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Features
Dynamic speaker system
BioNetic design for comfort
Open circum-aural system
Weight: approx. 210 grams
Connection: 3m OFC copper cable
Frequency range: 14Hz-21kHz
Sound level: 106dB SPL
Pros
Comfortanle voer extended lsitenig periods.
Abive average
sound quality.
Cons
Lots of plastic bits.
Ratings
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Sennheiser HD500 Fusion
Closed-ear dynamics headphones
Recommended retail price: $249
(inc. GST)
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Reviewer: Richard Morgan
You see them here, you see them there. On planes and trains and in automobiles, of portable audio products such as CD and MP3 players and, of course, listening devices. Those fiddly in-ear types headsets are okay for low-fi applications and when quality doesn't really count (or matter), but they simply don't cut it when you want to hear something other than quasi-organised noise.
Enter the Sennheiser HD500 Fusion headphone (and other products like it, of course). Here's a mid market set of cans that not only gives great high fidelity in home set-ups, but can mix it well in the portable world. Plus, it comes from the stable of one of the world's great headphone designers and makers.
I like the black and grey plastic casing of the HD500. It gives it good looks and a sufficiently smart 'techie' appearance to match some of the styling of modern stationary and portable gear. It's surprisingly light too, but not insubstantial.
This is a dynamic headphone (which basically means it works like a miniature speaker system) with a semi-open ear case design. Headphones come in two basic types: open designs, which enclose the ear and are used for studio and music monitoring and where isolation from the outside; and open types which sit on top of the ear, are more comfortable, let you maintain contact with the world outside and are generally lighter and more comfortable (electrostatics essentially belong to a separate category). Both system have their positives and negatives.
The HD500 Fusion offers some of each system, enclosing the ear but featuring an open-style back. It's the best of both worlds because you get a good seal so there's no sound loss through leakage and the designers can create more accurate performance models based on physiology, but the open back means the 'phones can be designed for comfort and light weight (anyone who has worn cans for more than 30 minutes will appreciate this endeavour), to enhance wearer comfort. It's believable since you can wear these cans for longer without too much distress or annoyance and it helps that sound quality is up to scratch so the onset of sonic fatigue is greatly delayed.
Sennheiser calls it's comfort technology a 'BioNetic' but this set of headphones also features technology aimed to make sound quality as good as possible, The diaphragm (that moves air top create soundwaves) aims incorporates a Sennheiser patented dampening element for controlling oscillation and a Duofol system to reduce standing waves.
In terms of convenience features, the HD500 has three metres of connecting lead so you don't have to sit on top of the amplifier or receiver and the lead is made from high grade copper to enhance signal transfer and, hereby, sound quality. It's also attached to a single earpiece so movement is not restricted as much as when it's attached to both. The fully modular design is also a selling point.
The sound of the HD 500 is well balanced over a good tonal range with plenty of bottom end response. It's well suited to jazz, funk, rock and hip hop music where lots of consistent signal energy is encountered. Good clarity with the possible exception of slight top end recession, and good warmth to the sonics.
The HD500 Fusion is also really comfortable to wear, giving good ear coverage without a feeling of oppressive. In fact they're so comfortable you could even forget you're wearing them - for a short spell anyway. This is partly assisted by the low distortion generated by the 'phones, which means you can hear more information at lower listening levels which then gives you the impression your actually listening to something louder.
Finally there's the versatility aspect. These cans have a decent SPL rating (sound level for a given signal input) and average load specs so they will work well with stationary units and better portables.
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