Sennheiser HD 400S Closed Back, Around Ear Headphone with One-Button Smart Remote on Detachable Cable

Purchased on June 10th, 2023, for about $55.I have a very difficult time with headphones, since the current market seems to only value a 'sleek' look and wireless functionality, hence the advent of the dual "innovations" of wireless headphones and earbuds, which have culminated in the supremely awful experience of the wireless earbud -- tinny, awful-sounding, uncomfortable, and extremely easy to lose -- all for the "low-low" price of a pair of good open-ear headphones. Blech.The alternative to this high-tech e-waste is usually the classic older 'portable headphone' design -- but this market space, from what I have seen, is largely dominated by cheap products with no staying power. At one point, I used a pair of very cheap foldable headphones (about ten dollars,) and while I was very pleasantly surprised with the fidelity of their sound (especially when compared to the awful sound of hundred-fifty dollar earbuds,) their durability and comfort left quite a bit to be desired.These HD400S headphones are a very refreshing alternative -- comfortable to wear, durable, and shockingly high-fidelity. I wouldn't want to use these as my primary headphones (that honor is reserved for other non-portable Sennheiser models!) but they work fantastically with my phone or MP3 player, especially given their essentially negligible power draw.My only issue, which is a fairly small one, is that the headphones sit sort of strangely on the ears -- not quite like a closed ear headphone? I think this is responsible for how comfortable they feel, even with the fairly cheap earcuffs, but it does lead to them falling off fairly easily in heavy wind or similar conditions. I've only ran into it a few times, and they do seem durable enough to handle a few of these sorts of falls, but it's something to keep note of.

really quite good audio quality. decent noise isolation. great for gaming and music. the headband was a bit uncomfortable at first but not anymore

Good headphones. I needed an inexpensive closed back headphone to use at work. I am a fan of my Sennheiser 560s and HD280. I own various Etymotic and Cambridge Audio products as well so I am familiar with good sounding audio. These sound good.They aren't as enjoyable as the 560s but they were $49. Luckily, I have small ears so they fit okay. I could see how these would be uncomfortable for larger ears. The pads were an interesting design choice. That's why I gave them 4 stars. For the price, I am happy with the sound. They aren't as neutral as some other headphones I have but I enjoy them.

Great sound quality, much better than I anticipated. They fit me fine but my ears are on the smaller side and the pads barely fit over them.

Ok sound. Bit to much bass.

The main headphone I used before I bought this is a Sony MDR ZX110 that I've had for 4 years. After trying this and comparing it to my Sony, the cheap $20 Sony sounded better. The sound of this headphone by default is really bad, comparable to $5–10 headphones. I tried using an equalizer to see if it improved the sound, and it did really well surprisingly, my Sony with equalizer on didn't sound as good. Sound quality without equalizer is a 2/10 and with it is a 7.5/10. I still use the equalizer when I'm not listening to music like watching videos or playing games because the default sound is just so bad. Perhaps the sound just needed breaking in, but I don't know for sure. I bought this headphone with a Cyber Monday discount that lowered the price down to $46, which makes it a fair price. The full price of $70 isn't a great deal for what this headphone is in my opinion.I read the reviews about this headphone thoroughly before buying it. Most of the critical reviews mention the sound quality being bad and it turns out they were right. Most people who gave a good score for sound quality have very low standards. I still bought it because I thought it had to sound better than my cheap Sony headphone, but that's only true if I use an equalizer.I am not a true audiophile, but my standards are high when it comes to sound quality because I used to have a pair of unknown branded earbuds that sounded amazing and then broke. Ever since, I have been using cheap, crappy sounding earbuds and headphones and couldn't enjoy music like I used to. I really wanted to have a good sound experience again, but I have to pay a lot of money for it. I thought this product would be a great bargain because the brand is known for sound quality. Ironically, that is the worst thing about this product. Everything about it is great, the looks, feels, comfort, and noise cancelling. But the sound quality is what it's lacking, which is a huge letdown for me because that's the only thing I needed in a headphone, and I don't care about anything else.I thought about returning it, but I've returned many headphones/earbuds in the past thinking they would sound good but didn't, so I'm tired of doing it and just accept it for what it is. The equalizer improving the sound drastically also helps with my decision to keep it. I don't understand why companies are always lacking in sound quality in their headphones and excel at everything else. I really do not recommend you buy this if you're looking for good sound quality; like many other reviews mentioned, it really isn't great. An equalizer is needed if you want it to sound great. Definitely look elsewhere if you want a better purchasing experience.

I Have been producing music for the past 6-7 years and wanted something that sounds accurate but isn’t too spendy to where I can’t take them out on daily journeys. These don’t sacrifice any sound quality but are sturdy enough to take with me anywhere. The frequency response on them sounds rather flat which is good if you’re looking for an accurate sound and something that’s not blown out of proportion. They definitely hold up against more expensive pairs and I’m very happy I went with these over a couple similar pairs. 5/5 for 49.99.

These are comfortable and work really well. That's the good news. The bad news is that even after spending half a day outside and overnight in front of a fan, they still had a very strong chemical smell. I had them out for six days and they are still terrible. Allow them plenty of time to air out.