Sennheiser HD 505

Introduction

Everyone has to begin somewhere, and where Sennheiser is concerned, the HD 505 is your gateway to audiophile sound.

It’s not just those who listen to music that Sennheiser is looking to ensnare. If you’re a gamer or you watch films and TV shows on your laptop (or other mobile device), then Sennheiser wants you.

Sennheiser is one of the few brands that’s synonymous with headphones – wireless, true wireless, in-ears, – can the HD 505 be counted among its best?

Design

• Open-backed
• Detachable earpads
• Lightweight design

The Sennheiser HD 505 are, and this will sound odd, an almost unremarkably comfortable pair of headphones.

The 237g weight is lighter than most is lighter than most wireless headphones. The synthetic velour earpads act as a soft cushion against the head and while the seal they create isn’t the tightest, the benefit is that the clamping force isn’t too tight (at least for me).

It’s not as if Sennheiser has done anything special to create this sense of comfort, but maybe that’s part of the trick. They’re comfortable in the most anonymous way.

My ears haven’t felt warm during use and there’s room enough (for my big ears) to feel cosy inside. The headband ensures the headphones never feel as if they’re literally weighing you down, and there’s decent give and flex so they should be able to fit a wide range of heads. The adjustable slider isn’t a stepless one, so it does make some noise when changing the position.

The HD 505 is an open-backed model, which means the cans let the sounds of what’s around you in but they also leak what you’re listening to. The benefit of an open-backed pair is that the soundstage is wider, and arguably the sound is more natural than closed-back headphones.

There isn’t much leakage of sounds that I’ve noticed, but these would be headphones you’d wear in the comfort of your own home (or somewhere quieter) rather than on public transport.

The headphones come with a detachable 1.8m cable (almost as tall as me), with a twist and unlock mechanism to keep the cable attached. They’re not collapsible and there’s only a few degrees of swivel possible to get a better fit on your head. A 6.3mm adapter is included to connect to other hi-fi kit, and there’s a drawstring pouch to transport these cans.

The look of the headphones, from the slim earcups, to the mostly black frames doesn’t shout “look at me”, the aesthetic is low key. But they feel well built despite the mostly plastic frame, the copper styling does at least make it different from the HD 550. The earpads can be swapped out and you can add different cables but these are optional extras and not included with the headphones.

Specification

• Wide frequency range
• High impedance
• 38mm transducers

Sennheiser describes the frequency range as extending from 12Hz – 38.5kHz. As you can no doubt guess, that’s massive – more than a human being’s hearing range – but like the old saying “put good in, get good out”, having that extended frequency range should help these over-ear cans deal with lows and highs with more clarity, detail, and presence.

The nominal impedance of 120 ohms suggests a pair of headphones that’s more in line with hi-fi kit than mobile devices. If you do intend to use the headphones with a mobile device, you might want to consider using a DAC.

Total harmonic distortion is rated at less than 0.2%, so distortion and noise should be microscopic with these headphones.

The dynamic transducers (or drivers to you and me) are 38mm in size, the same as the HD 550 model. You could practically think of these headphones as being the same as the HD 550, the difference is that the HD 505 can’t reach lows as deep and falls slightly short of achieving the same highs with the frequency range.

Sound Quality

• Warm sound signature
• Great with vocals
• Smooth treble response

I’ve seen it stated online that these headphones are “neutral” and “analytical” in tone. Let me get it out of the way that that’s not what I’m hearing from these headphones. Balance? Yes. Neutral and analytical? Not quite.

Maybe my ears have finally gone pop, but armed with a Lenovo IdeaPad S540 and Chord Mojo 2, plus access to Qobuz and Tidal music streaming services; what I hear could be described as more of a warmth to the Sennheiser HD 505’s sound – and it’s a very appealing warmth.

The soundstage doesn’t feel the widest to my ears, but it is confidently spacious; the headphones’ imaging uses up all available space within the soundstage. You’re met with a wall of sound with vocals planted right in the middle, the size and scale of the soundstage is one of the best takeaways from the HD 505 compared to wireless headphones.

It’s vocals where the Sennheiser showcases its best asset. Whether it’s The Kooks’ Naïve, Sufjan Suran’s Chicago, Sabrina Carpenter’s Manchild or Aja Monet’s Why My Love; it’s a treat to listen to people’s voices with these headphones. There’s a naturalism, clarity, insight and presence to vocals that makes them a highlight of any song I listen to. Even better is hearing harmonies through the HD 505 which sound strong and melodic.

In fact, the clarity of voices seems so strong that instruments don’t seem to receive the same level of attention. Vocals seem to have received most of the fanfare, instruments don’t sound as detailed or defined, the Sennheisers aren’t the most insightful in that respect.

Low frequencies are strong – the bass in the opening of Jay Z and Alicia Keys’ Empire State of Mind hits hard, but this isn’t always the case with every track. There’s an interesting balance Sennheiser seems to be aiming for with the low frequencies – there’s punch but there’s also a richness, and power to take in, but the bass never takes over proceedings and becomes the focus.

There are times when the headphones don’t quite deliver on the bass expected. The Prodigy’s Spitfire has good bass but there’s a lack of punch, depth, and aggression that the track seems to be calling out for.

Despite that, there’s decent snap and punch to Bon Jovi’s Runaway – I really enjoy the way the Sennheiser translates the energy and momentum of that track.

Highs are clear and smoother than I had expected going in. There’s not the level of brightness, sharpness or even variation to treble notes but the top end of the frequency is clear and sounds natural. Sennheiser is going for a non-fatiguing treble performance and I think they’ve reached that goal, even if treble lacks a degree of bite to it.

The Sennheiser HD 505 manages to be good with both slow-tempo and quick tracks, while The Rings of Power soundtrack sounds gorgeously lush through these headphones. To my mind that smooth, slight warmth of these headphones sound profile doesn’t reveal all the detail within the track. It does mean that it avoids becoming a clinical, dry listen.

For gaming and watching TV series/movies, it’s not completely the same experience as it is listening to music. The clarity and spaciousness the headphones offer is above board, it’s – and this might sound strange – a calming, and less exuberant sound. It’s the type of easy-going sound that’s great for podcasts, but the lack of low frequency energy robs games, films and TV of energy.

These are a fun, balanced and slightly warm pair of headphones that are gifted with an excellent vocal performance. As an entry-level pair, the Sennheiser HD 505 are an enticing pair of open-backed over-ears.

Should you buy it?

FAQs