Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8878 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Sennheiser
• Model: HD 485
• Published on: 2005-03-01
• Released on: 2006-07-10
• Dimensions: 4.00" h x 10.00" w x 9.00" l, .49 pounds

Manufacturer's Description
The Sennheiser HD 485 Headphones are open, circumaural stereo headphones with great sound characteristics and comfort. Experience new sound sensations with headphones that delivers a deep, solid and tight bass, a crystal clear mid range and a sparkling treble all dished up with a liquid smoothness that doesn't even recognise the word harsh. Durable, lightweight and comfortable these HD 485 headphones use the latest diaphragm geometry for detailed stereo sound, lightweight aluminum voice coils for excellent dynamics and high efficiency, and a gold-plated adaptor for superior connections. The High-quality headband and ear pads are combined for detailed stereo sound and excellent comfort. The HD 485 comes with a headphone holder that you can attach to a table or shelf, as well as a three-meter single-sided cable.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Sennheiser HD485
I have now had these headphones for 1 week now, and I can honestly say that, other than my IPod and my T.V., are the best things I have ever purchased.

The sounds quality is immense. The bass is so deep, yet so clear, and no sounds quality is lost regardless of the volume you play the music at. Which, if you're like me is very important.

They are also very aesthetically pleasing, and are unbelievably comfortable which is ideal for long listening periods. The holder is also a very handy extra.

I would recommend these headphones to anybody looking to purchase headphones in this price range.

These are great
It has to be said, theses ar a great pair of phones. At 32ohm they are loud enough for portble player use and by many are regarded as the best Sennhieser headphones for MP3/IPOD listening without an amp. These are very detailed, and have a wide soundstage, and have great seperation due to the open design. Although this desing leaks sound so everyone will be able to hear what you are listening to (dont worry, i still listen to Spandau Ballet too) and the bass is leaked a fair bit due to the open design. Pros: > Excetional sound quality. > Very wide/open soundstage. > 32ohm means you can run these off your MP3/MD/CD player at reasonable volumes. > They look Cool > The replaceable single sided 4m cable (3.5jack to 3.5jack stereo) is an absolute godsend. > Open design allows you to hear oncoming cars and stops you getting runover :) Cons: > Open means that you can hear everything going on around you. (ie screaming kids,nagging wife/husband, nagging parents, and bus noise) > Open design leaks sound, and leaks a lot of the bass. > The cable that comes with these is 4m long, so better for at home listening. I advise you buy a 1m cable for portable use. (they are not expensive)

Extended bass HD485s
After my Sennheiser closed EH2200 headphones gave up after many years of playing I decided to get another set, this time open headphones which I had read gave higher sound quality. I paid about the same price as I had done a few years ago for the Sennheiser HD485 headphones which no one said a bad word about in all the reviews I read on the internet. On first playing them something struck me as odd. These new HD485's were sending an enormous amount of bass. As I gradually `burned them in' this huge sub-sonic bass receded to a lower level but not as much as I would have liked. This was a disappointment compared to the well balanced EH2200. Another noticeable trait was a boosted treble response to stop them sounding too dull. I tried equalizing but this (like it always does) made them sound flat and lifeless. So Sennheiser seems to have abandoned audio quality with this set and took to adjusting the sound wave according to marketing criteria. Looking at the amplitude/frequency curve of these headphones compared to an expensive set highlights the obvious: bass/treble amplified much more than a quality set. This makes these headphones sound unnatural, rock music sometimes sounds poor because the mid range gets drowned by the bass. Extra bass and treble will also introduce distortion. Solos and vocals do sound good however. I don't object to manufacturer's doing this sort of thing if they called them HD485XB and stated extended bass in the specification. The specification reads similar to any other. Have a look sites that show comparative curves of say a HD595 with this one and it will become obvious from the high arcing curve in the bass area what this set will sound like. Even after being played in they only sound OK on cheap mp3 players which have little or no bass. I am probably asking far too much for this price level but having bought economy headphones from Sennheiser before I didn't expect this. An obsessively warm set of headphones. Not for audiophiles.

For:
Not too expensive
Nice sounding vocal and solos
Well made
Comfortable

Against:
Extended bass is intrusive and ruins balance