Sennheiser HD-515 Audiophile 500 Series Headphones
See it at Amazon.com for $88.58Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First
(3 out of 5)Sound great, but only if you're alone
These headphones sound great! The only problem is that everybody else around can hear them clearly. I don't mean just a little bit - I mean a lot. I wear headphones on a number of occasions:
1. Airplanes
2. At Work
3. At the gym
I tried these headphones on an airplane and found that they don't reduce outside noise at all. In fact, everybody else around me could hear them. It was distracting to them...I could see it in their evil glares! So I had to turn them down, but then I couldn't hear over the airplane noise. Too bad.
I tried them at work, but ran into the same problem. I would never try them at the gym. I'm not insane!
If I was single and never left my house, these headphones would be great. One side note: they require some power - iPods do not provide enough power to run them. I routinely found myself keeping the volume very close to max. Running them through a stereo amp worked much better.
For $100, I was a bit disappointed. But if you're alone and listen to headphones when no-one else is around, try these out. You'll need an amp!
Enjoy
(2 out of 5)not audiophile grade, not reliable
when i received my HD 515, I was excited, but after the initial test listen, I was not too happy.
overall speaking, the sound is good, but it's not good enough to worth almost 80 bux.
here is my detailed review:
1. high frequency response - good crisp sound, but it lacks detail and sound stage. the high notes sound "flat" and definitly not audiophile sound quality.
2. mid - good, but not great. the notes sounds sort of chopped up on mid-high frequencies. it lacks clarity and detail.
3. low frequency / bass response - the bass respons is not tight, and it sounds rather "loose." I tuned the low frequency (45 - 120) to +6 db for testing and the bass started to break up.
4. workmanship and build quality: i had the headphone for just a few weeks, and i found the connector is poorly constructed. the sound often go out in one ear, and if i jerk the cable, the sound will come back. the entire headphone is platic, and it doesn't look too durable.
bottom line. it's a good headphone, but i think i can get the same quality with a 40 dollar sony or JVC. this headphone in my opinion is over-priced and not so good sound quality.
not recommended.
(1 out of 5)Sennheiser HD-515 and a my experience with other headphones
HD-515 is an entry-level headphone to 500 series. It however fails its promise. the sound quality (especially the base is nasal) is not good over all. Being a 500 it has a design that makes it comfortable but the question you ask is that why is it so big in the first place? Even though I had reviews on it I'm of the opinion that for the less price you could get more or less the same quality. However hd-515's sisters are very different on the matters of quality. I do recommend buying one of its sisters hd-555 or hd-595, instead. If those are too expensive I would suggest buying hd-280 pro for just a little more.
Note that when you're reading reviews on headphones it is subjective for a great part. I will have to explain what my taste is before giving a review to hd-515. I like my headphones to be comfortable using it for hours in a row. 500 series have a good way of offering a design that assures a high level of comfort. I also wanted noise cancellation in the beginning when I bought my hd-280 pro. It doesn't really have noise cancellation but it is a sealed headphone. It means that blocks noise in virtue of sealing the area around your ears. I have found out (I might be wrong but in my experience) that noise cancellation works best for people around you and not you. It is not the case that just by putting one the headphones the noises inside would block all the noises outside - but that in high volumes you are surely to hear just your own sound (not your heart beat or your breathing but the sound generated by the headphone. Sealed headphones generally do the same thing (just put cups or your hands around your ears and you wouldn't hear sounds outside as well!). However that all comes at a cost. Sealed headphones are generally speaking lower in quality. Noise blocking works best for non-listeners unless the volume level is high. So if people around you have no problem with buzz sound of your music ("privacy" they call it) then go for open headphones. I wouldn't want to buy something that blocks the sound for the convenience of others! So I would buy open headphones and get advantage of better sound quality. Yet open does not mean that you can hear everything outside your cans and doesn't mean others could sit around you and listen!
My first headphones were sennheiser hd-280 pro a sealed headphones that are not very uncomfortable. I traded in because they weren't comfortable (and for mysterious reasons my ears were hurting). I didn't get a chance to burn the headphones and sold it as soon as I could -- headphones are like cars. You need to use it for a while to get a good sound and break it in so to speak. So don't be too disappointed in the beginning. I sold those headphones to my neighbor and he couldn't be happier. As I have said it is very subjective why some people like their headphones. I know that he is a gamer and his last headphone was broken. Other than that he has no preference on the comfortableness of the headphones. He had worn those for hours without any discomfort. Currently I have put an order for HD 595. I will write a very short review once I receive it.
(5 out of 5)Great headphones
I have had these for about a year now. I love them. They were $70 at the time and provide great quality audio. I use them in an office environement setup to a standard PC audio card. The sound is clean and crisp, while also providing good bass.
They are very comfortable to wear - I often find myself unknowningly wearing them after I've shut my music off.
I use these everyday.
(4 out of 5)Professional Audiophile Quality
These new model Sennheiser headphones HD-515 sound have a sound that has much depth and richness. There are no others in their price range that sound as good. These are really very comfortable, lightweight, and reasonably priced. They are easily adjustable to comfortably fit any type of head!. The quality of the HD-515 construction is an obvious upgrade when compared to many less expensive models of headphones. The headband pad on the HD-515 is a comfy foam padded cover. At 9oz the Sennheiser HD-515 headphones are fairly light-weight. The ear paddings are comfortably large and are made of soft velour. Long use comfort of the HD-515 is very high. Thanks to the new ultra-efficient drivers it doesn't take much amp power to drive these Headphones to give you a full loud sound. So they should work well with portable audio devices. They are perfect for the high demands of audiophiles who listen to CD,SACD,DVD Audio. Sennheiser is right to call the HD-515 audiophile quality. These headphones are also the first to incorporate a new feature that Sennheiser calls Eargonomic Acoustic Refinement system. Which slightly angles the acoustic baffle within each ear cup to assure that sound projects precisely parallel to the ear. This improved acoustic coupling is meant to help optimize the ergonomic participation of ears in the listening process. The bass is very clear and not muddy like some headphones in this price range. But it is not really deep sounding bass. Treble is sharp, crisp and clean,not too forward. For best results I really recommend giving any headphones a break in period of a minmum of 40 hours. After this break in period you will fully appreciate these headphones outstanding sound quality.