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Sennheiser Headphone Review

Sennheiser has long been the go to brand for high quality headphones in the DJ community. With its spectacular sound quality, slim and stylish design and constant reliability the Sennheiser DJ headphone range is at the forefront of sound technology. Originating in post-war Germany Sennheiser has been perfecting its property for more than 60 years.

Thanks to the good people at Sennheiser, DJVibe and I have been lucky enough to get our hands on five high quality headphones to review!

These include: Sennheiser HD 202, HD 205, HD 215, HD 280 PRO and the famous HD 25 – 1

Now after researching these headphones on the inter-web I discovered there was not much information on what separates these models in the areas of quality and design. So I decided to make my own review! I will be looking at the ‘PROS’ and ‘CONS’ of the Sennheiser DJ Headphone Range.

Let’s begin with the lowest priced of the range:

Sennheiser HD 202: $50.00 – $70.00

Specifications:

18 – 18,000 Hz Jack plug 3.5/6.3 mm stereo
Load rating 0.2 W Nominal impedance
32 ? sound pressure level (1 kHz, 1 Vrms): 115 dB
Total harmonic distortion (THD) < 0.5%
Transducer principle Dynamic
Weight w/o cable 130 grams

These are great if you want to start with something less expensive, although longevity and quality is seriously lacking, I found these to be comfortable and surprisingly useful… not for a DJ but good for the train ride home listening to some tunes.

Sennheiser HD 205: $85

Cable length 10 ft. (approx 3 m)
Ear coupling Semi On-the-ear Frequency response (headphones)
14 – 20,000 Hz Hz Jack plug 3.5/6.3 mm stereo
32 ? Sound pressure level (SPL) 112 dB (SPL)
Total harmonic distortion (THD) < 0.5%
Transducer principle Dynamic
Weight w/o cable 7.3 oz. (206 g, no packaging)

For an extra $10-$20 your next is the Sennheiser 205, there really is not much difference in sound quality or design. The lowest scored at of the five headphones, save your money for something else.

Sennheiser HD 215: $120

12 – 22000 Hz Jack plug 3.5/6.3 mm stereo
32 ? Sound pressure level (SPL) 112 dB
Total harmonic distortion (THD) 0.2 %
Transducer principle Dynamic

This is a great option if you don’t want to spend nearly twice as much on the next model. Good sound, but not overly improved from the previous 205. I found it to be quite uncomfortable with an unneeded chunky design, although I do love the coiled cord.

Sennheiser HD 280 PRO: $200.00

Connection cable Coiled cable (min1m/max 3m)
Contact pressure 6 N Ear coupling Around-the-ear Frequency response (headphones)
8 – 25,000 Hz Jack plug 3.5/6.3 mm stereo
Load rating 500 mW
64 ? Sound pressure level (SPL) 102 dB (IEC 268-7)
Total harmonic distortion (THD) 0.1%
Transducer principle Dynamic
Weight w/o cable 7.8 oz (220 g)

Definitely a step up from the last three, this is where the quality takes a big leap. Good for an on the road DJ, very sturdy and reliable. The design is brilliant! It’s really comfortable and sits on your head nicely. Really worth saving that bit extra for a lot more.

Sennheiser HD 25 – 1: $300 -$400

Cable length Approx 5 ft. (1.5 m.)
Contact pressure Approx. 2.5 N Ear coupling On-the-ear Frequency response (headphones)
16 – 22,000 Hz Jack plug 3.5/6.3 mm stereo
Load rating 0.2 W Nominal impedance
70 ? Sound pressure level (SPL) 120 dB (SPL)
Total harmonic distortion (THD) < 0.3 %
Transducer principle Dynamic
Weight w/o cable Approx.4.9 oz. (140 g)

This is where it starts getting interesting! We definitely start making our way to the big boys… the sound quality and designs start to become more refined and uniquely Sennheiser, we begin to realize why we love this brand! This is a phenomenal piece of DJ equipment, no wonder it’s the most widely accepted DJ tool.

This is just amazing with high quality stereo sound and outstanding bass response this is a must for any aspiring DJ. Forget about anything else… if you want to really hear your music and look the part this is worth saving up for.

But as with anything it does have a few down sides, they do feel extremely fragile for an expensive piece of equipment. You don’t want to be throwing these around in your kit bag, take really good care of them! The short cord is also very frustrating when you want to jump around to your music (but I have heard newer models have a slightly longer one).

But Sennheiser has thought of everything when designing these bad boys, although very light and fragile there is an extremely beneficial side to that – neck pain. DJ’s and sound designers could be wearing these things for a very long time, with heavier models sitting and weighing down your head it can get very painful and frustrating.

So to wrap this all up if you have the money go with these guys, but there are perfectly reasonable substitutes if you can’t justify spending that amount of money. Below are all the Stats!

Matt Cohen (Wolfcallowww!)

Test songs:
- Around the World By Daft Punk @ 128kbps
- To Protect and Entertain (Crookers Remix) By Busy P @ 96 Bitrate
- What You Need By TIGA @ 320 Bitrate

SOUND Quality

Sennheiser HD 202
Noise Cancel: 6
Low Quality – 96 Bitrate: 6.5
High Quality – 340 Bitrate: 7
Bass: 7
Treble: 5.5
Stereo: 7
Total: 39

Sennheiser HD 205
Noise Cancel: 6
Low Quality – 96 Bitrate: 6
High Quality – 340 Bitrate: 6.5
Bass: 6.5
Treble: 6
Stereo: 7.5
Total: 38.5

Sennheiser HD 215
Noise Cancel: 7
Low Quality – 96 Bitrate: 6
High Quality – 340 Bitrate: 7
Bass: 6
Treble: 7.5
Stereo: 8
Total: 41.5

Sennheiser HD 280 PRO
Noise Cancel: 7
Low Quality – 96 Bitrate: 7.5
High Quality – 340 Bitrate: 8
Bass: 7.5
Treble: 8
Stereo: 9
Total: 47

Sennheiser HD 25 – 1
Noise Cancel: 9
Low Quality – 96 Bitrate: 9
High Quality – 340 Bitrate: 10
Bass: 9
Treble: 9
Stereo: 10
Total: 56

DESIGN

Sennheiser HD 202
Look: 7
Feel: 7
Design: 7
Comfort: 7
Total: 28

Sennheiser HD 205
Look: 7
Feel: 7
Design: 7
Comfort: 6.5
Total: 27.5

Sennheiser HD 215
Look: 6
Feel: 8
Design: 8
Comfort: 7.5
Total: 29.5

Sennheiser HD 280 PRO
Look: 8
Feel: 9
Design: 8
Comfort: 8
Total: 33

Sennheiser HD 25 – 1
Look: 9
Feel: 78
Design: 10
Comfort: 8
Total: 35

OVERALL (Out of 100)

Sennheiser HD 202
Surprisingly comfortable and great bass sound. Went well with high quality audio, although cord goes into both ears. Great price and fantastic low range DJ headphone: 67

Sennheiser HD 205
Disappointing Not many differences with the 202. A poor performer with a long annoying cord and uncomfortable design: 66

Sennheiser HD 215
Get Mid-ranged performer, although design is a bit chunky. The coiled cable is genius:72

Sennheiser HD 280 PRO
Brilliant performer, the most comfortable and best design for a DJ. Definitely worth the bit extra of it’s cheaper brothers. Again – The coiled cable is genius: 80

Sennheiser HD 25 – 1
Best all round audio, performed exceptionally well in all areas. Fantastic design but a bit uncomfortable and fragile for a DJ – more for audio monitoring: 91

I hope this all helps you make the right decision!

Matt Cohen

Wolfcallowww!

www.myspace.com/wolfcallowww

Tags: cons, dj, djvibe, hd 202, hd 205, hd 215, hd 25, hd 280 pro, headphone, matt cohen, pros, sennheiser, wolfcallowww!