Sennheiser HD205 II, Closed over ear headphone with rotatable earcup

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When used with a headphone amp/DJ equipment - these are among the best sounding headphones I've owned, and I've owned a lot. These are great, but not audiophile quality.

The long cord is a bit of a pain though, since it is ten whole feet long! I can see how this would be effective if you were zipping aroung in a music studio with these on, turning knobs and adjusting levels, but to be honest, these aren't really good enough to be used for that application. I guess it's handy to be able to move freely around my room with these on though, so you could either love or hate the enormous, thin cord. Not to mention the painful, vice grip clamping that it comes with. Aside from that dingleberry, the HD 215's high-frequency output was a good ending to my little journey through Hertzlandia.Whereas the HD 212 Pro's mids are dark, recessed, and somewhat muddy - the HD 215's mids are smooth and even with good presence and clarity. Between these two models, the HD 25-1 II seems to have more of a following here on Head-Fi. If you're interested in either of these, do a thread search or ask around. I'm sure you'll get a number of responses that should answer most if not all of your questions. For HD 400 series, double-sided (except HD 445, HD 455, HD 475, HD 477 and HD 497), HD 250, HD 520, HD 530, HD 540 and HD 560, also HD25 "Light" (Kevlar reinforced copper unless stated otherwise) 54-167 In conclusion these more affordable cans from Sennheiser are good for several things such as home listening and DJing. The only significant issue with these headphones is they would not be recommended for portable uses considering the length of the cord and their overall size. If I had to rate this headphone 1-10 it would get a solid 8.3. Unsurprisingly, the HD 215 again bests the HD 205 rather easily in this area. The HD 205 had a habit of being right up in my business, all the time. With the HD 215, I can breathe again.

The lows are a bit to be desired when paired with any media player/mp3 player (iPod, iPhone, etc.), but the mids and highs

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All testing was done with using my Zune 30 in an un-amped configuration. In this case, the output of the Zune was more than enough for my tastes, so no amp was necessary. Environments and surroundings include home, work (a quiet office), a commuter train, and public streets throughout Southern California. And while I would not describe the sound as warm or rich, I wouldn't exactly label it as being clinical either. It's very much middle-of-the-road, neither truly flattering, nor giving offense. And it is precisely because of this balance that the HD 215's mids are unexpectedly pleasant on multiple levels.

As one would expect, Sennheiser's typical quality standards were apparent right out of the box. For the most part, the unit is constructed of a matte-textured plastic. Exceptions to this are the metallic hinge caps, the epoxy model badges, and the glossy parts of the ear cups. The HD 215's soundstage is neither wide nor deep. Oddly enough, it's also not particularly close or intimate. Again, there's a very middle-of-the-road (or room) approach applied here. Most of the differences in function, usability and comfort have already been covered in the main review above (where the HD 215 won hands down), so this comparison will concentrate largely on SQ.If I had to make that choice, I will take the same, but if I have much more clearly I will budget for a higher range. If you would like to know my impressions of the HD 215 vs. something else in my inventory, just ask. =D