Headphone Reviews

Sound Quality
In general, the HD 4.40 BT is moderately warm, quite smooth, and wholly inoffensive.

Wired
On the wire, bass is a somewhat exaggerated and mid-bass centric. This is going to be the biggest problem with these cans for audiophiles who will easily hear it; a little forgiveness for the affordability of these cans and all but the most diehard fanatic will readily accomodate. Fortunately, it isn't ridiculously overblown like so many headphones, and my guess is most consumers will enjoy it quite a bit. It's quite obvious with music, but with movies and videos it's actually quite nice.

Bass to midrange transition is a bit abrupt, but the bass accentuation stays nicely in-band and doesn't muddy up the low-mids. Midrange is quite smooth and coherent, but somewhat over emphasized in the upper-mids giving them a modestly shouty sound. This can get a bit more annoying when the volume is high. On the other hand, it tends to make things a bit more intelligible with movies and video at normal levels.

The treble is nicely articulate and organic sounding, but seems a bit lacking in low-treble level giving cymbals just a bit less body and a slightly airy character. On the whole however, it's level is quite close to neutral, and the HD 4.40 BT, though warm, doesn't sound muffled or rolled-off. No harsh or strident treble here at all.

Overall dynamic punch is good, but lessened a bit by the mid-centric, less-than-tight bass response, and having a bit too much "punch" in that shouty upper mid area. Still quite good for the price, I'd say.

Imaging is surprisingly good for an affordable sealed headphone. It's not expansive, but it's well formed having good width, modest depth, and is surprisingly low and forward.

Bluetooth
Sound quality in Bluetooth mode is much in character with performance in wired mode. Bass is a little more accentuated and has a bit less extension making a bit more mid-bass centric. Oddly, the upper-midrange seems a little less shouty, and the treble above seems slightly more present. The naturalness of the treble gets a bit better with the low treble having a slightly higher level. Cymbals have a bit more meat to go along with the air. It's close, but I may actually prefer the sound of these cans in Bluetooth mode.

All-in-all, this is a really nice, simple wireless headphone for the money!

Summary
What can the world's most accomplished headphone manufacturer put on your head wirelessly for $149? Turns out, quite a bit. The HD 4.40 BT is elegantly styled and very well built. Comfort is quite good, but not great as the ear pad openings are a bit small forward to back—big eared folks may want to look elsewhere. Bluetooth controls are easy to use and pairing is flawless.

Sound is warm, smooth, and enjoyable. Bass is mid-centric and a bit high in level; upper-mids a tad shouty; and treble a tad low in level but quite organic and articulate. Not a trace of harshness or tizz here. Wired and Bluetooth sound quality is quite similar; wireless there's a bit more bass and low/mid-treble energy and actually a tad better sounding to my ears. This is a good sounding headphone at the price.

Yup. The HD 4.40 BT is going up on the Wall of Fame and knocking off a couple of stragglers that just don't cut it anymore. Like the AKG N60NC, it's not a world class sounding headphone, but it's a well-rounded offering with pleasant sound, solid build quality, and elegant styling—top-notch for an affordable headphone. Dandy!

Video
View on YouTube here.

Resources
Sennheiser USA home page and HD 4.40 BT product page.
HD 4.40 BT user manual.