Sennheiser HD 212 Lightweight Headphones (Silver)
CNET Editors' Review
CNET Editors' Rating
- Reviewed by: Steve Guttenberg
- Released on:
- Reviewed on:
The good: Designed for the DJ; comfortable over-the-ear construction; powerful bass.
The bad: Bass is better than midrange and treble.
The bottom line: If you love bass, you'll dig these 'phones.
As one might expect from DJ headphones, Sennheiser's $79 list HD212 Pro headphones are biased toward bass. Beyond that, DJs will appreciate their excellent attenuation of ambient noise and the soft, comfortable ear pads. Special features also include lightweight diaphragms with "turbine" embossing to produce extremely low bass, ear cups that can be removed from the headband, replaceable leatherette ear pads, and a 10-foot detachable, oxygen-free copper cable with 1/8-inch stereo minijack. A ... Expand full review
As one might expect from DJ headphones, Sennheiser's $79 list HD212 Pro headphones are biased toward bass. Beyond that, DJs will appreciate their excellent attenuation of ambient noise and the soft, comfortable ear pads. Special features also include lightweight diaphragms with "turbine" embossing to produce extremely low bass, ear cups that can be removed from the headband, replaceable leatherette ear pads, and a 10-foot detachable, oxygen-free copper cable with 1/8-inch stereo minijack. A 1/4-inch home stereo adapter and a two-year warranty are also included.
To test the 212s' bass definition, we demoed Morphine's The Night CD and quickly learned that these headphones can boogie. The bass went really low, showing tightness and definition. We compared the 212s to all of the other headphones in our stockpile, and this model was the bass champ. But man cannot live by bass alone, so we next tried an a cappella CD by the Persuasions, and the 212s thinned out the group's rich voices. Also, Rosanne Cash's 10 Song Demo CD was too thick and warm for our tastes. The sound wasn't as smooth as that of most regular home-stereo headphones.
Musical naturalness may not be this headphone's forte, but it kills with all sorts of dance and hip-hop music. Movies sounded great too; the pounding surf on the Blue Crush DVD made a big impact on our eardrums, and old favorites such as Fight Club revealed minuscule details and new secrets. Hide Review
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Ex-movie theater projectionist Steve Guttenberg has also worked as a high-end audio salesman, and as a record producer. Steve currently reviews audio products for CNET and works as a freelance writer for Home Theater, Inner Fidelity, Tone Audio, and Stereophile. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET.
User Reviews
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Most Helpful User Review
stars 3 of 3 users found this review helpful
"Sennheiser's best headphones without a ridiculous price" By
Pros Price: I got them from Amazon for $30 after rebate. Sennheisers for $30? That's a steal. Bass: LOTS of bass, it might be too much for some types of music as it drowns out the highs sometimes. Flexibility: You can detach wires, cups, making it somewhat por
Cons The bass is a little overpowering on certain music, but if you're into music with a lot of bass i.e. hip hop or dance, it's great (they made it for DJs)
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Specifications
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- Headphones Type: Headphones
- Design: Ear-cup
- Weight: 0.3 lbs
