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    Sennheiser HD 202 or 201? Is the 202 supraaural?

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by Chango99, Dec 2, 2009.

  1. Chango99

    Chango99 Derp

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    Hi, I ordered a pair of sennheiser HD 202 and 201s to decide which one would be better for me. The other one is going to my friend who doesn't care too much, just wants a new pair. I'm having trouble deciding though. The headphones have arrived and what I can tell so far:

    HD 202 definitely has better bass and is louder and has better noise cancellation.
    HD 201 is supposed to have better sound, but I don't really notice it, some noise cancellation.

    TBH, my old/current headset creative fatality headset wasn't that much worse than these headphones.

    Now, it seems like the HD202 would be an easy choice, but the ear cups seem kind of small for circumaural. It does attempt to go over my ears but it's a bit uncomfortable and clearly the cups are smaller than the HD201s. Will I get used to it or will the headphone contort/expand to fit around my ears? Anyone with experience with these?

    HD 202 Pros/cons:
    -Good bass
    -Good power on sound
    -Best Noise cancellation
    -Most uncomfortable, might get warm/hot ears too.

    HD 201:
    - Comfortable
    - Some noise cancellation
    - Almost no bass (bad)

    Creative Fatality Headset:
    - Comfortable (Plush velvet padding)
    - Headset! Detachable mic
    - Old/attracts dust on the plush velvet
    - Almost no sound cancellation/open
    - open/ more air flow = less warm ears?
    - Volume control
    - Worst sound of the 3, sounds a bit drowned out, still better bass than HD201s though.

    I'm a person with way too much buyer's remorse, refer to my sig.
     
  2. andyroo

    andyroo Notebook Guru

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    I think it really depends on what kind of music you listen to. I find the HD 202 has better noise isolation than the HD 201 but the bass is emphasized and highs are a bit too warm and muddy sounding.

    So basically if you're using the headphones for home use where there isn't much ambient noise and you listen to classical/light rock/vocal I'd go with the 201s. If you mainly listen to techno/hip-hop or are using the headphones outside, go with the 202s.

    If you listen to all of the above both inside and outside, overall I'd go with the 201s.

    Also, many people on many forums have agreed that the clip-on Zalman mic
    ( Link) attached to either of the above headphones form the cheapest gaming headset with the best sound below $30.