“Our take on Sennheiser’s latest on-the-ear headphones”

How many times have you wanted to go back home from your workplace just because you forgot your headphones? It’s a rhetoric, we know the answer. Whether you are a serious audiophile or someone who likes to casually watch videos on YouTube whilecommuting, headphones have become an everyday carry (EDC)necessity in todays day and age. Much like every other tech product, headphonescome in different shapes and sizes too. Youve got the over-the-ear configuration, which is deemed the golden standard for audiophiles. Then theres the over-the-ear type, which is mostly targeted towards audio enthusiasts and the less discerning. And, the one brand that caters to all types of listenersis Sennheiser.

Recently, the audio giant Sennheiser launched the HD 2.30G over-the-ear headphones in India. Remember: the ‘G’ in the name signifies that it is made for Android phones, whereas you also get another variant with an I suffix for, you guessed it, iPhones. We managed to get our hands on a pair and after testing it for a while, heres our review of the same.

Design

The Sennheiser HD 2.30G retails for Rs 7,000, which is in no way a cheap sum for a pair of headphones. Therefore, besides expecting stellar sound quality, youd also want your headphones to look the part. Unfortunately, thats not the case with the HD 2.30G. While the HD 2.30G looks minimal, the lack of any sort of metal or alloy in its construction is a letdown. One could make an argument for Sennheisers use of plastic to keep the weight of the headphones down as they are intended to be a pair of portable cans. If that was the case, then Sennheiser did its job a little too well as the mildest of head bangs sends the 2.30Gs crashing to the ground.

Sadly, that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the HD 2.30Gs design quirks. The headphones dont come with an adjustable headband design preferred by most companies. Sennheiser takes a slighlty novel approach here and it took me and my colleague quite some time to figure it out: the earcups of the HD 2.30Gs actually move up and down to give you a proper fit.

That said, the HD 2.30Gs are fairly sleek and can also be folded to make them even more compact and easy to carry around. The pads present on the ear cups are made of a soft, thin material which helps keep the appearance of the HD 2.30Gs low key. Sound isolation on the HD 2.30Gs is decent, however, your mileage may vary if you have bigger ears.
Sennheiser HD 2.30G Review 06As far as comfort is concerned, I didnt notice any ear fatigue while wearing the headphones and listening to music for hours on end. Being as light as they are, the HD 2.30Gs feel snug and wont weigh you down even if you wear them while commuting. The headphones also come with an in-line remote control which has buttons laid out for increasing/decreasing volume and to play/pause the music. The buttons werent mushy and had a nice tactile click to them and the call quality while using the HD 2.30Gs was impressive too. I could hear the callers voice with utmost clarity, however, the microphones performance wasnt up to the mark as I was told that my voice sounded muffled on several occasions.

Sound quality

It is extremely challenging to accurately reproduce the low end frequencies of a song within the confined space of two ear cups. A lot of engineering marvel goes into manufacturing headphones in which you can truly feel the beat drop in your chest, and if youre looking for that, then the HD 2.30Gs are definitely not for you. Theres no polite way to say this but the headphones lack weightin the bass. Regardless of which track you play (I tested the headphones with James BlakesLimit to your love and Kendrick Lamars Backseat Freestyle, among many others), youll be left disappointed in your quest to hear the beats or feel the thump. To be clear (no pun intended), the bass is audible but ithas absolutely no weight or depth to it. In other words, you probably wouldnt be a fan of the EDM genre had you listened to your favourite artists only on the Sennheiser HD 2.30G.

Sennheiser HD 2.30G Review 01

The headphones struggle with delivering crisp highs too, and since there is noticeable distortion in the chorus of every rock song (Hurricane by 30 seconds to mars is a prime example), the HD 2.30G doesn’t stand out in terms of imaging either. At max volume, the audio becomes muddy making it impossible to distinguish between different instruments.

The HD 2.30Gs one saving grace is that they offera great depthin the mid-range and the headphones reproduce thevocals in a track accurately. Since these headphones don’tcover a users ear completely, there is a discernible sound leakage as well. So much so, that you could pass theseheadphones off as a wearable speaker.

Should you buy it?

Sennheiser HD 2.30G Review 04

In short, no. The subpar build quality paired with an unimpressive sound quality dont warrant a price tag of Rs 7K, especially when you can buy the Grado S60e or the ATH-M40X for the same price. Had Sennheiser priced it slightly lower, then I would have suggested you to at least keep it in your shortlist. In fact, you caneven save up some more and buy the wonderfully sounding ATH-M50x instead, which retail for around Rs 9,000.

Editor’s rating: 2.5 / 5