Good headphones for such a low price.

I purchased these headphones when I got to the point that I could not stand using the earbuds I had been using anymore.  Unfortunately, my budget at the time was very low, so I needed to find something that sounded good but was still very affordable.

Sennheiser is a brand that I trust when it comes to audio.  I owned a pair of their higher end headphones until they were stolen last year, and I adored them.  While browsing around, I noticed these Sennheisers for just under $20, and I decided to give them a try.  They definitely seemed to be more promising than the other options in the price range, and I was desperate.

Upon opening the box, I examined them.  Though made primarily of plastic, the HD201s are pretty attractive.  They are black with silver on the backs of the cans and very smooth.  The cans themselves can rotate a little in each direction, allowing them to fit nearly any head.  They are also adjustable, so they can be adjusted to fit a larger head.  I find that they fit me perfectly out of the box.  There is a strip of padding along the top to protect your head from the hard plastic, and this also helps to keep them in place. They sit snugly on my head without being tight or squeezing.

The cans are circumaural and very well padded.  They are deep enough that they do not press against your ears when on, which is a huge plus for me.  They are shaped well for my small ears, and no part of the can touches my actual ear.  I have worn them for three hours with no pain and minimal discomfort.  Like all other enclosed cans, your ears can get hot after wearing them for an amount of time, but that is easily remedied by taking a few short breaks.

The HD201s come with a 10 foot cable.  This is nice for when you're using them at home, but if you, like me, also want to be able to wear them out of the house while walking or biking, you might want to keep a twist-tie to wrap some of the extra length up.  The cord attaches to each can and connects in a Y.  It feels decently sturdy and connects to your device with a gold-plated 1/8" mini jack, which is standard on most mp3 players and devices. 

I let the headphones play overnight, allowing them to "burn in" so I could get a good feel for their sound.  I listened to several songs from many genres before forming an opinion.

While these HD201s cannot touch the higher end Sennheisers in sound quality, for the price, they sound pretty darn good!  The midrange sounds are especially nice - balanced and clear.  The bass is a bit softer than I'd like, but it is still there.  The high end is decently clear, though somewhat sibilant at times.  I heard all of the little touches that you miss when you listen to most low end headphones or earbuds.

The closed in cans provide a decent amount of sound isolation.  While you can still hear a bit of outside sound, they do better than you'd expect from the price. 

One complaint that some people might have is that they aren't super loud.  However, I feel that they are loud enough, and due to the design of the cans, you don't have to have it turned up to full volume to really HEAR your music.

While I still miss my high end headphones, I think these HD201s are a very good product.  I don't think you can get better sound from such a cheap headphone.  I recommend these to anyone who wants good sounding closed ear headphones on a tight budget.