Sennheiser HD201 Lightweight Over-Ear Binaural Headphones
by Sennheiser
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List Price: Our Price: $18.75 You Save: $11.20 (37%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $5.88 (click here) Category: Speakers See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser HD201 Lightweight Over-Ear Binaural Headphones
Customer Review: Sennheiser HD201 Headphones - Good Quality, Better Price
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently bought a pair of Sennheiser HD201 headphones when Amazon put them on sale for $15. I had been shopping around for quite some time, looking for a nice pair of over-the-ear headphones with good sound quality that wouldn't break the bank too much. I like to consider myself a bit of an audiophile and the headphones I have been using in the past just aren't up to snuff anymore; I needed something better to deliver the quality of sound that I wanted to hear.
I've found that one of the hardest things when shopping for headphones online is the inability to actually hear the phones in order to determine if you like their sound, comfort, etc. Going off of so many other reviews and other people looking for certain things, it made the shopping a bit of a dilemma at times.
Finally, I had to decide what I wanted, and if the headphones I bought had what I was looking for. In this case, my criteria was:
- Over the ear phones with some amount of noise cancellation
- Headphones that work well in a general listening situation and also in producing/composing situations
- Strong, balanced, and clear audio quality across multiple genres of music
- Comfort
- Price that won't break the bank
For me, the importance of good quality across multiple music genres was necessary as I listed to a wide variety of music (Rock, Metal, Classic Rock, Jazz, Classical, Dance, Hip-Hop, etc.) and I also dabble a bit in music production and DJing. Most of the reviews for the HD201 said that they were a solid pair that was a good buy. I initially balked at them, but when they went on sale, I bought a pair.
The overall comfort for these phones are quite good, with occasional tightness and/or ear soreness if worn for a long time. The cord is really long, almost too long, but some thing I could live with. My impression of the material quality was that it was pretty solid for the pricetag.
As for the sound, obviously the most important part, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I worked at my college's student radio station and there we used Sennheiser's HD202 models, which I enjoyed a lot so I knew the kind of quality to expect from Senneheiser. The sound of these phones, for me, was solid. They are quite balanced across all frequencies, provide clear highs and deep lows when the situation calls for it. There are times where I wished the bass frequencies were a tad bit stronger, but in general I'm okay with it. I personally think that if the low frequencies were too high it would muddle up the sound but these find a pretty good balance. If you're looking for headphones with booming bass, you're better off elsewhere. I initially tested them with a few genres, and all of them sounded quite good.
All in all, my experience with these headphones have been positive. Knowing the price, I wasn't expecting the highest of high quality, but knowing what Sennheiser is capable of, these headphones are a good buy. I'll actually be ordering another pair, as I slipped and fell on my way to work this morning and broke them, perhaps another testament to their value for the price.
Customer Review: Great sound, and the price is a steal!
Summary: 5 Stars
This product is one of the best bang for the buck items I have ever owned. They may end up costing me a bundle, however.
The HD201 came to my attention after reading a little debate on headphones on a bulletin board I frequent. Someone recommended the HD201s as being phenomenal for the money.
I'm not an audiophile, but I do enjoy music and computer games where sound is important, so I thought I'd give them a try. The only other "cans" I've used have been the cheapos that come with portable CD players and a pair of Coby CV-200s that I bought seeking something cheap that would be better than the poor quality phones I have had in the past. The Coby units were a minor improvement, but bass rumbled like crazy.
Enter the HD201s. These closed phones (they cover the ear with a foam pad instead of sitting on top of them) have a padded plastic headband, a long 10' cord that terminates in a mini jack (it comes with a 1/4" adapter). The earpieces have some swivel to them, and they fit my rather large head and ears just fine. Comfort level was as good as any headphone I was used to. I plugged them in to my computer (with a decidedly basic 5.1 soundcard) and began to listen.
The sound is jaw-dropping if you are used to the garbage that ships with portable music devices. I popped in some CDs, from classical to metal, and the lack of rumble in the bass and the clear highs were a treat. Remember, I'm no audiophile (yet) but even to my tin and uneducated ear, the difference was easy to hear. Violins in "Adagio for Strings" were strong and clear, gone was the low rumble in the deep bass of Zep, and I even began to truly note the shortcomings of the audio in some MP3 and "oldies" recordings. Sound in games was great, and I caught some nuances in first person shooters that improved my play.
I was now aware of the shortcomings of all the other cheapo headphones I had used, including the Coby unit, that until now I had considered "good enough". They just flat out sound better across the full range of sound, from low to high.
I was a bit surprised that I could max out the volume on my computer without making the HD201s too painful...perhaps they are designed with more power in mind than my system delivers. My portable CD player drives them to about the same volume levels, loud, but not ear shattering. They might not satisfy those looking for super booming bass or earsplitting volume, but perhaps an amplifier might change this.
I can't give your an expert review of the HD201s, nor translate what the tech specs on the box mean. I can tell you that for the price, I am deeply impressed with the quality of sound. I would be impressed if they cost a few times as much.
A true bargain, but I worry that this might be the launching point in to a world of audio gear that I can scarce afford. If these things sound this good, perhaps I really need headphones made by Grado or the high end Sennhieser stuff, a new soundcard, probably an amp, and about the system in the living room.....
Customer Review: The S in Sennheiser Stands for Superb
Summary: 5 Stars
Basically, I needed a new pair of headphones after I got tired of the Sony MDR-V150s that my roommate lent me. I did not like the idea of having the "cups" right ON my ear, and honestly, they did not sound all that great so I decided to do some searching. I looked at Koss(I did not like any of their models) AKG( I love them, but, for $100, I did not get involved with them.) So, I decided to search some more..
I totally forgot about Sennheiser headphones. I heard them once at an ultra high end home stereo shop in Tampa, Florida and they sounded damn good. So when I saw these for less than $20, I decided to buy them..
First of all, they arrived sooner than usual. I put them on and I noticed something...I could not hear any outside noise. These "cans" really kept outside sound out. They sat comfortably on my head and the "cups" covered my ears. Score!! Now, for the sound..
I listen to a lot of music that I have on my pc. I have a Dell Dimension E310 with the ORIGINAL sound card and I have the Mp3s on Musicmatch WITHOUT any equalization. First of all, I chose tracks at random, all kinds and I heard things that I never heard before. I noticed tiny "cracks" on Avenged Sevenfold's "Seciond Heartbeat." Something I did not notice with the Sony's. I listened to all types of music and found the sound TOTALLY clean. No hissing, no muddy or "sour" midrange. Female vocals sounded great. Even the low end sounded great, specially with house and trance music that have a lot of heavy bottom end to them.
BUT, I decided to try them on my Panasonic SA-XR55, which is a digital receiver, and I decided to "crank" it up. As I reached the higher volumes, the bass was lost, it sounded weak and muddy, but that WAS when I was pushing the receiver to its limits.
These "cans" are great for listening to music at REGULAR volumes. If you want a pair of headphones that you can crank them up loud so they can sound like a car audio bass challenge, go for something like the AKGs.
Great "cans" for the money, I TOTALLY recommend them.
So here we go:
Pros:
They fit great, with even a leatherret piece on the top band of the headphones to keep things cushy.
Great sound isolation. I can't hear squat once I put them on WITHOUT music.
Gorgeous sound at "normal" levels. I do not care if you listen to Rap, Christian, House or Trance, you will get a great sound out of these.
Built very well. They look like they do not move or swivel in the picture, but they do, and are very comfortable.
Cons:
NOT made for LOUD listening.
Not really digging the double cord that comes out of the headphones. Single sided would be better, but that is just me.
And to be honest, I cannot find anything else wrong with them.
So, if you just want to get some "cans" that are great sounding, without breaking your wallet, get these.
Trust me.
You will thank me later.
Customer Review: Best pair of Sennheisers I've ever owned
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had Sennheisers that cost me hundreds, some that cost me $50 or less, and then...there was the HD 201's. Why are these better? I couldn't tell you the technicalities of it all, because to be honest it defies logic.
First of all the headphones don't use just one wire, they use the dual wire which is notorious for failing on even the best of headphones rather easily. Second, they aren't exactly the top of the line model of Sennheisers, and for $20 you don't really expect much.
Regardless of the facts, these headphones have seen me through about a year or more of pretty heavy duty use and still work just as good as day one. Considering I've owned Sennheiser's in the HD-500 series, it takes a lot to impress me when it comes to sound quality, and I can honestly say that yes there is a difference -- these aren't as good as the expensive stuff...but they are about as close to the expensive stuff as you can get without spending the big bucks.
Whatever looks like a design flaw on these puppies actually ends up making the suckers work even better than you'd expect. Listening to high quality audio with these headphones is incredible.
I have to admit though, even though you'll see Sennheiser boasting about their Bass all the time, they don't offer the best Bass in the game. However, they do offer the most detailed bass, so you don't feel like you're missing out on much. IMHO it's the way Bass is meant to sound. If you want headphones that pump bass so loud that it shakes your ears or worse, ends up screwing up the headphones you just bought, you probably shouldn't be investing in headphones. However, if you want good clean bass that offers a kick without kicking your speakers into submission then these headphones will be a godsend to you.
For $20-25, HD201's are the BEST and most affordable high quality well built headphones on the market, bar none. Considering they also come with Sennheiser's standard 2 year warranty, you can rest assured these headphones will not let you down.
I've gone through more headphones than I like to count, at times in my life going through 5-6 pairs a YEAR just because they'd blow out on me, or the wire would get screwy, or the sound would go out in one cup....The fact I've owned this one pair for a year and haven't required any others is a tell tale sign of the real quality behind these headphones.
If you're low on cash and you need a pair of replacements, these are replacements that will not disappoint and will last you a long time -- long enough to save up for an even better pair if that's what you're out for. Regardless, the price is hard to beat for what you get.
Which is it? $100-200 a year constantly replacing poorly built crappy headphones or a one time $20 for a warranty guaranteed 2 years of quality headphones? The Choice is yours.
Customer Review: Perfect for me.
Summary: 5 Stars
For $20 or less these headphones are great. I wanted good headphones for about $20 or less and these seem to be among the best at this price range. I was trying to avoid lower quality ones at the $10 price range like the JVCs. For $10 more these headphones were definitely worth it. The other ones I considered:
Sennheiser HD 202 Headphones
I passed on these slightly more expensive Sennheisers because they didn't get good reviews for comfort which was really important to me. These HD201's are very comfortable, my ears never hurt nor have I had any other type of discomfort and I have used them for as many as 3 hours in one sitting.
Sony MDR-XD200 Stereo Headphones
I passed on these Sony's mainly because the last Sony headphones I had broke, and looking back they weren't nearly as comfortable as the HD201's. However those were different headphones then the one listed above. The MDR-XD200 look like huge cans.
Yes, there is a long cord which can be a pro or con. I see it as a pro, worst thing that has happened is it has been run over by my chair a few times, but no problems really if your somewhat mindful of it.
The other concern, the volume isn't loud enough. The volume is fine with me, last Sony headphones I had I cranked a little to high and have read listening to music or whatever at high volumes can be harmful for your ears. Since that is something I wanted to avoid anyways, the volume level their at (which can be fairly loud) is fine with me. At the highest level volume these headphones will not hurt your ears. If you need loud music to pump you up while your working out or something, you may want to get different set of headphones as that is the only reason I could see where it would matter.
For games they're perfect, every footstep or action can be heard with clarity such as in Modern Warfare 2. I've tried playing Left 4 Dead 2, and for that game for some reason the volume can be a tad loud, I like it though as it heightens the intensity. If your going to use voice chat then you'll need to get gaming headphones with a mic attached, the Tritton's are fairly decent. However if you don't need a mic, I'd recommend these.
I think I've gotten spoiled with these headphones because after using them almost exclusively with anything I do with the computer, my normal speakers sound horrible in comparison.
I've had these headphones 5 months and used them for gaming, listening to music, & watching movies, and they're still doing great. Highly recommended.