HD650 Headphones

When I received my Sennheiser HD 650 headphones in the mail, I removed them from the box and plugged them into my computer – no frills, no headphone amplifier. As soon as I started to play my favorite classical song, I felt a little giddy. The sound was captivating; I could have been sitting right by Beethoven himself. Acoustic songs also sound unbelievable; every strum is discernible and you can literally hear the singer breathe between lines. As music gets more complicated, the headphones sound slightly muddier, but compared to other similar models, they’re outstanding. That is because the HD650 will benefit immensely from a dedicated headphone amp.

So what makes these different than every other set of headphones on the market? Well, for one, they look cool. The sleek silver design and alternative exposed speakers actually look more stylish than bulky. At first they squeezed my head so tightly my brain felt like it was about to start seeping through my nose, but the enjoyment received from listening to the music totally eclipsed my discomfort. However, when I forced my unsuspecting, big-headed coworker to test them out, he found them to be quite comfortable. I guess it’s all relative. The cushy velour earphones and padded headband ease any discomfort that may exist, and they stretched out after a couple days.

The only major qualm with the Sennheiser HD 650s is that volume affects performance. You have to raise the volume more than other similar models. However, with the raised volume, the music sounds about a bazillion times clearer than on other headphones. Again, a headphone amp is all the HD650 is asking you for.

Features

• Top-of-the-range open, dynamic hi-fi stereo headphones
• Systems with narrow tolerances (± 1 dB), hand-picked in pairs
• High-quality titanium/silver finish
• Specially developed acoustic silk for precise, uniform attenuation over the entire area
• Specially modulated connecting cable (detachable) made from highly conductive OFC copper, Kevlar-reinforced, with very low handling noise, i.e. low structure-borne sound sensitivity
• Extremely lightweight aluminum voice coils ensure excellent transient response
• Elliptical earpiece design fits comfortably over the entire ear (to this we give a resounding thumbs up)
• Can be directly connected to stationary hi-fi components of the highest quality, in particular SACD, DVD-A and CD players

To our customers who just like really awesome-sounding music – the Sennheiser HD 650 headphones ROCK!