After creating a well-researched and engaging headphone review video sponsored by Sennheiser, I chose to walk away from the sponsorship due to creative differences. Sennheiser requested censorship and control over my content, which conflicted with my commitment to honest, unfiltered reviews for my viewers. Despite the financial loss, I released the unsponsored video to share my genuine thoughts on their new closed-back headphones and the broader issue of public noise etiquette.
I recently made the difficult decision to walk away from a sponsorship deal with Sennheiser. This wasn’t a sudden choice made before creating content; in fact, the video was fully produced — research, shooting, and editing were all complete. The financial investment I made in producing this video is now a sunk cost, which is frustrating, but I felt it was necessary to maintain my integrity.
For months, I struggled to find a fresh angle to make a headphone video engaging. Let’s be honest: headphone reviews can be pretty boring. Most gear videos follow the same formula — someone sits in a room and talks about sound quality for 20 minutes. I wanted to create something fun, relatable, and different.
I’ve worked with Sennheiser multiple times over the years. I respect the company, their products, and the people behind the brand. However, after reviewing the video I made, Sennheiser asked me to sanitize it — to remove the edge, the fun parts, and to approve titles before publishing. I’m not comfortable with that. Ultimately, I work for you, the viewer, not for a company, no matter how great their microphones are.
Having spent years in corporate culture at Chrysler, where every piece of work had to be approved by dozens of people, I didn’t leave manufacturing to hand over creative control to a marketing department. That’s not how things work on my channel.
Because of this, there’s a good chance you won’t see me make another Sennheiser video here. It’s disappointing, but I’d rather absorb the cost of this video than let someone else dictate what I say on my own show.
Here’s the video I made — unapproved and unsponsored.
If you’ve spent any time in public, you know how frustrating it can be dealing with noisy, inconsiderate people. From loud phone conversations to screaming children on airplanes, and obnoxiously loud USB speakers on subways, public spaces are often filled with noise pollution.
Asking someone to turn down their speaker can even be dangerous. The reality is, many people lack basic consideration for others.
Now, onto the headphones themselves. These are not flashy, fashion-forward headphones. They’re designed to be "leave me alone" headphones — perfect for blocking out the chaos of the world.
They’re closed-back, which means they block noise from both outside and prevent sound leakage. This is crucial in studio environments to avoid bleed into microphones during recording sessions.
The headphones are solidly built, comfortable, and have a strong but not painful clamp. They’re ideal for long sessions, whether mixing in a busy train station or enduring an 8-hour flight.
Sennheiser has a rich history of producing professional audio tools, like the MD421 and MD49 microphones, which have shaped rock history. This craftsmanship carries over into these headphones.
At $399 for the regular version and $439 for the pro version with a case, they’re not cheap. But they’re built to last a lifetime and fold up compactly for travel.
Noise-cancelling headphones are great for blocking out ambient sounds like a train’s hum, but they’re not enough for the noisy, inconsiderate society we live in today. People blasting music on public transportation with USB speakers or ignoring basic etiquette make true peace hard to find.
These headphones offer a serious solution for those seeking quiet in a noisy world.
I made this video because I believe in honest, unfiltered content that respects the viewer. Even though I lost the sponsorship, I’m proud to share this review and my thoughts on the state of public noise and headphone culture.
If you’re tired of the same old gear reviews and want genuine insights, this channel is for you. Thanks for watching and supporting independent content.
This video and blog post are a reminder that sometimes standing up for creative freedom and honesty is more important than money or sponsorships. I hope you find the review useful and the message resonates.
Thank you for reading.
