Sennheiser EH 250

...
(Taken from the Sennheiser Website)


'~~Pros~~'
• Value for money / Price
• High quality bass sound
• Eye-catching, comfortable design
• Good noise reduction

'~~Cons~~'
• Mid-range clarity
• Long cable not really suitable for portable use


¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•Setting the Scene•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
.../> I was familiar with Sennheiser from advertisements and friends who highly recommend them for their quality and affordable price tag. Immediately I visited the Sennheiser website (www.sennheiser.co.uk) to have a peek at their product range and I was pleasantly surprised. The site was well designed and easy to navigate, with numerous styles of headphone on hand, ready for scrutiny. From this I was able to narrow down the style of headphone I sought ... more

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•Summery•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
If you want great sound for your money, you can't go wrong with Sennheiser. And they have done it again with the Evolution series, eH 150, 250 and 350. The eH 250 brag fine German design, style and sound quality at an affordable price. Aimed towards the users of decks, instruments, sound equipment, indoor entertainment systems and computers, these vibrant hi-fi stereo headphones have a balanced sound image and high quality bass response.

'~~Features~~'
• Closed, supra-aural, dynamic hi-fi stereo headphones
• Good attenuation of ambient noise
• Powerful neodymium magnets and lightweight diaphragms for a powerful bass response and well-balanced treble
• Extremely comfortable to wear due to ultra-lightweight design, even for extended listening
• Rugged outdoor design with extremely flexible headband
• 3m highly conductive OFC copper cable
• Replaceable leatherette ear pads and cable for long service life
• 2-year guarantee
To find out what all this means in terms of usability and functionality, keep reading.

'~~Technical Information~~'
I know many people will not need this, I thought I should add it for those who know what it all means and would like to critically compare the headphones with others.
• Jack plug 3,5/6,3 mm stereo
• Nominal impedance 32 Ohm
• Weight w/o cable ca. 130 g
• Transducer principle dynamic, closed
• Ear coupling supra-aural
• Cable length 3 m
• Frequency response (headphones) 14.....19000 Hz
• THD, total harmonic distortion <0,2 %
• Sound pressure level (SPL) 112 dB(SPL)

'~~Delivery Includes~~'
• 1 eH 250
• 1 adaptor to 1/4" (6.3mm) stereo jack

(Taken from the Sennheiser Website)

'~~Pros~~'
• Value for money / Price
• High quality bass sound
• Eye-catching, comfortable design
• Good noise reduction

'~~Cons~~'
• Mid-range clarity
• Long cable not really suitable for portable use

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•Setting the Scene•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
I am very in to my music, playing instruments from a young age, the main one now being the drums. I wanted a pair of headphones, which was able to give me high quality sound, not only for when listening to music, but also for picking up those little beats in the background when playing along or learning a song. At first I was willing to spend the money as long as I got the quality, however, I had also just started my 2nd year of university and knew all too well that a new, classy pair of headphones wouldn't last long! I researched magazines, websites and delved deep into my friend's brains to get as much information as I could, ensuring I got best possible headphones for the circumstances.

Everyone knows if you want quality headphones there are certain brands to look out for; a couple of examples could be Shure, Etymotic and AKG…ah yes, quality assured, the problem being the lovely three digit, no decimal prices they put on their labels. This was exactly what I was trying to avoid, I didn't want to spend a hefty sum of money for some "very important person" who thinks they ought to have a pair and 'accidentally' slip them off my ears, into their bag and beat a hasty retreat. So I decided to look else where.
I was familiar with Sennheiser from advertisements and friends who highly recommend them for their quality and affordable price tag. Immediately I visited the Sennheiser website (www.sennheiser.co.uk) to have a peek at their product range and I was pleasantly surprised. The site was well designed and easy to navigate, with numerous styles of headphone on hand, ready for scrutiny. From this I was able to narrow down the style of headphone I sought after, equipped with sufficient information for further investigation.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•Features and Design•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
I chose the eH series for several reasons. I was attracted by the good attenuation of ambient noise, comfort and their ultra-light weight, all very important for my situation.

'~~Ear Pads~~'
The cans have been expertly designed. Featuring slightly larger ear pads than many supra-aural (portable style) models, the flat, padded surface is large enough to lie lightly on the outer parts of the ears giving a secure, comfortable fit. This small circum-aural design style helps with noise reduction, ensuring every single decibel of the quality sound produced is directed straight toward your ear drum.

'~~Headband~~'
Keeping weight to a minimum, Sennheiser have produced the headband from plastic. Although this may make them sound cheap, it actually helps give formidable strength, durability and flexibility. The addition of a large, elongated foam pad also provides the headband with maximum comfort. With these characteristics, the headphones are ideal for extended listening, not always possible with circum-aural designs.

'~~Earpiece~~'
The earpieces are easily adjusted thanks to an intelligent fixture devise, which is composed of small, rounded clips that travel a groove in the headband. This also allows you to remove the earpieces from the headband for storage purposes.

'~~Cable~~'
The three meter long Y-type cable is attached to both earpieces via 3.175mm mono mini-plug and a 3.175mm (standard portable player size) jack-plug at the other end. This allows the cable to be replaced if faulty. A 3.175mm to 6.35mm adapter is also included in the package, allowing the cans to be used with Hi-Fi's, decks and sound equipment etc.

'~~Speakers~~'
The speakers boast powerful neodymium magnets and lightweight diaphragms to bestow a powerful bass response, although the mid-ranges are slightly outclassed and appear fairly reserved alongside. The speakers perform ideally with rock, rap or funk styles music with the bass providing that extra kick.

The eH 250 also come with 2 year guarantee.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•Packaging•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
The headphones are enclosed in a transparent plastic box, with a multicoloured card backing. The headphones are draped over some additional card, displaying them in their natural shape and with "Powerful Bass Response" written on the front. There is also a thin strip of blue card which encompasses the whole package, with the manufactures logo and name, Sennheiser. On the reverse side of the casing you can see through the plastic to the wire and jacks. Product information is also displayed.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•Price•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
The price of these headphones can vary tremendously. I had a good mull over the internet and browsed high street shops to find the cheapest and most reliable retailer to buy from. Remember that I bought them last summer, so some of these prices may not be up to date. Currys Digital sold them for £30 in shop, however I could not find them at their online store. On the Sennheiser website, they redirect you to Sound and Vision Online (http://www.soundandvisiononline.com/moreinfo/index.asp?product_id=9160) and cost £44.99. I searched several other sites from Google, but finally purchased from good old, reliable Amazon for a price of £25.99, with free delivery. Amazon sellers also sell it for £24.95, though a delivery charge is added.
As I said, I did purchase my pair several months ago, so you may now be able to buy them cheaper if you shop around carefully first.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•Testing•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
As soon as they arrived, I ripped them open and plugged them into my computer to test against a variety of different media.

'~~Music~~'
I made sure I played a wide varity of music genres to see how they delivered changing levels of bass and mid-ranges. The songs included some acoustic Dashboard Confessional, bass heavy Nickelback, electric Imogen Heap, a number of Lord of the Rings tracks and a couple from the Ministry of Sound Annual 2002. I was first over awed with the punchy bass produced, giving a great depth to every song. The mid-ranges were pretty good with most songs, though they seemed slightly muffled compared to the bass on some, almost as if Sennheiser were trying to hide the modest mid-range clarity.

'~~Movies~~'
When testing the headphones on movies, I decided to go for an epic film, Gladiator. The film boasts breath-taking sound tracks and a diversity of scenes perfect for sound testing. The lower bass sounds of the fight scenes and voices where delightfully emphasised to give a real life recreation, with the trebles also sounding clear. The mid-ranges where less detailed in some areas, however this did not influence the film excessively.

'~~Gaming~~'
I chose two games that I am familiar with, Battlefield 2 and Neverwinter Nights. I was really pleased with the powerful base and surround sound feeling when playing Battlefield 2, adding depth to all the gunshots and explosions. I did miss the mid-ranges a little when listening out for detailed movements, such as enemy footsteps and movements however the sound was overall very crisp. The sound balance on Neverwinter Nights was not as critical as it is more of a role playing game, however the treble and mid-range were decent enough.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•Advantages•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
I cannot emphasise enough the beauty and power of the bass these speakers possess. And even though the mid-ranges are slightly muffled, at £25 they have startling sound quality.
The modern design is eye-catching and practical, providing comfort even when listening for extensive time periods. The ear pad size and style, a combination of supra-aural and circum-aural, provides high comfort and good noise reduction whilst enclosing your ear to direct the sound.
Once again, the value for money is second to none (apart from maybe the Sennheiser PX 100 for portables), a first-class product at low cost. The package includes a generous length of cable, ideally used with decks, instruments, sound equipment, indoor entertainment systems and computers, with either a 3.175 or 6.35 jack.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•Disadvantages•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
I t is fair to say, you get what you pay for, so there was bound to be a handful of disadvantages, though these are relatively minor.
The key imperfection of the eH 250s is the slight lack of mid-range clarity, which can be disappointing when listening to intricate musical compositions.
The fixture ball joint arrangement in earpiece could become ineffective from wear if continuously re-attached. Thus far I have not perceived any problems, however with 6 months of use I have only ever re-attached the cans twice.
Another obvious disadvantage with most headband style cans is the issue of comfort when wearing glasses. However, all headband designs with supra-aural or circum-aural earpieces are going to cause problems, which is something you have to take into account when choosing the style you fancy.
Another small problem with the speakers I should mention is when used with portable players. As there is such a generous length of wire at 3m long, you may find you can't find anywhere to put it all and end up looking like something out of a Si-Fi film.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•My Opinion - What More Can I Say?•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Overall I am delighted with the headphones. You get great sound, style and comfort for your money, very important when a student. Also, although I would not like it to happen, I would not be so upset if they were stolen or broken, compared with if I had blown all my funds on a pair of cans with superior sound quality throughout the entire audio spectrum.
Although I may not possess the finest possible headphones, they are not far off and to be honest, I was rather persuaded by the humane price tag, which I feel justifies my decision.
From the Sennheiser website:
The eH 250 closed dynamic hi-fi stereo headphones have a balanced sound image with a slight emphasis on the bass response. DJs will like their excellent attenuation of ambient noise, the soft, comfortable ear pads and easily replaceable cable.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨˜"°º•۝•Links•۝•º°"˜¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
http://www.sen nheiser.co.uk/ - product

Pictures taken from Head Room.
 

...less