Now, to the main reason I did not keep either pair. Although I knew neither pair folded or had a convenient storage unit. I was not prepared for the size of either set of headphones. Neither is what I would call portable. I travel frequently, and the jet engine noise ruins my entertainment experience as I am sure most people would agree. The closed design appeals to me, but there is no way to fit these phones in my carry-on bag. If you are planning to use these at home or at your workplace, they are a great buy. If you plan to take them with you all the time, I would suggest looking elsewhere as I am.

I do recommend these based on sound quality, but not on portability.


Bass on steroids, but comfort/balance not there for me   November 25, 2003
 54 out of 62 found this review helpful

I'm sure there are audiophiles who will love the HD-212 headphones but these are not for me. The bass is overwhelming and tends to wash out the treble and midrange. I tried comparing this set to my 8-year old Sony MDR-V404s and the Sennheisers were no match in terms of balance, smoothness and comfort.

For pros, I have to admit the noise reduction capabilites are terrific. I can't hear anything from outside, even with the sound turned fairly low. The cord length is generous, and using this to watch movies never sounded better. Supposedly you can remove the cups and the cords, but that was never an area of my concern.

For cons, I have several considerable complaints. One, these headphones are just not comfortable for me. The closed cup design is a tight squeeze on my ears, and I can't listen to anything for more than an hour before I start feeling burdened by the pressure. The bass, often overexaggerated on classical/pop and downright deafening on electronic/trance, starts to give me a headache before I'm done with one CD. The worst thing is how most music in my collection is not properly balanced. I have to do major tweaking with an equalizer before I can get vocals to comfortable levels. Again, midrange and treble suffered a tremendous distortion at the expense of booming lows.

Granted this set was really an experiment for me; this is the first time I've tried Sennheiser and a closed cup design. Unfortunately I can't say these headphones won me over in either category. I'm returning these to Amazon and going back to looking for another Sony to replace an already proven winner.


Really good overall   May 17, 2002
 35 out of 38 found this review helpful

I have to say that after having these headphones for about a week I am editing my review of them. Earlier I had given them 4 stars out of 5 because I had not really given them a good testing and now I realize that I may have judged too soon. These are excellent closed headphones for the money with a clear overall sound and powerful bass. Of course, the bass may be an issue because some may find it too powerful and if you are into acoustic music the 497 is probably a better choice in the sennheiser line.


Great for the price   March 13, 2003
 20 out of 23 found this review helpful

The Sennheiser HD-212 headphones have a clear sound, don't require a headphone amp, yet have lots of bass. For some types of music the bass may be too much, but if you're used to having a good amount of bass, then these are great. I tested the bass response with bass around 35-40 Hz and I was amazed -- I never knew headphones could do this. These are good at blocking out noise and keep others from hearing your music. Not the most comfortable pair I own (that would be the Sennheiser EH-2200, which I'd recommend if you want a more flat response), but it hasn't been a problem.


HD 497 vs HD 212   February 15, 2005
 17 out of 18 found this review helpful

My roomate got the 497 and I got the 212pro and I have tested both to find which one is better. The answer is it's totally up to the listener. First, both headphones have the exact same plastic band that is fairly comfortable after breaking in. Do not return these until after the first week becuase they get amazingly better sound wise. The 212 are a bit heavier then the open 497's but it could just be the difference between closed and open.

I was pretty scared of alot of reviews saying the bass is too much, but if you like music with bass and movies these are perfect. They pickup alot of very deep sounds and its very warm, sometimes it can get a bit too much but I liked someones idea of having the ability to turn down the bass rather then turning it up all the time. What it does have in lows it lacks in highs. One great example is Beck- Lost Cause the high swirling violins don't come in as clear on the 212 as they do on the 497's. The 497's have a very natural and balanced sound. I would really reccommend them to people who really like acoustic, soft rock, and anything where the music has more emphasis on vocals then bass. I was kinda discouraged that the 212 lacked in mids and highs but it was outweighed by the fact the bass is absolutely amazing. I am always turning up the bass on my computer and cd player and this is perfect. The 497's also leak alot of sound, but this is what their made to do. On the other hand the 212's trap sound nicely, and you can't really here anything else when your listening to them. Both headphones are very comfortable and designed for long use, sennheiser really thought out the ergonomics of the headphones.

In short if you want lots of powerful sound and bass and don't mind the extra weight go with the 212's.
If you want a balanced listening and want a very light headphone stick with the 497's.