Full size Sennheiser, entry level price

I purchased these headphones for home use, as an everyday headphone. I plan to keep my Grado headphones mainly for rock music.

Sources that I have tested these headphones with:

- Computer as source
EMU0404(Pro sound card) -> Monoprice Toslink -> Entech 203.2 DAC, Monster MKII400 IC -> Corda Headfive headphone amp.

- Ipod Nano (1st gen)-> Custom dock to line out -> custom IC -> Go-Vibe 4 headphone amp

- Sony vintage portable CD D-33

Music Used:
Rock, Alt Rock, Industrial, Hip Hop, and Techno

Availability: These headphones are readily available at most online retailers. I purchased this pair from http://headphone.com and had them in 2 days

Design and Packaging: The headphones come in a really nice gate fold box, inside the box you will find the headphones, a 1/8" adapter and a really nice padded headphone holder that attaches to a desk or shelf.

Comfort: The Sennheiser HD 485 are full size (circumaural)meaning the your ears sit inside the cups, as opposed to Supra-aural which sit on your ears. The headband and ear cups uses a thick comfortable velour material. After a while of listening though you may need to take a break, as the material can make your ears hot.

If you have a big head take note, it may take a while to adjust to these headphones. The headband has a vice like grip, but does loosen up over time. I've read online you can store these with books between the cups to stretch them out, but I didn't dare, and glade I didn't (see update about stress cracks)

Sound: The sound from the HD485 is on the warm side, the mids and highs are a bit recessed. These headphones have strong thumping bass, but I wouldn't call it bloated like what you find on many cheaper headphones.

Some reviews are saying these cans are to warm and don't sound good. I will agree to some point, right out of the box there not exactly stellar. I burned mine in (see note) for 150 hours with pink noise, and they livened up quit a bit. The bass wasn't as overwhelming and the highs and mids where more in check, but the mids still a bit recessed, and still warm sounding.

***NOTE:
Burn in simply means to play the headphones for an extended period of time well not wearing them. I usually do it over several days when I normally wouldn't be listening to my system. The pink noise I mentioned simply sounds like static, but it is not. The pink noise plays all the frequencies at the same, and in my opinion it gives a proper break in.

If your main choice of music is rock, alternative, etc.. and you only plan on owning one pair of headphones, I think you would be better off with a pair of Grado headphones.

The Sennheiser HD485 are of an open design, meaning they can let sound in and and also let sound out, so take into consideration where you will be using these headphones.

Update September 2006:
My pair of HD485 headphones have devolved a stress crack on the inside of the headband. I feel this is a big problem, and should not happen to a pair of 7 month old headphones. I have contacted the vendor I purchased them from and was advised since they are over 30 days old to contact Sennheiser at a long distance number. I contacted the long distance number and waited around 30 minutes to speak to someone and finally just hung up not wanting to wait anymore. For now I am changing these from recommended to not recommended.

Update March 2007:
I finally got around to sending these headphones back to the manufacture in February. I found found on there website they offer an online repair option, so I tried to use that but it didn't work right and created 20 repair tickets. I called Sennheiser again long distance, it took about 20 minutes to get assistance and I was advised it's pretty common for the online repair to malfunction. The following morning after speaking to Sennheiser, I packed the headphones up and sent them in.

On the Sennheiser website they allow you to check your repair status, but it doesn't seem to provide accurate information. I called Sennheiser on March 15 after not seeing any updates on the repair status, and I was advised that it wasn't cost effective for them to repair the headphones and that they will need to send me a new pair, but they are back ordered. The replace finally arrived on March 22, one month from when I sent them in for repair.

I will switch these back to recommended, but recommended with reservations.

Update August 2008
I forgot to update my review here, in less then a year they are broke again. Where as before the left inside band cracked, this time around both the left and right side are cracked. Also there is something loose in the right driver if you turn your head you can hear something like plastic moving around.

Of course the headphones are out of warranty now, even though the pair is only a year old. I will still contact the manufacture and see what they have to say.

I really do not know what to make about the breakage of these headphones, I am the only person to handle these headphones, they are never abused,never played loud, never dropped, never slept on. They get very little use, and my head is average size.

I'm switching these permanently to not recommended.