Features
Open-Aire, circumaural, dynamic, stereo headphones
Eargonomic Acoustic Refinement (EAR) enables ideal sound channelling for a new kind of listening experience
Stats of the Art Duolfol diaphragms
Highly optimized, field-strengthened neodymium ferrous magnet systems
Outstanding comfort for long listening sessions
Technical Details
Model: HD515
Design: Headphones in black with silver earcup caps
Frequency Response: 14 26,000 Hz
Frequency Characteristics: Diffuse field equalized
Transducer Principle: Dynamic, open
Impedance: 120 Ohms
THD: 0.2
Ear Coupling: Circumaural
Cable: 10 ft cable, OFC, single-sided, changeable
Weight: 9 oz
Packaging-Design: Unique packaging with blistered product on display inside
Packaging Dimensions W x H x D: 8.25 x 9.65 x 3.95 inches
General Description
The HD 515 is a classic headphone and an affordable entry into the audiophile 500 series. It's perfect for listening with virtually any source. It is fitted with Sennheiser's innovative E.A.R. technology, plus special Duofol diaphragms that reduce unwanted resonances to an absolute minimum. Overall listening pleasure is combined with outstanding comfort.
An amazing value at this pricepoint when compared to the HD 555s, March 28, 2007 By Jerome Pleasance
This review is from: Sennheiser HD515 Dynamic Stereo Sound Audiophile 500 Series Headphones (Electronics)
Let me say right off the bat that I am very picky about sound when it comes to using my computer for most of my audio visual needs. I have a fast computer with a Soundblaster X-Fi platinum card, and Klipsch ProMedia THX surround sound system - a combination that almost got me evicted on several occassions before getting a home of my own to indulge myself in.
I did a lot of humming and hawing over headphones and ended up getting both the Sennheiser HD 515 and the more upscale 555. I have always been spoiled by the bold yet warm, balanced yet punchy sound that the Klipsch speakers and subwoofer deliver - literally everything sounds great from music to movies to games. It wasn't until I got these headphones that I realized how good Klipsch is at making up for variances in source recording quality.
Everyone says it, so I will echo this here as well - you hear details you never knew existed in just about anything you play. This is not always a good thing, when you notice that some of your favourite songs have some annoying, yet previously-undetected touches in the background that can really spoil things.
Like a lot of people, I mostly listen to MP3s off my hard drive which will never be as good as the originals, but the convenience outweighs the slight loss in quality. From the moment I plugged in these headphones, the difference between inferior rips and great ones was painfully evident.
After the first few tracks, I was pretty disappointed and thought the headphones were just not that great, or perhaps they needed more time to "burn in". But then I put on some of my favourties and WOW what an instant difference!
I put on Sting's "Thousand Years" captured at 256 bitrate and it was like I was right there in the studio. Sade's "No Ordinary Love" and Toni Braxton @ 192 kbps were also amazing . Even at 128 kbps, The Coors' "Dreams" was outstanding.
I tried them plugged into the home theatre receiver with the opening scene from Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. The narration by Galadriel was haunting and powerful, with her voice sounding like it was inside my head.
I haven't plugged these into my pre-amp yet which will give them a lot more juice, and they haven't had a 40+ hour burn-in so I am quite pleased so far.
IMPORTANT- although they are open, very little sound leaks out like some people have complained. I find this a good balance because I have small kids where I use the 555's at home, and cannot shut myself off from everyone else at work where I use the 515's. It completely drowns out my slightly loud case fans but I can still hear loud things around me. Anyone who says that people down the hall can hear them must be cranking these to obscene levels - VERY bad for your long-term hearing, and ironically one of the reasons why it is smart to get pure-sounding headphones in the first place.
Bottom line: The 555's are better and do not colour the music as much as the 515's. This means everything sounds good with the 515s while the 555s can make you change your mind about some of your favourites. Again, this comes back to the quality of the source and not the headphones themselves. Are the 555's worth 2-3x the price of the 515s? Not unless you have the money to burn. The HD 515s are an amazing value for the price - I got mine as fully warranteed B-stock that are in new condition and cost $20 less than list. $40 for a set of cans that sound almost as good as the highly vaunted 555s - a no brainer...
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Hear The Difference, January 13, 2005 By M. Mccurry (Dayton, OH)
This review is from: Sennheiser HD515 Dynamic Stereo Sound Audiophile 500 Series Headphones (Electronics)
I've read some different opinions of these 'phones and people have said they don't fit your head (this is ridiculous since they're adjustable) or that they are very easy to break, which in my experience it has been the exact opposite. I've caught the cord on things numerous times, had somebody knock them off of my desk, somebody even sat on them and they still remain the same as when I first purchased them. No scratches, cracks, disconnections or breaks of any kind. I would actually inform people that these are quite sturdy and durable instead of making it seem as though they will snap with the first wrong move.
The sound quality is just amazing for the price and as others have noted, they're much better all-around headphones than the Sony brand in the same price range. I tested both for long periods of time and gave them each a fair amount of burn-in. In the end the Sennheisers are a much bigger bang for your buck. As for them sounding like tin cans or even more laughable: sounding better when they're cupped by your hands, those statements are just entirely false as another reviewer has already pointed out. The sound becomes much worse when this is done because it takes away from the sonic accuracy and spatial experience. Maybe the reviewer who said this needs some new equipment or a better understanding of the way these headphones are supposed to work. When you buy open headphones (which, by the way, reproduce better sound than a closed pair) you should know what you're getting and the fact that people will be able to hear what you're listening to if they're close enough. The quality is much better, that's the difference and it's the reason they are made this way. If you're looking for privacy, grab the Sony V6.
All in all these are well worth the price tag and will definitely bring a smile to your face if they're your first, second, or even third dip into audiophile territory. However, you must keep moving up the line if your expectations become too high. Headphones in this range can only do so much and these most certainly get the job done for the tag attached to them. Be sure to give them a fair chance and a lot of burn-in before you judge them.
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Awesome Headphones, January 18, 2007 By J. Hoffman
This review is from: Sennheiser HD515 Dynamic Stereo Sound Audiophile 500 Series Headphones (Electronics)
If you're looking for a high quality set of headphones without paying hundreds of dollars, this is it. This is the first pair of audiophile quality phones I have owned aside from a pair of 20 year old akg studio headphones. I shopped around for a long time and sampled a lot of different headsets. I love these, they have recently been put on sale a lot of places but they are great! If you're looking for phones that will cancel or block outside noise, these probably aren't for you since they're open back, however outside noise has generally not interfered with my music. Also, this set may seem tight on your head at first, at least they did for me, but I realized that I didn't have the headband adjusted properly, the large ear cups offer a lot of space and once adjusted correctly they are super comfortable (I can't feel them on my head after awhile).
Bottom line: Awesome headphones on a very reasonable budget.
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Great with Home Stereo, Not So Great with portable Audio, July 14, 2004 By A. Dweck (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sennheiser HD515 Dynamic Stereo Sound Audiophile 500 Series Headphones (Electronics)
After much research and deliberation I decided to pick up a pair of the HD 515's through target.com Put simply, these headphones are extremely comfortable, stylish, and produce a phenomenal sound with rich treble and bass when connected to either a home stereo or computer system. I originally bought them thinking they would be driven and sound adequate with my 15gig ipod, however, the ipod doesn't seem to have enough power to fully exploit the headphones. Again, great for home stereo, not so great for portable audio...*I would recommend the sennheiser pmx60's* however, as a great headphone for portable audio!
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Great headphone that allow environmental noise., September 9, 2009 By Spire (fargo, nd)
This review is from: Sennheiser HD515 Dynamic Stereo Sound Audiophile 500 Series Headphones (Electronics)
I love these headphones - they are circumaural so they fit around the ear for long listening sessions, the plug is a gold plated 1/4" but they also come with a gold plated 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. i bought them to replace an old pair of sony's that finally broke, and i'm pretty happy with the sennheiser's - the sound quality is superb - that is they give all the accuracy a person wants without being so true to the music that your tastes will change. one note - these headphones don't have the same warmth as the sony's had. the reason i'm occasionally annoyed with them is because they are open speakers thereby letting in some outside noises. i listen to tv, jazz, rap, pop, punk, techno, and rock. they all sound as good as i've ever heard them, especially after the break-in period was over.
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Sennheiser HD 515, An average users perspective., February 25, 2010 By Moosie "Le Moose" (Jaffrey NH)
This review is from: Sennheiser HD515 Dynamic Stereo Sound Audiophile 500 Series Headphones (Electronics)
I bought these for gaming use, and music listing. And in those 2 category's these headphones ROCK. In games I hear things I've never heard before, things I didn't know were there! the same goes for music. And like others have said, these headphones will make your low quality mp3's sound HORRIBLE, and I mean BAD. I'm no audiophile by any standards, but I can tell when something sounds bad. I re-riped a good chunk of my music collection at a high bit-rate, and the difference is so much better.
I use these with an SB audigy SE, so it isn't the best soundcard in the world (But it isn't the worst either). And they sound pretty good with that card. When I first plugged them in, they sounded like tin cans with magnets in them. But then I realized that my soundcard was set to use CMSS-3D (creates virtual 3d sound, but degrades the quality of the source audio) and the quality loss is something I didn't notice with the ear buds I had been using while trying to replace my old Siberia's (I bought these because I just couldn't stand the sound of those earbuds anymore, and after 2 months I figured my Siberia's weren't going to get replaced).
I only have two real gripes with these, and thats the fact that the cord is so long (Rather a 3 foot cord with a 7 foot extension) and the fact that it goes from 6.3mm to 3.5mm instead of going from 3.5mm to 6.3mm. One more thing, is that in the photo's theres some sort of headphone holder... but it wasn't in the box!
In the end, I would recommend these to anyone who wants some good clean sound, at a good price. Great for music, great for games, And they are so comfy that it's almost orgasmic.
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Excellent headphones, January 10, 2005 By Tom (Stormville, NY)
This review is from: Sennheiser HD515 Dynamic Stereo Sound Audiophile 500 Series Headphones (Electronics)
I got these specifically for mixing raw audio files and recording. These do a phenominal job of that, and they are comfortable enough for 5 hour listening sessions. There are probably better phones for mixing at this price range, but these phones are also extremely versitle. I'm at college, and having a nice pair of headphones to listen with while working is a definite plus. A huge improvement over my $20 Sennheisers.
At full volume, I don't hear any distortion. The package says that the parts are interchangeable in case of breakage---as headphones do break, so that's a definite plus.
Also, the reviewer who said that the sound quality improves when the ear pieces are covered---in my experience---is incorrect. The sound gets muddy, and the layers merge together. The headphones are of an open-design, and sound is supposed to leak out. These are not meant to prevent everybody else from hearing you---they are meant to sound phenominal. The mid-range is far superior to my friend's $140 Sony headphones, and the mids and the highs are on par (Sorry I don't have the Sony model #). After using them for mixing, I am glad I treated myself to them. My final recordings sound better because of them.
For versitle, quality headphones with excellent balance, layer separation and bass response (and overal tone), these are excellent headphones. For the price they are unbeatable in my book. They do leak out sound, however---as do many of Sennheiser's headphones. If you're looking for a closed design Sony makes very nice ones, but these sound incredible and are by far the most comfortable headphones I've used.
