Sennheiser has just revealed the latest headphones on Entry-Level in its more ‘analytical’ line-up of headphones, HD 505.
Sennheiser says the new headphones have a custom transducer designed to provide better bass and treble expansion compared to the previous 500 series settings while maintaining transparency for the music.
They have a frequency range of 12Hz – 38.5 kHz from 38 mm drivers and an impedance of 120 ohms, although they have a high sound pressure level of 107.9DB per day. Volt, which means they can still be run from something like a phone or a laptop, just about.
They have a 1.8 m cable with a 3.5 mm connector on the end and a 6.3 mm adapter included. The cable is locked in place on the headphones but are removable.
They cost $ 249 / £ 229 (around AU $ 450), making them in particular more affordable than the official price of Sennheiser HD 600, which is $ 449 / £ 399. However, HD 600 is regularly available for under £ 250 in the UK and has also dropped as low as $ 249 in the US (they are $ 349 as I write this, which is not during a big sales event or anything), so it’s not hard to get the step-up model at the same price as it New opportunity for entry-level.
I have a very loved pair of Sennheiser HD 600 headphones (which I built myself on a visit to Sennheiser’s Factory in Ireland), so with this close world’s price match in mind and with a pair of HD 505 in hand, I compared them directly with HD 600 .
Head (phones) -To -head (phones)
We will dig into a fuller, longer test period for our full Sennheiser HD 505 review, so this is just my first comparison-I tested them with Apple Music on my iPhone 16 Pro, with a USB-C DAC from Hidisz.
First, a note about driving them from a phone through a small DAC without driven AMP element: Yes, I could run them easily from this, but I had to have the volume of about 85% of the maximum. I had HD 600 at 90% of maximum to reach the same perceived volume level. So sure they are not hard to drive but you will have to hold your foot down.
One of the elements that Sennheiser said it focused on for the new headphones was a light and comfortable design without a lot of clamping strength, and I really liked this in the HD 505. They hold in place nicely, but with a little smaller grip on the fiber rod troops , They didn’t heat my head as much over the same hour long listening time as HD 600. I have no problem with HD 600’s grip or warm -up nature, but I could tell a clear difference with HD 505.
Obviously, it’s about the sound, so let’s dig in there. The HD 505 has the bigger bass and treble kick of the two, so much is obvious right away. It feels like it hits slightly lower in the bass area than the HD 600, but it is clearly very controlled – it can hit with good sudden influence and end just as neat.
The low end is more intense than I might have expected based on my familiarity with the HD 600, but it all feels quite natural-the prominent treble, however, feels as more surprise.
It’s not hard, at least not that I’ve heard so far, but feels like it’s sticking the head out of the mixture in a way that doesn’t feel neutral. This means that you are really going to dig into detail in higher vocals or treble percussion, and the combination of the prominent heights and low makes the sound also feel with high energy.
However, the HD 600 has an extra level of naturalness in the overall sound, which is especially evident in the middle area. It feels like there is more room for the elements to move through these frequencies – a larger space to play in when they do not fit between the steeper bass and treble of HD 505.
This means that large swelling instrument events are transporting more, and I felt more shrouded with rich, dense blends. It also means that the different instruments in really busy songs felt a little more organized in the sound scene – not in a way that robs them of life, but in a way that gives them the extra capacity to shine and show extra details.
This means that HD 600’s overall sound scene feels more united to me with a smoother flow from top to bottom and decisive a more natural sound throughout the transition. Do I miss a bit of the extra bass stump in certain songs when I switch to HD 600 from HD 505? Yes, first – but when I’m in the complexity of what the HD 600 offers, I’m happier there.
Of course, none of this is a surprise, as the HD 600 theoretically is a big price hopping over HD 505 – but as I mentioned above, you can find them at so close to price in practice that I think HD 505 May has problems with stepping out of the shade of HD 600 unless they get their own price drop soon.
Sennheiser HD 505 is available immediately from Amazon and we will soon get our full review to see if they can make our list of the best wired headphones.
