Review: Sennheiser HD 4.4 BT

It’s hard to make a headphone more ordinary-looking than Bose, the king of rounded black plastic, but Sennheiser is giving it a shot. The company’s latest wireless headphones make even conservative cans seem gaudy and overstyled. They’re about as black, matte, and plastic as you can find.

Sennheiser

Sennheiser

Even the name "HD 4.4 BT" is all function, no flash. It stands for HD sound and Bluetooth 4.4. I like to imagine there’s a robot up in Sennheiser’s naming department, quite content that each headphone’s name precisely, logically matches its specifications.

At first glance, everything about these over-ear headphones looks sterile and cold. Lucky for Sennheiser, we don’t just look at headphones; we listen to them. With a clean sound and some serious bass, the 4.4 BTs sound outstanding—especially considering their $100 price.

Like a good Milford man, Sennheiser seems to think that headphones should be neither seen nor heard. Before the Beats era, these over-ears would look excellent on a Best Buy shelf filled with boring black and gray cans.

The first time you put them on, they’ll feel uncomfortable. The headband dug into my skull a bit and the ear cushions, though covered in a soft leatherette, hugged my ears tightly. After some adjusting, the fit improved and has been wearable for an hour or two at a time. I usually take them off every so often to cool my ears down, since these over-ears trap heat like crazy.

They’re nowhere near as pleasant as more expensive wireless over-ears like Plantronics' excellent Voyager 8200, but at a fraction of the price of many competing wireless headphones, you get what you pay for in luxury features. For example, these Sennheisers will not auto pause when you take them off, and it’s difficult to know which side is left and right when you pick them up at first.

The controls are all on the right earcup. They’re functional, but can be confusing from time to time. Like many Bluetooth devices, you have to hold the power button down as you turn them on to enter pairing mode. Below that button is a play/pause and track switcher, and finally a volume toggle. For whatever reason, I tend to reach for the track toggle when I want to change volume. Like other Bluetooth cans, once you get the hang of them, the controls get the job done.

These Sennheisers aren’t for running or walking around town because of how tightly they hug your neck when you take them off, but the battery life is fantastic at 25 hours. If you’re out of juice, just plug in the included two-sided 3.5mm cord—as soon as you do, they’re as good as any standard set of corded cans. Sadly, the cord doesn’t have play/pause controls on it, making it tough to use on the go with your phone.

They’re better for travel. The ear cushions do a decent job isolating the noise of a plane or car ride. They also fold up nicely to better fit in your backpack or laptop bag. There is no active noise canceling so you'll still hear some things, but Sennheiser sells a slightly upgraded “HD 4.5 BTNC” version with noise canceling built right in and silver (ooh!) accents.

Every type of music I've listened to sounds excellent on these Sennheisers. They manage to play highs and mids well, but have that extra punch of bass that you’ll love when you listen to a lot of dance-y, oomph-y tracks. More impressively, they manage to pump out the bass naturally—a criticism many people have of competitors like Beats. It's present, but never overpowering.

Acoustic tracks, live tracks, and rock/pop songs sound crisp and clear. Maybe not quite as crisp and warm as a super high-end headphone like the Blue Sadies, but there is no muddiness here. It’s so nice to have that extra punch of bass when it’s needed without losing the clarity of a single cymbal clap. And, if you download the Sennheiser CapTune app, you can tinker with EQ settings to further suit your tastes.

I’ve asked a lot from Sennheiser’s HD 4.4 BT in the last few months. They’ve accompanied me on video meetings and vacations. Thanks to their tight fit, they’ve even kept my ears warm when I ventured out of the house during the harsh storms that have pelted the northeast this winter. They're durable and can certainly hold a charge—I'll give them them that.

Sure, they're bland-looking and clamp your neck too tightly. But with impressive audio quality and 25 hours of battery life, it’s easy to forgive some of those smaller issues. You’d be hard-pressed to find better wireless headphones for $100 or less. Did I mention they come with a two-year warranty?

Sennheiser’s HD 4.4 BT aren’t glamorous or showy, but they are a very good deal.