were going to charge me it was not worth it being that the headphones only cost 75 dollars. I was using these back in 2011 and they lasted me about 6 months before I put them aside and didn’t use them again. For the price the sound is pretty good though, if you are in search of your first pair of DJ headphones I do recommend these but you will need to upgrade to something that is more durable for the road because they will not last that long without having to replace ear cups. These also do a great job with different styles of music; I have used them with Dance, Trance, Techno and Top 40 Pop music and the worked great with no matter what I used them with. The bass is really smooth and deep. I do not suggest trying to mix your bass in them though (in studio). I got many sloppy bass mixes with them.

The Sennheiser HD 25-1 II headphones have a closed back and detachable cord. When I first had the chance to listen to them I didn’t think that they would be any good to DJ with because I didn’t feel like the low end hit hard enough for me. So I kept them in my studio and didn’t take the chance on using them in the club. When using them in the studio I got some pretty good mixes from them. They did not color my sound and had very warm low end tones without over doing it. The highs and mids are pretty clean n these without being too sharp or bright. These headphones do not have a great design to them. They look very simple and plain, they do not look like they should cost as much as they do. The only writing or bit of color on them is on the top of the part that goes over the head. They are all black and dull looking, but they are very comfortable. I have worn these for long sessions and they never got uncomfortable. It is even easy to take off the ear pads and change them out if you want to. The HD 25-1 II are very durable and light, they frequency response is 16 Hz to 22 kHz and they have aluminum voice coils. These actually remind me of the HD-10 headphones that came out decades ago. The sounds of these headphones are really worth the price though. I was using them for about a year and half and never had any issues with them. For the price I don’t think you can get a better sound then what they provide. These where my main headphones for a while (in the studio). I never did try them to DJ with though because I didn’t think they low end was hitting enough for me but for studio use they are perfect and I recommend them!

The Sennheiser HD 380 Pro headphones are a set of headphones that can be collapsed for storage and transportation. The cord is able to come off and they come with a carrying case. The frequency response on these has been extended from previous models to really allow that bass to come through the way it is intended. I absolutely loved mixing with these because every time I mixed with them I would get a great sounding baseline. They were very comfortable on my head, I have worn them for over 2 hours in one session before without even having to take them off or adjust them. The head band is adjustable and it was very comfortable. I was using these headphones for about 2 years and I actually still own them I just don’t use them as much as I use to. I recommend getting these though because they are an older model and can be purchase at a dirt cheap price right now online. But just because they are an older model does not mean they are not great! When they first came out everyone either had a pair of these or wanted a pair. You can get them now for around 100 bucks online, which is a steal. The highs were very crisp and clean with warm mid tones to balance them out. They didn’t color the sound at all and exactly how the mix sounded is how they projected the sound. It was so easy to get a clean mix with them. Also with the extended frequency response on this model allowed the bass to come through them booming! The bass was very clean and low; I was able to mix those really low tones cleanly through this like I could through some of my better studio monitors. I never used the H 380 Pro headphones to listen to music with from my iPod but I am sure they would have sounded great. These are made for mixing engineers!

Even though these headphones are meant more for DJs, I bought them to use for recording in my basement. They are silver headphones with black ear padding. They are not noise cancelling, but they do cancel out a little bit of background noises. The input jack is the standard 3.5mm, so they also make great headphones for just listening to music on the go. I bought these headphones from Guitar Center for $70 <a href="https://www.guitarcenter.com/Sennheiser-HD-212-Pro-">https://www.guitarcenter.com/Sennheiser-HD-212-Pro-</a> These headphones are very lightweight and extremely comfortable. The ears are very padded, which helps to block out a little bit of the noise. The chord is also extremely long (about 7ft) which comes in nice when recording because it allows you the freedom to move around without taking them off. They also sound amazing. The blend of bass and trebles is perfect. The only thing I don't like about these headphones is that they don't stay on my head extremely well. They are fine if I just bend over to get something, but a slight head bang while playing has them coming off. These headphones are very durable and do not feel cheap at all. I have dropped them a decent amount of times without any visual or audio damage. Overall, these headphones are great. I won't rant and rave about how they are the best, but they sound like what you would expect from $70 headphones. They are also great to just listen to music through. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Sennheiser HD 457 are really good headphones and they are really stylish at the same time. They come with this metallic type finish and look really futuristic. You can use these just to listen to music in your mp3 player, or if you are feeling brave you can mix in them. But they will give your mix a very “bassy” feel to it. Not to sure if they have to much low end or not, when I listened to Kid Rock in them they sounded great, a lot of bass and thump. I wouldn’t try to mix in them though. For some reason my mixing headphones need to be very flat to my liking in order for me to get a clean mix with them. The price of these isn’t bad at all, they are very affordable depending on when and where you purchase them. I am curious why they are HD though, to me they really don’t have a high quality sound that really sticks out. The are decent at best and really bassy, not saying they are bad though. I am just really picky when it comes to headphones because there are so many different ones on the market today. But with the price you will spend on these you will get some good phones no doubt. But if you are looking to get good mixing headphones for your music. Look into some higher end sony’s or even yamaha‘s. But take the Sennheiser HD 457’s with you on a plane and you will be happy. (even though they really don’t cancell out external noise). They still have enough bass so you cant hear whats going on around you. The loudness isn’t real loud, not that I want it to be. But I guess you could call these good headphones in the listening category, but to someone who wants to mix, they wouldn’t do the job for me. If you want to enjoy music from your ipod these will work great!