Headphones

I can highly recommend these. Only issue I’ve found is that there’s no pass through unless the mic is active and the ANC does a better job of lower static noise and you can often hear “impulse” noise through them. Otherwise, they sound great, last quite a while on a charge and stay connected at a surprising distance.

I had the wired counterpart the HD 400S and they were the least comfortable headphones ever. The earpads are really tight around the ears, but the worse part is the headband which has barely any padding. I literally got headaches from them.

I have the older HD4.5 BTNC and don't enjoy it for active listening. The highs and upper mids seem to have unnatural peaks and valleys and some frequencies just disappear. They're what introduced me to the Sennheiser 'veil'. It just makes everything feel unexciting and there's no feeling of separation or space in the mix.

I still enjoy them for podcasts and casual listening though, and the ANC works decently enough. They're well-built and multi-pair so that's very handy.

Still, even at 80 quid I think there are way better-sounding headphones. I have a pair of AKG K52s that are so much fun and a fraction of the price. Wired, but AKG must have some decent mid-fi models at around this price range. The K371s go on deep discount sometimes too.

I have other Sennys I enjoy (the 598se and Momentum Free) but these are not the best they can do.

https://www.sennheiser-hearing.com/en-UK/p/hd-450se-refurbished/cl7rmikyu6ioo0bupaijeq2lh/

You can get them certified refurbished straight from Sennheiser for £59. I bought some and they looked brand new when they arrived last week.