Specially designed acoustic silk ensures precision damping over the entire frequency range and helps to reduce THD to an incredible 0.05%
Improved frequency response is 10 - 39,500 Hz (-10 dB)
Hand-selected matched driver elements
High power neodymium magnets deliver maximum efficiency
Lightweight aluminum voice coils for very fast transient response
The HD 650 has superbly low harmonic distortion and precision sound reproduction across the entire frequency range. The bass is well ballanced and crisp, with authentic deep bass reproduction. The trble and mid range are well ballanced and ensure superbly realistic voice reproduction. Instrumental music pleasantly natural and yet lower notes clear and vibrant.
This review is from: Sennheiser HD 650 Lightweight Open-Air Dynamic Audiophile Headphone
So headphone.com calls them "simply the world's best headphone." I can't speak for the Grado or AKG contenders. I can say that they're better than my Sennheiser 590's, and that is shocking.
Which leads me to my first (and probably most important) point about this headphone. They cost a lot. A whole lot. Sennheiser has many units, including the 580, 590, 595, 600, and 650 (among many others), which could be construed as 'reference' quality. You'll spend about half as much on one of the 5xx models as you will on the 650. So if you were to ask me whether the 650 is *twice as good* (that is to say, it costs more in proportion to its increased capability), I'll tell you no, probably not. I might just not buy them, given the decision again. Perhaps if the price came down a bit.
At any rate, they are really a superb headphone. The sound is really incredible. You never really realize what you're missing in a recording until you've heard it through a set like this. You can hear the saliva in the back of a vocalist's throat. I'm not kidding. Everything is reproduced clearly, accurately, crisply, and I've yet to find any recording (Vocal, Classical, Electronic, etc) that can tax them. I suppose I'll stop trying to some day, but it's just wonderful to hear the headphones doing their job.
The construction is far more solid than the 590's are. Where there is plastic on the 590, you see metal and (no kidding) Kevlar. They are more attractive. They are also quite a bit heavier. They have a 1/4" connector instead of the more customary 1/8" mini connector -- this doesn't particularly bother me, I'll get to it in a minute.
Like the 590, they are an open headphone. That is, they are not "sealed" or "isolated". Sound from around you will seep in, and it is possible for others to hear what you are listening to (somewhat).
They are less comfortable. My guess is because of the metal band, the "spring" mechanism that keeps them round is tighter than the 590's, and it pinches. It really feels as though somebody is compressing your head. The ear cups are fine. They are almost identical to the 590's, but a little larger.
So, you probably wouldn't be here if you didn't know you needed an amplifier for these headphones (this is where the 1/4" plug comes in). However, it bears mentioning that you should not even consider buying these cans without first buying a capable amplifier. The PPA/PIMETA amps are cheapish, and Headphone.com has some that will work fine. To demonstrate this, you'll need another headphone and the 650. Connect the other headphone to your amplifier. Listen at a comfortable level. Then, relax a second, and attach the 650. The first thing you should notice is that the white noise is gone. The second thing -- other than the sound quality, of course -- is that it is much quieter. These cans need a lot of power to drive them effectively. Look at their specifications and you will understand (300 ohms of impedance!).
Buy em if you want the best and aren't afraid to spend the $$. Buy the 590's or 595's if what you need is a stellar headphone and you don't want to spend too much. Use the extra money to buy yourself an amp. You'll need it....
This review is from: Sennheiser HD 650 Lightweight Open-Air Dynamic Audiophile Headphone
As a lover of classical music I am a confirmed headphone listener. No set of speakers will offer the same amount of detail, most living rooms will add acoustic distortions, and many of us are not lucky enough to be able to play Mahler or Shostakovich at full power on a daily basis without getting into trouble with the neighbours.
For years I have been very happy with the Sony CD1700, an excellent headphone which is my point of reference for evaluating the HD650. The rest of my hifi set-up consists of a Marantz cd7300 CD player, PM7200 amplifier, and Musical Fidelity X-Can v3 headphone amplifier (a mandatory commodity if you intend to spend serious money on a headphone like this one). Also, I invested in the Cardas replacement cable for the HD650.
It is often said phones like this one need a 'break in' period. I used to regard this merely as snobbish audiophile technobabble - but found it to be actually true. Initially, I was less than pleased with the sound of the HD650, to put it mildly. Mid-range, mezzoforte strings (which make up a VERY large part of orchestral music!) sounded grey and weirdly disembodied. Stereo separation was exaggerated while the middle part of the soundstage seemed empty. Compared to the breezy, open sound of the Sony, the Sennheiser seemed compressed and less immediately involving.
Things were not helped by the fact that the wearing comfort of these cans is markedly inferior to that of the Sony. The HD650 has fairly small shells that are not ideal if your ears aren't quite that small. Also, they are clamped against the head rather tightly, which is not entirely pleasant. The Sony, by contrast, simply lets you forget you are wearing it.
But then, after about 50 hours of listening, things had changed rather much. Not with regard to the wearing comfort, obviously, though you do get used to the way the HD650 feels; - but soundwise. The sound had opened up completely; not only is it now as fresh and involving as that of the Sony, it is clearly superior. Everything is incredibly focused, tightly in place, resulting in a very clean sound picture. The bass is far superior to the Sony, and is noticeably warmer. Bass drum strokes or double bass pizzicati sound nothing short of sensational. Instrumental colours are marvellously defined throughout the orchestral ranges. The level of detail is quite simply stunning. I am not exagerrating when I say that I've heard new things in nearly every disc I played until now (in an old-time favourite, Bernstein's DG recording of Stravinsky's Les Noces, I was bowled over by the precision with which the four piano's, which had always sounded as a single instrument to me, were individually separated). Interestingly, a sense of underlying energy is retained even in the softest passages; I notice that with this headphone large scale symphonic works may sou...
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