Sennheiser HD 448 High Quality Closed Back Circumaural Headphones

After purchasing these headphones I cannot stress enough how pleased I was with the sound quality. After you leave them for an approximate 50 hour "burn-in" period they sound heavenly. I cannot speak for everyone but personally I do not think that they require an amplifier. I do not listen to my iPod loudly and so don't feel that these headphones are lacking at all although others may feel differently. One thing that I failed to mention in my video was the noise isolation - these headphones block some noise but not everything. If someone is speaking you will most likely be able to make out what they are saying whilst wearing these headphones.

The padding around the cups is incredibly comfortable and feel like cushions surrounding your ears! The surround of the headphones feels a bit tacky but they do not feel like they are going to break. Also, they twist to a certain extent meaning that you can wear them over one ear if you wish.

My only criticism would be that they look slightly bulky. These headphones were designed to sound good and not to look good. Overall though, they are a great sounding pair of headphones and the best I have come across in the mid-range market.

Right this is the first review of a product I have ever done but though that these headphones deserved it. I'm not an audiophile by any means but I do appreciate sound quality more than the average person. I already own a pair of Westone UM-1 in ear monitors but I wanted a set of over ear headphones as I wanted to experience the higher levels of bass and much larger soundstage that they tend to offer over in ear headphones. I was not sure what to expect from these headphones as the many reviews I had read prior to purchasing these, seemed to all agree that they are a little underwhelming before they undergo the initial (50 or so hours) of the Burn In process. There is a lot of talk about them being very quiet, with iPod's struggling to drive/power them to their full potential so I thought I'd share my views and clear a few things up. Before I expand I'll point out that I have only had these two days so far and they've had around 15 or so hours of burn in. I've used them with my iPod 2nd Gen (both with and without a FiiO E5 headphone amplifier), and my laptop (through an external soundcard). My music taste is wide, but mostly modern rock and pop. All my music is at 320kbps, but I have also tried these with some FLAC files too.

1. Comfort - The first thing I noticed was just quite how comfortable these headphones are. My house mate got a set of Sennheiser HD 205's two days before me and the first thing I noticed was how tight they were (I have quite a small head too). These however do not "clamp" the head with much force at all, yet still have enough 'grab' to prevent them falling off. Although I wouldn't want to use them while exercising (then again who buys these kind of headphones for running with??). I could wear these headphones for hours without feeling any discomfort although my ears do get a little hot after an hour or so due to their close back design. Although having not owned a pair of over ear headphones before I'm sure that this is a little more pronounced for me. I also like the way that the cups sit completely over my ears, they do not rest on them at all (like the HD 205's do).

2. Build quality - I won't lie, I wasn't quite expecting them to feel quite so plastic-y. Although I think the money has been spent on the sound quality as opposed to the build, which is fine by me!. They look very good indeed! I like the finish and they don't exactly feel cheep but they just don't feel like a set of £90 (RRP) headphones. I'm sure they won't break any time soon and I've read good reviews about their durability, unlike some other headphones by Sennheiser. The wires are thin enough to be portable but still feel solid enough to last, also it is nice to see the point that the wire enters the left can is reinforced with a rubber housing to protect it from any bending etc. All the contact points are gold coated which as well as being great for sound quality looks pretty good too.

3. Sound Quality - Lets be honest this is what most people care about! The sound quality is really very good. I have noticed sections of some of my most listened to tracks that I did not even know existed even through my Westone UM1's. I won't go into all the detail of the sound quality, mostly because I would just be using fancy words for the sake of it with out actually understanding them myself. I will say that the bass is perfect for me. It is much punchier than through my previous in ears, without being over powering at all! Also the sound stage is really really good! Live tracks, such as John Mayer's live album sound so good. And this is still after much less than half of the recommended burn in period, so it can only get better from here!!

4. Under powered with an iPod?? Do they need an amplifier or not???

With my UM1 in ears, for comfortable listening I have the volume slider on my iPod touch at almost exactly half way along, maybe going one step above, or two if I wanted to listen to a song particularly loud but never more than that. When I plugged these 448's in I was half expecting full volume to not be loud enough after reading some people's (perhaps over-) reactions to their quiet-ness. In fact I did have to have the volume slider a lot louder but only at about 80% of the way along, and it was plenty loud enough. So in terms of actual volume I think they are fine to use without an amp. HOWEVER!!!! they DO NOT sound to their full potential WITHOUT the use of an external amp (Such as the FiiO E5 I bought). The sound is rather significantly lacking in Bass, and does not sound as clear or as punchy compared to running them through my external sound card for my computer. With the addition of an external amp the difference definitely isn't massive, but it is easily noticeable, and it would certainly annoy me if I was to suddenly stop using the external amp. I would compare it to running my speakers (Logitech Z-2300's) directly from my laptops on board sound card, and then running them through my Creative X-Fi GO! Pro sound card. Oh and just to mention I am using my FiiO E5 with the LOD cable (http://www.amazon.co.uk/FiiO-Line-Out-Cable-iPod/dp/B003XEKM3K/ref=pd_bxgy_ce_text_b). This allows the amp to utilise the iPod's more powerful output from the port on the bottom. It sounds better using the E5 with this that the supplied 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack.

To conclude I am very pleased with the headphones overall. I would not hesitate to recommend them to a friend at all. If you like LOTS of bass and LOTS of volume then perhaps these are not for you, but if you like balances, natural sounding, very high quality headphones for around the £60-70 mark then I don't think these can be beaten! If you are the sort of person who cannot stand using low quality headphones and want to listen to your music at its full potential then these, with an external amp and a LOD connector will make using them with an iPod much better. Any way hope this review has helped some of you make a decision about a great pair of headphones!

Jonny

this is my second pair of sennheiser closed back headphones, my son has conveniently borrowed the others for his i-pod and i haven't seen them since so i went a little upmarket and bought this pair i use them for my i phone and when i use my laptop, sound range is great quite bassy cos i listen to a lot of jazz-funk music, crystal clear sound they also keep out a lot of outside noise good for when your traveling plane or tube, have used these on both and keeps your sounds in as well without you disturbing any one else. these have been knocked down to £52 from £100 and belive me they are well worth the money without breaking the bank, you get a bag to keep them in and an extension wire if you want to hook up the headphones to your tv or hi-fi and they are across the other side of the room. all in all a great pair of headphones to suit anyone and their tastes in music, oh yes and they have only one wire coming out of the side instead of two which is good.