Sennheiser HD 439 Headphones

These headphones are the best. Neutral sound but without being boring, the only "coloration" is an increase in bass extension, which is excellent if you listen to rock, metal or electronic. You won't get tired of listening to them. Voices sound amazing on these, especially if you're listening to podcasts or other types of speech.
 
I get the impression that volume, bass and overall clarity increase over time. Maybe it's what audiophiles call the "burn-in" effect. They do seem much louder now than a year ago. Or maybe I just love their sound. I would only get better ones if I chose open-back, got a really good amp and went for the Sennheiser HD 600.
 
Overall, highly recommended!

Hi all ,after about 4 months of saving and debating,i finally picked up a pair of these beauties.
Just over 2 months of owning them,and i feel the need to do a review on them.
 
Keep i mind i'm not an audiophile,just a student who loves his music. 
 
The phones came in a blister pack and contains the phones themselves,2 cables,and 1/4 inch adapter.The cables are 1.4m i believe and 3m in length.They start with a right angle 2.5mm back and terminate in a 3.5mm straight jack.
 
Out of the box,they were a little bass light and the highs were slightly sibilant,but after a week of burn in,the sound became much more balanced.
 
After 2 months, verdict.
 
Highs: Very crisp and clear
Mids: Clean and accurate
Low/bass: Extends down low,but is missing some of the "punch" bassheads crave. Hopefully and amp with bass boost (Fiio E11) can fix this.
 
Overall,these headphones are very comfortable,well built,good value,and quite balanced in terms of sound signature. They work well with almost all genres,a great buy,but an amp may help.
 
Will post pictures if requested
 
-Cheers
 
EDIT: Slightly muddy for music above 170bpm (techno)

This review is of the hd439 before using with an amp, i will post an amped one as well

These headphones are simply awesome, first off, i want to talk about the comfort, they are EASILY, the most comfortable headphones i've ever worn, they have absolutely no clamping force (and i have a big head), and the earpads are velour, so they feel like pillows they completely enclose your ear (my ears are also big), the earcups pivot around enough to fit any head and the headband is very flexible, with a velour pad on top.
These headphones were designed nicely, on the website it says they are closed headphones, and they look like open headphones, but the truth is they are semi open, but don't leak sound too much, except at higher volumes, the design looks professional, and not at all gawky like beats or soul (but those headphones shouldn't even be mentioned on this site), these cans will get compliments if worn to school or in public, but they don't make a statement, it is classy looking, simplistic and cool. i would have liked different colors, but the color is not bad enough to take a whole star off


Now to the most important part, sound quality, i used these unamped with laptops and mp3 players, after 20 hours of burn in, and i can say that the biggest problem is the volume, these have a 32 ohm impedance, but they need an amp to become loud enough, otherwise it will be very quite and you will not be pleased, the mids and highs blow me away unamped, and vocals really stand out. The only other quarrel i have with these headphones is that the bass has no thump to it... at all, unamped anyways.But. when you plug in a low end amp though like a jds labs cmoybb or even a fiio e6, it will hold its own in bass, not making your head rattle, but enough bass to listen to dubstep or heavy electronic music, those are the reasons I had to take one star off for sound.

the verdict; I love these headphones even more than the sr80i's and even the m50's in some cases, if you like the classic sennheiser's dark sound, then get these headphones and any cheap amp with bass boost to get a sense of what these can do.

here are some specs;
Transducer principle Dynamic, closed
Frequency response 17 – 22500 Hz
Sound pressure level (SPL) 112 dB (1 kHz / 1 Vrms)
Impedance 32 Ω
THD, total harmonic distortion < 0.1 % (1 kHz / 100 dB)
Jack plug 3.5 mm gold / 6.3 mm gold adaptor
Cable length 1.4 m and 3 m single-sided detachable OFC cables

after weeks and weeks of reading the reviews, i decided to give it a go and test this headphones in a concept store and eventually bought them. my first impressions were, these are veeery comfortable im telling you. i had pleathers before this one and for about less than 2 hours my ears starts to heat up and sweat. i use this for like 4-5 hours with taking it off whenever i will talk to someone here in my office but thats it. in short, this is so comfortable it can stay in your ears for quite awhile. 
 
build quality is is mediocre. i expect more for a $100 cans. these are all plastic and if you have heavy hands, you might break them...i think same as hd 598's? (correct me pls if im wrong). they have detachable cables. i use the longest one if im using this as an FPS gaming headphone. 
 
 
of course for the sound quality. some bassheads will probably get dissapointed. it has bass, but not those skullcrashing bass. its more of clear bass. very balanced. highs and mids are great. and this cans are veeeery versatile. you can use them in any music you want. i use them on hiphop and rnb's, rock, alternative, power ballads, mellow songs, piano, acoustic versions and my all time favorite for these cans....REGGAE. i dont know if its just me or these cans sound very very nice on reggae songs.
 
balanced sound, has bass but not skullcrashing, very comfortable. these cans are a must have. but you might not want to use during workouts or listening to music while doing headbangs because they might fall off.  and you might want to purchase a portable amp. but thats just me. for others these cans are good without them but i find it better with a FiiO e6 attached to it

 
Just yesterday I went down to my local best buy and picked up these cans, and wow am I glad I bought these. Everything about them is awesome. The ear cups and headband pads are a velour type material really soft and comfy for hours.  
 
There are two things wrong with these headphones, 1. Where you adjust the size of the headband it is kind of weak. 2. Can't do my chores.
These cans sound awesome with all kinds of music from jazz to rap it all sounds good. Crisp clean vocals and bass, nice mids and highs also! I will post an update after about a week of listening.
The looks of these headphones I think are really cool, the mesh grille is a nice touch. Flat black and a sort of shiny silver color outside of the grille.
Overall these are a great pair of cans, detachable cable is a great touch by Sennheiser thats one of the main reasons I got these too, the cable holds in very nicely, you have to give it quite a big tug to get it to come out. It come with a 4ft long cable, and a 10ft long cable for home use (also a 1/4 adapter for home use). I am going to use them to game quite a bit also so I will update how they are with gaming in my next update in a week or so. If you are looking for a nicely priced headphones that is awesome in every way, get these. A great pair of cans for a great price! Note: This review is my first, and the cans are umamped.
Thank you for reading hope it helped!
 
EDIT: After one week of listening these babies sound better than when I got them, the bass really tightened up I used them a lot for gaming and they sound miles better than my Turtle Beach X11's.  Watched the Dark Knight before I go see The Dark Knight Rises, and they do sound great with movies, music, games I haven't found something that they don't sound good with! After the weeks past I love these even more than before!

First, this is my first review ever. I decided buying these headphones after reading other reviews on this forum (thanks guys!) and I felt somehow in debt.
 
I'm trying to be as objective as I can, but nothing can change the fact that I actually love! these cans.
 
Comfort:
I wish I hadn't skipped so many english classes, so that I can express my feelings more accurately towards this aspect. I could literally forget that I'm wearing them and search them. Even thought they are circumaural and cover my huge ears entirely, wearing my sport-frame glasses isn't a problem at all. Ear pads are cushy and really nice. The only problem is that my ears sweat when I wear them outside more than 30 minutes and it's very hot (i usually sweat a lot). The earpads get all wet and i'm afraid that all that liquid could damage the driver.
 
Build quality and design
I didn't have much time to wear them outside the house, but I'm sure that when I do I'll receive a lot of compliments. The design is nice and nicely-done. They are light, but the plastic doesn't feel cheap at all. Now regarding the cables, due to my wire-tearing experience, I'm afraid that they wont last long. But they look kind of solid, made from matte rubber so I may be wrong. I don't know if the wire is tangle-free because obviously these cans don't fit in any of my pockets . The isolation is great both ways, when listening to music at a mid-volume with these babies I tend to scream when talking to somebody. These cans are "closed" enough to even hear/feel the bass of my own footsteps when walking. 
 
Audio quality
Ok, I'm afraid to do this because I'm pretty much a noob and this is the most expensive pair that I have had. I like the accuracy of the bass and not only. Now I finally understand the importance of bass guitar because I can hear every note. I can also identify the voices in a 3-voice choir. I listen to rock, blues, r&b, pop, pretty much anything and the HD 439 served me just fine So I would say that the sound quality it pretty good. I'm totally satisfied, anyway. I am happy enough to think about replacing my 6.5 GB of music with 320 kbps mp3 files, because i can sense even a quiet parasite noise in some 128 kbps tracks. The soundstage made me turn my head a couple of times Now, the source may be the problem and this is the reason why I'm looking forward to buy a pocketamp. My smartphone didn't let me down. The volume is loud enough even without using an equalizer. But while plugging these into some cheapest Logitech 2.1 computer speakers, I felt significantly more boom than putting them directly into my HTC Desire. Sound seemed more open, natural, like listening to speakers, not headphones. So i guess I'm gonna pull another 20-30 dollars out of my pocket to buy some amp.
 
Ok... Hope this helped. Sorry for my kind-of-bad english, by the way, and for not using right punctuation. You can ask me anything, as long as you want to hear a noob's opinion. Overall, if I could turn back time, I would definitely buy them again.
 
 
 
 

                                                                   Intro
Sennheiser has always been well-renowned for their high-end headphones, why in fact their flagships cover most of the top 5 headphones, but what about their low-end headphones? Are they good enough to distinguish themselves? And I'm here to say, after about half a year that they are indeed quite well-rounded headphones.
 
 
                                                               Packaging
The packaging is basic and get's job done. The headphones themselves come with an extra cable (more on that later) and an 1/4 inch gold-plated adapter for special equipment which is a nice touch for those that have the equipment
 
                                                                   Isolation
Despite the fact that these headphones look open they are very much closed and therefore isolate you from background noise however the velour pads on these leak a bit of sound out for other people to hear but you won't hear them.
 
                                                         Soundstage/Instrument Sep.
Now you won't be getting any amazing soundstaging or euphoric instrument seperation  but these do have their own little funky character when comes to their somewhat small soundstage. Because of the grill there is the possibility to drill holes and make them semi-open, but then again that is your choice.
 
                                                             Sound Signature
Classic Sennheiser sound sig. is present here and it can be darkener/funner/warmer if you decide to mod them as well as made a bit more laidback and grow more of a ''ballsy'' sound sig.
                                                               Low-End/Bass
Despite what the packaging says these have un-assisted bass that doesn't extend at first but then after burn-in they have very punchy and extended but not muddy bass that can be modded to be made stronger tighter and louder which actually helps the mids and highs grow more of a ''ballsy'' but laidback sound sig.
 
                                                                     Mids
The mids and sub bass are great in my opinion with a nice tone to it as well as great extension.
 
                                                                                                     High/Treble
The highs have a nice sparkle and decay to them that seems to be right in the middle of too much and not enough but tipping slightly to too much.
 
                                                                                                  Build Quality/Design
This unfortunately is where the headphone starts to fall apart. These headphones are almost completely made of very cheap but strong plastic that doesn't feel good in the hands, but is by no means uncomfortable and is actually the exact opposite as it is one of the most comfortable and light headphones I've ever used. The headphones also feature a finicky, but useful cable swapping system that is alright. The cables are made of a strange rubbery, plasticky substance that makes it not very thick but alright in terms of durability, the cable that is stock is 1.4 meters the long cable is 3 meters for when your output source  is a bit of ways away. These headphones seems to have a hit or miss look with people as I've been given weird looks or people have come up to me and asked what type of headphones they are as they try to keep their jaws from hitting the floor.
                                                                                                   Overall/Conclusion
This is a great somewhat under-appreciated headphone that I think is great for those who want their first pair or someone who wants to start getting into the modding scene, and with it's strong durability, very light and comfy design and the practicality of swappable cables makes these great for portability.
 
 
p.s. Thank you for reading my first review and leave some criticism on how I wrote it if you would like, HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

Perfect choice for those who need everyday "workhorse" to listen for hours and hours at low volume. They reproduce almost every detail and make music sound like candy.
 
 
Characteristics (subjective, 10 max):
Resolution: ............................7
Transparency: ......................6.5
Frequency range: .................6.8
 
Balance (5 means equal):
High relative to mid: ................4.5
Low relative to mid: ................4.5
 
Frequency accentuation brakedown:
Bass is more: ........................low
Mids are more: ......................high
Highs are more: ....................middle
 
Qualitative characteristics:
Bass tightness.......................4
Highs smoothness..................8

i am giving this review after a month use, 30+ hours burning its still improving. at the first use found these a crap they were sounding low on my phone they are not that impact that i was looking for.i started burning it daily for two hour or one then the magic started and i found a great change in sound and its still improving day by day its real potential will be review after its complete burning  over 100 to 150  hours, but ya the sound-stage is getting wider the bass is tightend-up,but ya these are not for bass heads as it has low bass what i felt as compared to may hd 203, but wider sound stage good clarity compared to those i am still waiting to test it on some good amps and on cowon player which i wil share my review in the near future overall nice headphones for the price but low sounding on lower end mp3 and phones..............

PRO; Very comfortable, easy for hours, light, great sound (after burn-in), removable cable, variable long cable
 
CON; maybe not the best good looking headphone, but not bad

I had to make a choice ladies and gentlemen. The Sennheiser Hd 439 or the AKG K-240s. After hours of video watching, review reading, and talking to friends, the hd 439 came out on top. In part because of the fact I got them refurbished for 60 bucks, and because of some common problems people had with the K-240s. After a few days of burning in, I feel safe saying that I made the correct choice. I'll do my best to give you an accurate representation of the Sennheiser HD 439s. Lets start of with the Negatives (that way you'll finish with the good stuff, and a smile ) namely the build quality. These headphones aren't built incredibly well, considering the 100 dollar price tag. The plastic is the same as the HD 201 (for those of you who don't know those are a 20 dollar headphone). That being said, there may be metal reinforcements inside the headphone. One part of the build that I was happy (and surprised) about is the detachable cable. These are one of the two >100 HD headphones with this feature. Basically these headphones aren't made for snowboarding. I think they will do fine in daily commute (even the hd 201s did). Well thats all for the cons, lets move on to the good stuff.

 This headphone features a type of padding I have never had touch my ears. Its a plush, and breathable cloth that reduces sweat by 100% compared to plastic or pleather. The cups encompass my ears completely. This allows the headphone to rest completely on my head, and not my ears. This creates extreme comfort, as an over ear should. After about 2 hours I started to notice the pressure of the headband a bit, but not enough to make me take them off. Overall these headphones are very comfortable, not the most comfortable, but no complaints.

 The Isolation is next on the list, and I guess I'll throw in cable quality. The isolation is excellent. Being a closed back headphone the only way the sound can really get out is through the pads. I plugged the headphone straight into my ipod for this, no amp, and at 50% volume my dad said he couldn't hear anything. 75% he could here it, but not very much. 100% was noticeable, but this is in a silent room, so in commute, or in any place with people talking, it will be drowned out. Noise doesn't enter these headphones when music is above 50-60 percent (excluding quiet acoustic music, and stuff like that). Quite a few headphones boast superb passive noise cancellation, but these are the second best at it I have ever heard (second to the Shure SRH-840). These easily destroy the Beats by Dre's ACTIVE noise cancellation. Moving to the cable, its nothing special. I noticed heavy cable noise before playing music, which worried me, but didn't end up being an issue at all. any music will drown it out. The headphone includes a 4' cable for daily use, and a 10' cable for hifi use. Any speaker amp's headphone jack will power these well.

 Onwards to sound quality. The main reason I chose this headphone over the AKG is because I have come to know Sennheiser as a company who cares an extreme amount about their products sound quality. I have never owned or tried a Sennheiser product that that has disapointed me sound quality wise. The highs are clear, and upfront. The highs are anything but harsh. They do their job without harming the users ears in any way. The mids are extremely crisp and accurate, female vocalist shined right through the mix, making me laugh with pleasure. The low end was a pleasant surprise. When initially reading the box which claims "Extended bass response" I was worried I was going to get sickening bass. I misunderstood one word. "Extended". Sennheiser really spent their time making the bass clear, responsive and accurate. The bass isn't upfront, or sickening by any means. The sound stage is as good as open back headphones of the same 100 dollar price tag, making the experience of wearing these headphones a real treat. I also have to mention that the instrument separation is excellent as well. I heard things I never expected possible with 100 dollar cans. These headphones provide a refined sound experience that blew my expectations away.
 
My Ipod nano (which ever one has the camera) couldn't quite drive these, but when I added my fiio E6 to the mix, the headphones really shined. I plan on using these for everything from daily use in school to Live mixing at concerts. I am extremely happy with this purchase and hope they last me forever. I would pay 100 for these in a second, but the 60 dollar price tag certainly helped. I suggest everyone have a pair, even if just to use as a portable headphone.

EDIT: I didn't mention it before, but these headphones look pretty nice. Most of Sennheiser's products aren't eye pleasing, but these are an exception. You won't be ridiculed by your peers for wearing these, don't worry.
 

First of all, I am by no means, a critical audiophile with a trained ear, so don't expect this review to have an in-depth breakdown of the sound.  I'm merely a college student that enjoys listening to my music.  I have had the Sennheiser HD 439 for four months and here's my review:
 
For its price range, the comfort is unmatched.  I have worn them nonstop for 4+hours everyday (well mostly everyday) for the past four months and I always experience no discomfort whatsoever.  I don't even feel the weight of the headphones pressing on my head when I put them on and I have a pretty small head.  These are easily much more comfortable than the other headphones that I own, the Ultrasone Pro 750 and UE 6000, by a large margin  Also, the cable is detachable and that's a nice feature and a pretty rare one to find on headphones under 100$.  In addition, you can buy a replacement cable from Sennheiser's website for relatively cheap so all is not lost if your stock cables get messed up.  As for the design, the HD 439 is definitely not for those looking to make a fashion statement, but I believe that its design is the best looking out of the Sennheiser 4XX series.  As for durability, these headphones can take quite a beating.  I have had the cord of the headphones yanked several times, I have accidentally dropped them on the floor 3 times and I stuff it inside my backpack (with them inside its own pouch) all the time and these headphones are still alive and kicking and they still sound fantastic. 
 
Sound-wise, these are not the headphones for bassheads... period.  THERE IS bass, however, it is not boomy, punchy, or in your face at all.  If I listen to a hip-hop song on my UE 6000 with ANC, I can definitely hear much stronger bass compared to the HD 439. Once again, I apologize for the inability to breakdown the sound further with the various terminology, but as a non-critical casual listener, I find that they sound fantastic for its price.  However, The HD 439 sounds just as great as the UE 6000 on passive mode and they definitely sound better than the more expensive Bose AE 2.  I can't comment how they sound amped, but they sound great unamped and I don't think it's necessary to pair them with an amp. The HD 439 really shines with mellow and laid-back genres of music and I find that they sound great with progressive, soft rock, r&b, soul, lounge, chill out, chillwave, downtempo, ambient.  Don't get me wrong, these are still fantastic and versatile all-arounders if you listen to multiple differing genres of music.
 
What closed-back headphones under $100 other than the Sennheiser HD 439 offers great overall sound quality, sound great unamped, are extremely comfortable, has velour padding and premium comfort, has an effectively simple design, and has the option of a detachable cable?  If you can't answer that question and are looking for headphones that have all of the features that were just mentioned, your search should end with the HD 439.

I had this headphones for 3 months, and overall im very happy with this cans, the price paid for this hd439 was 99US, and i dont regret for buying them!!!
 
The sound quality is excelent, the lows are accurate and precise, not overbloated bass. The mids are very good, and the highs are somewhat recessed, but that's the way I like it. The sound signature of this cans are very relaxing, not in a bad way.
 
The comfort is unique in its class! With the cloth pads, ears do not hurt and the heat is less.
 
IMPORTANT: Out of the box, these cans probably dissapoint. But with some burn-in and a amp (i have a fiio e6 or fujiyama) you will be quite surprised with the change.
 
Recommended!
 
EDIT: If someone found the bass in this headphones light to your taste, you can mod this cans, is the same mod of the HD438. Search in this page and you will find it.

These are about all i asked for for X-mas, yet i did not get them (not upset at all). I took my money the next day and went out to get a pair from my local Best Buys (which has them at a regular price of $79.99). 

As soon as i got home, I plugged it up to my guitar amp to jam a bit, on a clean setting, there was some initial popping. I began to get worried. After i turned up the gain, they sounded great. Now there is no popping at all unless I just play entirely too hard or loud. 

I also notice, through these, a massive difference between ALAC files and AAC files. I re-downloaded a lot of my music yesterday as ALAC or FLAC files (lossless) and put those on my itunes and ipod.
 
Sound: People try to complain about the bass quantity in these, but i think it is just enough. There isn't too much bass to where it drowns out the rest of the music, but there is enough to where you can, at some points, feel it. It is the perfect balance. I'm not even planning on purchasing any pocket amp as i originally intended.  The highs are crisp and accurate, and the bass complements the songs instead of making them. It's great!
 
Design: The plastic on these feels as if it could have been better, however, for the price i paid, im not complaining. I usually look for sound quality for the price. If design is what you want, these look nice, but feel rather cheap... until you put them on. My only other concern is the chords it comes with seems like they will snap if run over by a rolling chair. 

Comfort: Let me start out by stating that i wear glasses. This was initially a worry, because most headphones make my glasses dig into my head. I could wear these for hours. They are not heavy, fit nicely around the ears, and have just enough clamping force. if i shake my head too fast they will slip and re-position themselves, but they don't cause my glasses to dig into my head, and fit nicely around them. The isolation is average, but if you turn them up a bit, you won't hear anything else. Leakage is pretty minimal. Could be a little bit better, but what could you complain about? 
 
Overall These are a great pair of cans. You can't go wrong, but upon initial purchase, just be patient with them and keep playing your music through them. Bad recordings will stick out like a sore thumb through these as well, so if you are having a bad time with them, check your recordings. I would recommend these to anyone that enjoys both quality and comfort from their headphones. 
 

I picked these headphones up as a replacement for my years-old Bose TriPorts whose earcups are falling apart. I already own a pair of 558s, but at present my girlfriend and I share a small room and open-back headphones don't work well with our respective sleep schedules. 
 
Packaging
Blister pack, nothing to write home about. Same basic packaging as most of their low-end stuff.
 
Accessories
Kudos to Sennheiser here -- included are two different cables (4' and 10') as well as a 1/4" adapter plug, which in my experience is kind of rare for $100 headphones. As a company, they're pretty good about this. 
 
Quick note about the cable: If you decide to swap them out, you're going to feel like you're breaking the cable connector trying to pull it out. This is normal -- it's at a funky angle as it goes into the speaker and it takes a good deal of prying to pull loose.
 
Build Quality
As already touched upon with the cable, build quality is only so-so. As is pretty typical of Sennheiser's lower-end products, there's a plasticky feel throughout. The weird cable requiring crazy amounts of tugging, the not-inconsiderable creak of the gimbals, etc. In reality, the headphones should hold up quite well to reasonable use...they just don't necessarily feel like it. Gotta cut corners somewhere, I suppose.
 
Comfort
I defy you to find more comfortable circumaurals at this price. The velour earcups and headband cause these suckers to melt to your ears and disappear after a few minutes' use. I can barely handle leatherette anymore, I'm so spoiled on this sensation.
 
Sound Quality
Why am I touching on sound quality last? It's the last thing you notice when you take the headphones out of the package. Boom, there goes your mind.
 
Looking at the package, you'll see the ominous phrase "Extended Bass Response." Oh lawd, Sennheiser is trying to make Beats, you may think. Thankfully, no. Bass is somewhat heavier than the other $100 headphones Sennheiser produces (the musician-centric 280s), but it doesn't have that bloated, overreaching feeling of Beats' EQ-based enhancement -- here it feels like a natural extension of the headphones' design, and helps to ground the overall feel of the music.
 
A few days' burn-in certainly won't hurt these guys, just to wear the edges off the sound. To my ears it felt more settled with use.
 
Overall, the sound feels assertive and balanced across the range, with surprisingly wide staging for a closed-back setup, especially one so basic as these. There's no confusing them with my 558s, but it certainly doesn't sound like the sound is emanating from my pineal gland, either.
 
Cable noise is noticeable at very low volumes, but that's par for the course at this price point / with this brand. Unless you have parts on hand and a good deal of electrical/mechanical savvy, they're not worth cable modding. It's just something you deal with.
 
At 32 ohms, these will sound fine coming from your portable device -- my Galaxy S3 with its shiny Wolfson DAC puts admirable sound into these cans, and I wouldn't expect much less from an iDevice or other mobile options. That being said, I noticed a distinct improvement in presence and clarity when I jacked these directly into my sound card (Auzen Raider 7.1) as opposed to the aux jack on my desktop speakers or through my phone. So if you have something to juice the sound (amp/DAC) then you'll hear a benefit. 
 
Summary
From start to finish, a worthy headphone. Especially good as backup cans or gifts to budding audiophiles. Build quality is -ish, but not distressingly bad. Best-in-class comfort and superb sound quality for price. 

I got an amazing deal for these on ebay for $50! Only downside is I did not get the original packaging.


Build Quality:


These are a all plastic designed, open-backed pair of headphones. And because of this, music leaks a lot and doesn't work too well in noisy areas. Fairly stylish, very lightweight, and very comfortable. The earpads however due collect dirt, dust, hair, and other gross things.. Making the earpads itchy after time. The headband adjusts quite a bit, perfect if you have a large head or are wearing a hat. But it looks like it could snap after enough wear and tear.


Sound Quality:


Out of the box, these headphones sounded outstanding. A little bit distorted at first, but after enough use and "burn-in", the cans really open up, sound smooth as ever and keeps everything in control. The overall sound seems very flat, very warm sounding.. Sounds great in just about every genre.


Conclusion:


For the price of $100.. You really can't go wrong with these. They sound amazing.

Hello,
 
Quick thoughts on modded with bass mod sennheiser hd 439.
 
Build quality
 
It is a mixed bag really. Headphones it self feels cheap. Well, probably because it is cheap. But they don't feel cheap then you have them on a head. They are very comfy, velour pads fit my ears perfectly. I forget I have headphones on my head the moment I put them on. Although if you have big ears, it could become an on ear headphones, because pads are not very big. Design is nice to my eyes, but you know, it can look bad for you
 
Audio quality
 
I'm reviewing modded headphones with bass mod, so keep that in mind. The sound they make is really quite good. Bass goes very very deep. For tracks like royksopp - the drug it just blew my mind . I listened to it with my sens 518 and it just uncomparable. 439 destroys 518 in a bass heavy music. So if you are into music like this - go get it, do the mod and enjoy your music like you never did before. As for more popular music. They are actually not that bad. Sound stage is pretty good, but of course not as wide as 518 as they are opened. Still instrumental separation is good, you will here instruments in their place and not a chocolate mix  . Vocals. Hmmmm, well you can  hear them . Really not much more to say about them. You will not be blown away by them, when you listen to dido or meja. If you into female vocalist, when these headphones not really for you. Rock music is in a middle between bass heavy and female music. Lets say rise againts sounds good to my ears. As I said above, instruments are nicely separated but vocals are just where. So overall these headphones are perfect for a bit more bass heavy music, but not for "audiophile" stuff.
 
Important note
 
I don't why, but I find them very hard to drive. No joke, even though they are only 32 ohm, I find them a lot harder to drive than 518 which is 50 ohm. I don't know if it is just me, but I go to an 8 (max with low gain) with my fiio e10 and I keep 5 when I listen to 518. When I travel, I use my ps vita as a player and it does good job powering it (better than fiio e10 ). As for ****y samsung android phone, it goes to listenable levels, but you can hear it struggles with headphones and ps vita just destroys it. I listen for few tracks on a phone for a review and just couldn't continue - it sounds terrible. So keep that in mind if you planing on using it with your ****y phone  I don't about iphone or such. Probably it will sound as good as ps vita which sounds pretty nice.
 
Conclusion
 
For the price these are very nice headphone and actually holds up pretty good versus its big brothers. Beats them in low end but gets beat in mids and highs. As I said, I would recommend them for bassheads and such. As for pop music, I don't really listen to it. As I said, dido don't sound so good, but listenable, I will not call it terrible as my phone experience. Beyonce actually sounds good to my ears, low end gives a very lively sound. Of course beyonce itself have powerful voice. Well I took a hit for you dear reader and listened to katy perry's roar and it sounds pretty bad ( but it could be just katy perry ). So yeah, I guess I gave you a pretty good understanding what to expect for these headphones. Cheers.
 
P.S.
 
I forgot to talk about isolation. It will muffle the sounds around you and if you are on a bus or train really you will hear just a distant wheel and engine sound, nothing to worry about, you will be able to enjoy your music. But they leak. I will get looks at bus if I put sound on higher volume. So keep that in mind.

There are many headphones out there for $39. Still finding a pair that you really like is maybe a slight challenge? Sennheiser has produced an interestingly fun pair of headphones which offer the consumer a number of traits which help it stand out. In this review I'm going to go over my personal history with the modification and talk about the stock headphone for those not interested in the mod. I'm going to delineate the build quality, the sound and ending, explain how the HD 439 is still a value in today's marketplace.

1) The packaging:
Bubble packaging has maybe good and bad points. I actually like it as you know when the bubble is unopened your guaranteed a pristine product. The bad thing is your not going to be able to demo your headphones prior to a purchase unless they have a demo pair out for use. I purchased my pair just based on reading reviews at Head-Fi.

2) What you get:
The headphones come with two cables and a 1/4 inch adapter to use the mini-plug with home gear. When the product was first introduced it had only one cable and you could either choose the model with the long cable or the model with the short cable. As it turns out both cables are a great asset and come into use at different times. Sennheiser also gives you a complete 2 year warranty with the purchase. Modding the headphone voids the warranty.

3) The Build:
People complain about the build with these at times. At $39, they are what they are. I actually would not have them built any other way other than maybe some stainless steel in the headband to increase the cup pressure and increase the bass response with the stock units. The big plus is they are low weight and the velour pads feel like pleasure. The cable is thin but you get two and it's made from a material that stays in shape and does not change in time. They have angulation at all the needed places. Talking about pressure, it's maybe the only fault here. There are actually threads here where members have fallen in love with the stock sound signature and placed a metal wire into the top of the headband to try and improve ear-pad pressure. Members have also purchased other (non-velour) Sennheiser ear-pads attempting to get a more airtight fit, thus increasing bass. I finally ended with the three hole bass mod and have found I was able to get used to the sound.

4) The Sound:
These are fairly flat headphones straight out of the box. They gain a bass response and smoothness of response after 60 hours of burn in. They are just shy in the bass region stock. The sound-stage is nice with a really enjoyable treble detail. The shape of the cups is oval and emulates the oval direction the human ear is placed. This shape maybe seems to add a upper and lower sound-stage factor. However it is done, it's the value at $39 as far as detail and sound-stage.

Having heard the HD 600 you have to wonder if maybe some of the previously top of the line technology has been given a trickle-down in areas. They seem to do Jazz, Classical and New Age genres best with Rock and Metal maybe being a secondary level of quality. There are probably hand fulls of better Rock headphones for a choice especially if you can only find the HD439s in the $100 range.

They are actually laid back and a fairly easy going and listenable headphone. They make something like the M-50 seem much more upfront and in your face. Again were given what I would call a colored sound. Even stock they are maybe on the warm side. Warm and lacking bass, if that makes sense here? They sound good with a phone or directly out of the headphone jack of a TV, but still really scale to a better place with amplification.

5) The Modification Levels:

Level One:
There are threads here on the process and even three minute You-Tube videos showing just how easy the H439s come apart and can be modified by just about anyone, fast. The first level is to just remove the tape covering the single bass port. This gives a slightly better sound-stage and does not seem to effect the treble only to somehow make everything become more coherent and dynamic. This is really the most recommended modified form for the HD 439s.

Level Two:
Here two holes are opened.

Level Three:
I can't explain it but when I first did this mod the bass was just was too much. Some have tried to dampen the headphones and to try and reduce any rattling. I found that placing anything inside the cups seemed to lower the bass response. I actually found the bass was overwhelming at first and went back to the single hole mod for awhile. Finally I'm now back with three holes open but have made a special attempt to have all the screws super tight which seems to effect the sound.


In Conclusion:

At $39 the Sennheiser HD 439 Closed back headphones offer a special value. The sound straight out of the box is nice but improves to a point with burn in. At the price they are a great value which offers a level of finesse and character normally not found anywhere. The sound character may take time for some to get used to as it is actually different than a lot of headphones out there. The best traits come from the fact that they have a nice warm detailed sound signature and feel fantastic on your head. They are maybe missing some of the sparkle and authority for some musical genres but are found with-out fault for the price. They end-up being a really good looking pair of full-size headphones that go great outside driven just by a phone or iPod. They block outside noise to a certain level and keep the music from disturbing others.

Some may find it a fun experience to modify the headphones, though the end bass response may not be enjoyed by all listeners.



[VIDEO] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VKP1t3gQ_o0 [/VIDEO]

I've been listening to these headphones for a few hours now after letting them play a burn-in file for 1 hour.

Music I listened to for this subjective review:
Deadmau5 (Youtube)
Dirtyloud (16bit/44.1khz ALAC)
Excision (320kbps/MP3 and 16bit/44.1khz ALAC)
Zeds Dead (256kbps/AAC)
Curren$y (320kbps/MP3)
Company of Thieves (16bit/44.1khz ALAC)
Wilco (24bit/96khz ALAC)
The Cure (16bit/44.1khz ALAC)

Source quality is important. If you don't understand why, google it.

Home audio setup:
x-fi titanium toslink --> Schiit Bifrost --> Schiit Asgard

Mobile audio setup:
iPhone4 --> FiiO L3 LOD --> JDSlabs cMoy 2.03BB

The sound signature-
These headphones are geared towards bass 'accurate'. The bass levels are not increased/exaggerated. From the iPhone4 headphone jack without an amplifier, bass was not as prominent and seemed a little flabby. Using the cMoy really tightened it up, and switching the bass boost function on increased the bass levels to my taste. The bass was perfect from my home setup, but I don't plan on listening to them much at the house.

Lossless tracks on my home setup were extremely clear, smooth, and concise. Electric guitars had a lot of drive and presented decent harmonics. In comparison to it's big brother, the HD558, it does not have the same harmonic detail during songs such as Oscar Wilde by Company of Thieves. It's about $80 less in the detail department. Make sense?

Lossy mp3 tracks had a little grit to them in my home setup, but it wasn't noticeable from my mobile setup-- especially without the amp.

Sound stage-
The sound stage is not very wide on these, but I don't think any headphones in this price bracket will have much of one anyways.

Major props-
Concise bass response when amplified. It's a little quiet and flabby when used with a smartphone directly but not unbearable. They're also not too sibilant/bright. In my opinion, these are a great option in the <$100 market.
 
Comfortable!

Minor complaints-
Really guys? 'Turbine' and silver ring? Fake, black mesh on a closed headphone? I'd have prefered something similar to the HD419 or HD429 in the aesthetics department, but I'm sure some consumers out there may like the look (high school kids, maybe?)
 
The cable seems a little thin and fragile. I'm really not looking forward to the day that it snags on something.

Just a little more bass level would be nice, but I wouldn't sacrifice any of the accuracy or tightness for volume increase.
 
Final thoughts-
I purchased these for the office and for away-from-home use in general. For $100, I'm satisfied.