Sennheiser has been pretty busy lately. First they released their $400 Momentum 3’s and then they released their $350 PXC 550-II’s. But now they’ve released a more budget friendly option… their new HD 350BT’s. Now even though these headphones have great build quality and sound decent… I can’t help but feel that these headphones are a downgrade from the 4.40BT’s that they’re replacing and I also can’t help but feel that Sennheiser is really trying to up sale you to their new HD 450BT’s. 

Now the HD 350BT’s retail for $120’s where as the HD 450BT’s retail for $200. The main difference between the 350BT’s and the 450BT’s is that the 450BT’s have active noise cancellation where as the 350BT’s don’t. So if you don’t care about active noise cancellation then the HD 350BT’s will be linked down below. 

But before you make a purchase decision I do want to point out that these headphones don’t have an audio jack, where as the more expensive 450BT’s do and so do the 4.40BT’s which are the headphones that are being replaced by these headphones. Now even though less and less phones these days have audio jacks… I think its still important to have an audio jack on your headphones especially when you’re paying over $100 for them. 

There are just sometimes where you just need an audio jack. If you’re a content creator you still want to use a wired connection to monitor your audio if you’re working on a project. But even still if you’re an average user you still want to be able to do something as simple as plugging your headphones in to watch an in flight movie if you’re traveling. 

Now even though these headphones now have a USB C port which is great especially if you’re an android user… unlike the more expensive momentum 3 you can’t use the USB C port on the 350BT’s are a wired connection. So the way that things are you can only use these headphones wirelessly. But depending on your needs you may or may not need an audio jack.

But I also want to point out that for $120 you also don’t get any kind of carrying pouch with these headphones… which is common for headphones in this price range. But when it comes to the overall build quality of these headphones… thats another story. Just like the 4.40BT and 4.50BTNC’s the new HD 350BT have the same design and great build quality. Even though the 350BT’s are mostly made out of plastic… its the very sturdy and dense type of plastic that can really take a beating. Then underneath the headband there’s some silicon lining but there isn’t much padding. The only complaint build quality wise I have on these headphones is that the leatherette on the ear pads feels very synthetic. But over all  the build quality on Sennheiser’s headphones just put Sony’s WH-CH700N’s to shame. The 350BT’s have essentially zero cracking and squeaking whenever you’re handling them… which can’t be said for the Sony WH-CH700N. Even though the WH-CH700N have a lot of features and they’re decent in their own right… I really want to see better build quality on the Sony WH-CH710N. 

But when it comes to the overall fit of the 350BT’s its a little frustrating. These headphones have a firm fit but I still feel comfortable saying that these headphones are big head approved cause the clamping force on these headphones doesn’t feel like your head is getting squeezed… But the ear pads on these headphones are just so cramped. I like to think that I have average sized ears but the ear pads on these headphones still rest on my earlobes. Also since these headphones have so much padding these ear pads really like to heat up pretty quickly if you’re moving around with these headphones on. And also I can’t help but feel that the padding on these headphones is a little too stiff. So even though these headphones are big head approved cause of their clamping force… I can only recommend these headphones for people who have smaller ears that don’t stick out that much. Which is a little frustrating cause these super cramped pads are so out of character when compared to the Momentum 3’s and especially the PXC 550-II.

But when it comes to tech specs, like I mentioned earlier these headphones charge via a USB-C port and they have an advertised battery life of 30 hours. So these headphones should be able to last you about 2 weeks in-between charges. Which is not bad at all. 

Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity these headphones are rocking bluetooth 5.0 but more importantly they can be connected to 2 devices at the same. So you can easily hot swap from your phone to your computer. But strangely enough these headphones don’t have NFC. Now personally I don’t care about NFC but I thought id still point out it out cause the outgoing 4.40BT and 4.50BTNC’s do have NFC. 

But when it comes to Audio codecs these headphones have APTX Low Latency, APTX, and AAC support. And if you’re an android user you’re going to have zero latency across the board when watching movies or videos with these headphones. But if youre an iPhone user these headphones have a noticeable amount of latency when watching YouTube videos. Other Apps like Netflix and Disney Plus are fine, but I really hope the latency on these headphones gets fixed somehow when watching Youtube videos. 

But when it comes to listening to music with these headphones… these headphones are for people who mainly prefer a neutral sound signature or for people who don’t like a lot of physical bass on their headphones. These headphones have a good amount of bass but its the audible kind. So you’re not going to physically feel the bass with these headphones like with lets say the Skullcandy Venues, or Sony WH-CH700N. Now even though these headphones do have an adjustable EQ… which is something the 4.40BT and 4.50BTNC’s didn’t have, even if you raise the bass all the way up you’re still not going to physically feel anything. And besides personally I think these headphones sound best when they’re used with Sennheiser’s stock EQ. Now with their stock EQ these headphones put an emphasis on the Mids and Vocals but the bass still comes in plenty when it has to. But my only complaint here is that the bass can sound a little distorted when you’re listening to bass heavy music. Now overall these headphones sound decent but they don’t sound nearly as good as the Momentum 3’s or the PXC 550-II’s. The soundstage on the 350BT’s is nowhere near as good as the other two more expensive headphones and the bass don’t resonate like on the Momentum 3’s. But overall if you’re someone who wants to feel that physical bass, these headphones aren’t for you. 

Now when it comes to the media controls on these headphones I have no complaints. Just like before they’re located on the right ear cup and you have a dedicated rocker for your volume control and then there’s also a switch that you can use to skip through your music. But this time around the 350BT’s now have a dedicated voice assistant button so that you can more quickly talk to Siri or to your google assistant.But these headphones don’t have full on voice assistant integration like on the SONY 1000XM3 or Bose NC 700

But when it comes to the microphone on these headphones for phone calls… its not the worst… There’s a little bit of static in the background and there’s a little bit of amplification… but you can still hear me pretty ok. You can maybe use this microphone for quick phone calls. 

So overall at a $120 the Sennheiser HD 350BT are a decent pair of neutral sounding headphones to consider… but i’d think twice before picking them up. Now don’t get me wrong, these headphones have great build quality for $120… but they’re not the most comfortable headphones out there cause of their cramped ear cups. I think they sound decent but remember the bass on these headphones is purely audible, you’re not really going to feel it. Which for some people leads to their listening experience feeling empty. Also keep in mind these headphones don’t have an audio jack. Now even though you’ll might rarely use an audio jack these days… on those rare occasions where you do need an audio jack you’re really going to wish you had it. So the Sennheiser HD 350BT fall into the pile of them being decent… but they’re meant for a very specific type of person