tribestros
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2009
- Posts
- 414
- Likes
- 55
[size=large]Sennheiser HD428 Review[/size]
First Impressions:
The only Sennheiser I had ever heard before were some low-line HD models, and after the Best Buy I work at started offering a wide selection of Sennheiser (even the prestigious Audiophile line), I decided to take the dive into the world of Sennheiser with their middle-line closed-circumaural headphones...and couldn't be more pleased. These are the rarely-talked about, or rarely acknowledged Sennheiser headphones. Currently, I own Grado SR60i, Klipsch Image S4, Koss PortaPro, and Bose TriPort OE and these have a distinct personality separating them from my Grados, which are still my personal preference however. They still have that quirky Sennheiser design, and still have that plastic Sennheiser design and feel.
I wanted the style and sound of Sennheiser but didn't want the Open-Air design because I had Grados and the PortaPro. I wanted something that I could wear in public that looked cool and didn't leak massive amounts of sound. The Sennheisers simply look awesome, close off all sound, and don't leak any sound at all. The cord isn't bulky like my Grados, which is also a positive. I'm pretty satisfied with them so far.
Fit and Comfort:
These fit leaps and bounds better than my Grado SR60i, which clamp to my head and can get uncomfortable after a while. The Sennheisers are loose, but don't fall of my head and fit extremely well. They did a great job of designing them to match the human head, truly impressive there.
I've never really owned a good pair of Circumaural headphones, so I liked the fact that they completely covered my ears, not really allowing much sound in or out. They were also extremely comfortable (you can forget they are on your head), which was a plus. In my opinion, Sennheiser out-does the Bose in comfort, which I thought wasn't possible.
I give the Sennheiser a 9 in fit and comfort.
Build Quality:
Well it has that odd plastic Sennheiser always uses on their headphones, which may or may not be a plus. I like the build quality of them even if they are plastic. The spot where the cord enters the headphone seems well constructed and resistant to breakage, same with the port that goes to the portable media player.
The material the pads are made of is, well, strange. It looks like plastic but is actually more of a felt, kind, of texture. Extremely unusual, since Sennheiser tends to use cheap plastic (feels like a garbage bag) on their headphones.
I like the small cord, by the way, because it adds to their portability factor. It's also a one-sided cord so they don't tangle as easily. The Grado cord setup is so impractical, I dig the Sennheiser's cord far more.
Overall, I'd give the quality a 7 since they use so much plastic.
Sound Quality:
I've always heard about Sennheiser being neutral headphones, almost monitors, but never really actually experienced such a neutral headphone. But they really are extremely neutral. These are supposedly Sennheiser's "bassy" model, but it seems to me my Grados are more bassy than these. They have crystal highs, mids, and lows and are simply amazingly balanced. They aren't as thick as my Grados or Bose but just have this monitor-style sound that works pretty well for my more atmospheric music. These headphones have a wide soundstage, which I pleasantly enjoyed, considering most of my headphones didn't have a soundstage at all (Grados and Koss, for example).
I tested them on a variety of music, the first being Dillinger Escape Plan's "Milk Lizard". The song is very technical and changes tempos ridiculously quick, but also has lots of hidden quirks such as horns and piano hidden in the background. I heard a guitar riff I didn't hear before a few times in the song and was shocked. It handed this kind of mathcore pretty well, so moved on to some more metal, in the form of Mastodon's "Divintations". The song has a back-and-forth acoustic rhythm. I used it to test if the song could play acoustic guitar well, and it does quite a good job of catching the sound with no clipping. I put on some bass-heavy Nine Inch Nails in the form of "Into the Void" and it handled the bass-beat well and the loud keyboard in the end perfectly. You could hear Trent breathing into the microphone on this song. Lastly, I put on Them Crooked Vultures' "New Fang" and was pleasantly surprised. The song's kick drum will distort on pretty much every speaker, but the Sennheiser's resisted and brought out John Paul Jones' rich and thick bassline astonishing well, contrasting with Grohl's high-powered drumming. I also tried it on some atmospheric music like David Bowie's "Heroes" and Nine Inch Nails' "Leaving Hope" and the soundstage got me lost in the music. Truly impressed.
I'd give the sound an 8, because they weren't as thick as I expected, but the neutrality is astonishing so it makes up for it.
Aesthetics:
What can I say, I love the look of headphones around my neck. I show them off. These are great looking headphones with a cool earcup design. The design is quirky, but fits my style, so whatever. These are way cooler looking than most headphones anyway, so it's fine. I'm one of the only who thinks the TriPort Over-Ear headphones are hideously ugly anyway.
I'd give the aesthetics a 10, because they are stylish and look unusual in a good way.
Value and Final Conclusion:
These headphones are $99 and as close to true monitors as you'll find for the price. Grados are so colored and Koss are so dark, these are just completely neutral, and without a doubt the most neutral headphones you'll find under $100. It's easily the entrance to an ugly audiophile addiction, and best for the audiophile on a budget. I bought them for $29.12 on my discount anyway, so I could care less.
The value is a 10 as well...they're closed, look good, and are amazingly neutral.
Overall, mixing the sound, aesthetics, and build quality these are a no-brainer. Sad they've been overlooked so far, but they won't be once people find out about their quality. Since they are so ideal (they aren't extremely portable however, since they don't fold, but still are the best competitor Bose has had) for most people, and compare well to Bose's TriPorts for less price, I'd recommend these without a doubt. They aren't open-air, and aren't fancy but are just nice solid headphones.
I'd give them an 8.5 out of 10.
