Design & Construction

Have you heard of the famous HD 25, that one headphone that most DJs go-to when they want a compact option? Now think of the HD 250BT, and that is the easiest comparison or I should say wireless upgrade to the HD 25? Now, we all know that HD 25 sell like hotcakes in the past due to its club sound signature, but can Sennheiser prove them in the wireless world this time. Let's find out. The Sennheiser HD 250BT is said to have gone through quite a bit of re-design. This time, the design is cleaned up and much more minimalistic than the HD 25. The headband is a single full matte black one-piece band that resists fingerprint smudges really well, All controls for music playback and calls are controlled via the buttons on the right earcup. Pressing the top will increase the volume and the bottom will decrease it. Single press the multi-function button in the middle to play/pause music and answer/end calls, a double press skips forward and a triple press skips backwards. At the bottom of the right earcup, there is a USB-C port for charging and an LED indicator. By now, you may realise the 3.5mm audio-in port is missing and it has officially been killed. There is no option to go wired, s if your battery is flat, your headphones won't work at all, There are no controls on the left earcup. Moving on to the face of the ear-cups, there is the Sennheiser logo and leading up to the headband, there is a fully adjustable length to fit all head sizes. It is important to take not e that there is a single exposed wire running into both earcups, Personally, I don;t mind it as it seems quite strong and won't damage it in day-to-day use. To power on/off the headphones, you simply hold the multi-function buttonunitll the LED Indicators turn blue and hold it for longer to enter pairing mode. To turn off, repeat the same until the LED indicator turns red. Pairing via Bluetooth is simple and quick although there is no NFC available. With regards to wearing fatigue, I experience very minimal fatigue only after 2-3 hours due to the its on-ear style while it rests directly on my ears. It is however super lightweight at 125g so you won't feel any pain on the headband area even when there is no cushoning on the headband area. Lastly, the earcups do articulate the full range of motion but do not fold up or flat for slim storage.

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Sound Quality

The Sennheiser HD 250BT produce a very dynamic sound signature that is well suited for EDM or club-like music. The highs are crisp and mids have clarity and bass is resonates deeply for the impressive thump. When compared to a similar competitor, the Sony WH-XB700, the HD 250BT's volume is much louder and the bass thumps deeper with more impact. Overall the HD250BT blows the WH-XB700 out of the water. The soundstage and instrument separation is excellent with distinct left and right channels being heard clearly. This makes the headphones great for all genres of music ranging from soothing jazz to fast-paced EDM tracks. There was some sound leakage at full volume but no high-volume distortion. Based on user experience, the noise isolation is decent, I could hear much of my surroundings even when I am using it at a low volume level but I can;t hear much when I raise the volume to around 80%. The microphone pick-up of my voice isn;t the best and I would not recommend using it for calls, though it is still usable in a crunch.

 

Connectivity & Portability

The headphones support the AptX Low Latency, AptX, AAC and SBC codecs together with Bluetooth 5.0. In the Smart Control App available on both App Store & Play Store, you can configure equaliser for sound customisation. The app will also allow you to receive new software updates and take note of the battery life remaining. The battery life peaks at a decent 25 hours per use and the package also comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging. If you are planning to watch videos or movies with these, I am glad to report that they do not suffer from any latency. It is unfortunate that the HD 250BT does not include a soft carrying pouch in the package.

 

PROS​​

• Bass-boosted Club Sound Signature

• App Support

• Sound Customisation Equaliser

• Minimalistic Design

• Long Battery Life

• Lightweight & Compact Build

• Bluetooth 5.0

• AptX LL & AptX Support

• Controls For Music Playback, Volume & Calls

• USB-C Charging

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CONS​​​

• Not Capable to be Folded Up/Flat

• No Carrying Pouch

• No 3.5mm Port

• Single Colour Available

 

The Bottom Line

The Sennheiser HD 250BT has exceeded expectations and proven themselves to be a contender for those looking for a simple and compact headphone. With a bass-boosted club-like sound signature, long battery life, Bluetooth 5.0 and AptX codecs support, it makes it worthy of its rather low price. Sennheiser does only offer these in a single black colourways.