Sennheiser HD 202 II Professional Headphones (Black)

This is an astonishing pair of headphones for $25! I have owned Sennheiser phones for years (the others so old I could not provide the model numbers without substantial research) so, I know they are excellent hadphones. I bought these to replace a cheap, cheap pair ($5 panasonics) which I bought for when I am listening to my mP3 player outside. mI bought those because I live in an environment which just chews up electronics: the Windward side of Oahu, where we typically have 99% humidity (or worse, it rains more often than not), salt air, sulpher (from the volcano)... nothing lasts here :( so I bought some headphones I would not have to worry about for when I am doing yard work or in my semi-enclosed studio. We also have a pretty substantial amount of ambient noise for a rural area: fighter planes from the nearby Marine base, weed whackers, highway noise...so I usually have a pair of head phones on when I am outside. I had thought my cheesy phones "OK," i.e. better than I would have thought a $5 pair of headphones would be (and better than the earbus which came with my shuffle, or zen, or zune, or Archos). I stumbled on these for 422 last week and decided to order a pair, and WOW! what a difference. I didn't know MP3s could sound this good! These phones are also good at blocking out ambient noise; a dramatically better listening experience. I had qualms, not having ever seen a pair of Senheisers in this price range, but just a few seconds put those doubts to rest. The sound is excellent, and while I can not compare it directly to my other Sennheisers (as I will not take those outside, use them with the same player, or in the same environment) these provide the best sound of anything I have used with any of my MP3 players, including speakers. The sound is clear and rich, very life-like. i will echo what I read in another review: they are not very comfortable with eyeglasses (or sunglasses, or other protective eyewear). It is a tight fit, but, that is where the noise reduction comes in. these have completely, completely blocked out the noises which leave me feeling stressed and irritated at the end of the day; astonishing! )blocking out fighter planes just overhead!) There is no question but that the open-air phones are more comfortable... or that, for me, they would not be especially good in this particular environment. I am guessing that if I wore them without eyewear they would be a good deal more comfortable (but, that would not be particularly wise, for me, when I am working ;) they are not so uncomfortable that I would even consider going back to what I was using before (any of my other phone, plugs, earbuds...) in fact, I am thinking about ordering a second pair in case these are discontinued, or mine disintegrate from the salt-air, or my kids run off with them ;) If you do not like a tight fit, look at the open air phones, but you are not likely to find them in this price range. What you get for $25 is just fantastic! if you are willing to spend $300; well, these may not compare favorably, but I would be very very surprised if there is anything else you can get for $25 which sound half as good. I know there are numerous more detailed reviews of these phones. I added my 2 cents because i am so happy with these, and so surprised at the sound quality in a pair of $25 head phones!Edited 12/4/2011 to note that after living with these for a year or so (almost daily use) I wonder 1) why they have such a long cord? (really unnecessarily so) and 2) While the take up reel (to contain the ridiculously long cord) was a good idea, it is very badly implemented. It crimps/ compromises the cord some without providing a secure catch. It frequently pops out/ come unwound creating an awkward (and for me sometimes dangerous) situation. Most people will not have the exact same issue (as I wear these while sitting over a 2000 degree torch, and so distractions... are a very bad thing). But, I can not imagine many people would opt for a 10-15 foot cord. I guess it is a plus if you need to be across the room from your equipment, but.... even when I was on the air there was never a time I needed a cord of this length. Consider getting a velcro tie up Velcro Reusable Self-Gripping Cable Ties, 0.5 Inches x 8 Inches Long, Black, 100 Ties per Pack (91140) for the cord to contain it. Other than that, it is hard to complain about such good sound for so little $$.I vacillated over giving these 4 or 5 stars: took one off because they are not as comfortable as other Sennheisers, but then put it back on because the sound is so good, and the value:amazing!--------------------update----------------------------------I came back to revise this review to lend some perspective. I did not mean to in any way imply that these are audiophile phones. They are not, and do not touch the sound quality of my Sennheiser wireless, open air, or 460s (I could go on ;) ) I bought a pair for my daughter as her first headphones. My husband wears his when he walks the dog (often in the rain)and doesn't want to ruin his Grados, and I wear mine in my outdoor studio. We all have better headphones, but use these when we are in an environment which might damage the others (or, even these). I have had mine for 3 years now, which is a lot of milage from a $25 set of headphones, and that is the context for this review. These are pretty great for $25! For a little more you can get better headphones: Sennheiser HD 429 Headphones Black or Audio-Technica ATH-M30 Professional Studio Monitor Closed-back Dynamic Stereo Headphones e.g. BUT for inexpensive headphones, these are pretty great, if you can deal with the ridiculous cord.Because of the insanely low price I even purchased a few extra sets as back-ups, but these have held up remarkably well and my back-ups are still in their boxes.

These are the first pair of over the ear headphones I have purchased. I purchased them based on extensive reviews and looking for the cheapest possible option with the best possible quality. Admittedly, I haven't used any other over the ear headphones to compare. With that being said, I would still definitely recommend these headphones. I am not the least bit disappointed in them and do not regret purchasing these headphones over any other more expensive options. Having only spent around $25 dollars for these off Amazon including shipping I couldn't really justify spending $100+ on a pair of headphones after listening to these. I am sure there are some quality headphones in that price range that "might" sound better than these but for only $25 dollars these sound amazing enough. Unless you have money to throw away or need serious studio quality headphones for producing, these headphones are all about great sound + extreme value. You might not regret purchasing more expensive headphones based on all the money you save with these. I went with these over the comparably priced Sennheiser HD 201 because reviewers said the HD 202 II had more bass. Some reviewers said that the bass may make them sound muddy, however. When I first plugged in the headphones they did sound a little muddy but that was easily remedied. I played with my equalizer settings and then I downloaded a program called DFX Audio Enhancer which is a sound processing program. The difference was night and day and these headphones no longer sound muddy. DFX Audio Enhancer is why I am able to to give them 5 stars. If these headphones sound muddy to you then try downloading that program. SRS also makes an audio enhancing program as well. Both have free versions as well as paid versions. I am not affiliated with either of these companies. Another thing that helps these headphones sound better when you listen music is if you listen to high quality music downloads at 320kpbs if possible. Listening to music at 240p or 360p streaming on Youtube won't sound as good. So before blaming these headphones for sounding muddy make sure you are listening to high quality music sources and have your equalizer settings optimized.Prior to these headphones I have used earbuds almost exclusively. I've used the iPhone earbuds and honestly anything sounds better than those so that's not a fair comparison. I've also used Sony earbuds and JVC Marshmellow earbuds. I personally like the sound of earbuds just as well as over the ear headphones but I will say that the HD 202 II over the ear headphones separate the lows, mids, and highs better and can keep up with faster music better. The glitches sound crisper with these headphones when I listen to dubstep. A good song to listen to that will really help you see how well these headphone perform is Skrillex - Kill Everybody (Bare Noize Remix) on blast with DFX Audio Enhancer turned on at the default settings. It's amazing how well these headphones can keep up with the glitches and separate the glitches from the mids and bass. These headphones also seem solidly built and have thick cables which is a plus. I don't see them breaking but if for some reason they do, they come with a 2 year manufacture's warranty. The cable is also fairly long if for some reason you need a really long cable.If I were to have to list some cons of this product I would say that out of the box without playing with your equalizing settings and downloading a sound processor they may seem muddy. Also, if you wear these headphones for a long time they might make your ears a little sore from pressing up against them. Nothing intolerable but noticeable so worth mention. Also, the cord is very long. This could be a pro to some or a con to others. If you need a long cord then it's great to have. But if you are using these to listen to music on the go from your phone or portable media device then a long cord might get annoying. I only use these at home so it doesn't bother me. And comparing these to earbuds, when you listen to loud music it leaks and other people can hear your music. It's not that loud but, considering earbuds don't leak at all, it is noticeable.