Hands-on review: Sennheiser HD 350BT Wireless
A good pair of headphones can be the difference between a great and a terrible experience with almost any smart device that supports them. Do the Sennheiser HD 350BT Wireless to see if they are good enough to meet the high expectations we have for wireless headphones in 2020?
What's in the box
The HD 350BT Wireless ships with the headphones, a USB to USB-C cable and the user manual. While that is really all you need, I was surprised that Sennheiser did not include any case in the box. This is not a deal-breaker at all, but I feel more comfortable throwing headphones in my backpack when they have a case to protect them.
Design
As expected, the design of the Sennheiser HD 350 BT Wireless is flawless. Sennheiser did a great job achieving an elegant but practical design.
The headphones are a great fit. They are not too tight or too loose, they sort of feel just right. The padding on the ears is comfortable enough that I was able to wear these for a couple of hours straight without issue. When not in use, the headphones fold and become compact, which is perfect for travel.
The right ear cup holds all the controls of the HD 350BT Wireless. It has power, a Bluetooth pairing button, play and pause, volume control, smart assistant and call answering and ending. Once I got used to the placement of each button, it was easy to navigate commands from there.
Battery
Another very important aspect in a good wireless headphone set is battery life. The HD 350BT Wireless has impressive 30-hour battery life. This means that you can go a few days without charging them and still have juice left.
They also support fast charging over USB-C which means that even if the battery dies, you can have them up and running very quickly.
Sound
There are two aspects of the HD 350 BT sound: Music and video sound and Call sound. The music and video sound are amazing. The headset provides a well-balanced sound.
They very clearly pronounce low, medium and high notes. The base has a lot of depth, which is perfect for music. The vocals also sound very clean and true to how the artists intended them to sound. I was very impressed.
The only complaint would be that they do not go as loud as other headphones on the market, but that should not be a problem as those levels are proven to be bad for our ears.
The sound from the call capabilities disappointed me a little. While it is still okay and clear, it is muffled and sounds like it is coming for far away. I tried calling multiple people and they all said they could hear me just fine which is good to know. This not a deal-breaker as this is not what they are designed to do, however, I still wish it was better.
Connectivity and the phone app
The Sennheiser HD 350BT Wireless supports Bluetooth 5.0 which makes connectivity easy. I have had problems with other headsets - especially when I connect them to multiple devices - but the HD 350BT was great. It connected to any device without me having to disconnect it from the old one.
The headset also supports the Sennheiser Smart Control App. This is a free application available on both iOS and Android phones. The app is perfect for controlling the headphones. It provides a way to know the battery and to customise the sound. I personally think the sound is great straight out of the box, but it is good to know that the option is available.
Verdict
For the price of $220, amazing sound, and 30-hour battery life, the Sennheiser HD 350BT Wireless is one of the best deals on the market. They sound just as good and have the same battery life as headsets double their price point. These advantages make them a great choice and make the complaints of call sound and no case seem like okay tradeoffs.
