Sennheiser HD 219 S Headphones with Integrated Microphone for Smartphones, Black

Excellent value for the price (they aren't cheap, and they don't feel cheap). Excellent sound for everyday usage in an office (designed for sound isolation). Amazingly comfortable (light weight, padded in all the right spots). The mike works well (better than EarPods I'm told). I'm 100% satisfied.I am unsure of the user who declared these phones "Inefficient" When I first put them on they were very low, I slid the volume slider and they were too loud to wear. I had been listening to the same track at the same point, at the same volume, with my EarPods, just a few moments earlier. I have not been through the "burn in" period with these headphones, but I am quite satisfied so far.My Requirements when shopping were: (in no particular order) 1. No Bluetooth: bluetooth headphones, while workable, sound bad to me and up the price. Even the good ones. 2. Mike and remote for iPhone. I don't like switching to take/place calls 3. On ear. in ear hurts after a couple of hours (Sorry EarPods) and On Ear heat me up. Love my Sennheiser 201 HD's but they get HOT. 4. Sound Isolation. In an office, no one should hear your music. My Koss PortaPros are so comfortable I forget I'm wearing them, but I don't like sharing music with my neighbors 5. Clear sound. Doesn't need to be perfect, I'm not spending $200, but I want to be as clear as I can get for the money (remember, I love my Koss PortaPro's, which post burn in are amazing for open cans)Before purchasing these headphones I went on "Listening Safaris" to The Apple Store, Radio Shack, Best Buy and a few other stores around. I tried Bose OE2i's, Beats by Dre, Bowers & Wilkins P3 and P5, etc... I took three weeks to listen to all the headphones I could find. Price/features/performance/comfort just wasn't there. The ones that met Features/performance/comfort were just too expensive, the cheap ones were either uncomfortable, sounded like mud, or didn't have a mike. The one set of headphones I never got to preview, but wanted to, was the Sennheiser Momentum On Ear's. I would not have spent the money for them, but would have loved to put comparable Sennheiser's up against both the Beats and the Bose OE2i.The Bose OE2i headphones had the most true sound reproduction, bar none, the Beats produced so much bass, that they muddied everything else in my ears. I could not stand them, so if you really really like Beats, know that you will probably disagree with everything I ever say about sound quality. It's subjective, I get that, and I like bass, but I need clear midrange and crystal highs to go with.I would not spend the $179/$199 to buy the Bose OE2i, excellent sound reproduction or not, it was just too much for my use case. I won't be listening to original recordings that will actually deserve that true reproduction, I will be listening to digital music that is not even a full digital lossless recording. I'm not an Audiophile, I'm not a hipster, but I appreciate clear sound reproduction. I picked the Sennheiser 219 S, sound unheard, based entirely on previous experience with Sennheiser, and similarity of design with the Bose OE2i headphones that led me to believe they would be good at sound isolation also. (closed can, on ear design).My Koss Porta pros are the best sound+comfort+money I've ever had. I would simply have ordered a KTC set of those (  Koss Porta Pro KTC Ultimate Portable Headphone for iPod, iPhone and iPad  ) but they are open headphones and leak sound like CRAZY. I was always afraid I'd look up and people several seats away would be laughing like what happens when folks don't get their headphones plugged in well and their music plays on their speakers too. So I could not use them in the office without dealing with some fear of ridicule. So they set my price range, I'd rather use them with some fear, than spend over $100 for headphones that I didn't think sounded appreciably better.With the Sennheiser 219 S headphones, the comfort level is there. I mean I hardly notice them, going on three hours now with no heat up issues. The sound isolation is TOP Notch. I had my wife test with me, and with them on full volume, with my iPhone 4s cranked all the way on a very loud bass-y recording, there was no perceptible external noise at two feet, closer and I could hear the beat, but not clearly identify the music. When we tried at my normal listening volume, there was no noticeable sound at six inches. Which is office proof enough for me.They dampen external sound even with nothing playing over them beyond what I thought was reasonable expectation (better than the over the are 201's honestly). The sound reproduction is good, really good. If you want great, spend a lot more, but for this price, you are NOT getting an Audiophile headphone, no matter what some reviews here suggest. However, unless you are looking for an active bass booster, like in the Beats, I don't think you'll hear much of a difference. Especially pre-burn-in.They are amazingly good at being what I bought them for. A sound isolating ON EAR headphone that doesn't overheat my ears and doesn't cause my ears to get sore (like EVERY in-ear headphones I've ever used). I'll still use my PortaPros/SportaPros when appropriate, but now I can listen to any music in the office and hear it clearly, without worrying about disturbing my co-workers. I can listen to music in the bedroom at night and not disturb my wife. I am quite pleased with my Sennheiser 219-S phones. Sorry PortaPros, I may have new favorites.

Summary: would I buy these again? Yes, absolutely.The HD219s characteristics are on par with what other reviewers mentioned. It is hard to find another pair of headphones at this price point that are more accurate. I've had these for a month and they are my third pair of Senns, along with a pair of Grado 325s.I needed a cost effective pair of headphones that were sturdy, small enough to be worn at work, had no noise leakage, and could be taken on & off quickly and tossed on the desk without worrying about the headphones being too delicate. The 219s fits that bill plus can be used to talk on a mobile phone.Pros:Comfort: it's the first thing you notice. The 219s can easily be worn all day long. The comfort & padding are outstanding.Very lightweight and adjustable: the ear phones rotate 90 degrees for better adjust-ability.Fit: just snug enough for comfort. The headphones don't move around on your head. Good padding on headband.Sound: very accurate, very clean. These have accurate bass without being overwhelming. The mids/highs and voices are extremely accurate. The soundstage is smaller & more compact than expensive headphones but that is a very, very, minor quibble.Great when listening to conference calls. Put your phone on mute and these become a very comfortable way to listen to calls while working.Other info:Some users mention the headphones are inefficient. I agree you have to turn the volume up a couple notches higher for these headphones but as another user stated: just turn up the volume. Also note there is a separate volume slider on the microphone that needs to be up if you want to listen to loud volumes. There is no need for a headphone amp to achieve loud volume with the 219s.The cord is only 3 feet long but that so far has never been an issue. Cord extensions are out there if needed.While talking on the phone keep in mind that unlike single ear Bluetooth headsets, both of your ears are covered and your voice will be muffled (you can't hear your own voice through the headphones, just like with any pair of on-ear/over the ear headphones). Since the ear cups rotate up to 90 degrees, the easy fix is to move the right ear cup back behind your right ear or back onto your neck area. That way you can hear your own voice while talking on phone calls. The headset will not fall off when doing this (a plus). For frequent phone use I prefer a regular single ear headset but the bonus is the 219s never needs to be recharged... no battery required!

Just got these headphones today. Sounds amazing, full precise sound, flat response, not muddy or bass-heavy at all. I can't believe what $44 and free shipping will get you in this world. They're not as comfy as my Sennheiser HD-25 but they're not $250 either. The materials are in line with what you'd expect from a $30-$70 pair of headphones. The microphone is way better than I'm used to in a set of inexpensive headphones.I'll post another review after I've had them for at least a few weeks. Completely thrilled with them thus far!Edit (3 days later): My wife tried them over the weekend, looks like we're getting a second pair! This morning I had a 4 hour conference call and had them on the whole time. The earpieces get slightly warm but not so much to bother me over a day's usage. The quality is superb. In particular the microphone is dramatically better than your everyday cellphone headphone. Nobody ever asked me to repeat myself during the call, it was crystal clear.Another note about sound quality. They have a very flat sound. For audiophiles, flat is good. But if you want a lot of bass, these phones won't add more bass than was in the recording. Which is exactly what I want. Thanks Sennheiser for not succumming to mass hysteria.Edit (after 6 months):Headphone survive nearly daily use as well as crammed in our backbacks while traveling (other headphones would have broken). They see a lot more use than our HS-25s but are lighter, smaller, just as comfy, and sound good. The convenience of the outstanding microphone is why they win. One warning tho: the microphone will pick up lots of ambient conversations at great fidelity. So if your friends are laughing at you in a language you don't understand but the person on the other call does... you get the picture.

These really hit the mark if you are a fan of rock or metal. The bass balances really nicely with the upper ranges so it doesn't overpower them (as other headphones I have had tended to do) so the depth of sound is really wonderful. I have been listening to Rise Against and Alter Bridge on them and the sound comes out great but they are really rather good across the board (Hozier and Sinatra sound even better with these on). Maybe because of this, people looking for really bass dedicated headphones (for electronic music etc) may want to try something else (I personally don't listen to much electronic and as I mentioned before, the balance these give is ideal for me).They are also comfortable and I almost forget I am wearing them at times since the ear pads are comfortable and the headphones themselves are quite lightweight.I bought these at the price of £40 but I would have happily paid £60 for them. Definitely a good buy.

Best headphones i have used. keeps your ears warm in winter !These go on top of the ears and they do block out some sound.Excellent sound but i could not find any diff between this and a 250 beats of B&W pair of head phones. Matter if preferance.Build is very good but not exactly compact. the wire is thicker the ususal, not too chuncky though. and the volume control works well.In terms of comfort. i have used this for extended periods 7-8 hours with out it getting too hot of uncomfortable.

These are great headphones for commuters like me. Confy, good sound, and you can pack them easily in any rucksack.I bought these because of the remote. After having my Sennheiser HD218i I made sure that this time I would choose ones with a remote that would allow not only play/pause but also forward/backward (really useful for podcasts!). The thing is that this button works most times but not every time as expected. Thus 4 stars.Apart from that, it's a really good set.

Iv had for under six months and the headphone have become very loose around my head. They have had medium use for commuting to and from work roughly 5 days a week.I have encountered some problems with these headphone which has lead me to write this review. They have become extremely loose around my head, to the point in which they slide off with ease. One side of the headphones speaker now has a lower level in sound to the other. On top of these problems the microphone is becoming intermittent.Overall. The sound is not bad for the price and they are very light weight and comfortable. I feel the product is way over priced for the quality and strength. 6 months and all these issues tells me that these headphone are made to deteriorate in a short time of purchase.Spend a little more money and get a better pair

Can't fully control the volume on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Instead of volume going from 0 to 100 percent, the volume will only go as loud as the current setting of the phone. If for example, your volume is set to 50 percent on your phone, than that will be the max volume you can get using the headphones, which is a shame.Not tried with other makes/models of phone.Good headphones otherwise.