Sennheiser HD 650 Open Circumaural Audiophile Headphones

These are the first good quality headphones I have purchased. They are very comfortable while wearing my glasses. The sound is super clear and non tiring. I can see why these are popular with audiophiles alike. They have a long history for their sound reproduction and were rated number one for Jazz listening which is why I selected these. I have also enjoyed many other styles of music while using these and look forward to many more enjoyable sessions. All my friends love the sound that these produce and I would recommend these to others looking for a great reference set of headphones. Users must be aware of the open back system and wouldn’t be very good in noisy environments. If you enjoy great music and have a nice quiet place to enjoy then these are awsome!

A no brainer purchase at this price

Coming from a Samson SR 850 and a OneOdio Studio Pro 50, I wanted to upgrade to something from the 600 series, more so after listening to it at headphone connect, Delhi. At the price of 25k, the 650 has the legendary 600 series vocals. I discovered the nuances of the totality of Hendrix's voice in All along the watchtower which I hadn't before. Same for Ben E King in Stand by me.The bass is very good, not earth shattering. It makes it's presence felt when it is supposed to. A shade less than my OneOdio cans. The treble is detailed but not fatiguing at all. I can listen to these for hours. Keep in mind, I am running these off my laptop as of now and plan to get a hip dac 2 sometime in the future. The soundstage is a bit narrower than the Samsons but the imaging is ... MoreComing from a Samson SR 850 and a OneOdio Studio Pro 50, I wanted to upgrade to something from the 600 series, more so after listening to it at headphone connect, Delhi. At the price of 25k, the 650 has the legendary 600 series vocals. I discovered the nuances of the totality of Hendrix's voice in All along the watchtower which I hadn't before. Same for Ben E King in Stand by me.The bass is very good, not earth shattering. It makes it's presence felt when it is supposed to. A shade less than my OneOdio cans. The treble is detailed but not fatiguing at all. I can listen to these for hours. Keep in mind, I am running these off my laptop as of now and plan to get a hip dac 2 sometime in the future. The soundstage is a bit narrower than the Samsons but the imaging is laser sharp, no compromises. This is indeed a very intimate headphone as others have said for years. The clamping force does reduce after a few hours and they'll be among the most comfortable headphones in your collection. Grab these while you still can at this price

Amazing Headphones for production

Till now I have used few nice headphones like Audio Technica M50, Neauman NDH20 and Beyerdyanamic DT880 which I purposely bought for music production and mixing. HD650 are best in that lot. You hear every elements of a track clearly in these headphones.Not too bright like DT880. NDH20 also give amazing performance but due to their closed back design few frequency do get muddy but this problem is solved with these headphones. Highs are pleasent, mids are clear and bass is nice. Sub bass is not so prominent which could b problemetic for some people which can b easily resolved by Sound ID reference. Best headphones in this range. Totally good for it. Also very comfortable, you can use them for hours without any fatigue.

Excellent pair of headphones

I purchased these headphones alongside the Schiit Magni+ and Modi+ as my first foray into the high-quality audio space. I previously had Bose QC headphones, AirPods, and Powerbeats Pro, and I was deeply impressed by this new pair.First, they're incredibly light and breathable. I imagine it's partly because no batteries / Bluetooth module is needed in the headphones, so the overall weight can be decreased thanks to the cable.Second, the sound quality is amazing. I can hear a lot more of the features of music I'm listening to. It's always interesting when I'm surprised to find a new instrument or element that I couldn't hear on my earbuds.The open-back design was an experiment for me, but I've really liked that so far as well.Overall, I'm loving the headphones ... MoreI purchased these headphones alongside the Schiit Magni+ and Modi+ as my first foray into the high-quality audio space. I previously had Bose QC headphones, AirPods, and Powerbeats Pro, and I was deeply impressed by this new pair.First, they're incredibly light and breathable. I imagine it's partly because no batteries / Bluetooth module is needed in the headphones, so the overall weight can be decreased thanks to the cable.Second, the sound quality is amazing. I can hear a lot more of the features of music I'm listening to. It's always interesting when I'm surprised to find a new instrument or element that I couldn't hear on my earbuds.The open-back design was an experiment for me, but I've really liked that so far as well.Overall, I'm loving the headphones right now and am excited to keep listening to music on them.

Great Cans Since 2003!

Maybe it was 2004 - I can't recall. For the money, the HD 600 or 650's are by far the best mid-ranged headphones you can get. The cans are clarity in a word, nothing is overstated in any meaningful way allowing studio work (or just listening) to be represented with accuracy. The high end has been coined as "veiled" - slightly dark, though I haven't found this to be the case for me personally. Top end sounds clear and precise without being sharp, mid range is warm and detailed, plenty of depth, and the bass is responsive without being overpowering or misleading. Exactly what you need. Also super comfortable for long listening, breathable. They do grip like a vice, maybe not in a bad way, but I imagine if you've got a larger head they may feel tight over time. For me ... MoreMaybe it was 2004 - I can't recall. For the money, the HD 600 or 650's are by far the best mid-ranged headphones you can get. The cans are clarity in a word, nothing is overstated in any meaningful way allowing studio work (or just listening) to be represented with accuracy. The high end has been coined as "veiled" - slightly dark, though I haven't found this to be the case for me personally. Top end sounds clear and precise without being sharp, mid range is warm and detailed, plenty of depth, and the bass is responsive without being overpowering or misleading. Exactly what you need. Also super comfortable for long listening, breathable. They do grip like a vice, maybe not in a bad way, but I imagine if you've got a larger head they may feel tight over time. For me they work just fine. Sennheiser has been making these since the early 2000's (with some minor upgrades on the design since original release), says allot when the company doesn't need to replace the model after a few years - they work - don't fix what ain't broke!

Legend!

First of all Thank you to HPZ for dropping it's price and making it pocket friendly for noobs like me.This is my 1st ever headphone. Headphones just hit a different neural network in your brain, and that too an Open-Back Legend. Everyone should own a HD650.I'm just a noob who likes to listen to music. In the community of great audiophiles i'm 'Audio-technically' challenged, so it won't be technical review.I wanted these for quiet a long time but didn't invested in it because it needs power. For that one needs a good DAC and Amplifier (preferably tubes for HD650) (Apparently these will break your pocket). So it is a stationary setup but i wanted a portable setup that's why never invested in these before.Setup = Hiby RS2 + Topping NX7Sound is good, refreshing, ... MoreFirst of all Thank you to HPZ for dropping it's price and making it pocket friendly for noobs like me.This is my 1st ever headphone. Headphones just hit a different neural network in your brain, and that too an Open-Back Legend. Everyone should own a HD650.I'm just a noob who likes to listen to music. In the community of great audiophiles i'm 'Audio-technically' challenged, so it won't be technical review.I wanted these for quiet a long time but didn't invested in it because it needs power. For that one needs a good DAC and Amplifier (preferably tubes for HD650) (Apparently these will break your pocket). So it is a stationary setup but i wanted a portable setup that's why never invested in these before.Setup = Hiby RS2 + Topping NX7Sound is good, refreshing, bass is also good, not overpowering. I do not know about highs, mids, lows but listening with this setup feels like you are listening to music live, hearing all the instruments coming from different directions.In the end the sound is so good it will put a smile on your face and you'll be lost in music.They didn't get enough time to burn so it is just an initial impression.These can put a shame to a lot of costly headphones, just keep providing them power and they keep on scaling to greater heights.Use them with Cayin HA-1A MK2, if you want a stationary setup and trust me you wouldn't want anything.Drawback - No case in the box.Improvement - Sennheiser should provide a carrying/portable case for these.

Legendary for a reason

These are indeed exactly like people describe them.Slightly warm, a very musical yet detailed sound. I don't know why it's called 'veiled' or 'dark' though - to my ears the treble is very well extended without being sibilant or fatiguing. Perhaps pad wear will change the sound eventually (this is something I'm worried about as Sennheiser original pads are always out of stock in India).The 2 cons I would say are:1. Out of the box clamp force is quite high, and the headband foam is stiff. So it creates a hotspot pretty quickly. Although they do start easing up, it's still not a "super comfortable" set, despite being lightweight.2. Outside sales, these are sold for 44990 INR, which is quite high, and at that price, you might not be "wow"-ed by it, especially if ... MoreThese are indeed exactly like people describe them.Slightly warm, a very musical yet detailed sound. I don't know why it's called 'veiled' or 'dark' though - to my ears the treble is very well extended without being sibilant or fatiguing. Perhaps pad wear will change the sound eventually (this is something I'm worried about as Sennheiser original pads are always out of stock in India).The 2 cons I would say are:1. Out of the box clamp force is quite high, and the headband foam is stiff. So it creates a hotspot pretty quickly. Although they do start easing up, it's still not a "super comfortable" set, despite being lightweight.2. Outside sales, these are sold for 44990 INR, which is quite high, and at that price, you might not be "wow"-ed by it, especially if you've heard stuff like the HD560S, HE400SE, Sundara, etc.

Legendary headphones for a reason

Sound quality is top notch, after testing loads of other headphones between 100 to 1000 euro price range these stand out from the rest to me. No real weaknesses, the sound is little bit warm and dark, but not overly so. The slightly elevated mid bass gives the sound more body, while the dark treble makes sure they never get fatiguing to listen to, never harsh. While the treble is tuned down, its still very detailed. You'll just notice in a busy mix treble tends to take back seat as mids and mid bass rule the show. Sub bass doesn't really exist on these, but its the case with open headphones in general. Overall, its a balanced and natural sound that's very nice and easy to listen to. The detail is there, but it isn't overwhelming or 'fake' like with many ... MoreSound quality is top notch, after testing loads of other headphones between 100 to 1000 euro price range these stand out from the rest to me. No real weaknesses, the sound is little bit warm and dark, but not overly so. The slightly elevated mid bass gives the sound more body, while the dark treble makes sure they never get fatiguing to listen to, never harsh. While the treble is tuned down, its still very detailed. You'll just notice in a busy mix treble tends to take back seat as mids and mid bass rule the show. Sub bass doesn't really exist on these, but its the case with open headphones in general. Overall, its a balanced and natural sound that's very nice and easy to listen to. The detail is there, but it isn't overwhelming or 'fake' like with many Beyerdynamics that emphasize treble too much. Vocals sound exceedingly good on these.Wearing comfort is otherwise great, but they may have bit too much clamping force. They're very light and if looks are important to you, you won't need to feel embarrassed wearing these on video calls or web conferences, unlike many other audiophile headphones that can look awkward.As for build quality, its excellent as well. While mostly plastic, this makes it very light. And this plastic is very high quality. I used to obsess on getting headphones with mostly metal build for best durability, but I've learned that it comes with a lot of drawbacks, mainly the weight. Not to mention a lot of headphones that are mostly metal build still have some plastic weakspots that break down over time due to bad design. These seem like they are built to last and will outlast most other headphones in terms of wear and tear. They have also removable cable and all the parts are also replaceable.All in all recommend to anyone whose looking for a well balanced headphone. Surely, sound won't get much better from here no matter how much more money you spend. These are end game material for even the most demanding users.

Smooth Sound

Just received the Sennheiser HD650 from Headphone Zone as my personal mix reference headphones. The bass, mods and treble translation is amazing. Almost flat sounding headphones. Since I’ve been using the DT770 pro all my life this is a major change for me. My first open back headphones and it just sounds amazing. I hear my flaws in my mixes, and able to tweak it quickly, whether it be EQ or levels in vocals, the low end of the song, or the overall sheen on a track. It’s truly precise. The stereo image is amazing while hearing on the HD650. This headphone has been recommended by a few mix engineers as well. Overall it’s worth buying it to step up as your reference headphone. Fellow audiophiles if you want an intermediate level referencing headphone kindly check it ... MoreJust received the Sennheiser HD650 from Headphone Zone as my personal mix reference headphones. The bass, mods and treble translation is amazing. Almost flat sounding headphones. Since I’ve been using the DT770 pro all my life this is a major change for me. My first open back headphones and it just sounds amazing. I hear my flaws in my mixes, and able to tweak it quickly, whether it be EQ or levels in vocals, the low end of the song, or the overall sheen on a track. It’s truly precise. The stereo image is amazing while hearing on the HD650. This headphone has been recommended by a few mix engineers as well. Overall it’s worth buying it to step up as your reference headphone. Fellow audiophiles if you want an intermediate level referencing headphone kindly check it out. It’s a good value for money and I got an amazing deal on it on the Black Friday sale. Thank you Haadphone Zone. You’ve got a very satisfied and loyal customer now.

This Sennheiser is a special headphone

After spending some time (and a lot of money) in this hobby, i have currently settled on the HD650 and Audeze LCD-X open-back headphones. While HD-650 doesn't have the bass reproduction (one note-ish), speed, clarity, or sound-stage of the LCD-X, what it does right even the LCD-X or Sennheiser HD-800s can't match. And that is a neutral tuning with exceptional mid range timbre - basically a headphone that sounds "right/natural" (in-spite of it's limitations). It pairs well with the budget IFI Zen DAC (Single ended, truebass and powermatch disabled) and scales up to a high end Violectric V590 AMP. From what i have read they sound even better with high-end tube amps. This is a classic worth owning. (Note: every once in a while these go for sale at half price.)