Sennheiser HD 497 Consumer Headphones

Pros: Superb sound quality - Bargain price - long cord
Cons: Very uncomfortable for extended listening sessions

(Update) 6/5/05 Well, I've been living with (and listening to) these headphones on a daily basis since this review was originally written. The sound quality continues to please me but the comfort hasn't really improved. I thought, perhaps, with use, ...

Pros: Best value in its class! Long cable.
Cons: Could be more comfortable, ugly, some cable problems, long cable.

For many years, the only headphone an audiophile could love in this price range was the Grado SR-60. I owned the SR-60 for years and used it daily as my primary headphone. It was a great headphone for the money, but it had a number of shortcomings that ...

Pros: excellent sound, easy to drive, comfortable
Cons: bulky for portable use, 3m cord an be a pain

I've been using the Senn 497's for about a month now, as a portable phone for listening while laying around soaking up sun at a local pool. I paid $34.99 at a local Circuit City for an opened package. Everything about the phones looked brand new and...

Pros: Good value, good low-power performance, comfortable
Cons: Double-sided cord, almost too accurate, not quite portable

I fall somewhere on the realistic end of the audiophile spectrum, nearer planet Earth than those ethereal regions inhabited by folks who are always going on about "timbre" and "imaging", et cetera. I don't know a lot about sonics, but I know what I...

Pros: Small and light, superb sound reproduction
Cons: Frame and size altering is a *little* cheap

After comparing these earphones with several others, both with higher and lower price tags, I ...

Pros: Excellent audio quality, extremely accurate, very light, comfortable
Cons: A bit bulky, questionable build quality

Up until recently, the best speakers I had were the ones in my iMac, Harman/Kardon Odyssey Audio speakers. I had done a lot of research on what headphones were good for a spectrum of music. Not just pop, not just classical, but a wide range of listening ...

Pros: Bright yet accurate treble, lightweight
Cons: Tight fit, restricted bass response

I purchased some HD 570's a while back and just could not believe how poorly sounding these headphones were, and for the first time the Sennheiser name had been 'compromised'(some of you may have read that review!!). Still I persevered and after doing...

Pros: Impressive sound
Cons: Cannot adjust head-squeeze, feels shabby

I've owned Sennheiser headphones of one sort or another for a little over 20 years, starting with a pair of 414s.

I got the 497s out of curiosity, more than anything else. I prefer flat earcushions (supra-aural?) to the around-the-ear...

Pros: Great sound for the money Can be driven off of a portable
Cons: Could be more comfortable Really need an amp to shine

I bought these for my Rio Volt SP250 portable. I am very picky about speaker/headphone quality and find these to be outstanding considering the source and the ... price. You can get better sound but be prepared to pay three times as much to do it, and...

Pros: Incredible sound, decent construction, not too expensive.
Cons: Very long cord. Does not taste good.

Bottom Line: Awesome headphones, best I've heard so far. Definitely worth the price, and completely changes the music you've been listening to. Great highs, good mids, incredibly clear bass. Good construction, plastic but solid. Good ...

Pros: Excellent sound quality.
Cons: Poor recordings easily exposed. Plastic build quality.

I was hesitant purchasing another pair of Sennheisers after the poor experience I endured with the HD490s. I am pleased to say that the HD497s have restored my faith in Sennheiser once again. These headphones are just sensational for the price.
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Pros: Good overall budget performer
Cons: A tad too dry/shy, for my taste at least

The cans are stylish and very light, if you want them for portable use, they are worth giving a try. The fit and finish is typical Senn', with a nice choice of texture and colors. You won't look like a WWII secret agent broadcasting in Morse. The ...

Pros: Cheap, powerful bass, accurate sound
Cons: Long chord, cheapish build, looks weird

Well, I researched headphones for a couple of weeks, and eventually narrowed it down to two pairs of Sennheiser cans. This was one of them. My parents got this one for me because it was a lot cheaper. When I first put them on, they didn't fit my head ...

Pros: Superb sound quality, comfortable for short sessions
Cons: Uncomfortable for longer sessions, seemingly flimsy, no volume control, long cord gets tangled

I've only used these headphones for a few days, but they do sound terrific. As surely has been stated, these headphones will allow you to hear things you hadn't heard before in your music. In terms of MP3 quality, you'll be able to tell the difference ...

Pros: Excellent sound for any headphone under $120, Very easily powered for open design.
Cons: Highs seem harsh, but I have been diagnosed to hear higher frequencies than average human...

I bought these headphones off of e-bay new in box. I have been using some Sony MDR-CD60's, that I found, for almost two years. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! The minute i plugged them in to my crappy sound blaster pc128 they made my music come alive! I had to...