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.

I have had these for 10 months and have had NO PROBLEMS with them. Still work as well as the day I got them, and I haven't exactly been gentle with them.The structural quality of these really surprised me. I expected to have to buy cheap headphones every 6-12 months, but at this rate I will be keeping these for years. I've accidentally yanked them plenty of times. The cable is very long (10 feet!), so I will often wear them as I am moving around my room or kitchen, but sometimes I get too cocky and move too far or suddenly, accidentally yanking the cord out. I've pulled hard on the cable by accident plenty of times, and I always get afraid I am going to break the headphone jack (the way every other pair of headphones I have ever owned broke), but it is honestly still perfect, there isn't even the slightest bend in the plug. No sign of wear on the earcups, they still look just like the picture. The way they detach from the headband has probably saved me from breaking them over a dozen times; maybe that is why the headphone jack is still great, it is like skis detaching when they go a way they shouldn't, rather than breaking your legVery comfortable, I wear them for many hours daily, never get sore ears. Very adjustable, the minimum is way too small for my head, and the large way too large.I don't know much about headphones, but the sound quality is great in my opinion. Basses are deep, everything comes through crisp, never had static or anything like that, and I can easily turn them louder than my ears can handle, if you are deaf like that.The headphones I previously owned were SteelSeries Siberia v2, which everyone loves to recommend for whatever reason, but having owned both, I would much rather have these. They are WAY cheaper, far more durable, and more comfortable if you are going to be wearing them as long as I do (steelseries made my ears sore after 3-5 hours). The only things steelseries has over these are: more advertising (shills recommending), a built-in mic, and are better aesthetically since they are sleek and colorful. As for the microphone, I bought a $25 desk mic that is better than any microphone a headset could have. This $45 setup I have is better in EVERY SINGLE WAY than any expensive, fragile gaming headset would ever be.This is my only amazon review so far, but I just can't recommend these enough. Unless you are a 'soundphile," and really insist on spending $200 for slightly better sound quality (why would you even be looking at these if that is the case), or would find a 10ft cable inconvenient rather than a positive, you should just buy these now.