Sennheiser HD 497 - Any good?

Originally posted by NightRaven
Best entry level that is. They are superb headphones for the cost.
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I agree with that in general. Just don't expect it to be as refined as the higher-priced Senns, such as the new HD5#5 series and the HD580/600/650.
 
how well are they made? Are they going to fall apart in a few months or are they going to last me a few years, assuming normal wear and tear
 
Though at first glance they look kinda flimsy, mine actually seemed to be quite durable and are like new after about a year of use.
 
Mine looked new after my few months of use, but now that I have sold them, there is some visible paint chipping off (if you look closely). Overall, they are built very well.
 
Not only have I had mine for over a year, they've LANned with me the whole time... and they're in great shape.

There are some scratches and chips, but they're not bad and the headphones are still physically fine.

They sound great as well.
 
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After over a year of heavy use. Still pratically brand new.
 
I've had mine for over a year now as well, some paint may have chipped off, but they still work perfectly.
 
I've had a pair for 2 years and they're still running strong. I ran over the wire and destroyed it one time but ordered a replacement from sennheiser and got them in fairly fast. Definately a great pair of headphones and they can be found reasonably cheap if you look around.

O and does anyone else find that when they sit down at their computer they instinctively put their headphones on and sit there without actually having any sound go through them for about an hour and then finally notice they've been wearing them for no reason?
 
How good are 457 and 477? Are they better then regular headphones that cost like $15 dollars? I wanna know if they beat my Sony MDR G52... And I can't buy 497 around here. I live in Canada. Let me know if there's anywhere I can get 497, if it's worth it from 457 or 477.
 
I believe they are better, but you should definitely try and stretch your budget to fit the 497 if you can.
 
How far away from the boarder are you. If you are close just sneak into the U.S. and go to a bank to switch currentcy. Then stop at a Radioshack. But really any pair of Sennheisers are better than all Sonys below $80 and better than MOST Koss headphones.
 
Yeah I live pretty far from the boarder. Just to go for headphones is out of the question. I guess I'll just pickup the HD 457s...
 
Originally posted by Mojo
How good are 457 and 477? Are they better then regular headphones that cost like $15 dollars? I wanna know if they beat my Sony MDR G52... And I can't buy 497 around here. I live in Canada. Let me know if there's anywhere I can get 497, if it's worth it from 457 or 477.
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The 477s are ok for the price if you can't find the 497s. They are "bassy" though, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on your tastes.
 
Has anyone tried HD 200's? They aren't available in north america really it seems, but I found them at this website here in Canada.

They're the closed white ones seen here

$120 CAD, keep in mind I'm not spending $400 here ;)

I don't remember them being 64 Ohms, but I heard people liked them with their Ipods and Minidiscs so I don't think there was a problem with volume or anything, do you think there would be?

I mainly like the look/weight/response (even though I might not have an output down to that)/closed+good attenuation of sound

For gaming/music/monitoring recording/anything else
 
What exactly do you mean by "bassy". Do you mean all of the sounds have more bass? Or just deeper bass where it is supposed to be?
 
He means that the bass is louder than balanced sound should be. Have you ever tuened up the bass knob on a receiver or speakers or something? Same sound.
 
what you using it for? if its for home audio.. get HD-580... if its portability... get KSC-35
 
forgive me for being such a noob in this area...
i read something that said that a standalone amplifier was almost required for the 580's. is this really the case, or can they just be plugged straight into the computer (with acceptable output)?
 
Originally posted by hooting_monkey
He means that the bass is louder than balanced sound should be. Have you ever tuened up the bass knob on a receiver or speakers or something? Same sound.
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Can't you just use an equalizer to lower the bassy sounds? Like the 20-500hz range or whatever it may be?
 
Yes the 580's reqire an amp on pretty much anything. Yes you could turn down the bass on an EQ, but the rest of the frequentcies still aren't as good as the 497's.

Do you have a friend in the U.S.? If so pay him to order them in the U.S. Then have him ship them to you when he receives them.
 
are these better than the HD570's? Please only reply if you have heard both. I kinda like the HD570's, but need something for my secondary computer for friends to use. I can get some new 570's for almost the same price as the 497's. I mostly game, but also listen to a bit of music too.
 
How much worse are HD477 than HD497? I've never heard anything else except for cheap headphones, and these Sony MDRG52 Street Style headphones (Around ~$30 Canadian).
 
all i know is that ive had the 497s for over a year and love em (listening to them right now). the wire did break on me like it did to someone else and yest i had to replace it through sennheiser, which was a pain in the ass because replacement cords went out of stock for about a month right when i was trying to order one. ahh well, all good now.
 
The 477 sucks pretty bad... I dont know whats wrong with them but they tend to add a metal can effect to the sound.

I live in Edmonton, and I bought a set of the 497s from headphone.com a couple years ago (the 497 is not available to Canadian distributors...)

I had one hell of a time trying to get a replacement cord (it unplugs out of the ear pieces) because I lived in Canada. I ended up just running to future shop and picking up a pair of 477s because they use the same cord.

At home I use my HD650, but I like these for when I'm flying or somewhere on the run because they are very good on batteries.
 
I have 497s too. Had them almost two years and they still look and sound just as good as new. I REALLY like the sound of these phones but I've only used cheap ones to compare them too. For some reason the 497s aren't that comfortable on my head, I still find myself adjusting them frequently but it's not enough of an inconvenience to replace them with something else.

-Ace-
 
Originally posted by ctrudel
The 477 sucks pretty bad... I dont know whats wrong with them but they tend to add a metal can effect to the sound.
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Man, I just got these headphones today. You should be shot for dissing them so much. They are really good cans compared to my old ones. Any sennheiser model does not suck...
 
Originally posted by ctrudel

At home I use my HD650, but I like these for when I'm flying or somewhere on the run because they are very good on batteries.
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When you say you take them flying with you, does that mean that they can still block out outside noise relatively well? I was under the impression that open air headphones did pretty much absolutely nothing in this category. Have been thinking of getting these and will be taking a plane trip shortly, so it will be a factor.
 
Originally posted by Mojo
Any sennheiser model does not suck...
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This is a common misconception. There are a wide range of Sennheiser, ranging from stunning to lousy.

It's almost like the bizarro world where for example the "786" will be terrible, but the "785" will be fantastic. (Note: these models don't actually exist).
 
Ownage. Maybe not as good as the 497, but I've never heard them, so these are still the best I've ever heard by far :).
Besides, I think the leather pads on the 497's would drive me insane. Especially in the summer when everything gets right sticky. I live in Nova Scotia. And around here being very close to the Atlantic, high humidity is very very common in the summer.

Senn477.txt
 
I don't know if it's just these headphones, but the mid's and high's in some songs sound kind of, I don't know the word. Staticy seems to harsh a term? It's really only noticeable in "sss" sounds (which is high frequency, right?). It's mostly just when people are singing. Maybe it's the recording or mp3 quality level? Or is it my headphones? Or maybe this is how it's supposed to sound, and I've just been listening to shitty headphones that don't pick this up?

I just don't understand why it's in some songs and not others...

Anyone?
 
You just learned what one of the major caveats of those cans are...
they have a very Symblant top end. ;)
And yes Hark I always misspell that word. :p
 
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