Sennheiser HD 238

433 reviews

May, 2013

Positive
Sound (217)
Comfort (100)
Value for money (85)
Bass quality (74)
Portability (67)

No negative mentions yet

General overview
Price comparison
Product Specifications

alaTest has collected and analyzed 433 reviews from magazines and websites. Reviewers are impressed by the portability and bass quality. The value for money and comfort also get good opinions, but reviews are divided on the noise isolation.

sound, comfort, value for money, bass quality, portability

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Headphones the Sennheiser HD 238 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 88/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 433 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(46% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (28% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews (14% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews (6% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews (7% of reviews)
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Features

Sound
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Comfort
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Value for money
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Bass quality
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Portability
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Showing 263 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

Showing 1 - 10 of 263 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (176)

Expert review by: David Carnoy (cnet.com)

Sennheiser HD 238

Recently, I reviewed Sennheiser's HD 238i headphones and thought they were a great deal because they sounded very good and were selling online for $60 online. Well, as soon as I said they were a great deal, a bunch of people went out and bought them on...

The Sennheiser HD 238 on-ear headphones are comfortable and affordable, and sound good for the money.

The headphones fold flat but lack a compact design like the Bose OE2 headphones; there's no integrated microphone for cell phones (like the step-up 238i); this is a discontinued model that will disappear from stores quickly.

Priced less than the Bose OE2s, the comparable Sennheiser 238 headphones deliver good bang for your buck.

Apr, 2012

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Expert review by: Tim Gideon (pcmag.com)

Sennheiser HD238

Sony and Monster have recently released headphones and earphonesthe Sony MDR-XB300 and the Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Tour High Resolution In-Ear Headphonesthat enhance low-end frequencies to levels that not everyone will love. Sennheiser, however,...

Strong, balanced frequency response. Comfortable supra-aural design. Doesn't distort at high volumes

Projects sound outward. Can be overly sibilant on some vocals

Sennheiser's HD238 headphones sound excellent for the price, with rich bass response and crisp highs housed in a comfortable design.

May, 2009

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Staff Recommended

Expert review by: Jammer (onheadphones.com)

Sennheiser HD 238 Headphones

High-quality headphones for audiophiles

These headphones provide good sound quality through all the ranges of sound. The supra-aural nature of the earpieces ensures a measure of noise-cancellation

The supra-aural earpieces will cause sound to leak out of the headphones at high volumes. The fit of the headphone is a bit too light for some users

The Sennheiser HD 238 provides users with that which no other headphone has provided so well: great sound quality, all across the board. All the ranges are perfectly balanced and clearly delivered to your ears for a truly amazing listening experience....

Apr, 2011

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Expert review by: Justin Whitaker (topreviewshop.com)

Sennheiser HD-238 Headphones

Sennheiser is a brand name that needs no introduction to audiophiles and mass-market audio consumers alike – their high-end products are well regarded by audiophiles and their low-end products are generally well received by everyday consumers. Their...

Plenty of punchy bass; good amount of detail; extremely comfortable; lightweight

Very little isolation; uninspired high frequencies; not the most travel-friendly

A few bothersome issues keep the HD238's from scoring higher. Lack of isolation and sound leakage are the biggest concerns, along with a few nitpicky details on their portability. They are certainly a competent set of portable headphones, but these...

Jul, 2010

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Consumer review by: awdiofil (cnet.com)

"Awesome at home headphones"

I love them and use them often, but I have a another set for rock n roll that is more closed.

Treat audio very evenly. Jazz, classical sound as good as one could want on these. If you prefer rap, pop, dance, these will struggle to deliver the lower end you desire---even muddle it somewhat. Extremely comfortable--could wear all day and not tire.

S:N ratio is not the highest, so they are not the most efficient phones I've used. They are not for the plane. Open air style doesn't cut out external noises at all. Also that means if someone else is in the room and you're jammin' out, it may bug them

Jul, 2011

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Consumer review by: sawatzky (cnet.com)

"Fantastic light headphones"

After wearing out the foam earcups on my last Sennheisers I was looking for a non-foam option. These fit the bill. They are not the cheapest Sennheisers that are made for portables but they are the best sounding and have a nice fabric and leatherette...

Great accurate sound, comfortable fabric/leatherette over foam earcups.

Over the head style like full sized headphones, so they're not made for running

Dec, 2009

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Consumer review by: MrGadgetman (cnet.com)

"Great headphones that look great and sound better."

I went to Best Buy last month and sampled several headphones to go with my Archos 5 IMT because I wanted a good wired headset. I normally use Bluetooth Stereo. After 30 minutes of test-tuning various models I settled on the HD238s.

Frequency range, Clean highs, Great bass response, Build quality, Very comfortable, Single cord design.

[Nit-Pick ALERT] Cheesy storage pouch.

Dec, 2009

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Consumer review by: GuardianS7 (cnet.com)

"Great High-quality sounding, comfortable headphones"

For around $100, these headphones both look cool and deliver high quality sound at the cost of bass and possible durability of the headphones themselves. Hearing surrounding noise is usually not an issue because of the rich sound produced from the...

Crisp clean sound. Emphasizes on treble. Lightweight and comfortable to wear. Cheaper alternative to similar on-ear headphones.

Lacking in bass power. Feel almost fragile. Comes with cheap bag. Should feel like $100 worth on more than sound quality.

Oct, 2009

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Consumer review by: (amazon.com)

Amazon review summary for the Sennheiser HD 238

alaTest has collected and analyzed 160 user reviews of the Sennheiser HD 238 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other products on Amazon.com.

73% of reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

May, 2013

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Consumer review by: ralphº (amazon.com)

I love these headphones

Confortable, very good sound. Sometimes, the low notes sound more clear than high ones, but overall they're fine. Paired with a Fiio e6 they sound pretty cool, both lows and highs (and mids also). Also, being open you can wear them and have a...

Oct, 2012

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