Part of Sennheiser’s 2017 range of headphones, the HD 4.40 BT sits bang in the middle of the wired HD 4.30 and the 4.50 which includes active noise cancellation. Priced at Rs. 10,990, the pair is relatively pricey and faces a fair amount of competition. Will Sennheiser be able to strike that much vaunted balance between performance and price? We find out in our review.
Design
The Sennheiser HD 4.40 is a very subdued looking headphone and we don’t mind that in the least bit. The dual tone grey finish goes well, no matter your fashion choice and the high quality plastics make the Sennheiser look much more premium than it really is.
Let’s start with the earcups. Predictably large due to the around-the-ear design, there is a substantial amount of padding on the inner side of the earcup. The padding goes a long way in making the headphone comfortable and the clamping pressure too eases once you’ve spent a few hours with the headphones.
To give you some perspective, the AudioTechnica ATH M50X offers a much higher clamping force while the Sony MDR XB950B1 has slightly less. We particularly like the choice of material on the padding as it did not make our ears heat up or cause any irritation at all. Worth noting, the left earcup has integrated NFC which makes bluetooth pairing a one-tap affair.
You’ll find all the ports and buttons under the right side ear cup. Starting from the power button that also toggles as the pairing key, you’ll find the play / pause button, the volume rocker as well as the 3.5mm jack, microUSB port for charging. The buttons are easily identifiable and can be used without fumbling around.
The entire headset is made of plastic and the upper band stretches out enough to accommodate the largest of heads. We feel that Sennheiser could have gone with a bit more padding here since the headphones do weigh down on the skull. Moving on, the ear cups offer a limited level of swivel action along 2 axis and the entire headset folds down in half for easy portability.
Performance
Sennheiser audio products are known to favor a more neutral tone with perhaps a touch of focus on the mid range. That’s pretty much what we observed on the HD 4.40 BT as well. For lack of better words, the sound signature is very inoffensive and will likely not be the first pick for bass heads. That’s not to say that it lacks on that front. But first, a bit about our test tracks.
To maintain uniformity in testing parameters, we use a fixed set of tracks that include the excellent post-rock album, Pirohia by Kerretta, The Funeral of Hearts by His Infernal Majesty as well as Of The Night by Bastille, Monarchy of Roses by RHCP and Starboy by The Weeknd, Sinnerman by Nina Simone. The tracks cover a wide variety of music styles and give us a pretty good idea of the sonic capabilities of the headphone on hand.As we mentioned earlier, the HD 4.40 has a fairly neutral sounding tone to it. The highs are not too bright but neither does the bass go that low.
Unlike the Sony MDR-XB950B1 that we reviewed recently, the Sennheiser’s won’t rattle your head with their bass output capabilities but the tight and in-control bass still sounds good. The focus on the highs is emphasised in tracks like Sinnerman where the cymbals are very evident while Nina Simone’s powerful contralto vocals manage to cut through the mid range. This does end up drowning out the piano work. Vocals and by extension, the mid range sits forward and is definitely where the headphones shine. The soundstage is pretty wide and in a properly mastered track you’ll be able to hear good instrument separation and place individual musicians.
Conclusion
When we reviewed the Sony MDR XB950B1 recently, we said that they are a very fun sounding pair of headphones. The same can be said for the Sennheiser HD 4.40 BTs too, but for a completely different audience. If you prefer your audio neutral, balanced and as close to the source as possible, you’ll probably like what Sennheiser has done here.
These aren’t reference grade headphones of course but they do a very good job across the frequencies and create a sound output that is very appealing to anyone who appreciates live sounding audio. The Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT is priced at Rs. 10,990 and is a pretty good though pricey recommendation for anyone looking for a good quality, mid range wireless headphone. You might want to step up just a bit to the Sony MDR-XB950B1 in case you prefer a more bass heavy sound.