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Headphones are the most comfortable way to experience music as well as the most direct one, what with the fact sound goes straight into the ear. Cozy earmuffs, balanced sound, and ease of setup are what drag us towards headphones. An additional trait is their versatility, one moment you could be listening to top 40 hits and in the next one, you’ll be answering a voice call. Perfect for personal computers these pieces of hardware offer isolation from everyday noise. With that precedent it’s obvious we want to purchase headphones which can offer us the best experience. Of course, this often sends us towards professional, expensive headsets that are a bit too hefty of an investment. Instead, we will be looking at budget options that warrant a decent soundscape.
We are going loot at Sennheiser HD 206 vs HD 201, we will compare their similarities and differences, also we will talk about the pros and cons of each model. All these covered aspects will surely help you to make the right decision, which headphone to buy. These two headphones have some similarities, so we will start from there.
All these covered aspects will surely help you to make the right decision, which headphone to buy.
Sennheiser HD 206 vs HD 201 – Similarities
Quick Glance
Frequency range
Sennheiser’s models on preview today possess 21 Hz minimum frequency and can reach up to 18 kHz with their max frequency. Expect an enjoyable spread of your favorite jams along the spectrum.
Sensitivity
Shared sensitivity of 108 dB puts them at a decently average sensitivity for this price bracket.
Impedance
Models share impedance at 24 Ohms making them compatible with cell phones, tablets, computers, and plenty of other devices.
Connectivity
Both of our entrants are a wired set of headphones with a 9.8 feet long cord. Coupled with a standard sound jack it allows you to use these headsets with plentiful devices. It should be added that a 1/4″ (6.3 mm) jack adaptor is included for both models. Length should allow comfortable use with any device but do remember you have them on if you decide to walk away.
Differences Between Sennheiser HD 206 vs Sennheiser HD 201
Appearance
Sennheiser HD 206
HD 206 offers a comfortable over-ear headphone experience made for long term listening sessions. The closed-back design provides additional benefits in form of passive noise isolation, basically, this is what prevents sound from interfering with the microphone. The lightweight nature of these black headphones is sure to not impede your enjoyment. Earphones are 6.5 x 3.25 x 8.25 inches in dimensions so you’ll have no issues sorting them into your desk.
Sennheiser HD 201
Just like its younger brother, it possesses a comfortable, lightweight design. Smooth, silver design, and leatherette ear pads additionally play into its slick appearance. At 9.50 x 4.00 x 7.00 inches, they are slightly bigger than the other Sennheiser entrant but nothing too influential.
While the overall design is similar this tooth and nail exchange ends up in HD 206’s victory as it does possess a more comfortable design even without the leatherette.
The Winner: Sennheiser HD 206
Sound quality
Sennheiser HD 206
As was mentioned before its closed-back design provides passive noise cancellation. The bass is impressive, although considering its predecessor that’s to be expected. Deep bass is its defining trait, a powerful one at that offering additional enjoyment on those bass-heavy tracks. HD 206 hits highs, mids, and lows well offering high-quality sound for its price. The slight issue is lower volume, something we’ll see is similarly present with HD 201, but it is compensated by the all-around great experience.
Sennheiser HD 201
By age alone, you’d assume 201 to fall off but this model keeps up with its younger brother without much hassle. HD 201 possesses a crisp, rich bass response and great audio reproduction. This is complemented by the powerful nature of its bass and increased signal levels which improve the experience of listening to rhythm-driven music, sadly bass isn’t deep as with 206. Ambient noise won’t be an issue as it will be suppressed by headphones themselves. One more pertinent matter is its low overall volume as they aren’t exactly most booming in this department. Another close cut, winning by sheer depth is HD 206.
The Winner: Sennheiser HD 206
Read next – Sennheiser HD 201 vs HD 202: Which Over Ear Headphones are Better?
Pros and Cons
Sennheiser HD 206
PROS
- Deep Bass
- Narrower Headband
- High-quality sound
- Lightweight
CONS
- Low sound volume
Sennheiser HD 201
PROS
- Decent sound
- Lightweight
- Leatherette earmuffs
CONS
- Low sound volume
- Lack of bass depth
The Final verdict
This matchup was not an easy one to get a winner out of. While model changes aren’t guaranteed to carry big improvements they usually at least change the design to a more drastic degree than seen here. The most visually differing aspect is colored on the two headsets and the second, less obvious one is that HD 206 has shaved down the girth of the headset’s headband. In more technical departments such as frequency and sensitivity, Sennheiser hasn’t made any improvements between the two, leaving them at a decent position but without much evolution.
When you start getting into sound quality is when some more noticeable changes start to pop up, or rather upgrades. All is well with HD 201’s bass but the lack of depth can impede genres that rely on low, deep bass. Fortunately for HD 206, as we’ve seen, it doesn’t suffer from the same issue allowing for full enjoyment of more menacingly structured bass soundscapes. It is unfortunate that both suffer from issues with the volume itself but unless you plan to blow your ears out it shouldn’t be noticeable.
The price difference is often slight no matter the place you buy them so that won’t influence your purchase. In the end, Sennheiser HD 206 takes the cake in this competition, solely based on marginal improvements to bass, sound, and comfort.