Disclosure: I’d like to thank Sennheiser for sending me the HD 505 for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and Sennheiser had no say or input for the contents of this review.

The Sennheiser HD 505 Copper Edition is a limited-release headphone and the latest in the company’s 500-series lineup. The HD 505 is geared towards budget-conscious audiophiles due to the neutral leaning tuning, analytical sound profile, and a price of $279.95 USD. Are these headphones able to accomplish what is promised and bring value to the under-$300 headphone market? Continue down the review to find out. One thing to note is that I will not be comparing the HD 505 to other headphones such as the HD 599SE or HD 560S for the simple reason that I haven’t heard them in a very long time.

Also, before getting too deep into the review, Sennheiser has clarified its naming scheme for headphones going forward, which I will include here:

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• Sennheiser HD 505
• 1.8m cable with 3.5mm termination
• 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter
• Travel pouch
• Manual

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The design of the HD 505 is based on Sennheiser’s 500-series chassis design, which is a good thing as those headphones have stood the test of time. The HD 505 is made of plastic but feels sturdy and well built, almost premium really. The metal grill on the outside of the earcups feels solid and gives the HD 505 a striking look, along with the copper accents seen on the headphones (it really looks great in person). The earpads and headband padding are user replaceable, which is nice, especially for earpads as the more compressed and used they get the more likely they are to affect the sound profile in a negative way.

While the left and right sides are marked clearly on the inside of the yoke on both sides of the headphone, the outside of the left side has three raised dots that allow you to quickly identify the left side simply by feeling (a feature on all of Sennheiser’s 500-series headphones). The left earcup also has the only connection, which is a 2.5mm locking connection. Personally, I wish Sennheiser would go with a flush 3.5mm connection (either on one earcup or both, I’m not picky) to make it easier to cable swap, but they have been doing it this way for a while and I don’t see that changing until they redesign the headphone chassis.

In terms of comfort, the HD 505 is extremely comfortable to wear, and most of that has to do with how light it is at 237 grams, and how little clamping force it has out of the box compared to most other Sennheiser headphones. The velour pads also help here too, and they feel great and have just the right amount of thickness.

The one area I have an issue with is the headband. After 30 minutes or so of wearing the HD 505, the very top of my head starts to have a pressure point where the headband is distributing pressure. This could be easily solved by having a divet right in the middle of the headband to allow it to distribute the weight and pressure more evenly across my head. I know some people don’t have these kinds of comfort issues as it mainly depends on the shape of your head, but for me I have to slightly adjust the placement of the headband, either moving it back or forward a bit, to make it feel comfortable again. Annoying, but not a deal breaker.

The HD 505 does not come with much in the box. The included cable is the same one you’re used to if you have had a 500-series headphone (or even the HD620S). It’s long enough and doesn’t tangle easily. The included 6.35mm adapter screws onto the end of the 3.5mm connection for a stable fit. The included travel pouch is also nothing special and does the job, although I wish it was just a bit bigger to be able to fit in a dongle DAC or other accessory if needed.

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The Sennheiser HD 505 uses Sennheiser’s 38mm dynamic driver. The transducers are also angled, which is said to improve natural imaging similar to that of nearfield speakers while also increasing the soundstage. The HD 505 has a 120 ohms impedance rating and SPL of 108 dB, which means they are not particularly hard to drive. I found this to be true as I had no problem getting proper volume and dynamics from the headphone jack on my Surface Laptop 7, Sony NW-A306 digital audio player, and even my PS5 controller.

The HD 505 focuses more on the upper-midrange presentation with some solid treble extension. It does have a more analytical sound to it, which means it can sound cold or sterile if you’re not expecting it. This helps with detail retrieval and clarity even in busy mixes. Despite the forward upper-midrange, the sound profile is well-balanced and has good cohesion across the frequency range.

Bass

The HD 505 has good bass extension and plenty of quantity. It’s tightly controlled and focuses more on mid-bass. You won’t find any hard slams or impact here, and to some, the lack of note weight may be disappointing. Bassheads will of course be disappointed here, but this is Sennheiser after all and it’s not really their thing to have boosted bass response. There’s a bit of sub-bass rumble, but overall the bass is clean and non-offensive. I found the HD 505 to handle synthetic bass better than bass guitars, kick drums, etc, with good texture and distortion when called for. I fall into the category of those who do not like bass boosts, so to me the HD 505 performs well here.

Midrange

The midrange has a richness and fullness to it, with excellent detail retrieval. There’s a smooth transition toward the upper-midrange where guitars, pianos, and vocals have a crisp quality to them. If you’re sensitive to brightness then the emphasis on the upper-midrange might be at the edge of your tolerance. That being said, I’m typically a little sensitive to brightness, but I didn’t have an issue with how much things are pushed here.

Vocals are also pushed forward a bit which leads to a somewhat intimate sound. Both male and female vocals sounded exactly as I expected them to, natural with good texture and decent body. Typically on upper-midrange focused headphones and earbuds I usually find them fatiguing after a while, especially if the singer’s vocals are on the higher side, but that isn’t the case with the HD 505.

Treble

The treble is very clear and has good extension. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly airy, but there’s a reasonable amount of space in the presentation. Due to the balance of the bass and the midrange the treble almost sounds relaxed while still maintaining accurate instrument layering and good texture.

Soundstage and Imaging

The overall soundstage is spacious, with the upper-midrange focus preventing it from sounding too expansive. Sounds are accurately placed within the sound field and there is a sense of depth to the presentation. Imaging performance is very good. The HD 505 sounds precise and accurate here, and I had no issues being able to follow sounds from left to right.

Gaming

Before getting into the details, I found the HD 505 to be excellent for gaming. Setting aside for the moment the open-back nature of these headphones, where sound will leak out from them and you will be able to hear sounds around you (computer fans, keyboard and mouse clicks, even controller button presses) the sound profile is nicely tuned to be ideal for both single player and competitive gaming.

For single-player games, I mainly played Starfield and Cyberpunk 2077 (Civilization VII as well, but sound design is not really essential in that game). For Starfield, being on planets sounds expansive, especially in low-gravity environments. Weapon sounds have appropriate weight and dialogue is very clear. Inside buildings and ships the intimacy is also reflected in the soundscape, and the HD 505 does a good job replicating this. Cyberpunk 2077 just sounds great with these headphones, especially with Dolby Atmos enabled and hearing sounds above you.

For competitive games I’ve mainly been playing PUBG and Call of Duty: Warzone/MWIII. In PUBG subtle details are very important to hear in order to assess an enemy player’s location and actions, and the HD 505 does a wonderful job picking up details such as footsteps, gunfire, and reload sounds. PUBG has lots of distant sounds with directionality, and the audio mix was never too much for the HD 505 to handle. For Call of Duty I always use Dolby Atmos, and again here the HD 505 excels with spatial audio, especially above and below you. Weapons have the correct sound and weight to them, and the details of enemy movement are apparent. This game can sometimes be a little sibilant with its weapon sounds, so if you do find that to be the case I’d suggest EQ to help resolve that.

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The Sennheiser HD 505 Copper Edition is a really good headphone for those looking for their first pair of audiophile headphones, for those looking for their first open-back headphone, or even those looking for a good gaming headphone. It’s easy to drive, mostly comfortable, and really just sounds great overall with a balanced sound signature. Yes the comfort could be better with the addition of a divet at the top of the headband, and the sound profile isn’t breaking new ground, but for $280 USD you get a headphone that is versatile (any genre of music sounds good on it), sounds great for gaming, and is very well made for the price. If you fit the above use cases, you should really give the HD 505 serious consideration, I believe they are worth it.

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