Sennheiser HD 450BT

amazon Sennheiser HD 450BT reviews

Sennheiser’s HD 450BT headphones offer great Bluetooth sound and solid noise cancellation for a bargain price.

It’s no secret that noise-canceling headphones cost much more than traditional headphones. Priced at $199.95, Sennheiser’s HD 450BT headphones aren’t cheap, but they cost significantly less than top ANC (active noise cancellation) models like the $400 Bose Noise Canceling Headphones. Great Bluetooth sound. Add an adjustable EQ, a comfortable fit, and easy-to-operate controls, and you get the best noise-canceling headphones you can buy for $200.

Design

Available in black or white models, the HD 450BT over-ear headphones feature generously padded memory foam earpads and an overall comfortable fit. The semi-matte surface has a clean, stylish look, with most of the controls subtly moved to the side panels. Inside each cabinet is a 32mm dynamic driver that provides a frequency range of 18Hz to 22kHz. The headset is compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 and supports AAC, AptX, and SBC codecs.

The right side panel of the right earcup houses the power/pairing, playback, track navigation, volume rocker, and dedicated voice assistant buttons. The power button doubles as the ANC button depending on how long you press it (two seconds to power on, short press to turn ANC on or off). An audio cable is included 3.5mm jack located on the top of the side panel, as well as a USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable for the USB-C port also on this panel.

The audio cable can be used passively when the headset is completely powered off, or the audio cable can be used when the headset is on, and ANC is on. The difference in sound quality in these situations (compared to Bluetooth audio) is negligible.

The Sennheiser Smart Control app for Android and iOS features user-adjustable EQ and provides firmware updates for the headphones. Instead of the usual sliders for EQ, you drag a dot to different areas of the screen to achieve more bass, mids, or highs. Regardless of this slightly less intuitive design, it still works, and you can save presets.

You also get a remarkably compact travel bag. It flattens into a very slim shape when not in use and expands to accommodate headphones and folded cables.

Sennheiser estimates battery life at around 30 hours, but your results will vary with your volume level and ANC usage.

Performance

The HD 450BT headphones offer good noise cancellation for the price. They add as much hiss to the equation as the most affordable ANC headphones, and they eliminate a wide range of lower-frequency rumbles, so those noises on planes and trains are greatly reduced. High frequencies are less controlled — the earpads themselves provide passive noise isolation, but you’ll still hear loud knocks and ambient chatter. If someone is playing nearby music at high volume, the bass-related content in the audio will be significantly replayed, but you’ll still hear higher frequencies and more mid-range content.

There’s a slight difference in audio performance when ANC is on, but it’s incredibly subtle — some tracks sound brighter. Given the headphones’ relatively low price tag, this is a surprise – very few ANC pairs under $200 offer quality noise cancellation, and the HD 450BT does a commendable job.

The MEMS mic array provides excellent clarity. Using the Voice Memos app on the iPhone 8, we clearly understood every word we recorded, with very little Bluetooth distortion and even a bit of bass depth. One great aspect of microphones is that they give you some in-ear monitoring of your voice, which often results in speaking at a more natural conversational level, resulting in less mic distortion, and the overall signal is clearer.

When it comes to audio performance, on tracks with intense bass content, such as The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the headphones deliver a strong low-frequency response without overpowering. At the highest volume, the bass is not distorted, and at lower levels, the bass still comes out strong and full without overwhelming the mix.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the overall tonal character. The drums on this track sound wonderfully round and full without venturing into the unusually thunderous territory. Callahan’s baritone is rich in mids and lows but receives the ideal amount of high mids to maintain clarity and definition. Percussion hits higher, and the textures sound bright and clear, and overall, this is a wonderfully balanced notation.

Advantages

Powerful noise cancellation for the price

Great sound performance

It can be used in passive mode with cable or wired mode with ANC enabled

User-adjustable EQ

Disadvantage

Very good noise cancellation, but not top

where can you get a Sennheiser HD 450BT online

SENNHEISER HD 450BT Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Headphone with Active Noise Cancellation – 30-Hour Battery Life, USB-C Fast Charging, Virtual Assistant Button, Foldable – Black: Buy it now