HD 206 Stereo Headphone Silver

I bought this pair of headphones on a bit of a whim. I've recently got back into PC gaming, and my build had stretched my budget somewhat. Not wanting to have to resort to the inbuilt speakers on my monitor I purchased these for just shy of £30. That doesn't get you a lot in the world these days, so in my mind if these lasted me a month I'd have been happy enough. That simply wasn't the case. The unboxing experience highlighted their price point, not much other than the cardboard box and a soft paper/fabric bag. They arrived undamaged though, so it was fine. The headphones do feel light, and are made of a cheap plastic but this isn't really an issue. Durability may be an issue if you were to travel with these regularly, but for me they are permanently plugged into my PC. There is plenty of adjustment to be had here, I think most heads will be able to get a comfy fit with these. The cups are a strange material, it seems like a thin vinyl type material? At first glance it doesn't look like it'd be overly comfortable, but my presumptions were wrong! The headphones are a joy to wear, I can basically forget they're on my head, they don't get too hot, they don't put any pressure on any point of my head. Zero complaints in this area. I'm by no means an audiophile, the next best audio device I have to compare would be Airpods Pro 2nd gen. Now the listening experience on these is very different to those, mainly because one is in ear and one is on ear, but the actual sound quality is up there. The clarity of sound is excellent, sounds in game are separate from one another, extremely clear and very balanced. Voices are crystal clear, and they are very immersive. One point to note for gaming, is these have no directional abilities aside from left and right. I know some stereo headphones can emulate surround but these do not. If you want that you'd probably be better going for 5.1 headphones anyway. These headphones do quite well for not letting too much sound leak out for others to hear, at reasonable volumes at least. However external noise is present, and these are not noise cancelling by any means. For me that's actually a positive, I like to be able to still hear whats going on around me. For less than £30 these are unbelievable value. I'm glad that I took a chance on these, there are even replacement cups available online if I ever need replacements! If they last me 12 months (I'll update if I remember) I'd buy another pair in a heartbeat.

I wanted a spare pair of multi-purpose headphones to partner the Sennheiser model HD 205 I have been enjoying ever since someone accidentally trod on what I used previously. As the 205 seems now to be an outdated model, I looked for what appeared to be nearest to it in specification and price, hence my choice for the Sennheiser HD 206. But I was actually to find its performance very different to how it has been promoted, and what I expected. The first thing I noticed was how loose it is to wear (the 205 being quite snugly fitting), and how susceptible it is to transmitting handling noise from its cord at the slightest movement (the 205 being almost free from such a distraction). Listening first to some orchestral music on digital radio, the playback level was well down, and I had to wind up the source volume another 50% to match the 205’s output. The 206 seemed to give quite an even response, the top and bottom frequencies I thought being a little more extensive in a subtle sort of way, and the middle frequencies perhaps slightly more relaxed than the 205. I then heard the presenter’s voice, and was immediately knocked back by a massive boost of sibilance, which seemed way o.t.t. Quickly putting the 205 back on to hear the same voice, the sibilance was still clear, but without the shrillness. Was the 206 overdoing it, I wondered, especially having heard this particular radio presenter many times in the last 20 years through different devices, and a variety of headphones, and always finding his tone quite mellow. I then compared a steam train recording from a few years back that I have recently mastered from minidisc. Very nice through the 205, but slightly cleaner with the 206 – the locomotive’s exhaust having more bite, and the background sounds of sheep in a field across the way were not just more distinct but seemed more neatly positioned in the stereo image. Yes, the whole scene came very much alive through the 206, rustling leaves in the trees, and all. My final test was to listen back to some bird calls in the garden and hand bells played indoors, recently done on a digital recorder. With both subjects the high frequency detail was enhanced. Very interesting. The 206 is described as having a “rich, crisp” bass response, but for me it’s the high top end that gives the crispness, even “crystal sharp”, whilst the bass is very smooth indeed. Where it’ll work very nicely is when I get stuck into mastering my old tape recordings, as the 206 will definitely show up what is or isn’t there, especially where tape hiss is a factor to contend with. But I still question whether the 206’s tonal balance is really natural, or not, and how long it will take for me to get accustomed to those very bright upper registers. For my age I thought my high frequency hearing was still pretty good, but surely not that good! But at least I now have both headphone sets to play with, and each can be used to its own best advantage. As with the 205 model, the 206 comes with a very long lead which has its uses, such as when someone else wants a listen, and the optional ¼ inch jack adapter is what suits my tape machine. A slight shame about the impedance incompatibility, as I was hoping to use both sets simultaneously for shared listening. I can imagine that for listeners who are unfortunate enough to suffer a high frequency debility, the 206 model could deliver like the joys of spring. Shame about the handling noise, though.

Great quality and noise cancellation. Very good for the price!

Bought them over a year ago, wear them every day, comfortable enough after a simple modification, decent sound. The black material on the earpieces hasn't fallen apart yet like my last pair of headphones did so fairly durable. The only thing I don't like is that they seem a bit too trebly and pinched my ears a bit, but I wadded up some kitchen towel and put it in the earcups until it felt comfortable and this also cut down on the high end too. After this modification they're great. (4 years later and they've started to die like my previous set, it's always the same area that goes on these, the plastic clip held in by screws where the headband and earcups join. It just blows up one day. You can usually fix it with some glue and some patience, but they're never quite as comfy as you'll lose the directional adjustment in that ear, so stick it on your head (with tape over the join) as the glue sets up. I reckon I might get another few months out of them before the other ear goes. Still, not a bad life for some £25 headphones in daily use.)

I purchased this item to protect my sanity from my daughter’s music. She loves them, and I cannot hear a whisper of sound from them. 2 X winners.

It's great but remember it's for djs and music producers and enthusiasts, so no mic and no stability on phones. Build quality looks cheap but it what you got with this good price

Produto de otima qualidade.

Mooie koptelefoon, zéér goed kwaliteit. Ook fraai, slank ontwerp.

Premetto che faccio questa recensione da NON audiofilo, quindi la mia recensione sarà basata principalmente sull'utilizzo di queste cuffie per il montaggio video, ambito che più mi compete. Ho acquistato queste Sennheiser per poter montare anche di sera senza disturbare i miei familiari, ma anche per poter avere una reference audio più chiara durante il montaggio. Beh, sono rimasto stupito della qualità di queste cuffie che, ad un prezzo contenuto, mi hanno permesso un notevole salto in avanti sotto il punto di vista della resa dell'audio. Il cavo molto lungo rende queste cuffie estremamente comode anche sul set, dove le utilizzo per monitorare i livelli audio direttamente dalla mia mirrorless. La costruzione non è di alto livello ma i cuscinetti sono morbidi e le cuffie stanno bene in testa anche per alcune ore. In sintesi: a questo prezzo non posso chiedere di più a delle cuffie che utilizzo principalmente per il montaggio video. Molto comode anche come cuffie casual per ascoltare musica e film in viaggio. Super consigliate!