Customer Reviews

Sennheiser HD 205 Closed Back Around-ear Stereo Headphone With Rotatable Ear Cup

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(61)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I did some extensive research before buying this headphone and looked among others in this price range and in the end this is one really cheap compared to the other 20 more expensive which would not offer the same product.

The sound is exquisite and is quite good in the midtones. Where it shines, in my opinion, is the bass. Some might find it too much or not enough however I find it to be perfectly balanced to ensure an optimal sound experience.

Another bonus point is due to the fact that the cable doesn't keep tangling itself up eventhough the wire has a certain 'grip' whereas a lot of other headphone cables (in a backpack) tangled with barely any movement.

The only negative remark I can make is that it is incredibly tight on your head in the beginning. After a week or so, and bending it a bit each day I find it to fit good and opposed to other headphones it doesn't fall off with any headmovement!
I don't use the rotatable ear cup as I don't need it and find it quite stupid as the ear cup doesn't even sit good on your head when rotated and doesn't feel comfortable when rotated either.

Basically it's a near perfect product in this price range. I doubt you will find better product that offers this high price/quality factor.

It has mainly been used on music and movies.

I have used for over 3 months now and no remarks whatsoever.

After being advised by Amazon it would take 3 weeks to deliver, they turn up 2 days after ordering. Good start!

I've always been a firm believer that if you want to listen to top quality music, you need a top quality way to listen to them. This is (so far) THE best quality output I've ever used! It captures the highest note to the lowest and thats without even having to turn them up loud! The sound quality is still outstanding when listening to music quietly.

Also, as someone who gets the train to work everyday, I am always concerned about how loud my music. No problem with these, as long as they are firmly on (not uncomfortable) you get no sound leakage (they also keep your ears warm in the winter!).

Only negative is the packaging which was a struggle, but 20 minutes, a pair of scissors and a cut finger later, I have the best headphones I have ever brought, and at £24 a very reasonable price!

Sennheiser are definitely the best brand in the market!

I am not one to plonk a five star rating on a product just to follow the crowd (as my can readily be seen from reviews on other products). So, to get the five stars from me, I have to really REALLY like the product.

As other reviewers have already noted, the HD 205-IIs are remarkably good value (less than £25 at the time of purchase in December 2010).

Having replaced 3 old sets of headphones (Sennheiser HD-450; Panasonic RP-HT230; Sony MDR-?) with 3 new sets (Sennheiser PX100-II; Sennheiser HD 205-II; Roland RH-50), I've had some listening to do.

My preferred listening is classic rock (e.g. Pink Floyd; Marillion; Genesis etc) with some softer acoustic material thrown in every now and again.

In short, the HD 205-IIs beat the pants off ALL the 3 old sets - even the old HD-450s which, from memory, cost more than £40 more than 15 years ago. Top and mid ranges have excellent clarity and reproduce decent stereo staging. The bottom end is well defined, although a few *may* find the bass just fractionally too prominent.

I personally found to HD 205-IIs to be better than the slightly more expensive (at the time of purchase) PX100-IIs. In sonic terms, the HD 205-IIs are the most enjoyable headphones I have ever owned (distinguished from listened to :-)).

The only minor annoyance is the head band. For obvious reasons, the phones are designed to clamp pretty snugly on/around the ears. In truth, I'm finding the fit a bit tight but am hoping to get used to them and that, in any case, a bit of use will see at least a touch of the tightness ease off. But, this issue isn't so big that it affects the five star award.

NB: The packaging... This is not about the product so the rating is unaffected. Sennheiser would be wise to take note that opening the packaging for these headphones is a nightmare. Even with care, it would be very easy to cut yourself (as indeed at least one other reviewer has). Sennheiser, change it - PLEASE!

Over many years, I've been a fan of finding the right headphones. A product that was comfortable for a long period of time, incredibly clear sound, great design, deep base, single corded (just more convenient) and most importantly a reasonable price.
These headphones fit this description perfectly.
It's been a while since I bought these headphones, but i'm sure they were slightly cheaper (around £35 I think). It doesn't surprise me though that a perfectly good pair of headphones will raise there price if they are well received. Personally I would be reluctant in buying these headphones for the price they are at now, but that's only because I didn't know what to expect. If I knew then what I do now, I wouldn't hesitate purchasing these brilliant headphones.
These headphones have a crystal clear sound that suits any type of music and movie, especially with deep base songs. The often problem of having headphones that cover your ears, to me, can be that they move around too much if you're running or just in general feel a bit loose. These headphones really clamp onto your ears with a great amount of comfort, and when I say clamp I mean it's really hard to shake them off. They come with a nice 3m cord, which is always useful for home entertainment use and occasionally a bit awkward if walking around with them, but rapping it up with an elastic band makes it much more portable. A big part of the sale for me was and usually is the design of whatever I'm buying, and these look slick, cool and very different from a lot of other headphones. Again, these are suitable for hours of use, without your head or ears getting soar.
A truly highly recommended set of headphones.

I have not had a full size headset for many years. During the 90's I was a DJ and used both Stanton (1cup closed - DJ specific) & Sennheiser (open)which I loved and wanted to re-live my youth. Spending atleast 2 weeks reviewing in Amazon and elsewhere, I decided on this pair. My choice was mainly based on other user reviews (although some people had bad experiences)and the fact that they are being sold at a great price. The budget was around eur50 so these fell ideally into this bracket. At first I used them on my laptop, sound was good, then on my HTC HD7 phone, sound was even better, lastly on my Hifi amp and the sound was amazing. Some state that the headset can be tight, for me this is perfect as any head movement will not have them fly off your head. I dont DJ out on the road anymore and make mixes on my laptop, with this my wife doesnt complain about noise leaking out and ruining her important fix of tv soaps!

All in all I am happy with this purchase, it will be interesting to see how long they last, but for now I am happy.

The Sennheiser HD201 has an almost legendary status as one of the best budget headphones but are a few years old, these HD205's are newer and yet to gain a reputation but that should change. The 205's sit tightly, too tight at first but they soon loosen to a comfortable fit, on the ears and though, unlike the 201's, they do not cover the whole ear but the well padded ear-pieces fit well and provide a high degree of sound isolation with the closed back design also keeping sound in. Though moderately big for portable use the sound isolation, which avoids annoying others, and the tightfit mean they sit securely are actually very good for listening on the move or in public places.

The quality of the sound is no dissapointment and in particular the bass is well controlled which allows the mids and high to be heard rather than drowned out, you very much get the impression the vocalist and guitar players are standing in front of the drums and base rather than behind them.

A nice design touch is the right earpiece which swings a little forward or backwards to allow one sided listening so you can simply move it away from your ear, to answer a phone etc, without taking them off completely. Similarly the supplied leatherette pouch, which I thought was a bit of a gimmick, is very usefull in keeping the headphones tidy when not in use and is a quality touch. The long wire, which is single sided, is long at about 3 meters and I would much have prefered a shorter initial length with perhaps an extension. The sony EX-71's do this and it really usefull when using a portable device with an in-line remote.

I'd like to see someone review these Headphones in comparison to high end, and expensive, models as I suspect they would aquit themselves well and as such I feel they represent a very reasonably priced entry point to the quality headphone sector.

I've spent ages, with a budget of up to £75, for a decent headphone for use with my iPod. Problem is, I wouldn't spend that much money without listening to them first, with my own Ipod, but most headphones in the shops are in sealed packaging. I managed to listen to these on a special display in a very large well known PC retailer, where they were £48, but decided to shop around and found them on Amazon for half the price. They compared well for sound quality with some DR Dre 'phones that I'd tested in another store - except they were £227! - and sound far better than some costing far more than I'd be prepared to pay.
Build quality seems good too, although the only gripe I have with them is that they can be a little tight, but I've taken to storing them stretched in the open position to try and slacken them off a bit. (4/1/2011 update - stretching not working and they are annoyingly tight, can't wear them for more than an hour or less. For that reason I've downgraded them to 3 stars)
The cord is one sided and 3m long. A little too long for ipod use but I've wound more than half of it up and secured it with tie wraps. Can easily undo it for home hifi use with the jack plug adapter supplied.
Nice quality storage bag supplied too.

I would definitely recommend these 'phones - my son has just ordered a pair.....(he bought the RS120 cordless version, more expensive but far more comfortable to wear and excellent sound)

First of came in within 2 workingdays of ordering. So far its been a great listening experience. One thing I did was to set the EQ on my iPod to flat and then even the little sounds can be heard. I listen to variety of music, from Indian Film music, to Trance, House, to Rock and Heavy Metal. All of these sound absolutely fantastic. Really recommend this anyone who wants to buy.

For £30, these headphones are more than adequate for the DJ on a budget. The sound quality is easily £30 worth, though perhaps lacking in lower bass frequencies, and its swivel function, allowing the right earpiece to pivot up and down for one-ear monitoring, is a lovely idea that, as a DJ, I miss on other headphone models. Build quality is pretty good too, with a gold-plated stereo jack, and a very clever screw-on 1/4 inch adapter that comes as standard - no more leaving that adapter behind in the socket.

However, there are three problems with these headphones. The first is comfort - I have a relatively small head and even after about 30 minutes the headphones started to hurt the top of my head. The second is size - if you're looking for a DJ headphone and one that you can carry around with you on the move for use with an iPod, look elsewhere: these headphones are huge, look pretty ridiculous, and don't fit comfortably round the neck when you're not using them. The third problem is durability - I had mine for less than a year before one of the phones broke off its pivot, leaving me with sound only emerging from one ear. Granted, they took a bit of a beating in my bag on the way to and from places, but DJ headphones should be designed primarily to last even the strongest of bashes.

PROS:
Very cheap
Good sound quality for the price
Nice finishing touches/functionality
CONS:
Poor durability
Impractical size
Not great for comfort

I'd recommend looking elsewhere for a more durable pair of headphones that will last, maybe somewhere around the £50-£100 bracket. It would be a better investment.

These headphones sound great for the price, although the cable is rather long. I used these daily and after about 3 months the jack broke on the inside. Cos they were pretty cheap, I just replaced them. Again, the jack broke after around 3 months of use. Its a shame because I was pretty happy with how they sounded, and although a little tight I got used to it but I'm really disappointed with the build quality on these.