Sennheiser offers a huge variety of shapes, sizes and models of headphones so that you can find the perfect one for you: whether on-ear, over-ear or in-ear:
Over-ear headphones are even more customizable to your tastes, as they come in three different types: open, closed and half-open headphones.
Open headphones deliver high and natural sound fidelity, with hardly any distortion from feedback or reverberation. However, they do not so effectively block out sound, which means that while listening to music on open headphones, you may hear ambient noise, and the outside world can hear the music from your headphones. This makes them best suited for quieter environments like at-home and in-studio mixing.
Closed headphones are sealed, which means they better isolate the sound from your surroundings. Hardly any music can be heard outside and ambient noise is (almost) imperceptible to the ear with closed headphones. However, the closed casing can cause more reverberation, which can slightly distort the sound. These headphones are ideal for use at the office or in the gym, or in the recording rooms of music studios, but if you are an audiophile and fanatical about sound, closed headphones may not be for you.
Half-open headphones are the middle ground between open and closed headphones. That means that they offer:
However, in a side-by-side comparison, half-open headphones perform less well overall in both areas than simply open or closed headphones. Half-open headphones are for this reason less widely sold than other kinds of over-ear headphones.
Open vs closed vs half-open: at a glance
Open headphones
- Best sound quality
- Minimal heat build-up – they stay cool
- Very comfortable to wear
- Ambient sound can penetrate
- Perfect for listening to and mixing music in the studio
- Not suitable for recording rooms
Closed headphones
- Highly developed isolation
- Moderate heat build-up
- Less clear surround sound than with open models
- Perfect for studio recording and DJs
Half-open headphones
- Middle ground between open and closed
- Moderate insulation and surround sound quality
- Fewer models available on the market
Sennheiser headphones incorporate cutting edge technology to give you an excellent sound experience anytime, anywhere. Below we explain what each term means in connection with headphone technology and the concept behind it.
Bluetooth headphones come in all shapes and sizes - both over-ear and in-ear, or as a headset. The headphones receive the music from your device via Bluetooth. Sennheiser headphones are equipped with the latest Bluetooth technology, ensuring stable connection without draining your battery. Many models of Bluetooth headphone are wireless, making them convenient for use while traveling and giving you plenty of freedom to move. Bluetooth headphones can also come with a cable running between left and right headphones, which are also great for listening to music while working out, running or playing sports, with a clip to attach to your clothes. This type of Bluetooth headphones may also feature quick-action buttons for playing, pausing and skipping tracks on the go.
True Wireless headphones, as the name suggests, are totally wire-free and work via state-of-the-art Bluetooth technology. With wireless Bluetooth headphones, you are free to move without the restriction of a cable, for a more comfortable listening experience and still with top quality Sennheiser sound. True Wireless headphones are controlled via voice assistant or the intuitive touchpad on the outside of the headphones. Depending on the model, you can also customize the settings on your True Wireless headphones using the Smart Control App, for unique sound that is tailored to you.
Noise-canceling headphones prevent outside noise by getting in by generating artificial “anti-noise” to suppress ambient sound. Microphones on the outside of the headphones pick up the ambient noise and transmit it as electrical voltages. Inside the headphones, these voltages are added to the desired audio with an inverted frequency. This neutralizes the acoustically penetrating and electrically added sound components, to ensure your music keeps playing clearly with no external noise getting in. Noise-canceling headphone technology works particularly well with low-frequency sounds such as the drone of aircraft engines. This makes this kind of headphones ideal for use while traveling.
Many Sennheiser models feature integrated microphones. This way, they can function as both headphones and headset in one. When listening to music on Sennheiser headphones, you can easily take calls or participate in meetings while on the move. Our headsets offer pleasant and distortion-free sound and are comfortable to wear throughout even the longest conference calls.
Sennheiser HD headphones contain highly sophisticated linear HD drivers. These convert sound to ensure that low-frequency bass is reproduced without distortion. All our HD headphones are also equipped with Sennheiser's ActiveGard™. This technology protects your ears from sudden volume peaks without interrupting the audio.
Discover our range of top-quality headphones at Sennheiser now.