Buy Sennheiser HD 497 Dynamic Hi-Fi Headphones (Silver)Sennheiser HD 497 Dynamic Hi-Fi Headphones (Silver) Product Description:
- Open-Aire dynamic hi-fi stereo headphones (open-ear design eliminates undesirable resonances)
- Lightweight and comfortable, ergonomic design
- Extended frequency response and warm, natural sound reproduction
- High-efficiency drivers--great for use with portables
- Detachable, 9-foot OFC copper cord
Product Description
2/8/200615-19-33...
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
252 of 258 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent sound and value
By Arman Harutyunyan
I've been shopping for a medium to high quality pair of headphones for a while now. There are many high-end audiophile grade headphones that sound better than most $5000 speakers, but most of these headphones are too expensive for my budget (most cost $200 or more). I was looking for something around $50. After doing lots of research on the internet, I've narrowed my choices down to 4 pairs of headphones: Sennheiser HD497, Koss Pro 4AA, Grado SR60 and Sony MDR-V300. All of these headphones are within the $$$ range.
The first pair I auditioned, Koss Pro 4AA produced excellent sound all around (they have an unbelievable frequency response of 10-25,000). However, their weight was as formidable as their sound - I couldn't wear them for more than 20 minutes at a time, my ears would begin sweating from the rubber ear pads and my neck would begin hurting from the weight.
The Sony MDR-V300 is a much more comfortable pair of headphones; they also look much cooler than the 70's-style Koss. However, their sound was no comparison to Koss - Sony had a very nice bass, but overemphasized treble and lacked any midrange.
The choices came down to Sennheiser and Grado. Both of these brands are well known for their excellent headphones, and both models I picked lived up to their reputation. Both headphones sounded very similar listening to rock and pop tracks. Grado handled classical music and jazz slightly better, while Sennheiser sounded better with techno and trance. In the end, Sennheiser's super-sexy futuristic look swayed me in.
The HD497 are one of the best headphones I've heard - much better than any "generic" headphones you may own, and even better than $$$ Sony MDR-V700DJ. The highs (treble) on these headphones are well defined and absolutely clear, the mid-range is warm (but not colored) and pleasant to listen to, and the lows (bass) is very tight and hard-punching (despite the fact that HD497 is rated down to 24Hz, 4Hz short of the theoretical limit of human hearing).
The headphones produce very little to no coloration - they don't enhance any of the frequencies, so what you hear exactly what is being passed to the headphones. You will hear new things from your CDs and mp3s, but be aware - unless your mp3s are encoded in high resolution (192kbps or higher), you'll also notice any encoded defects and blemishes that are characteristic of low quality mp3s. (You probably won't notice a difference between a 128kbps and a 190kbps mp3 on cheap "generic" headphones, but the HD497 will make these differences very clear once you give them a listen).
These headphones are very efficient - you can play them loud using a regular portable CD player. However, you will notice great improvement (and be able to play them VERY LOUD) if you play them using an audio receiver or a dedicated headphone amp (which I don't have). I've found that my Creative Audio's Live! Drive's front end headphone plug produces the best results.
They are very comfortable to wear; I've been listening to them for 3 or 4 hours at a time without getting tired. Because they are "open" headphones, there is plenty of air circulation, so your ears won't get sweaty. On the negative side, you won't be isolated from outside noise, and others won't be isolated from your music - you share whatever you're listening to with people around you (unless you listen on the quietest levels).
All in all, these headphones are definitely worth the $$$ price tag.
92 of 94 people found the following review helpful.Phones to Match the Rest of Your Stereo
By Patrick Shepherd
As I'd been using my Koss Pro4A's for almost thirty years, and the poor things were literally falling apart, I figured it was time to get a new set of decent headphones. I looked over the reviews of various ones here, tried out some down at the local electronics store, and finally found these.
The first item that distinguishes these headphones from the run-of-the-mill sets is their ability to block external noise, without being super-heavy, super-sized, or squashing my oversized dumbo-like ears flatter than pancakes. These work so well at this job that I found they work well as studio earphones, allowing me to really hear what I truly sound like. It's almost impossible to do this without first recording yourself and then playing it back, as your ears are normally subjected to multiple feedback paths, both external and internal. With these phones, the external influence is almost totally blocked, allowing me to perceive very close to the reality of my own voice in real time.
The second exceptional attribute is their light weight, important to me as I only have about three hairs left on top of my head to serve as a cushion. Compared to my old phones, I can wear these many hours longer without feeling like someone is holding a hot brick on top of my head. The earcups make a tight, firm clamp around my ears without causing either frictional or pressure irritation, something I could not say about my old phones. Some people may not like this tight feeling, though, especially those used to today's "open" style low quality phones.
Third is the full sound and exceptional frequency response of these phones. I have tried them on everything from Beethoven to Pink Floyd, and find that for all these forms of music everything is clear from the very low bass regions to super-high violin harmonics, with no one frequency range inordinately emphasized or diminished. Sennheiser lists a specification of 24 - 22000 Hz as the frequency response range, I spec I would normally look at with a jaundiced eye, as few phones really deliver more than about 30 -15000, but after listening to these, I believe it.
The long cord on these phones is also nice, allowing to move almost anywhere in the room without suddenly getting them yanked off my head when I run out of rope.
And finally there is the price. I would expect these phones to sell for much more than they do, and they are clearly superior to some that I have tried that sell in the multi-hundred dollar range. These are clearly a 'best buy' for those who are looking for high quality, eminently wearable headphones and a great listening experience.
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful.
Very good sound, lightweight, and easy to drive...
By A. Louie
I was looking for a good set of headphones for my portable MiniDisc player. After doing some research, I decided to try the HD 497's. Overall, I found them to be a very good headphone for the money. They are very efficient and even with the low output from my Sony MiniDisc player, I found that turning the volume up half way was enough to produce sound at moderate levels. I listen to mostly jazz and vocals, so bass is not as critical for me- but I did try out some dance music with lots of bass, and found that these phone have quite a bit of bass. Overall, when compared to my HD600's (Sennheiser's most highly praised headphones), I'd say these give you about 75% of the performance at 30% of the price! Bass could be a little better controlled and a little deeper, and vocals don't have the pinpoint imaging of higher cost headphones, but the sound is still very enjoyable.
In terms of ergonomics, these headphones do hurt my ears a bit. Although the padded ears make it semi-comfortable for me, I have large ears and the left phone presses against the cartilage about a half inch above my earlobe. Not a sharp pain, but a dull pain more like a bruise and gets a bit irritating after a about 30-45 minutes of use. I think this may be an issue with me because open headphones(with the sponge type earpads that rest on your ears) irritate the same part of my ear as well. Also, since I use only for portable listening, the 9' cord is too long for a portable use and needs to be tied up.
So here is how I would rate:
Comfort- 6/10- comfortable except for the one sore spot for meSound- 8/10- decent bass and mids- not bright like some other headphones at this priceWeight- 10/10- very lightweightEfficiency- 10/10- more efficient that any of the Sony or Koss headpones I've tried.Quality- 10/10- seem to be well built and well designedValue- 10/10- best sounding phones I've tried at this price point
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