Post by Rabbit on May 29, 2013 10:21:28 GMT
I've been trying an HD449 for a short while and tbh, it's not too shabby for a closed headphone.
I presume they're fairly cheap (ish) due to the plastic build but they're quite comfortable to wear. Cut out a fair amount of external noise and sound quite nice.
I think that they're an update of the old HD448. All plastic but no creaking and the flaps of my ears go in quite easily so no discomfort after long periods.
I must admit, I have always felt that Sennheiser are a comfortable, smooth listen on the whole and even used to use the HD414's years back regularly. When you look at them nowadays, they look like something from history.
The 498's look like a small version of the HD598/555 series but in black plastic. They are smooth sounding and (imo) tilted downwards so that the top end is perhaps curtailed and the bottom is raised. I don't mind this 'shape' for a headphone; better than the other way around but these don't have such a strong veiled effect as some of the Senn headphones. The bass is quite full actually and they can be a bit heavy. Curious, because I've seen reports that they lack bass which mine definitely aren't.
Being closed, I guess the bass is enhanced. It has a good amount of bass and I guess just a little more top end sparkle wouldn't go amiss; although as I said, I don't mind the top edge taken down a bit on a headphone at all.
The sound is kid of 'contained' in that at low volume, you do feel as though the sound is inside a small 'bubble' in your head. As you turn up, the 'bubble' just gets bigger, so it kind of has this 'compact' sound that's contained. ie; I guess I'm saying that the sound stage (which I'm n o expert at on a headphone) doesn't seem that wide. At least, I think that's what I'm describing.
In any case, it is a very pleasant listen tonally.
I have no idea (yet) what these sell for but I think that they're a quite a nice headphone (middle of the road) and have a short cable with an extension lead so that they are much more convenient for listening to the phone or ipod.
They also don't sound quite as closed in as some closed headphones. Tyll rates them, I know and I can hear why although people who don't like a dark headphone should avoid them.
I presume they're fairly cheap (ish) due to the plastic build but they're quite comfortable to wear. Cut out a fair amount of external noise and sound quite nice.
I think that they're an update of the old HD448. All plastic but no creaking and the flaps of my ears go in quite easily so no discomfort after long periods.
I must admit, I have always felt that Sennheiser are a comfortable, smooth listen on the whole and even used to use the HD414's years back regularly. When you look at them nowadays, they look like something from history.
The 498's look like a small version of the HD598/555 series but in black plastic. They are smooth sounding and (imo) tilted downwards so that the top end is perhaps curtailed and the bottom is raised. I don't mind this 'shape' for a headphone; better than the other way around but these don't have such a strong veiled effect as some of the Senn headphones. The bass is quite full actually and they can be a bit heavy. Curious, because I've seen reports that they lack bass which mine definitely aren't.
Being closed, I guess the bass is enhanced. It has a good amount of bass and I guess just a little more top end sparkle wouldn't go amiss; although as I said, I don't mind the top edge taken down a bit on a headphone at all.
The sound is kid of 'contained' in that at low volume, you do feel as though the sound is inside a small 'bubble' in your head. As you turn up, the 'bubble' just gets bigger, so it kind of has this 'compact' sound that's contained. ie; I guess I'm saying that the sound stage (which I'm n o expert at on a headphone) doesn't seem that wide. At least, I think that's what I'm describing.
In any case, it is a very pleasant listen tonally.
I have no idea (yet) what these sell for but I think that they're a quite a nice headphone (middle of the road) and have a short cable with an extension lead so that they are much more convenient for listening to the phone or ipod.
They also don't sound quite as closed in as some closed headphones. Tyll rates them, I know and I can hear why although people who don't like a dark headphone should avoid them.