Sennheiser HD 505 review

Sennheiser is no stranger to the world of over-ear wired headphones, with the near-80-year-old company ensconcing music fans’ ears with cans both budget and high-end, closed-back and open-back.

The new Sennheiser HD 505 are another addition to its line of open-back headphones, aiming to offer a step-up listening experience for music fans that have graduated beyond the budget models.

Price

The HD 505 sit at the top of the HD 500 line, which has traditionally been Sennheiser’s most affordable ‘audiophile’ wired headphones range and already sports a few cheaper open-back models. Think of the HD 500 as a stepping stone to the more famed HD 600 range used by studio professionals and head-fi fans.

The HD 505 cost £230 / $250 / AU$450, and around this price you have a strong handful of five-star rivals, such as the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 and the Award-winning Grado SR325x.

Build & comfort

The HD 505 design doesn’t stray too far from the recognisable Sennheiser format of a sturdy, minimal build and large, ovular earcups with a metal mesh grille. We note that the HD 505 follows a similar silhouette to the HD 620S (the newest member of the step-up HD 600 family) rather than its cheaper siblings in the HD 500 range, with the headband and the hinge where it meets the earcups looking slimmer and more elegant.

While the main finish of these headphones is black, the HD 505 have copper accents around the hinge and the edge of the earcups that add a splash of colour. Thankfully this copper accent isn’t shiny or garish at all; it’s a muted metallic finish that adds interest to these headphones.

The headband has a good amount of synthetic leather cushioning, while the earcup cushions are a soft velour. We were worried that the plastic housings around the earcup felt a little too light and ‘plasticky’, but this contributes to the headphones’ lightweight design – something that makes a huge difference when listening for long hours at a time. The HD 505 weigh 237g; Sennheiser’s rivals (even the more comfortable ones) typically clock in above 300g at this level.

Thanks to the overall lighter weight, we found the HD 505 to be very comfortable to wear during our testing, with the headband offering good support and cushioning. Our ears never got overly warm either, thanks to the roomy earcups.

There is ample headband adjustment, but how comfortably the headphones fit depends on each individual’s head shape – some on our review team found the headband and cups pressing down on certain contact areas of the head when first slipping them on, while others found a super-comfortable fit straight away. However, both camps reported that overall the headphones were pretty relaxed in wearing and didn’t feel any undue clamping pressure over long listening periods. Watching a full season of Slow Horses on Apple TV+ proved no trouble at all with the HD 505 on at all times.

If we had one complaint it’s that the velour earpads are a little too soft, meaning they give way a bit too easily. In comparison, the earpads on the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 offer a firmer and greater degree of cushioning, meaning there’s more padding before your ears start to feel the structure of the earcups, the latter of which can happen with the HD 505. The Hi-X65 feel a touch more robust and have slightly better weight distribution too, but they are a weightier and more functional pair than the Sennheisers. The Beyerdynamics feel noticeably heavier to wear as well.

The HD 505 overall feel durable and reliable, and Sennheiser makes spare parts and replacement ear pads to ensure the HD 505 last for as long as possible. The headphones come with a 1.8m cable – long enough for easy use with laptops and hi-fi equipment – ending in a 3.5mm connector with a 6.3mm screw-on adapter so it can be used with a wide variety of audio devices.

There is no in-line mic or controls with this cable, but you can purchase one separately, as well as longer cable lengths or even balanced options, for those who want it.

Sound

Being an open-back design, be prepared for the HD 505 to leak sound when listening at anything beyond whisper-quiet volumes – the main drawback of these very airy, spacious-sounding headphones. That means these cans are mainly suited to at-home listening, where you won’t disturb your colleagues with your questionable music or you won’t feel conscious about cranking up the volume.

The 120-ohm transducers inside the earcups have been optimised for delivering a “clear, analytic sound”, covering a frequency range spanning 12Hz to 38.5kHz. Sennheiser’s engineers have fine-tuned the drivers to ensure a “smooth lower treble response”, crucially without any of that treble-related fatigue that might otherwise lead to a taxing listen.

The drivers are also angled forward in the earcups to aid the headphones’ expansive soundstage, aiming to mimic the experience of listening to nearfield speakers in front of you.

We find that we can listen to the HD 505 comfortably loud without the music ever sounding hard or harsh. The top end is wonderfully smooth, with no undue sibilance or brightness – overall this is as easy-going a listen as you could hope for. Without the ‘boxed-in’ quality you get with conventional closed-back designs, songs have ample room to breathe and the scale of sound is pleasingly big.

The HD 505’s sound is balanced by a very clear and detailed midrange, while the lower frequencies are well controlled and have a good deal of agility and snap. You’ll get punchier, meatier bass performance from the likes of Grado SR325x and the Austrian Audio, but the Sennheisers remain an enjoyable listen with a wide range of genres. There’s decent wallop and a taut edge to the drum kicks in Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain, while they are dynamically adept at communicating the ebb and flow of music as well.

Voices in particular are delicately and subtly delivered, with Lorde’s vocals on Royals coming through with utmost focus and clarity, with an impressive amount of refinement at this level. The HD 505’s talent with voices is great for watching TV and films, too. Instruments flourish in a soundstage that is pleasingly airy and spacious, although a bit more texture and grit wouldn’t go amiss when playing Kendrick Lamar’s Humble and a frantic Shostakovich composition.

The Sennheisers have a decent handle on timing and agility, keeping pace with Lamar’s ferocious momentum. While we love the more upfront, rhythmic intensity of a pair of Grados, we can imagine the Sennheiser’s more laidback nature having plenty of appeal for some people.

We play music, podcasts and YouTube videos through our MacBook Pro, swapping between Audioquest DragonFly Cobalt and Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M DACs, and the Sennheiser headphones are accommodating with most sources and equipment we use them with. Unlike the Austrian Audio cans, the HD 505 aren’t particularly fussy with partnering kit or recording quality, so they can be plugged into any existing set-up, no matter how budget or basic your system is.

Verdict

Sennheiser has once again done what it does best: deliver a well-made, comfortable pair of headphones that convincingly show off the benefits of an open-back design. There is strong competition from rivals with different sonic flavours in this price range, but the HD 505’s lightweight design, coupled with their crowd-pleasing smoothness, ample detail levels and unfussy nature, will have plenty of fans.

First reviewed: March 2025

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Comfort 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Austrian Audio Hi-X65

Also consider the Grado SR325x

Read our Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X review

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