Customer Reviews

Sennheiser HD 497 Dynamic Hi-Fi Headphones (Silver)

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been shopping for a medium to high quality pair of headphones for a while now. There are many high-end audiophile grade headphones that sound better than most $5000 speakers, but most of these headphones are too expensive for my budget (most cost $200 or more). I was looking for something around $50. After doing lots of research on the internet, I've narrowed my choices down to 4 pairs of headphones: Sennheiser HD497, Koss Pro 4AA, Grado SR60 and Sony MDR-V300. All of these headphones are within the $$$ range.

The first pair I auditioned, Koss Pro 4AA produced excellent sound all around (they have an unbelievable frequency response of 10-25,000). However, their weight was as formidable as their sound - I couldn't wear them for more than 20 minutes at a time, my ears would begin sweating from the rubber ear pads and my neck would begin hurting from the weight.

The Sony MDR-V300 is a much more comfortable pair of headphones; they also look much cooler than the 70's-style Koss. However, their sound was no comparison to Koss - Sony had a very nice bass, but overemphasized treble and lacked any midrange.

The choices came down to Sennheiser and Grado. Both of these brands are well known for their excellent headphones, and both models I picked lived up to their reputation. Both headphones sounded very similar listening to rock and pop tracks. Grado handled classical music and jazz slightly better, while Sennheiser sounded better with techno and trance. In the end, Sennheiser's super-sexy futuristic look swayed me in.

The HD497 are one of the best headphones I've heard - much better than any "generic" headphones you may own, and even better than $$$ Sony MDR-V700DJ. The highs (treble) on these headphones are well defined and absolutely clear, the mid-range is warm (but not colored) and pleasant to listen to, and the lows (bass) is very tight and hard-punching (despite the fact that HD497 is rated down to 24Hz, 4Hz short of the theoretical limit of human hearing).

The headphones produce very little to no coloration - they don't enhance any of the frequencies, so what you hear exactly what is being passed to the headphones. You will hear new things from your CDs and mp3s, but be aware - unless your mp3s are encoded in high resolution (192kbps or higher), you'll also notice any encoded defects and blemishes that are characteristic of low quality mp3s. (You probably won't notice a difference between a 128kbps and a 190kbps mp3 on cheap "generic" headphones, but the HD497 will make these differences very clear once you give them a listen).

These headphones are very efficient - you can play them loud using a regular portable CD player. However, you will notice great improvement (and be able to play them VERY LOUD) if you play them using an audio receiver or a dedicated headphone amp (which I don't have). I've found that my Creative Audio's Live! Drive's front end headphone plug produces the best results.

They are very comfortable to wear; I've been listening to them for 3 or 4 hours at a time without getting tired. Because they are "open" headphones, there is plenty of air circulation, so your ears won't get sweaty. On the negative side, you won't be isolated from outside noise, and others won't be isolated from your music - you share whatever you're listening to with people around you (unless you listen on the quietest levels).

All in all, these headphones are definitely worth the $$$ price tag.

As I'd been using my Koss Pro4A's for almost thirty years, and the poor things were literally falling apart, I figured it was time to get a new set of decent headphones. I looked over the reviews of various ones here, tried out some down at the local electronics store, and finally found these.

The first item that distinguishes these headphones from the run-of-the-mill sets is their ability to block external noise, without being super-heavy, super-sized, or squashing my oversized dumbo-like ears flatter than pancakes. These work so well at this job that I found they work well as studio earphones, allowing me to really hear what I truly sound like. It's almost impossible to do this without first recording yourself and then playing it back, as your ears are normally subjected to multiple feedback paths, both external and internal. With these phones, the external influence is almost totally blocked, allowing me to perceive very close to the reality of my own voice in real time.

The second exceptional attribute is their light weight, important to me as I only have about three hairs left on top of my head to serve as a cushion. Compared to my old phones, I can wear these many hours longer without feeling like someone is holding a hot brick on top of my head. The earcups make a tight, firm clamp around my ears without causing either frictional or pressure irritation, something I could not say about my old phones. Some people may not like this tight feeling, though, especially those used to today's "open" style low quality phones.

Third is the full sound and exceptional frequency response of these phones. I have tried them on everything from Beethoven to Pink Floyd, and find that for all these forms of music everything is clear from the very low bass regions to super-high violin harmonics, with no one frequency range inordinately emphasized or diminished. Sennheiser lists a specification of 24 - 22000 Hz as the frequency response range, I spec I would normally look at with a jaundiced eye, as few phones really deliver more than about 30 -15000, but after listening to these, I believe it.

The long cord on these phones is also nice, allowing to move almost anywhere in the room without suddenly getting them yanked off my head when I run out of rope.

And finally there is the price. I would expect these phones to sell for much more than they do, and they are clearly superior to some that I have tried that sell in the multi-hundred dollar range. These are clearly a 'best buy' for those who are looking for high quality, eminently wearable headphones and a great listening experience.

I was looking for a good set of headphones for my portable MiniDisc player. After doing some research, I decided to try the HD 497's. Overall, I found them to be a very good headphone for the money. They are very efficient and even with the low output from my Sony MiniDisc player, I found that turning the volume up half way was enough to produce sound at moderate levels. I listen to mostly jazz and vocals, so bass is not as critical for me- but I did try out some dance music with lots of bass, and found that these phone have quite a bit of bass. Overall, when compared to my HD600's (Sennheiser's most highly praised headphones), I'd say these give you about 75% of the performance at 30% of the price! Bass could be a little better controlled and a little deeper, and vocals don't have the pinpoint imaging of higher cost headphones, but the sound is still very enjoyable.

In terms of ergonomics, these headphones do hurt my ears a bit. Although the padded ears make it semi-comfortable for me, I have large ears and the left phone presses against the cartilage about a half inch above my earlobe. Not a sharp pain, but a dull pain more like a bruise and gets a bit irritating after a about 30-45 minutes of use. I think this may be an issue with me because open headphones(with the sponge type earpads that rest on your ears) irritate the same part of my ear as well. Also, since I use only for portable listening, the 9' cord is too long for a portable use and needs to be tied up.

So here is how I would rate:

Comfort- 6/10- comfortable except for the one sore spot for me
Sound- 8/10- decent bass and mids- not bright like some other headphones at this price
Weight- 10/10- very lightweight
Efficiency- 10/10- more efficient that any of the Sony or Koss headpones I've tried.
Quality- 10/10- seem to be well built and well designed
Value- 10/10- best sounding phones I've tried at this price point

After my disappointment with the Philips SBC HN100 noise cancellation headphones (see my review there), I picked up the Sennheiser HD-497 headphones. I hadn't used a pair of Sennheiser in a long time, but I do have excellent hearing and my musical training enables me to tell a good pair of headphones from a so-so and a bad pair. After breaking in the HD-497 I think this is a pair to keep, while I continue my search for an affordable noise-canceling set.

The best feature of the HD-497 is the ultra-clear sound. I've hook the headphones up to my 600-watt amplifier from RCA, various models of Panasonic and Sony portable CD players, my Palms, my iPaq, my Initial portable DVD player. To my satisfaction, the HD-497 gives vibrant, clear sound on each one of the sources. It should be emphasized that the HD-497 does *not* enhance any particular range. If you are looking for a bass-boosting headset, for instance, you'll be sorely disappointed. For me, though, this is better, because I want "high fidelity" in its truest sense. Whatever audible range and texture that are recorded on the source (CD, DVD, MP3, etc.), should be preserved. And since many amplifiers and also software programs are better at allowing me to adjust the levels of the various frequencies, I'd prefer to use those to get the best sound, and I want my headphones to preserve those settings without any furthur, "cheapo" distortion. This is fundamentally different from purchasing a so-so pair of earphones and hoping to get some fake bass boost from them. I'm not saying the fake bass boost is necessarily a bad thing, though; sometimes, for example, when you are using a no-frills portable audio player, the bass boost in the headphones may make you happier. It's just that for me, the way the HD-497 preserves and passes through the output from my audio sources, greatly pleases the audiophile in me. Of course, this also means the HD-497 is best used with an audio source that allows you to make frequency response adjustments. My RCA Lyra MP3 jukebox does that, so I've been very happy with the Lyra-Sennheiser pairing.

In terms of ergonomics, the HD-497 is far from perfect. It's still a bit too tight for my taste, especially because I wear glasses. On the packaging Sennheiser boasts of "extremely comfort for extended listening." I beg to differ. After about 30 minutes I need to take it off for a break. But because the sound quality on this is so superb, I'm willing to accept a bit of discomfort. Besides, it's many times more comfortable than my old Koss over-ear headphones.

The padded headphones help keep some noise out, but not very much. It probably doesn't even qualify for a passive noise cancellation system, so if you take this on a plane or Amtrak you may be disappointed. On the other hand, it gives you beautiful sound and plenty of volume (no inline volume control, though), so you should be able to find a volume level on your audio source that will effectively cancel out ambient noise.

As for portability, the HD-497 is too big for stuffing it in a pocket, or a ladies' purse. The person who said this was too big for his/her carry-on luggage wasn't being accurate. You can put this away in a carry-on, or just hang them around your neck. In fact, it's quite stylish. :)

I am writing this review after I have been using this for about a month. Initially, I had a Sennheiser HD-212 (which also received good reviews and in the same price range) that I used for a month before my brother took it from me! It was a bit cheaper than the HD-497 at the time. I was actually happy with its amazing bass and overall responses. But when it comes to the time that I need to look for a new one, I found a pretty good deal on HD-497 from Amazon that makes it cheaper than the HD-212, so I got the HD-497 instead...

My review here is the comparisons between these two headphones.

Right out of the box, I was a bit disappointed with the HD-497 because the bass was substantially less than that of the HD-212, although the mids and the highs are somewhat better. However, after some break-in periods (like a week or so), it does sounds better but the bass, although pretty decent, is still not as heavy and deep like that of the HD-212. I think it depends on personal taste - I like heavy bass. However, I sometimes get tired from the bass of the HD-212 after long hours on the headphones and the bass can be a bit distracting if you are trying to work and listen to musics as I do, but for the most part, it was great. The HD-497 has a more "natural" sound and it captures all the details in the music beautifully. I do like the mids and highs on the HD-497 a lot - they are clearer and brighter than the HD-212. It is amazing how much you can hear in the music with these headphones. I listen to a solo Piano CD and I can hear the sound when they turn the note page.

One dilemma I had with the HD-212 is that it totally block out all the outside noises. It is good that you almost get a "noise cancelling" function without actually paying for it but sometimes I think it is too good. I have a telephone in front of me and I barely hear it rings when the music is on - that can be a really terrible thing if your boss is calling you. You can hear more outside noises in HD-497 but the music is still clear. I guess it depends on how you use it.

The materials and workmanship on these two headphones are basically the same. They feel the same (which is comfortable, by the way) on my head. I feel that the cord length on these headphones are a bit too long. I'd prefer it to be like two-third of that. Both of them are light weight but pretty big so they are not really a portable type.

I would recommend this product to anyone. But if you like a lot of bass, also consider HD-212.

I had been looking for a set of headphones for my iPod, ever since I discovered better quality settings for my MP3s. My criteria were:

- Sound; good bass, not too "thumpy", clear treble without distortion, and a full middle for all those singer-songwriters;

- Comfort: had to be comfortable for hours on end.

- Circumaural: I was tired of headphones that either rested on my ears or earbuds up against my ear canals, I wanted "real" cups, or as close as I could get to it;

- Style: I figure, I care about how everything else I wear looks, why not headphones?

- Portability: light, with a light and flexible cord, and a plug either L-shaped or short enough not to ruin an iPod in a pants pocket; and all this for

- less than a hundred US dollars.

I found all these in the HD 497s.

I still haven't decided if these are supra-aural (on the ear) or circumaural (around the ear) headphones. Rather than flip a coin, lets call them hybrid headphones.

Unlike most "big" headphones, these don't give you sweaty ears or over-isolate you from your environment. I rate that an advantage -- you are more likely to be able to hear a phone ring or the doorbell, but they do mute ambient noise sufficiently to allow focus on music.

Fit: If you have big ears you may find them a bit snug, as their low-profile design suggests. I have a big head (7 5/8 hat size) but the earpieces easily drop down far enough. These 'phones are a good choice for extended wear -- they have enough grip so they don't slip and slide ear pads, but they don't feel like a clamp you'll want to throw off halfway through a 2-hour DVD.

Sound: The sound, like the fit, is non-fatiguing. The treble is extended without being sibilant, while the bass is shaded toward tight-and-crisp rather than lush.

Look: These are great-looking headphones and they don't stick way off your head like many around-the-ear phones.

Build quality: These are made of lightweight but strong plastic. The ear pads are higher quality than typically found in this price range. The cord is a bit longer than average, and thicker than on most lightweight headphones, but it isn't heavy.

Bottom line: If you are trading up from the cheapo headphones that come with a portable (usually a good idea, even with an iPod), you will be surprised at how much the bass is improved. The non-fatiguing sound and fit of the HD-497 'phones, combined with tight bass, win that fifth star. Recommended.

I bought this pair of headphones solely based on the reviews from Amazon. Boy, they were right.

The first thing I noticed about this pair of headphones is how light they are in comparison to the quality of sound they produce. They are light on my head, and yet they play music and games beauifully. I went through three pairs of Koss giants, and this is by far the lightest and best quality of sound I have gotten through all of them.

The next thing I was delighted to see were the removable mono cables to each ear (R and L). There have been many times where I jump up from my chair and the wire gets caught on my foot or on my chair, pulling on the wire and, even in one case, snapping the cable. When I accidentally did this at one point, one of the cables popped out. I almost freaked out until I noticed that the cord was removable. I snapped it back in, and voila! I've got my wonderful pair of headphones back.

Another damage incident that turned good was when I stepped on them (I give my headphones a hard time). This time, the whole earpiece popped off. Now I thought they really had it. But wait! They were removable also! How wonderful! I snapped the earpiece back in, and on I went.

If you want a high-quality, well-priced, durable, and attractive pair of headphones that will go through the beating of everyday (or not so normal) life, I suggest you get yourself a pair of these.

These are excellent headphones, especially for the price I paid - I feel I got much more for my money that I would expect at this price, especially since lots of other name brand headphones are in a similar price range.

I listen to CDs while I work often using my computer's CD-ROM. I never realized audio CDs sounded so good! I always thought my soundcard was weak, but it must've been the old headphones I used to have.

The highs are high, the bass is loud without being obtrusive - all in all, I'd say these headphones give a very 'honest' sound, and that's a great thing.

I find them very comfortable, even for long periods of time. They're light, but can get a little sticky after an hour or two.

Highly recommended.

** Just a word of warning: I've had a few people tell me at work that the sound from these leaks pretty badly... not that I mind of course, but your colleagues could get a little irritated, so beware! **

One of the charms of headphones is that they're a lazy person's no-brainer technology. No programming, digital settings, or instructions are necessary to using, benefitting from, and evaluating the product. Consequently, I now have along with broad experience in cans more of them than I require. The only pair I've been absolutely and completely satisfied with are the Sennheiser PX100's, which can be transported safely in a back pocket and worn and enjoyed interminably. But they do require careful folding and storing, and I thought the top-rated (by Cnet) HD-497's would be handier for my studio work at the radio station.

A few observations about comfort. They're light enough but also just a trifle tight--something you certainly notice after the first hour of wearing them. Any of these phones that sit on the edges of your ears are likely to produce heat and sweat after a limited amount of time. This is as true of the 497's as of my heavier Sony MDR V-600's. For extended listening, the best bets are extremely lightweight phones like the PX100's, which don't sit on the "rim" of the ear, or phones that completely encircle the ear. I've got some heavy, loose-fitting Panasonic RP-HT660's that can be worn for hours because the weight is on your head, not your ears.

I can't speak to the durability factor of the HD-497's, though I'm somewhat surprised to see how tightly-fitting the detachable speaker wires are. Whether they would save you a broken set of headphones in the event of tripping on the cord (I've lost one pair that way) remains to be seen. Also, I've discovered no shorter wires made available by Sennheiser, so the detachability factor appears to be no more than a slight advantage. As for convenience, these phones can't be folded and stored in a little storage bag, like many of their larger competitors, so I wouldn't judge them to be good travelers.

As for the most important consideration, they sound great. Adequate bass (with no sense of artificial "boost," like the more expensive Sony's) and clear, brilliant highs (discernibly brighter than those of the Sony V-600's). They're a tad more efficient (louder) than the PX-100's, and they tend to bring mid-range instruments--the piano, for example--more forward in the mix. Indeed, the sound is transparent, clear and crystalline. Still, I almost prefer the more democratic balance of the PX-100's, which place you mid-center instead of front-center in the concert hall. The HD-497's are great for shorter listening episodes, but for going the distance, give me the PX-100's any day. (They're also 25% less expensive. For that matter, the Sony CD-180's, at one-quarter of the price, compare quite favorably in every respect with the HD-497's, with diminished treble being the major difference.)