The Second Best Headphones I’ve Owned
Many years ago, circa 2002, I treated myself to a pair of Sennheiser HD580’s (I think that was the model, certainly look the same as the photo I found below). Man, these headphones were something else. To my ears, every sound was pure perfection. The soundstage was unlike anything I’d heard before or since. You could hear something and think:
That’s about ten feet in front of me, slightly to the right.
They were amazing. I had them and loved them for many years. Eventually, the cable started playing up (hard-wired, not detachable). And then one day, they stopped working entirely. I took them apart and attempted to extend their life a bit longer, but it didn’t work. They were finished.
I still miss them to this day.
In the years since owning the HD580’s, I’d had a family, and spending a couple of hundred quid on headphones wouldn’t fly. They were the first and last studio grade headphones to sit on my head.
I’ve probably bought about fifteen or twenty headphones since then. The bud, in ear type. The cheap, wireless Amazon ones at about 30 quid. Never happy with the sound quality after being spoilt by the 580’s. Nothing came close. Nothing.
Trying the Sennheiser HD400S
In March 2024, I decided to try another pair of entry level Sennheiser’s (think they were about forty or fifty quid). Since it was probably twenty two years since my last Sennheiser purchase, I assumed that technology would have moved on and these would surely be comparable to my beloved HD580’s. Sure, they looked cheaper, much more plasticy, but 20 years of innovation must count for something, right?
Sadly not. I was very disappointed with the 400’s. The soundstage is tiny. The sound reproduction is muddy with only the mid-range being decent. They were hardly any better than some unknown Chinese brand from Amazon. If this was the best Sennheiser could offer for ~£50 after twenty years, I’d have to get my next pair of headphones from someone else
Audio-Technica M20xBT
The other half got me these for Christmas (I chose them though). Cost: £75. Just put them on charge earlier today, ready to try them and fully ready for yet more disappointment. However…
These aren’t half bad at all! The soundstage has opened up again. Not to the same level as the 580’s but reminding me of what a good pair of headphones sounds like.
I’ve owned probably five wireless headphones and these are the first ones to tell me:
Battery level high
When I turn them on. That’s a nice touch. Every other pair waited until they were nearly discharged before screeching:
Battery low. Please charge!
Every two minutes, for ten minutes. Then they would turn off. Ugh.
There are plenty of videos on Youtube giving you a full guided tour of these headphones, so I won’t go into massive detail.
There are three buttons on the left side (from bottom to top, these are):
- Volume Down
- Power
- Volume Up
I have no complaints about them. They’re in a good position and once I’m fully used to these headphones, I’m sure I’ll just know where they are. The headphones seem comfortable on first use and block out background noise adequately.
Bear in mind that I’ve only been using them for a couple of hours so can’t speak about longevity, or how they feel on the head for extended periods, but I’ve got a very good feeling about these ones. For seventy five quid, these are miles better than the Sennheiser 400’s. That 45% price increase is worth a 100% increase, in my opinion.
My Rating
As of today, 25th December 2024, they get an 8/10
Updates
I’ll update this post if there’s anything more to say in the future.
