I recently purchased the Sennheiser HD 4.20s. I have now been using it for almost 2 weeks. In this post, I will be posting my review for Sennheiser HD 4.20S. Incidentally, this is also going to be first review post on this site.
So let’s dive right into the topic.
The Looks
Sennheiser products are always real great lookers. And Sennheiser 4.20s is no different. It looks pretty elegant. The headband has a distinct shine to it and the Sennheiser logo and the branding are featured at the right places. At the place where the headband can be folded, there is a metallic sheen giving it a rich and premium look.
The ear-padding has a leathery appearance to them with visible stitches. This provides the headphones with an elegant feel. They feel nice to touch and carry around.
Also, as mentioned earlier, they can be folded. This allows you to pack them in less space and also reduce the risk of breakage. I usually carry it in the pouch of my bag and it fits snugly after folding up.
If you don’t want to pick up a wireless headphone, this comes pretty close in the overall looks. Except for the fact that it has a cable.
Sound
The most important aspect of a headphone would, of course, be a sound. And Sennheiser HD 4.20s comes out as a winner in this regard.
The sound clarity of this headphone is pretty high. Even in a crowded office area (where I use it generally), it gives a crystal clear sound at mid-level volumes. The bass is slightly lesser as compared to some of the other models in HD series but it makes up for the same through amazing sound clarity.
It comes packed with Sennheiser’s proprietary transducers. This allows it to deliver great sound with mobile phones, PCs or tablets. With PCs especially, once you are able to equalize the sound, it is an altogether different beast. Of course, with more demanding music and higher bass, it cannot rival some of its costlier cousins in the HD series. But it’s no where near as costly as well.
My usage of this headphone ranges from listening to music, listening to podcasts, watching youtube videos, and making skype calls. If you are a software developer, they are a great choice to have with you when you want to code without distraction in noisy gossip-ridden offices. On all of these fronts, I have found them to consistent.
I won’t recommend these headphone for use in a crowded street because it blocks out a lot of sound and might make it problematic for you to hear someone honking at you from behind. If you are jogging in a park or on a traffic-free road, then this could be an ideal companion for listening to some light music. Of course, not being wireless makes it a tad inconvenient. However, that’s not the segment this headphone is trying to target.
Comfort
Being an over-ear headphone, the Sennheiser HD 4.20s can appear a bit bulky. But even then, they feel extremely light-weight. They fit well on your ear and you can go use them for long periods without feeling much of a problem.
I have used them at a stretch for 2-3 hours and they were pretty comfortable. To make things easier, the headband has adjustable grooves that allow you to slide the ear-pads to distribute the weight over the ears properly. Of course, it is always advisable to take mini-breaks, walk around and then get back to listening.
Also, the foldable design of the headphones make them relatively easy to pack and carry out on travel.
Price Point
If you don’t want to spend a fortune and go for a wireless headphone, I think the Sennheiser HD 4.20s is a great choice. It costs around Rs. 3200 (approx $60).
If you compare it with various other choices such as Sony Extra Bass MDR-XB450AP, the Sennheiser is a bigger value for money. It is the over-the-ear as compared to the on-ear Sony model and provides far better comfort and ergonomics.
Also, the Sennheiser HD 4.20s serves far more purposes. It’s in-built microphone is good enough for taking skype calls and even doing some light-weight audio recording. It is omni-directional mic and you can use it record voice-overs. With a bit of effort and post-processing magic, I have been able to record decent voice-overs for my youtube channel with this headphone’s in-built microphone.
My Verdict
The Sennheiser HD 4.20s is a complete package. It comes with all the bells-and-whistles of a typical Sennheiser product and is also elegant. It comes with a 2 year warranty.
For just under Rs. 4000 (approx $60), you get Sennheiser’s amazing sound quality, a premium classy design, comfort of an over-the-ear headphones.
In my opinion, it is pretty much a steal. And I would highly recommend it. I have also been using it for 2 weeks now and it has been a great experience for me to have this product.
Amazon provides a great price point for Sennheiser HD 4.20s.
If you liked the review and are interested in purchasing the product, you can go through this link. It doesn’t cost you anything extra but it helps keep this site running.
My Reason for Buying Sennheiser 4.20s
It wasn’t a spur-of-a-moment decision. I had been contemplating getting a good headphone for quite some time. Even though I wouldn’t call myself a heavy user of headphones, I still feel the need to have a decent headphone from time to time.
Earlier, I used to have Sennheiser’s CX180 in-ear headphones. They were nice to carry around in a pocket and packed a decent sound quality. They also appeared pretty stylish, especially with their futuristic curves and sleek design. Unfortunately, I lost them. Apparently, I forgot them in the pocket of my jeans. The jeans found its way into the washing machine. And then, to the local laundry guy. Needless to say, I never heard from them again.
Ever since that time, I was without a decent headphone. And I wanted one. But I also didn’t want to go for a super-costly wireless headphone. I also didn’t want an in-ear headphone again because no matter how good they are, using them on a prolonged basis is quite painful.
After much searching and deliberation, I finally decide to go for Sennheiser HD 4.20s. And I’m really happy with my purchase. They really serve my purpose quite well without being a huge hit on my pocket.
Some of the other options I considered are as follows:
Sony MDR-XB450 – Came pretty close to purchasing this but stopped mainly because I wanted to go for an over-the-ear option.
Sennheiser HD 4.40-BT Bluetooth Headphone – Was dreaming for this one originally. Didn’t go mainly because it was way out of my budget. Maybe, next time.
2 Comments
Kaushik MK · October 23, 2019 at 2:29 am
I left my cx275s in pull over and washed it. But still is working well.
Saurabh Dashora · October 26, 2019 at 3:12 am
I guess you were lucky!