Sennheiser HD 555

Who's It For

Audiophile
Audiophiles will like the lack of distortion and good frequency response. The open design also means bass notes have a strong, deep sound.

Portable User
The Sennheiser HD 555 headphones will be like a ball and chain to portable users.

Airplane Traveler
Airplane travelers will go deaf turning up the volume because of the total lack of sound cancellation. The resulting leakage will annoy everyone on the plane.

Home / Office Use
This is the target audience for the HD 555 headphones. They should offer a good movie watching experience. Again, the only caveat is that those in the same room with you will be able to hear just about everything you do.

Conclusion
The Sennheiser HD 555 headphones are clearly meant for a home theater environment. While they fit this role well, they are unfortunately limited to it. These headphones aren't a good choice if you're looking for something you can also commute with. First of all, their cloth padding doesn't do much to isolate you from the outside world. Secondly, they do have open backs. While this helps portray a more open, airy sound, it will also let everyone on the bus know you're rocking out to La Bouche. Further, while you could just ball the extra six or so feet of cord up into your pocket, it's cumbersome to do so.

In their native environment -- a home theater setup -- these headphones should fare a lot better. Sound quality should be good, and distortion should be minimal, even at high volumes. The long cord allows you to easily hook up to your stereo system across the room without having to rely on a sometimes-spotty wireless connection. Their cloth pads also make for a comfortable wear experience, though over time the cloth can get a bit itchy. The only possible downside is the lack of noise cancellation and the leakage factor. If you're looking to minimize the noise from watching action movies at 3 a.m., the HD 555s will help you out, but don't expect to get away with it if you're in the same room as someone snoozing. Likewise, if you're looking for some peace and quiet from your roommate who blasts music, don't expect the HD 555s to block out much of it.

Overall, the Sennheiser 555 headphones aren't a bad set. They aren't built as well as some other on- or over-ear headphones, and are sorely lacking on extras, but at $180 they're cheap enough to be considered.