Final Thoughts
Great sound staging qualities and thick bass does not make a good headphone, nor does it compensate for poor comfort and headband design. DJ’s who don’t mind the lack of comfort are going to enjoy the HD7 and HD8. Dual entry cable inputs and two cable types included, one coiled and one straight, offer a wide variety of space to get the job done not only in a physical sense of the word but also sonically. The wide and airy imaging qualities will allow the wearer to avoid sonic fatigue and maybe even enjoy the music while toggling those board switches and fist pumping the air for the duration of the night. I think Sennheiser can do better though, as for this price tag I can name three other headphones that are better, one of which is from Sennheiser. I hope in the future that Sennheiser will opt for a redesign of their headbands and try to understand that when you label a headphone as “ for DJ’s” there needs to be much more thought put into the physical design and layout. Awesome swivel action doesn’t make it a great DJ headphone, it only gives the DJ a little less stress in one area when they need to hear outside noise, but adds more stress with the lack of comfort.
With remarkable sound staging fun and weighted bass on the upper models and cool DJ-esque features in the earcups. The HD DJ series are the most portable of the recent string of circumaural on the go headphones” that I have come across. Recently, prices on the entire lineup have begun to drop for far less than their MSRP listings: The HD8 is currently listed for $350 and the HD7 and HD6 can be purchased for around $250 after a $40 mail in rebate. The HD6 Mix is the all star of the show and offers the best balance of sound between the three models. I can certainly recommend the HD6 Mix to studio engineers and anyone who needs a good mixing headphone. Unfortunately, the HD7 and HD8 get lost in the crowd against the few other big boy toys in the portable circumaural world of headphones. The measurements on the HD6 are actually more linear than the other two and not surprisingly the HD7 and HD8 have super elevated Bass readings and a huge drop off on the treble that make the Rocky Mountains seems plateaued by comparison. The overall thinness in the midrange helps to accentuate the loose bass experience, as a result I won’t be recommending the HD7 or the HD8 to anyone, since the AKG K267 and the NAD HP50 absolutely and unmercifully destroy these Sennheisers in almost every way. However, the HD6 Mix is a very good headphone and inside it’s price tier there are only few others that can offer similar qualities. While only slightly less clear all around than it’s big brothers, the HD6 Mix certainly offers the most balanced sound signature of the three and seems the most useful and user friendly both on your wallet and your ears. Sennheiser claimed the HD7 and HD8 were balanced sounding, yet they offer powerful bass, lean Midrange and laid back treble. That doesn’t make any sense and only the HD6 mix fits that boast.
