India, April 23 -- There was a time when Sennheiser's sound signature was a comfortable place. Its traits were clear - versatile across music genres and steadfast resoluteness against 'v-shaped' tuning. Much still remains true, except Sennheiser no longer retains that exclusivity of sentiment (Bose had a say, but has since faded away), as the competitive landscape has sharpened significant over time. Sony 1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Max found a sweet spot with premium headphones, Sonos Ace is extending its legacy and Dyson's OnTrac have reworked conventional wisdom to good effect. The question for Sennheiser is, can the new HD 505 reclaim some of that lost sentimental territory?

A few factors should work well in the HD 505's favour, as you...