Headphones reviews

I'd first like to say that, I'm not an audiophile. Although I would consider myself a discerning customer who can sense distinct difference in sound, I do not feel I have the so-called "golden ears".

I have had these headphones for about 4 months now, and I would like to say that Sennheiser is still keeping up their reputation for producing good headphones, but these particular cans, while good and very interesting, failed to completely wow me.

Sound: I have to concur with everyone who has been saying that the sound stage on these headphones is great, especially for closed cans. The sound feels extremely open and gives a great sense of the sound emanating from a more pleasant, distant source. The sound detail must also be praised as these phones definitely can give your music a sense of enhanced detail the way one may consider looking at higher resolution images or videos. If you've ever used new audio equipment to listen to familiar songs only for you to say, "Hey I never heard that subtle background piece" or "I can hear so much more subtlety in that instrument's piece", you'll know what I mean. As for the overall sound, I'd say that the headphones are definitely weighted towards the higher end of the spectrum, and are by no means bass heavy. The bass comes in clear and detailed if you listen for it specifically, but they are more underrepresented in my opinion. I'm no DJ, but I would assume that a noisy club scene would not require bass heavy headphones anyway, if that is your intended use. The subjective sound quality, I would say comes off as being more bright and less warm. This is ok depending on the kind of music that you like to listen to. For vocals that have a naturally high and pure sound, the headphones suits them perfectly. Again, for vocals that feature more deep and warm tones, I would perhaps reconsider. Regardless, I would still reiterate that this is merely the headphone's bias.

Durability: These things are built to last, and you can tell. They're light but the plastic feels extremely durable. The headband will certainly not snap, as I have read some reviews of the Sennheiser HD280s that state the HD280's have such a tendency. The cord feels nice and strong, again heavy duty. Not much really to say here. The headphones will take some real punishment, I don't think anyone will deny that.

Comfort: This is where the whole deal started to go just a bit sour for me. Remember a few sentences ago when I stated that the headphones were durable. That is certainly true, and it seems to me that comfort has taken a bit of a hit at least in my opinion. The headphones, while still quite large, always seem to feel like they're pressing fairly hard on my ears and the side of my head. When they were new, before I had broken them in, I used to get minor headaches from wearing them just due to the sense of pressure that the phones physically exerted on my head. The problem is that the top head band is just a bit too durable and has no give to it to accommodate a person's individual head shape. They will eventually break in and give over time, but if you don't wear them for any length of time, you'll have to endure some pressure on your ears for about half an hour or so. Again, your mileage may vary. Perhaps I just have a grotesquely misshapen head that was not meant to see the light of day.

Extras: The left ear cup can be swiveled up and back in case the listener needs to hear ambient noise, a feature presumably to please the DJs to which the headphones are geared towards. It's pretty neat even if you aren't a DJ, and it definitely helps in one of those situations where your attention may be required elsewhere. Again, it's not extremely comfortable to keep the left ear cup raised for any long period of time, but it's completely passable. The headphones also feature a 8th inch to quarter inch adapter which screws on. I haven't had the opportunity to use the adapter, but both the 8th and quarter inch plugs are gold plated, if that actually makes any difference to you. The cord winds up into a nice little telephone cord style form factor which gives a good amount of added length without the need for clutter. Lastly, there's a pleather bag that you can stuff the headphones in, but they're really durable enough to not need them.

Conclusion: I have to say I still consider them above average and in keeping with Sennheiser's reputation. To me they just weren't the perfect fit. They are a bit too bulky for me to take out onto the street, and they are slightly uncomfortable until you manage to break them in (I stretched them around a basketball, go ahead try it, but be careful). The bass is not really as punchy as I'd like it, but I'm not as much of a stickler for that as other people. I'm no bass nut, but even so, I was a bit underwhelmed. The sound quality really gives a nice open bright and airy feel, but I personally was hoping to find a deeper and warmer sound than the one I was given. No question though, the HD 215s are great for some kinds music, but just not all of them.

In the end, I really kind of wish I had gone for the Sennheiser HD-280 Professional Headphones. I got these headphones for about 60$, and if I had compromised on price and a slightly less durable build quality (which the hd 215s have more than enough of), then I think I would be a bit more satisfied. The HD-280s are really a old standby for budget audiophiles looking for anything from good home listening headphones to studio headphones, maybe DJs even use them too, I don't know. I don't have a pair of hd 280s but I have listened to them briefly and I can say that the sound quality feels much richer than the airier feel of the 215s. So if you're a real klutz who loves wearing full sized headphones around but keeps dropping them on the pavement or stepping on them when you've left them on the floor, get the 215s. If you want to spend 20-30$ extra on a pair of headphones that are well known for their great sound quality (given the price), and are not finicky about durability, then I'd go for the Hd280s.

I purchased recently a couple of headphones but I didn't like them. The I saw this one and it looks so comfortable. So when they arrived I tried them for a couple of hours and they didn't hurt my ears at all. I love them. They are perfect for a DJ too!

The only thing that I find is that there is no bass, but that is good for a working DJ because the music can be heard better.


All in all, it is a great product. Very cool!

Great Product , The sound is great , you dont hear ambiant sounds and it comes with a leather bag and a adaptator. You can flip one hear so you can hear music on your speaker while listening to the next song , it's really useful for mixing. The only thing is that the bass are a bit weak but well for 100 buck you can hardly get something better! Shipping was really fast ... By the way those are really big so don't except to wear them on the street unless you want everyone to laugh at you. The wire is really long i think i could put my mp3 player in my shoes and still use the headphones

I am not an audiophile by any means, and was searching for higher end headphones for my husband who is. I owned a pair of Koss Porta Pro headphones a few years ago and was thrilled with the sound quality (I mention this because it is the only thing I can compare them to) I put the Sennheiser cans on after seeing my husband's less than thrilled reaction and was shocked by the poor, poor, poor sound quality. Not sure whether or not they might be busted, but for the price tag there is no doubt they are being returned ASAP.
Baffled by the more positive responses here, and I wish my review could be more technical, but there it is. Ladies be warned, this may not get the result you want on Father's Day. As for my husband at least he was too excited and opened his gift early.

These are probably the best headphones I've ever listened to. I don't buy headphones over $120 so I don't know how they compare to the Ultra-high end; but these are certainly better than any other set I've bought. The isolation is REALLY good; I can use these things--unplugged--as ear-plugs for when I just don't feel like listening to anything at all. Some of the reviews about needing a bit more power is correct--but that's to be expected on a set like this. The bass might be slightly weak for some people but I think it's just because the high-end cutoff is so far up there that, in comparison, the bass might appear weak. Some minor EQ'ing fixes that anyway.