Sennheiser HD 450BT – Hardware Review
Even though Sennheiser has been around for over 75 years, the company has produced many different products over the years. Nonetheless, the now-massive company has grown into one that specializes in audio components. Many will know their range of premium-priced headsets and microphones, and those who have already bought one of said products will probably remain very loyal to the brand. Even though we had a small feature of the U320 on our site many years ago, we have not had the chance to try out many of Sennheiser’s products due to high demand. That being said, courtesy of Sennheiser, we are now able to take a closer look at the HD 450BT.
Design
The HD 450BT is a simple looking black headset, without any special things that make it stand out in a crowd. This makes it so that it’s a headset for every possible occasion, be it entertainment or even for home office work for those important Zoom meetings or phone calls. Outside of the otherwise complete black design, there are two small silver-colored details, as well as the Sennheiser logo right above the exterior of the ear cups. Other than that, you’ll only find the buttons on the right ear cup, when it comes to distinguishable features.
Comfort
We can start off by saying that the HD 450BT has a fairly strong grip. Of course, making the headset a bit bigger will reduce this effect, but you’ll still have to make sure the device rests comfortably on the top of your head. Luckily, the tight grip will immediately be reduced in strength thanks to the ample padding on the ear cups. The leathery padding of the ear pads makes it a very pleasant a comfortable device. The device is an over-ear device, albeit with the padding of the ear cups pressing down on your ears. We’re not sure that this is will cover up everyone’s ears, as it barely did for us. The headband also has a very soft touch and some padding, making the overall device quite comfortable.
In terms of weight, the headset is a solid piece of hardware, but absolutely not too heavy to become uncomfortable during long commutes or home usage. You will properly feel you have something on your head, but it doesn’t become cumbersome or annoying.
Outside of the adjustable headband, you also have a foldable frame. This means that the headset is designed to be stowed away easily, saving a lot of room. The box also includes a small pouch for you to store your headset, making sure it stays clean and somewhat protected.
Specs
- 238 grams
- 30 hours battery life
- Bluetooth 5.0
Overview
Sennheiser’s headset is comparable to a plug and play device, as pairing the device is easily done, be it with a smartphone or other Bluetooth-driven connection. You just need to hold down the power button for four seconds for the HD 450BT to go into pairing mode, and then you connect to it with the other device and you’re good to go. You can also opt for a classic mode to use this headset by using the included cable, to create an analog device. When plugging the cable into the headset you can connect to other devices using a standard 3.5mm jack.
The device comes with several different buttons and features, ranging from normal volume controls, and the power function, to noise-canceling, a voice assistant and the very much appreciated function of being able to skip tracks when browsing through your playlists. Most functions speak for themselves, but noise cancelation is something that is not always present, even when purchasing a premium device. When using this function you can drown out environmental noises, making sure you can enjoy your headset audio to the fullest. This is especially convenient when watching a late-night movie, without any distractions. When outside, you can turn off the noise cancellation to be more aware of your surroundings, making sure you can respond in time when i.e. a bicycle creeps up on you.
The sound quality is superb. The voices are crystal clear, the music audio is perfectly conveyed and the bass is quite deep. The latter is quite pleasant to have a proper ‘home cinema/concert’ experience when watching movies or listening to your favorite music. This is also the case for rerouting your phone calls via the headset. The built-in microphone also picks up the audio quite well (albeit sometimes a bit muddy). You can also move around freely when listening to music or during calls, as the range on this device is quite impressive.
You can also keep your device up to date with the Sennheiser Smart Control app. While it is easy to be able to adjust certain settings with the app, we have to be very honest when we say that the app is not optimized and very slow. It sometimes took nearly a minute to recognize and connect with the headset, even when it was already turned on and paired. This translates into the very poor score it is getting on the Google Play Store.
Conclusion
We have to address the elephant in the room here, as we all know Sennheiser is a pricey brand. That being said, it’s an investment worth making when purchasing a Sennheiser product. The HD 450BT may not have that many bells and whistles when looking at its well-polished black design, but it does come with enough practical functions and sound quality to make this a premium device. You’ll be able to fine-tune settings on the go, and the noise cancellation will cater your music experience to your needs. We can easily recommend this device.
Sennheiser HD 450BT - Hardware Review,
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[…] professional studio headphones, we also love exploring headsets for day-to-day usage. We loved the 450BT when it came out nearly two years ago, and we couldn’t wait until the German manufacturer […]