Sennheiser HD 650 Review

The Sennheiser HD 650 is a set of high-end, open-backed, over-ear headphones. The HD 650s implement their open-backed design in an aesthetically interesting way, covering the backs of the ear cups with a grey grate which offers barely any physical barrier between your sound and the world around you.

The HD 650 are pretty big, but at 260g (not including the cable) they're an extremely light load for your neck to bear, and the black velour earpads are very comfortable even after long periods of use. The underside of the adjustable headband is amply padded. The HD 650 headphones also have a tight headband and strong metal outer grilles. The replaceable copper cables that attach to the earcups are Kevlar-reinforced and have very low handling noise. The roughly 10-foot cable terminates in a 1/4-inch gold-plated plug, and the headphones come with a short 1/8-inch adapter cable (also gold-plated).

The headphones are finished in dark metallic silver with black trim. The HD 650s come with the standard 6.3mm jack, as well as a handy 3.5mm adapter for smaller pieces, such as iPod and other portable devices. An interesting feature: the cords have two-pin connectors that plug into each of the ear cups. If you have a shorting issue with the headphones, the cable can be easily replaced. Those who use wired devices, such as headphones and game controllers, for extended periods of time know that the cables can someday fail if they are used excessively. There are no two heads or two sets of ears that are the same. Therefore, the best fit for headphones for you is determined the old-fashioned way, by trying them on. There are a few basic configurations for headphones. There is the common in-ear style, often used with iPods or other portable devices. Then there is the over-ear style that sit on top of the ear, and then the enclosed style like that of the HD 650s.

In-ear is convenient for portable devices, but often allows the majority of bass to escape, unless the earphones are fitted with sealing earpieces. On-ear can often be the most comfortable of the batch, but offers zero noise isolation and, again, they allow bass information to escape. Enclosed headphones like the HD 650s offer a lower-noise experience, along with improved dynamics, due to a more controlled inner environment.  The HD 650s are intended for home rather than portable listening. They’re too big and bulky for on-the-go use. The headphones are also rather power hungry, so puny iPods and MP3 players won't supply enough juice to produce much volume. The HD 650's lightweight aluminum voice coils give marvellous sound quality. It's like having a direct connection between you and your music. The articulation, detail, and balance are all very close to what you hear on stage and in the studio.   If you're going to spend the money for these headphones, make sure you've got a really nice stereo system.

If you're using a PC, you'll definitely want a high-end sound card and either uncompressed or losslessly compressed files to appreciate fully the transparent sound and excellent stereo imaging of the HD 650. Apple iPods and a few other MP3 players support lossless compression. You can generally use the HD 650 with them, but you'll wind up cranking the players to maximum volume, which usually results in distortion. Overall, the Sennheiser HD 650 is good for anyone that likes a good clean sounding headphone that’s built well.  If you like to hear the smallest of sounds in the recording you will like these for sure.