Since it was founded in 1945, Sennheiser can comfortably claim to have created some of the best headphones in the world, so if you’ve narrowed down your search for a new pair to the German brand: we don’t blame you.
Picking one particular pair, though? That’s not so easy. Sennheiser makes so many different types of headphones, from true wireless in-ears with all the modern bells and whistles to wired open-back cans designed to be hooked up to a high-end hi-fi system, that picking the right ones can be tricky.
Fortunately, there’s nothing we like more than kicking back with a load of headphones, digging out our favourite tunes, and assembling a definitive list of the best ones for various needs. That means every pair you’ll find below has been fully tested by our experts, paying attention to sound quality, features, design, and, where relevant, noise-cancelling and call quality (which, considering Sennheiser also makes microphones, should be pretty good).
For a full breakdown on how we test, you can read all about it on this page, but without further ado, here are the best Sennheiser headphones you can buy.
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The quick list
The best premium Sennheiser earbuds
With great sound and loads of features, these comfortable in-ears are up there with the very best in the business.
The best premium Sennheiser over-ears
Not quite as luxurious as over-ears from other brands, but there’s nothing sub-standard about the sound these produce.
The best budget Sennheiser over-ears
No-frills, DJ-inspired wireless headphones that are particularly suited to those who give their cans a rough ride.
The best budget Sennheiser in-ears
These wired earbuds are an affordable way to get a taste of audiophile performance without breaking the bank.
The best audiophile Sennheiser in-ears
If you want the convenience of in-ears but prioritise sound quality above all else, these high-end buds are for you.
The best Sennheiser headphones for home
With their open-back design, visible drive units, and long cable, these over-ears are not for taking out into the wild.
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The best audiophile Sennheiser over-ears
A big pair of closed-back headphones that deliver big performance at a similarly big price.
In the nearly two decades that I’ve been testing headphones for What Hi-Fi? one of the brands that has been a constant presence is Sennheiser. From the legendary (and legendarily cheap) CX-300 in-ears to its more audiophile-pleasing on-ears, there’s not a pair I haven’t tried in the past 20 years, so you can guarantee all of the products below deserve to be there, allowing you to choose with confidence.
The best premium Sennheiser earbuds
Worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Sony’s WF-1000XM5, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, Sennhesier’s Momentum True Wireless 4 are up there with the very best when it comes to premium Bluetooth earbuds.
As with all pairs at around this price, the True Wireless 4 are packed with features designed to justify their higher price, so you get wide-ranging codec support (including aptX Lossless), fully customisable touch controls, and the ability to set up 20 location-based Sound Zones, which cause particular settings to be applied automatically in certain places.
Of course, what most people want from a premium pair of earbuds is suitably premium sound, and while the True Wireless 4 sound more neutral than their rivals from other brands, their presentation is accomplished and sophisticated across the whole frequency range. Call quality and noise-cancelling performance aren’t flawless, but their overall sonic skill level is very high.
Design-wise they look the part, with ovular-shaped buds that come in three colours – metallic silver, black graphite, or black copper – and a fabric-covered case that supports wireless charging.
If you favour Sennheiser headphones and want the best premium earbuds the brand has to offer, the Momentum True Wireless 4 will not disappoint.
Read the full Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review
The best premium Sennheiser over-ears
For almost a decade, we have been able to associate Sennheiser’s Momentum wireless headphones range with classy leather headbands, pearlescent or matte-finishes and distinct metal sliders. The new Momentum 4 drop that design language in favour of a more modern look that is a little... 'safe'.
Still, if you're happy with synthetic leather earpads (they contribute to improved sonics, apparently) the Momentum 4 are a fantastic buy. The staggering 60-hour battery life is truly class-leading (the Sony WH-1000XM5 only offer 30 hours) and you get support for aptX Adaptive, one of the highest-quality Bluetooth codecs around.
Sound is clear, direct and neutral. The Momentum 4 might have shed a little of the richness that made their predecessors so appealing, but highs are well-honed and mids are pleasingly plump. You can even create ‘Sound Zones’ – essentially profiles characterised by specific EQ and noise isolation levels.
When you consider the outstanding battery life, detailed sound and competitive price, the latest Momentum over-ears have a lot going for them.
Read the full Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review
The best budget Sennheiser over-ears
The HD 250BT might not feature any luxury flourishes, but they're a good-sounding, durable and truly likeable set of budget on-ears. Indeed, they were among the 'best wireless headphones' at the 2022 What Hi-Fi? Awards.
Despite the low price, features include Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX Low Latency, a 25-hour battery life, app support and Sennheiser’s beloved-of-DJs transducer tech. Pretty decent, then.
The build is a black plastic affair, but it is functional and solid and features the firm’s traditional S-in-a-rectangle white branding on each ear cup. Said ear cups are nicely padded, although the headband is not.
When it comes to sound, the HD 250BT are a good deal more musically detailed, agile and rhythmically gifted across the frequencies than one might expect given the eye-popping price tag.
All in all, the HD 250BT are a superb budget buy – and a great way to experience what Sennheiser is capable of, without breaking the bank.
Read the full Sennheiser HD 250BT review
The best budget Sennheiser in-ears
Audiophile performance on a budget – that's the promise of these wired in-ears. They're the entry-level models in Sennheiser's audiophile headphones range, but they still feel reassuringly well made.
The 1.2m braided cable is durable and, thanks to MMCX connectors at the earbud end, can be swapped out for another down the line. The finger-length ends nearest the earbuds are covered by a tubing designed to wrap around ears for a more secure fit, while the relatively non-descript black housings themselves are discreetly compact. Three sizes of silicone and memory foam eartips, plus a pleather pouch (less ‘audiophile’ but reasonable for the price), complete what amounts to the kind of generous, well-considered design you might expect from a company that has been in the business for as long as Sennheiser has.
There are no in-line controls, but one listen and you won't mind. Clear, rich and weighty, they’re instantly likeable, and sound much more open than most similarly-priced wireless earbuds. Proof you don't need to spend big in order to join the audiophile club.
Read the full Sennheiser IE 200 review
The best audiophile Sennheiser in-ears
Sennheiser’s IE 900 in-ear headphones will appeal to purists who want to get the best audio possible from a high-quality source. The premium in-ears come with six ear tip options and three cables with a choice of normal 3.5mm and balanced 2.5mm and 4.4mm connectors. The only thing they don't have is an in-line remote.
Sennheiser's engineers have chosen to go with a single driver rather than the more fashionable multiple unit approach that many rivals take and it's made with rigidity and low resonance in mind. The results? Fantastic. The IE 900 sound clear, open, confident and insightful, revealing layers of detail and organising every track into a structured and cohesive whole.
Partner these high-end Sennheiser headphones with a high-quality outboard DAC, such as the Chord Mojo and use good quality files and you'll hear just why the IE 900 justify their premium price tag.
Read the full Sennheiser IE 900 review
The best Sennheiser headphones for home
These are the latest iteration of the iconic HD 600 headphones, which are now over 20 years old. They have an open-backed, over-ear design, with a 38mm driver complete with an ultra-light aluminium voice coil. You can see some of the workings through the perforated grille, and a vented magnet system minimises distortion.
The velour earpads are plush, generously sized, and very, very comfortable. The headband isn't quite as comfy, but it doesn't exert undue pressure on your head, and the headphones are fairly light, making them well-suited to long listening sessions.
To listen to, they're wonderfully relaxed, and take every track in their stride. Midrange and voices are particular highlights, though they struggle with more bass-laden fare. They're not bad in this regard, but they're less impressive than rivals – there’s a lack of tautness and punch which also stifles the low-reaching dynamics. But if it's a nice, easy listen you're after, they fit the bill perfectly.
Read the full Sennheiser HD 660S2 review
The best audiophile Sennheiser over-ears
A quick glance at the price of the Sennheiser HD 820s should be enough to tell you that these headphones aren’t for everyone, but if you’re ready to splash out on a pair of cans to go with a similarly pricey home hi-fi system, look no further.
Perhaps slightly unusually for a pair of headphones designed for home use, they’re closed-backed, using Corning Gorilla Glass (more often found in smartphone screens) to reflect any unwanted vibrations from the back of the drive unit into sound-absorbing chambers.
The result is a robust, full-bodied performance, with smooth tonal balance, and powerful, agile bass. They’re also rhythmically sure-footed and easy to listen to for hours on end – and that goes for the ergonomics as well as the sonics.
Of course, you’ll need suitable kit to pair them with, but if your system demands premium headphones and you can stretch to the HD 820 you won’t be disappointed.
Read the full Sennheiser HD 820 review
Also consider
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3: They’ve now been succeeded by the True Wireless 4, our top pick for premium earbuds, but that means you can pick up these almost identical-looking in-ears for significantly less than their £219 launch price. If you can’t stretch to the newer pair, these are still five-star buds.
How to choose the best Sennheiser headphones for you
Sennheiser has a whole range of headphones to suit all styles and budgets – and while that means you have a lot to choose from, it can make it tough to decide exactly which ones are best for you.
The first thing you need to do is decide whether you want a pair of in-ears or over-ears. The former tend to be more practical, designed for day-to-day use in almost any situation, while the latter are a little less portable but can often beat their smaller counterparts when it comes to audio performance, particularly when it comes to bass (although that’s less true these days than it once was).
While most brands have switched pretty much wholesale to making wireless headphones, Sennheiser still offers some wired pairs. These are capable of offering better sound quality than wireless headphones, but obviously you sacrifice some convenience, so think carefully about what kind of balance you want to strike.
If you go wireless, check the battery life will be sufficient for your needs, and pay attention to which Bluetooth codecs are supported. If you want the best wireless sound quality you’ll need a pair with aptX Lossless, but make sure your source supports it as well.
If you decide to opt for a pair of over-ear Sennheiser headphones, there are two different types to choose from: open-back or closed-back. We’ve explained the differences fully here, but the gist is that open-back headphones let sound in and out, so are better-suited to home use, while closed-back headphones don’t. Wearing a pair of open-back headphones on public transport is essentially the audiophile equivalent of playing music out loud on your phone.
From there Sennheiser’s range can be separated largely by budget, so if you know how much you want to spend, and what style of headphones you’re after, picking the right pair should be pretty simple.
How we test the best Sennheiser headphones
Every pair of headphones that passes through the doors of What Hi-Fi HQ is subject to the same thorough testing process – and Sennheiser headphones are no different.
Unlike most other products that we review, headphones don’t spend all their time in our state-of-the-art testing rooms, although we do still listen to them under those controlled conditions, especially if they’re audiophile headphones that need to be connected to our reference hi-fi system.
A large proportion of our headphone-testing process involves using them in the kind of environments that you’re most likely to want them for: bustling offices, busy streets, and clanking trains. We use them as part of our day-to-day lives, which allows us to properly assess their comfort and ergonomics, how intuitive they are to use, and whether the manufacturer’s claims concerning battery life stand up to scrutiny. It’s also essential for assessing how effective the noise-cancelling is.
This also means we can form an accurate opinion of how they sound out in the real world, rather than just in an acoustically controlled room, although that is important when trying to compare their finer audio talents to other similarly priced pairs.
That’s a key element of What Hi-Fi’s testing, because we always pit products against their direct rivals in order to work out which ones are the best of the best. That’s also why all of our review verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole, not just one member – it helps to eliminate the influence of any personal preferences.
Our team has over 100 years’ experience between them, so you know that only the very best products make it onto one of our Best Buy lists. That’s why you can trust them when it comes to taking the plunge and buying a new pair of Sennhesier headphones, or any of the other products we’ve recommended.
Recent updates
- July 2024: Added the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 as our favourite premium earbuds, and created a new Also Consider block containing the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3. Also updated the How To Choose and How We Test sections
MORE:
Our pick of the best headphones for every budget
And the best wireless earbuds around
Treat your ears to the best over-ear headphones