Sennheiser HD 505 Review: Open-Back Wonder

Sennheiser has launched the HD 505 headphones in India. These are claimed to supply a high-fidelity audio expertise with in-house 120 Ohm angled transducers. The headsets flaunt an open-back design and are geared up with a 1.8m cable with a 3.5mm plug and a 6.35mm adapter. In the audiophile neighborhood, they’re being touted because the non secular successor to the Sennheiser HD 560S headphones, which the corporate unveiled a number of years again. Do they provide noticeable enhancements? Priced at Rs. 27,990, do the newest Sennheiser HD 505 Copper version headphones deserve your consideration? We shall talk about under.

Sennheiser HD 505 Design and Features: Familiar Furtherance

• Size – 237x191x96mm
• Weight – 237g (with out wires)
• Colour – Copper

The Sennheiser HD 505 open-back headphones include a well-recognized Sennheiser HD 500 collection chassis however with refined enhancements that make these extra comfy than most older fashions. One of the highlights is the load of the headsets. At 237g, these are lighter not simply than the earlier iterations within the lineup, but additionally most competing units within the section. Despite the generic, cumbersome look of most over-ear headphones, they sit virtually weightlessly in your head and are comfy even with steady, lengthy hours of use.

The copper accents add a premium really feel to the look

My childhood physician, making an attempt to persuade me to put on the newly prescribed glasses all day, informed me, “Don’t bother taking them off during sleep, they might also help you dream clearly.” Maybe it was that comment (in all probability not) or the truth that I simply must see; I can not go a minute with out my glasses since. And since then, most over-ear headphones have been at struggle with my specs. The battle often continues until I find yourself with a headache, with the headsets urgent the stems of the glasses into my face. However, the Sennheiser HD 505 have been a welcome comrade on this unstated battle.

One parameter that helps with the consolation is the diminished clamp power of the HD 505 in comparison with the present Sennheiser headsets, particularly the HD 560S. The model has clearly completed one thing proper to strike the optimum steadiness between a lowered clamp power and a gentle sufficient match. The headphones don’t roll off the top even with appreciable motion (learn: frantic headbanging to Whole Lotta Love), so long as you modify the metallic sliders adequately.

The headband of the Sennheiser HD 505 comes with fake leather-based cushioning, which provides to its premium look. The elongated ear cups have a metallic mesh grille exterior and are padded inside with thick, artificial velour cushions, which permit the headset to perch comfortably across the ears. The within the ear cups has a extra clear end than present fashions as properly. This possible provides to the openness of the audio tuning.

The artificial velour ear cup padding is kind of thick however comfy

The headsets are available a predominantly black colourway with copper accents across the ear cups and the perimeters of the headscarf. The Sennheiser emblem on each ear cups is etched in a copper shade as properly. The color shouldn’t be too loud, and the metallic end provides to the high-end look of the Sennheiser HD 505.

Sennheiser HD 505 Specifications: Classic Consistency

• Impedance – 120 Ohm
• Frequency response vary – 12Hz to 38,500Hz

Sennehiser claims to pack 120 Ohm angled in-house transducers, made within the firm’s facility in Ireland, into the HD 505 headphones. The newest 500 collection headphones are mentioned to supply a large frequency vary of 12Hz to 38.5kHz, which is claimed to offer customers with a balanced and wealthy audio expertise. Paired with the open-back design, this helps the headphones present a extra pure, extra open sound stage.

Unlike closed-back headphones, the design additionally permits no noise isolation. Therefore, the sound bleeds out of the headsets and will be heard by neighbouring folks except for the consumer. You are suggested to not use them in a shared or public area except you might be able to cope with judgments of your playlist or, worse, noise complaints.

The 3.5mm jack is appropriate with most PCs

While the open-backed ear cups don’t maintain sound leaking out, additionally they don’t maintain exterior noise from seeping in. Unless you might be in a comparatively quiet spot, you’ll have to cope with exterior disturbances. However, it is a widespread concern with open-back headsets, and I level it out not as a flaw however extra as a reminder. I suppose it’s protected to imagine that we’ll principally use these wired headphones of their native area, that’s, indoors, the place the environmental disturbance or disturbing the setting is not going to be of a lot concern.

They are claimed to supply a sound stress stage (SPL) of 107.9dB and are mentioned to offer whole harmonic distortion (THD) of lower than 0.2 p.c. The latter means that the headsets provide high-fidelity audio with exact copy and minimal distortion. These claims usually are not unfounded.

Sennheiser HD 505 Performance: Shipshape Sound

• Cable size – 1.8m
• Cable Type – 3.5mm jack; 3.5mm to six.35mm screw on adapter

Before we break down the audio expertise of the Sennheiser HD 505 headphones in granular element, it’s protected to say that we get what we count on from Sennheiser sound, with a number of exceptions. We are offered with a largely rounded, hotter, well-balanced sound stage. The bass, in addition to some high-pitched sounds, will be too vibrant for consolation for a few of us, however this principally is determined by our subjective sensitivities to sure ranges. Personally, the bass was at instances a little bit too punchy for my style, however nothing {that a} slight quantity adjustment couldn’t repair.

The fake leather-based cushioning of the headscarf provides a modern look

Sennheiser markets the HD 505 for “critical music listening, movies, and gaming,” which is sensible for premium open-backed headphones. The lack of a pressurised chamber behind the dynamic drivers helps provide customers a extra pure and open sound expertise than the closed-back counterparts. The decrease registers are clearer, and also you get an total immersive audio publicity. Well, not as immersive as 3D spatial sound preparations, however as near real-life preparations as attainable. This is why open-back headsets are in style amongst mixers or sound engineers. And in case you are occupied with one thing comparable, or need to begin exploring premium headphones, these are an excellent place to start out.

The Sennheiser HD 505 are tuned to close perfection. Whether it is gaming, podcasts, motion pictures, or simply good previous music playback, there isn’t any avenue the place I’ve had any marked points with the sound. For occasion, I watched Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with these headsets throughout the evaluation interval, and I used to be not disillusioned. Well, that is not solely true. But the headphones can not riddle us why in an anticipated “buddy cop” Monsterverse movie, we solely not see the titular titans collectively on-screen for about 10 minutes in the direction of the tail finish. The headsets allowed me to benefit from the soundscape, together with Kong’s pained, toothache-related groans and Mothra’s shrill chirps, with crisp readability.

From Ghost within the Shell 2: Innocence observe The Ballade of Puppets by Kenji Kawai to Contre-Temps by Flavien Berger and Bonnie Banane, the Sennheiser HD 505 permits us to delve into the intricate layers of every composition and observe the grittier nuances. Agust D, as a rapper, is thought to make use of his breaths to punctuate and rhyme his verses, particularly in a tune like People from the D-2 mixtape. With these headsets, every draw and launch of mentioned breaths within the tune was clearer than I had perceived beforehand. While the high and low notes are properly outlined, we hit a little bit of a snag with the mids. They can generally look like barely muddled than different sounds, but it surely didn’t dampen my expertise a lot.

The metallic mesh grille covers permit noise to bleed out

Sennheiser HD 505: Verdict

The Sennheiser HD 505 retails in India for Rs. 27,990 and is a protected decide for many audiophiles or studio professionals. They are, nonetheless, barely steeply priced for informal prospects. However, when you’ve got the finances and need to discover the area of interest of high-end headsets, the Sennheiser HD 505 is an efficient place to start out. Keep in thoughts that with the high-fidelity audio expertise, the open-back design can even not provide noise isolation or cancellation. You could run the chance of inflicting a distraction or being distracted to prompting delicate annoyance or being mildly aggravated. I didn’t have to fret about the identical, as I solely used them in my private dwelling area, and my cats didn’t (learn: couldn’t) complain about my music style.

A closed-back choice from Sennheiser, the HD 620S (Review), can be obtainable within the nation. They had been priced at Rs. 32,990 throughout launch and provide appreciable passive noise isolation assist.