Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones

The HD650's don't do anything really wrong.

They have a natural sound signature and slightly elevated midbass that is easy on the ear (non-fatiguing).

Most people will find that they appreciate their sound.

They are not the final word in transparency and speed, but they are advanced enough technically to allow them to be true to the source material, offering an excellent sonic window into the music.

This neutrality allows them to be used for reference purposes; as a studio headphone mixes done on them translate well to monitors.

Similarly, they sound great with all genres, and don't dominate any particular one.

For a beginner head-fi'er, HD650's paired with a <$500 SS amp and a cheap DAC might be the last headphone rig you ever need.

Inversely, the HD650 scales very well with upgrades, sounding best to these ears with a powerful tube amp.

However, If you don't like the sound of these phones on first (amped) listen, don't try change the sound signature with cable upgrades because the differences are relatively subtle.

I've listenend to all the top offerings from Denon, Audeze, AKG, Hifiman, Ultrasone & Sennheiser and this is my personal favourite. It is a true reference class headphone that is very natural sounding, albeit leaning ever so slightly towards a darker tone. The sound is detailed, smooth and richly textured, especially drums come alive amazingly well. It has no problem spanning all the way from the deepest bass to the highest highs with supreme control and plenty of muscles to spare.

For the money I think this is a real audiophile bargain, the HD650 exists on that plane of ultimate performance where sound quality becomes no longer a factor of quality but rather personal taste. It really doesn't get much "enjoyable" than this no matter what you pay. The HD800 has better resolution, speed and spacial presentation - but can be a bit cold, analytical and unforgiving. The LCD-3 is arguably a "better" heaphone with amazing resolution, extension and control - but in my humble opinion it can sound a little dry and laid-back compared to something like a HD650, Grado, Hifiman or D7000 which are more "fun" and energetic with a more "forward" sound.

So in short - the HD650 I think is truly great, not unbeatable in specific genres but an amazing allrounder. It should however be said that it only truly begins to show what it can do with top notch source and amplification - I wouldn't recommend driving this beauty with anything like a phone or Mp3 player due to its rather high imepedance and revealing nature.

Although "revaling" is also a relative term since they are infinitely more forgiving towards bad recodings than a HD800 or LCD-2/LCD-3. It should also be said that I do think they exhibit a slight veil (this eternal debate) but ONLY at low listening levels - so that those who find themselves always listening at very low volumes might want to also consider something along the lines of a grado reference headphone which are known for their "intimacy".

All in all the HD650 is a superb headphone that comfortably matches, or beats, competitors at more than twice its price. A superb allrounder with a fun and energetic play-style, detailed but not too unforgiving - not to be overlooked!

Edited: updated July 2012

There's plenty of debate around here as to what makes a headphone "high end". Putting price aside for a moment, I have no doubt that the HD650 marks the beginning of the high-end range. I've auditioned many headphones over the past few years and while many sound different only the electrostats such as the HE60 truly sound superior in every way to the 650s.

In terms of sound the HD650 is what I would call a "natural" headphone. Very rarely do I get the feeling that any part of the spectrum is being over-emphasised and the result is an intimate presentation with good (if not exceptional) soundstage - perfect for live performances. Some would criticise the 650s for their rolled-off treble and I believe this is valid but mainly when the headphones are poorly amplified or paired with a poor DAC unit; I would certainly avoid running these directly from a computer's sound card, for example. My pair are used with a DAC1 which does a good job of brightening the 650s' sound signature without making the treble sound sterile.

The low-end and midrange of these cans is what stands out for me. Bass is almost perfect with good extension and decent impact. Though dark-sounding I never get the impression that the bass is being emphasised to the detriment of other frequencies. I also find that bass quality improves dramatically with higher volumes, this is likely because I listen at quite low volume most of the time and the extra juice is just what these cans need to shine. Moving on to midrange, these cans are excellent for female vocals as well as string / brass instruments with the original tonality being replicated solidly.

I paid almost exactly £200GBP for my pair in 2007 and I find that to be excellent value for money. Build quality is sturdy and the sound that you get for the price is ridiculously good - others have spoken highly of the ability of these cans to scale with the rest of your system and I can only echo this. My one gripe (the reason I docked a star for design) is that the paint tends to flake off slightly around the midpoint of the headband over time; continual flexing of this point as you stretch the headphones over your head contributes to the wear.

I've owned these headphones for around a year now, when I first bought them they were a quantum leap forward in my headphone listening life. It felt like a big spend as I had to buy a desktop amp and a dac at the same time and it took a pay rise at the point where I was questioning the wisdom of it all to finally pull the trigger. I never looked back.

It is funny that the cost seemed so extreme to me now; once you delve into the audio enthusiasts world and see the prices some other headphones go for you realise that the HD650 is in fact a serious bargain, especially since many people (myself included) think it is a far better phone than many of those higher priced offerings.

The sound signature is one with bass emphasised yet superbly controlled and clear; I am definitely in the camp that thinks that a respectable boost in the bass region makes music sound more natural.  Perhaps this is because the majority of cheap music systems have speakers that put out uneven bass so producers make the decision to counteract that with reduced bass? Whatever the reason, the HD650 level of bass and mid-bass is spot on for making the music sound real and natural and live.

Laid back is another term often used to describe these headphones and for good reason. Some people call this a "veil" over the sound but I think that again, what they are reproducing is a very lifelike sound. In real life the source of all sound is not an inch of so from the ear like with headphones, everything does seem a little pushed back from us and since we are used to this I find that it adds to the natural feeling of the phones.

In terms of sound stage, well I used to think it was perfect, but since I got the AKG K702 I have to say I have found myself wishing the HD650 could be a little spacier. Everything else about the headphones sound sig, from the laid back presentation to the natural bass boost seems to be aiming for a realistic sounding reproduction of live sound so to have it all so close around the head is a little self defeating. That said, it is certainly big enough for analytical listening and beats other high end phones, like Grados, by a country mile.

Since everything about the sound engineering of these phones seems to be aimed towards making you forget you are wearing them it does seem an odd decision for the product designers to have added a clamp so tight you really cannot be unaware they are on your head. This is well counteracted by the softness of the very comfortable pads and I was very used to it but when I got my AKG K702 I did start becoming a bit less forgiving. When my other main headphones were the MS2i with flats the HD650 showed up favourably in the comfort stakes, but with the velour laden K702 with its self adjusting headband and super light clamp I definitely now feel the pressure on my temples of the HD650. I've read about people bending parts of the headband to relieve this. I've also seen pictures of snapped headbands as a result so am going to play it safe and live with it. It has slowly reduced over a year and I imagine will disappear completely in the future. This is a shame though as the sound of these phones is one I find extremely relaxing and this effect is negated by an unfortunate product design decision. 

This is the one minor bugbear regarding a high quality, great value package. Everything about them screams quality, from the classy timeless design to the velour pads and padded headband to the sound when you put them into action. While there are some genres other phones do better with (K702 certainly a better option for classical and electronica) there is no genre these do not do proud. So long as they don't break (and I do baby these headphones) I would not be surprised if I'm still putting these on my head in retirement.

My first Sennheiser was the HD555, which was a real gem for its price bracket, and then when it broke, I replaced it with the HD600. I immediately exchanged it for the HD650 as I found the HD600 to sound so similar to the HD555 (just a little bit more treble mainly) that the price difference wasn't justified. The HD650 is very similar to the HD600, but with a bit more weight in the bass, and a slightly smoother sound overall. But in any case, these upgrades are all diminishing returns, as the HD555 really is excellent already.

The HD650's clamping force is strongest of the three, but it's still comfortable enough that I often forget to take them off after I was done listening to something. The velour earcups are always the most comfortable to me compared to leather, pleather, or foam.

In terms of looks, the Sennheiser are probably lagging behind all the competitors, looking kind of drab and boring, while the HD800 takes things to the opposite extreme, looking like some science-fiction head gear.

I quite like the Sennheiser sonic signaure, which many people refer to as being relaxed, or veiled. I think of it as being very smooth and non-offensive. The treble and upper mids never get fatiguing or too bright, and the overall tonal balance is very good, with nothing sticking out or recessed in any of the frequency ranges. The sub-bass rolls off around 30Hz and I wish the HD650 had more extended sub-bass and weight, since that's what it needs in order to sound like a full-range speaker system. The Audio-Technica ATH-M50, ES-10, and Denon AH-D7000 all do this very well--sounding like there's a subwoofer in the headphones. The treble of the Sennheiser is nice and smooth and articulate, but it seems to lack just a little bit of that airiness that audiophiles really love.

Overall, I tend to think of the Sennheiser HD5xx/6xx series as workhorse headphones that sound great, are very comfortable, and are never offensive. They may not win awards for looks or have that really high-end "magical" hi-fi sound, but they are tonally well-balanced and very pleasant to listen to.

I bought these headphones on December 2011 and have since been thoroughly using them. I am absolutely happy with my purchase and here is why: