HD 650

Its unlikely that I can add anything to this that hasn't already been said by earlier reviewers. Its as good as they say it is! I have an Audio Technica ATHm50X. I thought that was good and then i got HD650. I feared it would not be much of an upgrade! But it turned out to be a stellar upgrade. I also thought my phone with my mobile DAC (ibasso DC03 Pro) would be able to easily drive it. It can, but i have to amp up the volume to 85 ! The headphone is not for portable use. Its meant for listening at home. I use it for my nightly dose of music at my bedside. I've hooked it to an old Onkyo AV receiver. Yes, i had an old Onkyo AV receiver lying unused and made it my headphone AMP . Its too much and I know it. Better than spending another 20k on a good headphone amp i guess. The only downside is too many wires. USB-C to mobile DAC to Aux to AV receiver and the headphones. I manage because i'm on the bed and not going anywhere or doing anything but closing my eyes and enjoying pure sound. How does it sound? Well, i'm relistening all the music i have ever listened to. They all sound as if they've been remastered and new instruments added .. makes you go 'eh', what is that sound? i never noticed it before!. Is it worth this much over a noise canceling headphone etc.,? well, if you can spend on a device just for listening at home, this is worth investing. Go for a BT ANC headset if you need an all in one device.

This is one of the best headphones, but don't buy it if you don't know what this is for. 1. This is an open-back headphone. Meaning that, this headphone doesn't have Noise cancellation (active or passive). You can hear everything that's happening around you (you can even hear the fan or AC sounds) and everyone can hear what song you are playing. You need a quite place to perfectly enjoy this headphone. But what you get is awesome soundstage, crystal clear vocals and exact reproduction of the studio recording. 2. You don't get wireless/Bluetooth (because we know that wireless tech is not yet at par with the bitrate that a simple cable can transfer, in fact, Wireless is too far behind). And you get a very long, very wide and very heavy cable with this headphone. But don't take this the wrong way, the cable is strong and quite sturdy. 3. You don't get mic to use for calls. This headphone is not meant for that. 4. You can't use this directly with your mobile/PC/laptop (3.5mm jack or even the usb-to-3.5mm adapter). You can surely attach it, but without a proper AMP/DAC, the sound volume will be so feeble, low and lifeless that you would regret buying this 'expensive' headphone. You need something like a iFi AMP/DAC stack, or a Schiit Magni/Modi stack or something similar (I am suggesting budget options, of course you can opt for more expensive setup). This headphone NEEDS an AMP, and believe me when I say this, you need some powerful AMP to drive this headphone (meaning, utilize to it's full potential). 5. This headphone is not portable (of course you can take this anywhere, but that's not what I mean). You need a setup (desktop/laptop with a AMP/DAC setup, good Hi-Resolution files or Hi-Res streaming service like Apple lossless or Tidal and a quite place to enjoy this). This is not a headphone you take on the bus/train/flight/playground/to sleep/class etc. So, final words, if you don't know what the words "Studio monitors/Reference Class" on this headphone mean then it's not for you. Studio professionals/music producers/good youtubers will appreciate this headphone. And I am none, but I am enjoying this headphone so much that I wouldn't want to go back to anything else. I use this with an AudioQuest Dragonfly Red and the sound is simply out of this world.

I own numerous headphones collected over multiple years - Audio Technica M50, Koss Porta Pro, Senheiser HD 599 SE, Skullcandy Crusher EVO, SONY WH 1000XM4, Marshall Major III, Bose soundsport, Apple earphones and many more but this headphone (HD 650) Rules them all. Purpose - I mostly listen to Bollywood music and sometimes english music. I have noticed that the sennheiser sound signature are pretty good for bollywood/Indian music. Sound Quality - After I have started listening from this headphone, sound quality from all the other headphones feels quite inferior. This is a true upgrade for any enthusiast who is interested in listening to quality music. Instrument separation is real - You can feel and enjoy all the musical notes and male/female voices clearly. Some headphones have over bass boost that comes at a cost of suppressing music but this one is not bass heavy. The bass is deep and is very enjoyable on right kind of bass heavy music but it doesn't have overpowering bass on regular music. You can pair with mobile/laptop but for best effect pair it with an Amp/Dac. People who buy this headphone should be ready to spend extra money on other amp/dac devices to improve the listening experience. For convience - I have paird this will Bluetooth dongle Astell&Kern XB10 which has inbuilt AMP/DAC to make it easy to operate as this headphone comes with very long and heavy wires that are cumbersome to connect to mobile/laptop. Overall a worthwhile upgrade at this price point. Additional Note - For people looking for quality music at home, don't spend too much money on high end ANC (active noise cancellation) headphones but pair high end wired headphones like this with bluetooth dongle receivers.

En primer lugar aclaro que soy entusiasta de la música y trato de disfrutarla con la mayor calidad posible pero no me considero audiófilo, por lo que mi comentario es muy simple. He estado utilizando los sennheiser hd 599 SE y es la referencia que tengo. La diferencia es bastante notable al actualizar a los HD 650, desde que me los puse y escuche algunos de los disco de referencia que utilizo se nota la mejora del sonido en general, agudos y medios bien definidos y graves controlados. hice pruebas conectados a un DAC CAMBRIDGE AUDIO modelo DAC MAGICPLUS, 24 bits 192 kHz, con trasmisión de TIDAL y archivos propios en HI-RES. Próximamente haré pruebas con un DAC- amplificador dedicado de mayor resolución.

Struttura solida, leggera molto comoda da indossare per svariate ore, materiali plastici che non vogliono essere di particolare pregio ma comunque molto affidabili e che hanno dimostrato di poter resistere a svarati anni di utilizzo intenso. La riproduzione resta concentrata sulla perfetta riproduzione delle frequenze medie ed alte, i bassi risultano tuttavia adeguati e soprattutto articolati ma senza occultare la scena sonora. _______________ » COSTRUZIONE Nessuna parte metallica se non l'anima dell'archetto che permette la regolazione, il resto dei materiali è costituito da plastica di ottima fattura trattata e verniciata in maniera gradevole. Probabilmente il trattamento superficiale rischia di essere delicato ma una minima cura nell'uso dovrebbe garantire durabilità negli anni. I padiglioni morbidi e vellutati risultano molto comodi e solidamente applicati. Molto semplice la rimozione e l' installazione, operazione che ci si troverà a considerare almeno una volta l'anno data la facilità con la quale i padiglioni si consumano andando a variare leggermente la magnifica firma sonora. Buona la regolazione dell'archetto che si adatta perfettamente, risulta inizialmente molto serrato ma sono sufficienti poche ore perchè si lasci andare andando quasi a "scomparire". » PRESTAZIONI L'impedenza, come per le HD600 e HD660S2, è di 300 ohm, di conseguenza per godere appieno delle prestazioni della cuffia è bene utilizzare un buon amplificatore cuffie, possibilmente dotato di uscite bilanciate. Le frequenze medie ed alte sono riprodotte in maniera perfetta e non risultano mai affaticanti neppure dopo svariate ore di ascolto. Frequenze basse sono precisione, presenti ma non eccessive per garantire un ascolto piacevole ma fedele e non colorato diversamente da come previsto dall'autore. La scena sonora è discretamente ampia e dettagliata, l'ascolto resta tuttavia intimo come per le HD660S2 cosa che non è necessariamente un difetto, garantisce infatti una buona rappresentazione dell'immagine sonora, ogni strumento e voce sono perfettamente individuabili nello spazio dall'ascoltatore. » CONCLUSIONI Ottimo dispositivo, solido concreto e resistente. Concentrato sulla riproduzione sonora della fascia medio alta delle frequenze con assoluta fedeltà, ma che allo stesso tempo non priva l'ascoltatore del divertimento derivante da una gestione colorata delle frequenze basse riprodotte in maniera articolata ma non enfatizzata. Sono garantite ore di ascolto soddisfacenti ed appaganti senza alcun tipo di affaticamento.

These are a part of “knights of the round table” headphones. Let me get something straight — there is no one perfect pair of headphones. It’s a curse to the wallet but yet it’s a blessing in the sense that headphones are a magical journey of taking two of your senses (hearing and touch) to whole new levels you may never experience by simply just by being in it. With so many headphones out there, there’s that many ways to explore audio and more! Exciting, right? I am an audiophile and have a room dedicated to my headphones as well as listening. Audio is an incredible passion of mine and I want to share my take on these 650s! 1: So, Sennheiser is among the crem-de-la-crem (pardon the spelling) of headphone producers. 2: Sennheiser is a great brand to get into headphones when you’re new to it. It’s also got great value for performance. You honestly can’t go wrong with them. 3: If you’re on a budget and can really only afford to just have that one or two pairs of headphones. The Sennheiser 650’s are a jack of all trades with its sound profile. They are a definite buy for sure! Paired with a Khadas Tone Board and JDS Labs Atom, you can have a pretty top tier, affordable setup. For real sides! 4: These work well with so many different types of DACS and amps. I personally pair them with THX789’s from Mass/Drop, Khadas Tone Board, or my Okto Research 8’s. The THX 788 made by Monoprice is a nice combo DAC/AMP. 5. In terms of the Sennheiser line, there’s the boss tier (not necessary at all to own) like 800 and 820s. There’s the studio recording line denoted by PRO. There’s the lower end with the 598 and below. The 600 range (where these headphones sit at) is the sweet spot of excellence. If you want a bass-y emphasized performance, go with the 58X from Drop.com. They’re the resurrected Jubilees which are an updated, updated version of the HD580s. These are super solid, great for listening for long periods. You can’t go wrong. You can plug these into a device without an amp and get great volume. If you want super duper separated sound with ridiculous detail with more revealing performance in the highs and mid/highs, the 600s are your go to headphones! They’re very objective (an audiophile term generally meaning “as-is” or “unemphasized” as possible). With the wrong setup, they can sometimes even be a little sibilant. The 650s are truly the Goldilocks of the HD600 line. These emphasize the mids much more than the others. It’s often considered a sin by some audiophiles to use EQ functionality to adjust the sound. I can say that the 650s are at that point where they can be lightly EQ-ed to offer more bass and treble response. Now, onto the last thing that I think is important to mention — these have been replaced and succeeded by the Sennheiser 660s. They’re a worthy successor to replace the 650s. They are pretty close in frequency response. However, the upgrade comes with the comfort (clamp force) and the consistency of the drivers to produce frequencies. What does that translate to? - The HD660s really do a good job of sounding good with vocals, slightly less warm, and sound good without a lot of readjustment on your ears. They’re on the brighter side than the HD650. The brightness is a personal preference kind of thing. For some, they might like this for classical music. For some, they may find themselves hitting user fatigue sooner than the 650. My opinion: The HD650 are still my go despite the update with the 660s. I think that the 660s is wonderful but I prefer to stick the HD650s because of their versatility. I can listen to them for hours! It’s a great starting spot for audiophile tier headphones that will always, always be my daily headphones for all kinds of music. They’re also a great starting spot as well as a great spot to end on. Additionally, I would check out the Sundara by Hifiman if you’re wanting to explore planars. They’re very much like the 650s of planar headphones. Enjoy and happy listening! :)

I think these headphones give you a pretty accurate sound, so there is no hype in them. You seem to get the straight studio sound to a large degree. You don't get boomy basses or sparkling highs.

Inimaginável a qualidade sonora. Você ouve as músicas que ouviu durante a vida inteira e as redescobre através deste fone. 5 estrelas!