Sennheiser - Audiophile Over-the-Ear Headphones - Titan

While these are not the most expensive headphones out there, they're not exactly cheap either. The quality for the price is very good. If you're interested, watch for sales as these do go on sale from time-to-time. The headphones are comfortable with a reasonable weight. I feel fine wearing them for a long time, though I sometimes take them after a while as your ears/head start to feel warm after being sealed in by the ear-muff-like design. The padding on the headband and on the ear pads is pretty comfortable. The over-the-ear style is great for blocking out outside noise to a degree. The cord is easily removeable so that you can more safely pack the headphones for storage/travel (and it also allows you to buy and use cord if you damage the cord, that way you don't need to replace the whole headphone set). The sound quality is pretty good with a good range and decent bass production. There are more expensive headphones out there that produce better sound, but chances are that if you are not already used to those, these will sound quite good to you. The main point is that they deliver the right quality for the price. I have used the lower-tiered HD 280 at work for over a year before I bought these HD 558s. I've had it for a few months. I've never had any problem with either of them breaking or wearing out or anything, but then again, I'm not too rough on my stuff. I do carry this around in my backpack, and they had held up fine so far. One annoying thing is that the cord has a 6.35 mm jack. This is the larger "studio" kind of audio jack. It won't fit your phone, Nintendo 3DS, etc. However, it does include a 3.5 mm adapter, which will fit pretty much every device you have. The problem is that using the adapter makes the plug at the end of the cord a lot larger which is kind of annoying when you're using it with a protable device, like a phone or 3DS or something; it tends to get in the way. It's not an issue when you use it with something like your laptop. It does look like Sennheiser sells a replacement cord that has the 3.5 mm jack on it for $13 on their website. I'm not sure, because there's just a small picture and the size isn't specified, but I'm going to call and ask about it.

I love good sound. These were on a killer deal at about $80 for a daily deal on the app that I picked up on a whim a few days ago. I cannot stress how great these sound. On the box they are marked as the HD 558, which I have heard around town are some excellent cans at a great price, and I can now say that I believe the hype. I have been listening to many genres of music in my library and I am now able to pick out all of these subtleties in the music that I have never been able to hear before. The range of these are quite impressive, especially for anything you put on or in your ears that are under $200, let alone $100! The bass seems to be a reoccurring question that people are having about this set of headphones, and I can say that I am not a bass head, so I can't make a recommendation based on that mindset. I can confidently say as a person who loves electronic and hip hop music with lots of bass for extra goosebumps that this has pleasant bass response that doesn't hurt your ears or distort the sound at all. It's perfect for me in terms of the bass. I have only had these in my possession for under 12 hours now and I'm already super excited to break these in over time and hear the sound stage mature over time. These are OPEN BACK headphones, meaning that there is going to be more sound leaking out of the headphones than a normal set of buds or closed back headphones. This means that you will have a more expansive sound stage (with obvious sound leakage to others around you) that doesn't feel like it's being forced into your ear canals. This also means that the sound is more natural. I have had a set of the legendary Audio Technica ATH-M50s for several years as my primary set of cans for causal music listening and monitor headphones for my musical instruments and I can say with great certainty that these Sennheisers have a music more pleasant and immersive sound stage. Just the feel alone of the Sennheiser's plush velour ear cups going over your ears is an experience in itself. For gaming, it's also amazing! It gives a greater effect of "surround sound" when you're playing a FPS and helps to immerse you even more in the game and give you a better sense of character and audio placement in the world. I wore these on my head for several hours last night and this morning while trying them out and not once have I consciously felt them being on my head unless I thought about it. With the Audio Technicas, I would feel a definite level of ear and head fatigue after about an hour of having them on. As the Sennheisers break in even more, I feel like this will be much less of a concern, as they are lightweight, have great cushioning on the top of the head and the ear cups are great quality. If you're a fan of music or just want a great pair of cans for your use, I cannot recommend this product enough. It'll make you look at any other set of headphones under $200 with a critical mindset. Especially at $80, I'm feeling like these are the best and most practical deal that I have ever run across!

I bought my Sennheiser 558s on another site about 4 years ago. Since then, they have been my daily headphones. I wear them 6 to 8 hours a day while I work. My pair has thousands of hours of use and still sound great. I have replaced the ear cups and cable, though, both of which can be easily removed and replaced if needed. Pros 1. Removable cable and replaceable ear pads make repairing these things easy. 2. The sound is fantastic. The sub bass can get a little muddy (most open ear headphones are like this, it's the nature of the style) and the treble is a tad rolled off. However, the sound is warm and relaxed. I never get fatigued listening to these. 3. These are extremely comfortable. The headband and ear cups are foam covered in cloth. No leather. Ears stay cooler than over ear headphones with leather pads. 4. The impedance is low enough that most devices can drive these headphones pretty well. Cons 1. The cable is super long and annoying. You can buy replacements for it, though, so it's not a huge deal. Replacements must have the sennheiser locking mechanism built in. If you go this route, just search for sennheiser 558 replacement cable. Overall, I'm very happy with these. The sound quality is great for what they cost and the modularity helps keep them feeling new. Replacement pads and cables aren't too expensive. When treated right, these essentially last forever. They're not the best headphones ever made, but they're the best open ear headphones under $100 for sure. Please note that these are open ear headphones. Most headphones have a solid plastic or metal back. These have a wire mesh instead which means there is nothing but some magnets and some mesh between your ears and the outside world. Sound does leak out and sound will flow in. That is how they are designed and it's on purpose, not a flaw. If you don't need or want that, then don't buy these lol. It's not a con or a negative, it's just a matter of taste and choice. These aren't designed for airplanes, they're designed for your couch.

I use 3 different headphones on a regular basis. This is my most used pair, and I use it almost daily on my computer. The good: 1) Phenomenal sound. Really, the sound quality of these headphones is top notch. I'm sure you can pay hundreds more for some moderately better sound, but for the price, these headphones cannot be beaten. They do a more than adequate job of presenting you the music as it was intended to be heard. It's great for listening to literally any type of music. 2) Comfort - these are, by far, the most comfortable headphones I have ever used. I wear glasses, and use headphones sometimes hours on end (for class) and these are easily the most comfortable headphones I own. The bad: 1) The biggest negative is that this is "just" a pair of headphones. They do not have a microphone, so they are not something I use with my phone at all. 2) The cord that comes with these headphones is ridiculously long and comes with a (I believe) 6.35 mm jack, which doesn't fit most modern devices. The jack does come with a 3.5 mm connector piece which works, but it looks pretty funky. 3) There is some audio leakage. What that means is that if I were to wear these headphones in a noisy area they would not cancel out much of the noise, and other people would probably be able to hear what I'm listening to. For me, that's not a big deal because I use these exclusively on my computer - but that might be a deal breaker for some people. So, what I did was I purchased another audio cord which is shorter & does not require an additional piece to fit a 3.5mm jack (this is not hard to find or very expensive) and the problems with the cord length & size are mitigated. I really love these headphones - the amazing sound and comfort really trumps all else for me. If you have to have a microphone, or if you don't want to spend a few more dollars for another cord, you should look elsewhere, but otherwise I cannot recommend these headphones highly enough.

My over-the-ear headphones (a brand we all know pretty well) had poor connectivity at the auxiliary connection to the headphones, worsening to the point where they were no longer usable. Enter the Titan! I have had them for about a month and listened a lot, so now I'm ready to review. First, the price; it is simply TOO affordable not to buy a pair. Second, it's very much a Sennheiser product, a brand I've known for around 40 years and the quality of the Titans reflect that. Now the sound. These should not be confused with that familiar on-the-ear brand. These are "open-ear", which will let environmental sound into what you are listening to; these are NOT noise canceling in any way. Over-the-ear cans sound completely different, with more spatial distribution of the sound. I don't ascribe to the "burn in" theory, I believe your ears "learn" more than headphones "burn"; our opinions will vary here. That being said, these phones sound GREAT. Well mixed movies and videos come alive with these headphones. They feel solid on your head, and the build doesn't feel like cheap plastic to me. One drawback is the auxiliary cable. It comes with a large plug that has a 3.5 mm adapter. If you want a 3.5 mm cable, you're going to have to order one (Amazon $18.00--BOO); hence my 4-star rating. An upside is that the cable actually "locks" in the jack with a kind of threaded quarter turn, so the lack of connection I experienced with the other popular brand is non-existent. Said cable is pretty long as well. The more I listen, especially to familiar music, the more these babies revel to my ears. They are really more for home theater/PC use, but you could wear them outside for your phone; I just don't think that this model lends itself to that type of usage. You've read the reviews and most of us like these headphones. At the current sale price, they are a fantastic bargain. Do your own research and hopefully you will discover a great listening experience.

I picked a pair of these 558's when they were on sale for almost half off, they're excellent 'phones at retail, at the price I got them for they're absolutely amazing! What really impressed me was that they sound almost as good as my Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro 250 Ω... almost. These are an open-backed headphone so the sound stage is there, as is the clarity. The lows are not at deep as my DT880's but tight, mids are clean and not recessed to my ears, and the highs don't sound fatiguing like a number of open 'phones I've heard. These are really good, build quality is nice, plastic but nice. I love the fact the cable is detachable because it allows you options, options are good. I love the velour ear pads too, one of the reasons I always reach for my Beyerdynamic 'phones and I swapped on velours on my Sony MDR-7506 'phones as well, one of the first things I usually do on a new pair. I just prefer the feel and sound of the velour pads so it's nice that these come with a good pair of them. The headband is comfortable on my head and I can wear these for hours and forget they are clamped on. I am giving these 5 stars because they're great, though I would love to see them include one extra cable in the package, and that would be a shorter mobile type cable so I could use these easier with my Fiio X1 player. You're not going to go wrong with these cans if you know what an open backed headphone is and that's the sound you're looking for. If you're looking for stupid dope ridiculous bass, then go get some Beats and don't look at these... these are for people that like high quality audio and are likely to have a collection of FLAC Lossless files they plan to play through them, you know, audiophiles.

I mainly used these headphones while working at my desk listening to music or watching videos for long periods of time. I would recommend these headphones for its quality to price ratio. Build Quality 5/5 - The materials used still feels like as if I just bought them, even after one year of high usage. - The cushioned areas are made out of fabric so it will collect dust easily, but I haven't had any problems with them tearing up or anything yet. - A very sturdy pair of headphones, I can trust these to last quite some time. Sound Quality 4/5 - All sounds are crisp and clear in stereo when watching a movie, listening to music, or playing games for its price range. - These are open-back headphones so sound will leak out and is easily audible. - These headphones are not bass heavy so if your looking for something with a good amount of bass look else wear. Comfort 4/5 - The ear cuffs fit perfectly around my ear without causing any unwanted pressure, and its very comfortable to wear even with glasses on. - The overall headphones are lightweight and grasp the head firmly. - The audio cable sticks downward from the left headphone which can get slightly annoying, but it's not that big of a deal. - Ive used these headphones for 8-10 hours per session, after about 5-6 hours I start to get fatigued around the ear and it gets slightly warm and itchy.

Sound: Excellent overall. The base is quite adequate for a more balanced user, not for heavy base users. Points out the lacking COMPARABLE quality of downloaded tunes that one would not notice normally. (example, computer with good sound card, try CD vs song ripped from CD vs purchased download) However the headphones are still quite stellar for downloads. These are primarily for at home stereo with the long cord and standard larger jack, and the adapter is for computer and portable outputs, rather than the other way around. If one doesn't mind the inconvenience, the hookup for portables still allows an excellent listening experience. The open headphone allows for its speaker mechanisms to resonate more realistically. ( I also prefer to have some contact with my sound environment at home). For many, on the road use is going to be too frustrating and inconvenient and may not make up for the superior sound quality. The referred to "plastic structures" are more solid and stable than one might think