Rating: 
Summary: Bought it after reading NYT review
Review: I bought these headphones after reading this review in the New York. The NYT reviewer said they were on par with a Bose model but much cheaper. I've been using them for a week listening to MP3s off of my Mac and iPod, and I think they sound great. They are crisp with clean solid bass and good dynamic range. My only complaint is that with my big ears, the pads sometimes feel tight and warm during longer listening sessions.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good
Review: The Sennheiser HD-497 headphones are superb. The ear cups are amply sized, unlike some other brands--and the phones themselves are quite light and comfortable. The sound quality is really outstanding, especially considering the price. The bass is decent, not extraordinary, but about what it to be expected for this pricerange and size. A high quality product for a decent price, I would highly recommend for the recreational/causal listener with high expectations.
Rating:
Summary: Great sound, but there is one requirement
Review: Do not buy these if you have a large head. They tend not to be as accomodating, but as long as they fit well for you, they are great headphones. Excellent staging and vocals, at their price they are outstanding.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Sound
Review: These are my third pair of headphones and are by far the best. Great sound all around from bass to treble. These are the also the only headphones I don't listen to with the volume all the way up cause my ear would start hurting. Another great thing is that when you need to listen to them with a low volume the bass doesn't lose its punch like most headphones. As for comfort, I've had these on for 2 hour straight so far and no discomfort at all. While they are pretty big, they're also very light and fit onto your head perfectly. Amazing value at [the price].
Rating:
Summary: Great sound, great value
Review: I had been looking for a set of headphones for my iPod, ever since I discovered better quality settings for my MP3s. My criteria were: - Sound; good bass, not too "thumpy", clear treble without distortion, and a full middle for all those singer-songwriters; - Comfort: had to be comfortable for hours on end. - Circumaural: I was tired of headphones that either rested on my ears or earbuds up against my ear canals, I wanted "real" cups, or as close as I could get to it; - Style: I figure, I care about how everything else I wear looks, why not headphones? - Portability: light, with a light and flexible cord, and a plug either L-shaped or short enough not to ruin an iPod in a pants pocket; and all this for - less than a hundred US dollars. I found all these in the HD 497s.
Rating:
Summary: 50 bucks for a headphone you betcha yah
Review: I am of a class of people who ordinarily would never consider spending 50 dollars on a set headphones. After ordering these I have to kick myself, they are more then worth the money and here is why. What do you spend on music both in terms of time and money? If you like music you probably spend both, getting downloads or buying CDs. Do you use any portable players? Would you like to have some good headphones for use in the house? These fill either or both of those needs. I stepped on my old headphones and turned to these as a replacement, I am glad I crushed my old headphones. The sound is fantastic on these and they are easily drivable by my portable CD player. Sounds are crisp and better isolated then cheaper headphones. I like how they feel. I like the cushy stuff around the headphone. They are bulkier then most headphones but are not heavy, they are very lightweight. I have no fatigue from wearing them. The cord is LONG which I like better then not. It is great for home use and office use. It is, surpsingly not much of an issue when walking around with my portable. The cord is much thicker then on smaller headphones, hence it is much easier to untangle. These headphones would make an awesome present for someone in the holidays that like me would not ordinarily think of spending 'this much' on headphones. But talk about a good buy, they will be very much appreciated after a few days by whomever you give them to. Just make sure to send yourself a set as well, you deserve it.
Rating:
Summary: Would Be Excellent For Twice The Money
Review: I bought these for my Rio Volt SP250 portable. I am very picky about speaker/headphone quality and find these to be outstanding considering the source and the ... price. You can get better sound but be prepared to pay four times as much to do it, and the high buck ones probably won't run off of a portable. The 497's get plenty loud even driven off the Rio Volt, but really need a more powerful source to deliver a solid bass punch. I'm looking at portable headphone amplifiers to fix this minor quibble. They really are much more comfortable and smoother than my Sonys but could still be a tad more comfortable. That's because with their limited padding they still press (50%) against my normal sized ears. They are also too bulky and hot for the gym. I save them for home and walking the dog, and sweat up the Sonys at the gym.
Rating:
Summary: Silence at work now possible!
Review: In short these headphones are "Superb"!
I bought these headphones to replace a standard pair... for use at work and I must say I am very impressed. I work in an open desk environment where you "happily" get to overhear everyone's conversations, phones ringing, etc so a set of headphones that could significantly reduce the office chatter was a must. Also comfort (sense I would be wearing these for several hours at a time) and excellent sound quality were also requirements and of course reasonability priced. The Sennheiser HD-497 Headphones have not only lived up to these requirements but have also far exceeded them. The external noise reduction (i.e. people chattering, etc) is impressive even with the volume tuned down. Sound quality is excellent and at times I forget I'm even wearing them for they are that comfortable. A major plus I have come to discover is when the volume is really turned up (yes my eardrums get punished at times) the sound does not escape the earpiece as much as previously used headphones. Thus I don't get complaints from fellow coworkers that my music is "too loud" anymore!
Rating:
Summary: Great Sound
Review: Comfortable to wear, and fantastic sound in everything I've listened to so far. What more could you ask?
Rating:
Summary: Very good sound, moderate comfort
Review: I bought these to use with my iRiver SlimX iMP-350 CD/MP3 Player. Oddly, the ear buds that come with the iRiver sound better than the Sennheiser 497 on the iRiver. However, when I connect these to my old Sony Discman, the sound is spectacular. I still have my original Sennheiser 414s from many moon's ago. The 497s are an improvement over these old 414s on my stereo. Overall, the Sennheiser 497 are an excellent choice for a portable. My teenage son says they are the best earphones he has ever listened to. The reason for the 4 stars is that I found the 497s uncomfortable to wear for very long. They press my ears tightly against my skull and it gets quite warm under there after about 15 minutes, so I have to take them off and give my ears a rest every 10 to 15 minutes of listening. This may be a fluke of the size of my head and the configuration of my ears. I wish I could find a comfortable set of earphones with good sound so I could listen without a break for the length of an entire CD. In their price range, I think they are the best buy for the money.
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