Sennheiser HD449 Review

Sennheiser enjoys a good reputation in the headphone market and their HD800 and HD650 headphones are known to be some of the best ones around. Of course, we’re talking of really high prices here - the HD800, for example sells for $1499 (roughly Rs.80,000 in India). There are, of course products by Sennheiser that are much cheaper than the HD800. The HD449 is among the newest cans from Sennheiser and they’re priced at Rs.4,990, i.e. fraction of the price of the HD800. Now, most people would consider this to be a great deal of money, in itself to be spent on a pair of headphones.  But if you’re the kind of person who’s a music buff and don’t want to disturb others or be disturbed, while listening to music, then you’ll know very well that it’s not a lot. Going by the kinds of headphones that we’ve reviewed in the past, wherein some turned out to be very impressive and some just seemed to be a waste of money, we can conclude that not all expensive headphones mean audiophile class audio performance.

Design and build quality

The HD449 looks like most other basic headphones. There’s no sign of wood and the rear angled elongated cans are but standard Sennheiser design. The entire frame is made of plastic and there’s no sign of any metal or wood visible on the outside. There’s of course the Sennheiser branding on either sides - the person using these, obviously doesn’t see them, what they hear is of more importance. The cans have a soft padding covered by a really thin synthetic material that’s comfortable to wear, but are likely to tear off after a few months of use.

Large cups housing the drivers

Apart from looking a little shabby then, they shouldn’t cause any other problems. The top of the band has a pad that places the weight of the headphones on your head. Speaking of weight, the HD449 can be included in the list of some of the lightest headphones. They fit well and the wearer doesn’t feel tired even after prolonged use.

Branding on the simple, but comfy headband

The lightweight design comes from the plastic frame that feels light and fragile at first. Of course, if you take good care, they’ll last a while. If you’re going to carry them around without a case in some kind of back pack, they could snap under pressure.

Features

The Sennheiser HD449 are a closed circumaural headphones. They are powered by two  neodymium drivers that outputs a frequency spectrum that ranges from 16Hz to 24kHz. The headphones use a 3.5mm audio jack, but Sennheiser also bundles a 6.3mm audio convertor for those who want to use the headphones with larger amplifiers and receivers.

Variety of connections and extensions bundled with the headphones

These are 32Ohm impedance headphones, so driving them isn’t an issue. Most mainstream headphones have the same impedance and they can be driven easily with anything from netbooks and PMPs to desktops.