The audio cable can be used passively with the
headphones completely powered down, or it can be
used with the headphones on and ANC enabled. The
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Bluetooth audio) is negligible.
You also get a remarkably compact travel pouch. It
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expands to house the folded headphones and cables.
Sennheiser estimates battery life to be roughly 30
hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels
and ANC usage.
PERFORMANCE
The HD 450BT headphones deliver solid noise
cancellation for the price. They add as much hiss to the
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they eliminate a solid swatch of lower-frequency
rumble, so those noises on planes and trains will be
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controlled—the earpads themselves do some passive
noise isolation, but you’ll still hear loud typing and
nearby chatter. If someone is playing music nearby at
high volume, the bass-related content in the audio will
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frequencies and much of the midrange content.
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ANC is enabled, but it is exceedingly subtle—some
tracks sound just a touch more bright. Given the
headphone’s relatively low price, this is nitpicking—very
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cancellation, and the HD 450BT do a commendable job.
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Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, we could
understand every word we recorded clearly, with very
little Bluetooth distortion and even a hint of bass depth.
The earpads
themselves do
some passive
noise
isolation, but
you’ll still hear
loud typing
and nearby
chatter.