For anyone trying their hand at creating music or having a whirl at DJ’ing, Sennheiser offers the HD200 Pro, a pair of closed-back over-the-ears headphones that cut off the ambient distraction, leaving the wearer to focus on the music fully.
Sennheiser positions these headphones as an in-depth monitoring tool that gives you a detailed listen at powerful sound, whether used at home or on stage or even a studio. We can’t directly assess its suitability for monitoring, but a DJ we spoke to described the HD200 Pro as being essentially basic and “okayish”.
Without getting into sacred audiophile territory, we give this affordable set of headphones a look.
Light on the head
Without a doubt, the HD200 Pro is very light. So much so that the big box they come in seemed like it might have been empty. The material used is a light plastic and there’s little or no metal in these headphones. You couldn’t really describe them as looking like an expensive bit of gadgetry, but nor do they look cheap in any way.
The ear-cups provide full coverage and do indeed shut out some of the noise around. They have a swirly pattern embossed on them for style. Otherwise, the set is black with no other accents. The headband has a few soft puffs in the middle. The cups don’t articulate totally inwards — not enough to fold up — but they do rotate slightly. They’re comfortable enough to wear for long sessions.
The HD200 Pro is basic in many ways. There’s no Bluetooth — as there can’t be because that would deteriorate the music quality somewhat — and there are no controls such as for volume or changing tracks or anything. There’s just an extra long cable and a gold plated jack.
Punchy sound
The sound quality is pretty good and punchy though a little bit closed up. The bass is amped up without being overwhelming. These headphones are meant to work with your laptop, your mixing console or electric piano and enhances your acoustic working space.
The HD200 Pro is value for money for the everyday listener, but professionals will also want to check out the numerous other models from Sennheiser, including the HD series as they should from other audio companies as well.
Price: ₹6,490
Pros: Lightweight, comfortable, good sound, punchy bass, price
Cons: Sound a little closed off, needs sharper clarity, no controls
(The article first appeared in The Hindu BusinessLine.)