Review: Sennheiser HD 206 Closed-Back Headphones

Sound Quality

Listeners who have used these headphones are somewhat split on the sound quality. Those that are expecting a high-quality pro sound are usually the ones that are disappointed, as these headphones just won’t be able to deliver the higher quality sound that more expensive headphones are capable of.

Casual listeners or people who have used other cheap headphones tend to find the sound ok for the price point. The sound isn’t great, but not terrible either.

The low end is punchy but a little boomy and lacking sub bass presence. The highs are there, but don’t sound very crisp. Overall the sound can be a little muddy when compared to higher end sets. While the clarity isn’t there, these do have a smooth sound that doesn’t appear to be overly harsh in any part of the frequency range. The frequency range is fairly flat but feels rounded off at the very high and low ends.

Due to the audio qualities, these are going to be more suited for monitoring or casual listening rather than critical studio mixing. There isn’t a whole lot of clarity and crispness for those with more demanding audio production needs. 

These headphones are also a little quiet in terms of overall volume and loudness, and some listeners find they aren’t able to get the volume out of them that they would prefer. I though they sounded better with my drum module when I cranked it up a little louder than normal. People with headphone amps can drive the sound a little bit better from these headphones, and say that the sound quality improves with use of a headphone amp. But most people will be listening to them with smartphones or computers and with those sound sources they can feel a little quiet.

Closed Back Design

The closed-back design of these headphones helps to passively filter out environmental noise during use. While they do block out some environmental noise, the effect isn’t overly strong. Some users say these headphones fit a little loose on their heads which can have a negative effect on the noise reduction capabilities as well, since the ear cups may not fit tightly.

Comfort

The ear cups are shallow and don’t have very thick padding. The size of the ear cups is smaller and they aren’t very deep either. They just barely fit over my ears. I found the ear cups to be decently comfortable though since these headphones don’t put a lot of pressure onto the sides of your head. If they had a tighter fit they might be more uncomfortable.

I found the top part of the headband to be the most uncomfortable after a while. The padding isn’t all that great.

Overall, these are somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of comfort when I compare them to other headphones I’ve tried.

Build Quality

The overall construction of these headphones feels pretty cheap. There is a lot of plastic in the construction. The ear cup forks, for example, feel like they could easily be broken if they are dropped or crushed with the right amount of force.

For the price, this is hard to complain about. You will be getting some of Sennheiser’s most budget minded construction and design with these headphones.

If you are careful with them, you should be able to get some decent life out of these. However, if you tend to be the type that drops or abuses headphones more, or carries them uncased in the backpack, these might not be right for you.

The Cable

These headphones are outfitted with a 3 meter (10 foot) cable that attaches to both the left and right ear cups with a forked style cable. The longer cable is nice on a pair of headphones this cheap. The cable feels pretty lightweight and the attachments to the ear cups feel a little flimsy.

Having a longer cable like this is great for electronic drummers. I didn’t need to use my headphone extension cable when playing drums with these. The cable is easy to keep behind your head and out of the way as well, which is another plus for drummers. So these headphone have that positive point going for them.

Technical Specifications

The Verdict

Headphones like this can be somewhat hard to review. For the price, they are actually pretty good. If you need some cheap headphones that sound good for their price and will be suitable for getting some studio work done on a low budget these are worth trying out.

If you have more money to spend you should look at something else. These don’t compete very well with the sound and overall quality of headphones even in the $100 range, which isn’t a whole lot more than these will cost. When I listen to these side by side with my Sennheiser HD 280 Pro’s, the 280’s sound noticeably more clear with better overall sound. We’d recommend these as a budget friendly headphone and only get these if this is all you can afford.