sebhuber
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2009
- Posts
- 306
- Likes
- 13
Due to the recent sale of all my audio gear, I have acquired some spare money to spend on some portable headphones. The JH13s are still the best, but I don’t really feel comfortable wearing them all the time. Let’s for example say, I am interrupted playing a game and wearing my customs. I would have to pull the JH13s out of my ear and be extra careful about their storage. This is why I went the portable route and with my previous experience on the AKGs 450, Koss PortaPro and various Grados (I don’t really consider the Prestige Series as being portable), I knew exactly what sound I wanted.
Open - larger than average sound stage – tight, controlled bass – lush and slightly laid back midrange – crisp, clear highs
All at the price point of 50 Pounds. I knew what I was in for, sound quality being my primary objective and comfort coming close second. The headphones should be able to deal with wear& tear, but I treat them with respect anyways, so this isn’t a big concern.
Now I will go through certain aspects of the HD238s step by step.
Packaging
The box is small and the accessories are limited to a carrying pouch, which does not protect the headphones. My overall impression of the box is average; but a hard protective case, a ¼ adapter and other (shorter) exchangeable chords like in AKGs K450 would have been nice. The case is not as overly engineered as their competitors, which makes it easier to keep intact. Unfortunately they cannot be folded for easier storage, which is a minor drawback.
Build Quality& Fit
Plastic with a touch of brushed metal defines their minimalistic design. Everything on these headphones is solid except the cable, which is very flimsy. This is a major drawback, as most cables tend to fail before the drivers do and it seems to be a common issue amongst generic headphones and in the IEM world. The chord’s diameter is tiny and the jack is huge. If there is one distinct design feature the latest Sennheisers have, is the odd looking jack, in this instance another concern.
The fit on the other hand, is perfect. They are comfortable enough to wear over long periods of time –of course in a quite environment, as they leak sound due to the nature of their design. The pads are a hybrid between leather and fabric like cushions. By quite a margin, these are lighter than the K450s on expense of solidity. This gives them an advantage of being more comfortable and less irritating on the ear. Due to the size of my head and the location of the ears, I always max out the adjustable band and these give my slightly more room than their opponents.
Sound - used over a time span of 3 weeks
Bass.
The bass on these extends very low. Most won’t notice a slight roll off around 40hz, rather the boost around 95 which establishes the classic Sennheiser sound. For fast paced music going low, these are very good. The K450s do not go as low and have a beefier mid-bass prominence, which I do not enjoy. The HD238s on the other hand are quite natural, but slightly warm in this aspect, which also benefits the separation to the midrange. Their performance on the live version of Hotel California is good, however the bass could benefit with stronger impact, like the IE8s. Still, I was overwhelmed with their mid-bass presence, which is also one the reasons why I sold them. The HD238s are solid in the bass region without recessing or emphasizing anything in particular and the warmth is not vast.
Midrange.
The HD238s exhale in this aspect. The midrange is clear, laid back and lush at the same time. On more complex passages of the music they can get muddled at times, but they perform better than expected in this price range. Still, there is a lack of micro detail, which hinders them from creating an atmospheric and coherent sound stage. This also impacts the vocals, because they then lack the air, i.e. when an artist takes a short breath between verses (Bob Dylan – I Shall Be Released). On the other hand, they are more detailed than most other portables in this price class including the K450, which has a thicker and more forward (in your face) midrange. The rendition of acoustic guitars is very good and they tie in with the rest of the spectrum.
Highs.
If I were to describe the highs in one word I would immediately say: crisp. These are slightly forward, which makes it easier to pick out little details. Like in the rest of the frequencies there is no distortion at higher volumes. They extend very high, the cymbal clashes are easily heard at medium volumes on America’s Ventura Highway. Also they are more airy than the AKGs, which is mostly due the open design.
Soundstage, Imaging and Separation.
The soundstage is larger than average. It pushes back the artists, but does not give them a precise enough location. The depth is average, which also hinders the separation in complex passages of certain types of music. The imaging however is coherent, even if they only have mediocre pace. The attack is fast, however the decay is slow, which is also the case with the K450s. However this is not a great problem, it only aids the Sennheiser way of presenting music, which is pleasant to my ears.
Conclusion
The Sennheiser HD238 is a solid contender in the sub 60 Pound portable range. It has a unique and addicting way of presenting the music, but remains on the natural side. The only concern I have with these is the build quality, but I will make sure to treat them with respect. Otherwise they score very well on my very condensed marksheet, with an overall score of 8.5/10, which is not the average but my personal judgement.
[size=x-small]Bass - 7
Mids - 8
Highs - 9
Soundstage- 7
Imaging - 6
Seperation - 6
Build Quality - 6
Looks - 9[/size]
Open - larger than average sound stage – tight, controlled bass – lush and slightly laid back midrange – crisp, clear highs
All at the price point of 50 Pounds. I knew what I was in for, sound quality being my primary objective and comfort coming close second. The headphones should be able to deal with wear& tear, but I treat them with respect anyways, so this isn’t a big concern.
Now I will go through certain aspects of the HD238s step by step.
Packaging
The box is small and the accessories are limited to a carrying pouch, which does not protect the headphones. My overall impression of the box is average; but a hard protective case, a ¼ adapter and other (shorter) exchangeable chords like in AKGs K450 would have been nice. The case is not as overly engineered as their competitors, which makes it easier to keep intact. Unfortunately they cannot be folded for easier storage, which is a minor drawback.
Build Quality& Fit
Plastic with a touch of brushed metal defines their minimalistic design. Everything on these headphones is solid except the cable, which is very flimsy. This is a major drawback, as most cables tend to fail before the drivers do and it seems to be a common issue amongst generic headphones and in the IEM world. The chord’s diameter is tiny and the jack is huge. If there is one distinct design feature the latest Sennheisers have, is the odd looking jack, in this instance another concern.
The fit on the other hand, is perfect. They are comfortable enough to wear over long periods of time –of course in a quite environment, as they leak sound due to the nature of their design. The pads are a hybrid between leather and fabric like cushions. By quite a margin, these are lighter than the K450s on expense of solidity. This gives them an advantage of being more comfortable and less irritating on the ear. Due to the size of my head and the location of the ears, I always max out the adjustable band and these give my slightly more room than their opponents.
Sound - used over a time span of 3 weeks
Bass.
The bass on these extends very low. Most won’t notice a slight roll off around 40hz, rather the boost around 95 which establishes the classic Sennheiser sound. For fast paced music going low, these are very good. The K450s do not go as low and have a beefier mid-bass prominence, which I do not enjoy. The HD238s on the other hand are quite natural, but slightly warm in this aspect, which also benefits the separation to the midrange. Their performance on the live version of Hotel California is good, however the bass could benefit with stronger impact, like the IE8s. Still, I was overwhelmed with their mid-bass presence, which is also one the reasons why I sold them. The HD238s are solid in the bass region without recessing or emphasizing anything in particular and the warmth is not vast.
Midrange.
The HD238s exhale in this aspect. The midrange is clear, laid back and lush at the same time. On more complex passages of the music they can get muddled at times, but they perform better than expected in this price range. Still, there is a lack of micro detail, which hinders them from creating an atmospheric and coherent sound stage. This also impacts the vocals, because they then lack the air, i.e. when an artist takes a short breath between verses (Bob Dylan – I Shall Be Released). On the other hand, they are more detailed than most other portables in this price class including the K450, which has a thicker and more forward (in your face) midrange. The rendition of acoustic guitars is very good and they tie in with the rest of the spectrum.
Highs.
If I were to describe the highs in one word I would immediately say: crisp. These are slightly forward, which makes it easier to pick out little details. Like in the rest of the frequencies there is no distortion at higher volumes. They extend very high, the cymbal clashes are easily heard at medium volumes on America’s Ventura Highway. Also they are more airy than the AKGs, which is mostly due the open design.
Soundstage, Imaging and Separation.
The soundstage is larger than average. It pushes back the artists, but does not give them a precise enough location. The depth is average, which also hinders the separation in complex passages of certain types of music. The imaging however is coherent, even if they only have mediocre pace. The attack is fast, however the decay is slow, which is also the case with the K450s. However this is not a great problem, it only aids the Sennheiser way of presenting music, which is pleasant to my ears.
Conclusion
The Sennheiser HD238 is a solid contender in the sub 60 Pound portable range. It has a unique and addicting way of presenting the music, but remains on the natural side. The only concern I have with these is the build quality, but I will make sure to treat them with respect. Otherwise they score very well on my very condensed marksheet, with an overall score of 8.5/10, which is not the average but my personal judgement.
[size=x-small]Bass - 7
Mids - 8
Highs - 9
Soundstage- 7
Imaging - 6
Seperation - 6
Build Quality - 6
Looks - 9[/size]
