Today, Louis reviews the Sennheiser HD 505 ‘Copper’, a new set of competitively-priced open-back 120Ω dynamic driver headphones. They have a current MSRP of $279.95.
Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or services. I thank Sennheiser for this opportunity.
Click here to learn more about the Sennheiser products we have previously reviewed on Headfonics.
Note that this feature follows our latest scoring guidelines which you can read in more detail here.
Sennheiser recently released the HD 505, nicknamed ‘Copper’. This launch is an attempt to refresh the HD 500 series line and attract more prospects to the Sennheiser 500 line of headphones, particularly those who are looking for a headphone with analytical characteristics.
I’m fluent and familiar with the HD 500 series starting with the HD 518, the HD 569, the HD 598, and the HD 599, and owned them all at one point. I also had the opportunity to briefly listen to the HD 560S but never owned a pair.
Each model I owned has their virtues and I assume that Sennheiser would attempt to carry over all those model’s good traits into the HD 505 and elevate the series status. That’s what I would have done.
Features
On the inside, the Sennheiser HD 505 seems to employ some of its big brother’s implementations starting with Sennheiser’s proprietary open-frame architecture which gives their headphones an overall tonality that’s wide and open sounding, sonically speaking.
The HD 505 is technically an open-back headphone, but it’s not as open as the HD 600 series of cans that use a mesh with larger holes. The grill strikes a balance between excessive bleeding and supplying enough breathability.
The driver is an angle-mounted dynamic transducer that’s made in Ireland and tuned for analytical listening purposes.
I did get to play around with them by adding some color and the HD 505 seems to like that and that raises the fun level. In other words, there is a level of fun within this set and not just all business.
Design
Side by side, the HD 505 looks similar to the HD 560S except for the Copper accents. The styling, construction, and materials used are all too familiar but I say, if it works why fix it?
All the lines and curves are carried over from all the previous HD 500 series releases. I do like their curvy design.
The driver support arm, or one-sided yoke resembles the Sennheiser logo and I’m surprised no one has ever noticed that design aspect. Was this design intricacy done on purpose?
The grill is also carried over from the HD 560S including the side and center-mounted Sennheiser logo.
The grill is the only carryover because all of the previous HD 500 series models had more trim work. However, that makes the HD 505 look more streamlined in appearance this time.
Sennheiser uses an all-polymer construction and some might complain about that but not me because I have experienced this design’s longevity hands-on and its durability.
I’ve never had any issues with the almost half dozen cans I’ve owned from the HD 500 series. I never had one break unexpectedly.
Comfort
The Sennheiser HD 505 is extremely lightweight and comfortable. The clamping force seems to have not changed much from the HD 500 lineup and this design can accommodate many nugget sizes.
It’s easy to obtain just the right adjustment with the sliders as well. I counted eighteen clicks on each side.
The head cushion has enough padding to feel comfortable. However, if you look at the head cushion it’s one solid piece with no crease in the cushion.
That creates a pressure point in the center, contrary to the HD 560S which has a slotted head cushion that relieves that center pressure point.
The overall weight of the headphones is 237 grams which is considerably lower compared to the HD 560s which weights 280 grams.
These HD 505 headphones are very light and if it wasn’t for the slight amount of stiffness of the pads and that top center spot, you wouldn’t feel these on, not on account of weight.
Stock Pads
The pads, once again, are a carryover from the HD 500 series. They use the clip-on system in which to take them off, you just pull them off and click them back on. They’re easy to replace which is always a plus.
The opening shape is oval and my entire fist fits in there comfortably. The openings are quite large and I doubt they will present discomfort for most.
There is a lump on one side of the inside of the cups, as in previous models just the same, but that doesn’t negatively affect comfort, at least for me.
The pads are made from synthetic Velour material and the foam seems to be fast-acting foam and not the memory variant. The foam stiffness is taught but I bet they will give in some with long-term use.
Stock Cable
As the saying goes, there’s always something. Sennheiser packs in the box an average quality cable that’s around six feet in length which is a good length for a desktop scenario, but a bit long for portable use.
The input tip is a TRS 3.5mm gold-plated plug and Sennheiser includes a step-up screw-on adapter that takes the cable to a 6.35mm TRS full-size plug. It will do but it left me unfulfilled.
What I dislike about the cable is the part that inserts into the cup. Yes, that design is unique, sleek, and all that but I know many manufacturers that include balanced connectivity, which is available from Sennheiser but at an extra cost.
I’m considering it at this point because I know these cans will benefit from balanced cables but I couldn’t test my theory.
Packaging & Accessories
The overall presentation could be better. Sennheiser went bare-bones on this one. If it were not for some printing on the side of the box it would just be a plain corrugated cardboard box.
Perhaps the inside had something interesting I thought but there was just more plain cardboard.
The headphone comes cradled in, you guessed it, a cardboard cutout that holds the headphones in place. You get the cable and a foldable product manual with an interesting twist.
It mentions the HD 550 model which has been mentioned in forums but never released until recently. This line of headphones is quickly growing and hopefully, one model will not eclipse out the other too soon. Sennheiser should simmer and stir.
Sound Impressions
I used the Rose Technics RT-5000 for not only its ability to be revealing and sweet sounding, but the filters are effective in this model, and I thought it would be fun to add some color to this neutrally-tuned headphone and I was right.
I also used the SMSL stack consisting of the SU-X and the SH-X for a wide and powerful perspective and to see how well the HD 505 handles upscaled high output power. For a low-power perspective, I used the ONIX Alpha XI1 dongle.
Summary
Sennheiser tuned the HD 505 to be analytical and they do produce a high level of detail, especially for a headphone in this price class. I think that’s their niche because there are no outstanding frequencies or any area that stands out.
My pair did present some small peaks, one around 2.5kHz, and one around 5.3kHz. I’m not sure if it was my pairing or something else but I also heard an uneven output level around 7kHz.
I couldn’t test my theory but I bet this headphone would change by simply changing the cable.
To my ears, the HD 505 sounds one degree on the dark side of the scale, with a forward midrange enhanced by a bass response that seems to give way to the other frequencies, enhancing their presence and accuracy but holding back on itself.
The HD 505 comes with a cohesive tuning that is well-balanced, but it strives for accuracy. It’s not as accurate as the HD 600 series of headphones but it’s the closest in that respect within the HD 500 line.
Overall, they produce sonics with transparency and balance and a timbre that will appeal to most.
Bass
The Sennheiser HD 505 bass response is responsive, or shall I say effective down to 23Hz and below that point, it takes a hard dip where it is ineffective below the 20 Hz point. However, it was audible down to 11Hz.
The potential for rumble is there but they need to be teased. I like to boost the lower frequencies below 60Hz by 3 or 4 dB. That raises their fun factor by an increase in weight and presence in the lower than 40Hz ranges.
Most of the bass energy is produced above that 40Hz point but thereafter it seems flat through the bass frequencies in output. There are no peaks in the bass region that I can detect and no over-emphasized frequencies in any area.
The bass has just a small amount of body and is subtle giving way to accuracy. The bass is well-controlled but as mentioned, it needs a bit of augmentation to get it to where I like it and for the bass notes to be felt.
Midrange
The HD 505 has a forward-sounding midrange that’s well-rounded and natural sounding, particularly when producing vocals. This forwardness gives way to detail and nuances that some of the legacy HD 500 series headphones could not produce.
Those peaks previously mentioned don’t get in the way of the accuracy in tonality. Midrange tones are well-defined and natural in timbre.
There is a hint of ardency that keeps the mid-band range interesting, but again, those peaks give origin to the ardent character.
The midrange is presented with an eagerness to perform well in that the midrange area produces lots of detail and nuances unheard of in the HD 500 lineup.
This is where the HD 505 shines above the rest of the series, in the capability to produce subtle nuances and detail at a higher level.
Treble
The treble response is not overly sharp and tends to have a fatigue-free character. Overall they do have a nice sparkle and an overall sonic profile that is sharp and clean.
There is at times a small amount of harshness when there’s a lot of energy in a recording at around the 5kHz area and it’s due to the peak in that area.
The treble response does come across with some bite to it but it remains airy and presents the listener with characteristics that promote high-frequency width which promotes a defined place within the sonic scape.
The HD 505 produces high frequencies that are wide apart but they’re produced with a dark aspect in that they’re pushed back in output just enough to remain below a certain threshold. That character keeps them from entering into excessive vociferous territory.
Staging & Dynamics
The HD 500 series of Sennheiser headphones have never been slouches in that department. They’ve always produced a wide, deep, and open soundstage, and the HD 505 follows suit by producing a soundstage that is more precise compared to its predecessors.
Sennheiser did a great job tuning this headphone to have lots of depth while keeping elements well-defined, punchy, and focused.
The sonic scape produced is expansive, however, what I noticed was an increase in height and opulence over the rest of the HD 500 clan.
Click on page 2 below for my recommended pairings and selected comparisons.
