Sennheiser HD 450BT - Review 2022

It'south no secret that dissonance-cancelling headphones price a good bargain more than than their traditional counterparts. Priced at $199.95, Sennheiser'south Hard disk 450BT headphones are far from inexpensive, but they cost considerably less than leading ANC (agile noise cancellation) models like the $400 Bose Racket Cancelling Headphones 700. For half that price, Sennheiser's pair offers higher up-average ANC performance and excellent Bluetooth audio. Add in adjustable EQ, a comfortable fit, and easy-to-operate controls, and you get the all-time dissonance-cancelling headphones you tin can buy for $200, as well as our Editors' Option.

Design

Available in black or white models, the circumaural (over-ear) HD 450BT headphones feature generously cushioned memory foam earpads and an overall comfy fit. The semi-matte surface has a stylish, uncluttered expect, with nearly of the controls subtly relegated to side panels. Internally, each enclosure houses a 32mm dynamic driver delivering a frequency range of 18Hz to 22kHz. The headphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 and supports AAC, AptX, and SBC codecs.

The correct earcup's side console houses controls for ability/pairing, playback, runway navigation, a volume rocker, and a dedicated voice banana button. The power button doubles as the ANC push depending on how long you press (ii seconds for power, a quick press for ANC on or off). An audio cablevision is included for the iii.5mm jack located on this aforementioned side panel, as is a USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable for the USB-C port also on this panel.

The audio cable tin can be used passively, with the headphones completely powered down, or information technology tin can be used with the headphones on and ANC enabled. The divergence in audio quality in these scenarios (versus Bluetooth audio) is negligible.

The Sennheiser Smart Control app for Android and iOS has user-adjustable EQ and provides firmware updates for the headphones. Rather than typical sliders for the EQ, you lot elevate a dot to diverse areas of a screen to attain more than bass, mids, or highs. Regardless of this slightly less intuitive design, it works, and you tin can salvage presets.

You besides become a remarkably compact travel pouch. It flattens to a very thin profile when not in employ and expands to house the folded headphones and cables.

Sennheiser estimates battery life to exist roughly xxx hours, simply your results will vary with your book levels and your ANC usage.

Performance

The HD 450BT headphones deliver solid racket cancellation for the price. They add together as much hiss to the equation equally almost affordable ANC headphones do, and they eliminate a solid swatch of lower-frequency rumble, so those noises on planes and trains volition be tamped down significantly. High frequencies are less controlled—the earpads themselves do some passive dissonance isolation, but yous'll still hear loud typing and nearby chatter. If someone is playing music nearby at high volumes, the bass-related content in the audio will be dialed back significantly, but you'll still hear the higher frequencies and much of the midrange content, likewise.

There is a slight difference in audio performance when ANC is enabled, but information technology is exceedingly subtle—some tracks audio merely a touch more than bright. Given the headphone'southward relatively depression price, this is nitpicking—very few ANC pairs below $200 offering quality noise cancellation, and the HD 450BT do a commendable job.

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The MEMS mic array offers excellent intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, we could empathize every give-and-take we recorded clearly, with very little Bluetooth distortion and even a hint of bass depth. One great attribute of the mics is they give y'all some in-ear monitoring of your own voice, which generally leads to speaking at more than natural conversational levels, which often leads to less mic distortion and a clearer overall signal.

When it comes to audio performance, on tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the headphones delivers powerful depression-frequency response without going overboard. At top volume levels, the bass doesn't distort, and at lower levels, the lows nonetheless audio robust and full without overwhelming the mix.

Neb Callahan'due south "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives u.s.a. a better sense of the full general sound signature. The drums on this rails sound wonderfully round and full without venturing into unnaturally thunderous territory. Callahan's baritone vocals are rich in the low-mids, but receive the platonic amount of high-mid presence to maintain clarity and definition. The higher-annals percussive hits and acoustic strums are vivid and crisp, and overall, this is a wonderfully balanced audio signature.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church building in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives a perfect blend of high-mid presence and low-frequency fullness—the attack of the loop is clear, and the hits pack a nice thud, besides. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with solid bass depth—we hear their ominous rumble, but information technology'southward not pushed to the fore and doesn't overwhelm the mix. The vocals on this track are delivered with excellent clarity, and without much added sibilance.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel Co-ordinate to the Other Mary, audio excellent through the Hd 450BT. Lower-register instrumentation is pushed forrard in the mix, but subtly. Purists may not love it, but information technology gives the mix a little more richness at times, and never takes away from the crisp, clear presence of the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals. These are the rare headphone that boost bass subtly and maintain an ideal balance throughout, without the mids sounding scooped.

For the toll, the headphones deliver audio beyond expectations—at that place may be EQ in the app, but information technology'south non likely going to be necessary for most users to reach for information technology. Out of the box, there's bass depth, balance, and clarity. Certain, the sound signature is sculpted and non completely flat, only if that's what you're later, the EQ can become you lot close.

Conclusions

Sennheiser's Hard disk drive 450BT headphones are piece of cake to operate, comfortable to clothing, and most importantly, they sound neat. Compared with the identically priced Sony WH-CH710N, they deliver slightly ameliorate ANC and far better audio performance. We're fans of the $270 Marshall Mid ANC, which can now be found for closer to $200, though again we give an border to the HD 450BT. If you want the all-time ANC on the market, the aforementioned Bose Dissonance Cancelling Headphones 700 are still the best option, but they're double the cost. For $200, Sennheiser'southward Hard disk drive 450BT headphones are a steal, making them our new favorite budget-friendly pair, and earning our Editors' Choice.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/headphones/37739/sennheiser-hd-450bt

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