First Good Headphones

Sennheiser HD650 over-ear, open-back audiophile headphones

The Sennheiser HD650 open-back, over-ear audiophile headphones are a brighter pair than their successor model, the HD6XX, which I have reviewed right here, and which have more bass and are generally darker, with less emphasis on treble. This morning, listening to Nirvana’s album Incesticide for the first time in quite a while, I switched from the HD6XXs to the HD650s. They each have a 300-Ω impedance, so the volume setting should have produced almost identical sound volumes. I needed to turn down the Cayin N7 digital audio player (I have a review of this mini-wonder in progress, for a little while later) because the HD650s’ treble was louder than the treble on the HD6XXs, and it was uncomfortably loud at the same volume. It’s great listening to an oldie like Cobain’s cover of the Vaselines’ “Son of a Gun” on nice equipment. I used to listen (many years ago) on a “black plastic crap” (Robert Harley’s words, in his book, The Complete Guide to High-End Audio) Sanyo CD boombox, which, as you might expect, did not have quite the same sound fidelity as Sennheiser HD650s. Incidentally, when I want to surprise someone with a generous gift, I have given more than one pair of HD650s, and the receivers of the gifts have generally been stunned by the quality.

One thing I like a lot about the HD650s is that they differ from the HD6XXs and the HD660s’s in that they’re brighter and have a much less dominating low-end response. I don’t feel cut off from my surroundings, at low volumes, the way I do with those other Senns, which create low-bass “cocoons.” With less loud and distorted music than Nirvana’s “Aero Zeppelin,” the HD650s’ clarity and lightness are pronounced. The first time I put them on and plugged them into my then brand new Schiit Audio Valhalla tube tabletop headphone amplifier, I was entranced by the feeling of being suspended in the music, which was probably 60-year-old jazz recordings of hard bop like Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, and some classical music. It was my first time with a “real” pair of headphones, and the sky’s the limit as one goes up, up, up the price ladder with (usually) finer and finer headphones.

I can’t compare the Sennheisers with in-ear monitors (IEMs) because I do not use IEMs. I have usually found the old-fashioned earbuds uncomfortable—I have relatively small ears, and the earbuds ended up hurting my ears from the pressure they would put on them, and they tended to fall out. Maybe some time I will get a good pair of IEMs. I have read many people speak in favor of them.

As a first pair of “audiophile” headphones, I confidently recommend the Sennheiser HD650s. If you want a different, darker-sounding experience, I recommend the HD6XXs. I love both, and I enjoy having various types of equipment and source media (vinyl, CD, different digital formats) to choose from. If you like listening to music a lot, I encourage you to broaden your experience with higher-priced headphones, headphone amps and digital audio players (yes, these cost more money than a pair of Koss on-hear headphones, for example, or even the lower-end Sennheisers) if you haven’t been doing that already. I try not to talk about pricing on this substack. Used and open-box deals can significantly lower the cost of even expensive audio gear. I got some of my Senns used. You can look up prices anytime you feel like it. I want to talk about the sound and the overall experience of the headphones and other gear and music, rather than putting money numbers on them, which might discourage a reader from trying them out—when they might be available for considerably less than a price I might quote.

Happy listening—and keep exploring ways to listen! One last comment: I really like buying music from Bandcamp. Typically, any physical media you buy will come with an immediate, high-quality digital download. Or you can buy just the digital download. Different file types (and sizes) are available. It isn’t a hi-res source, necessarily, like some of the Qobuz and Tidal material, but with Bandcamp a lot of what you pay goes directly to the artists, according to the last email newsletter I received from Bandcamp. And you own your music. I have found that Bandcamp is a way to discover artists and labels I had not come across elsewhere, such as We Jazz records and Ayler records (both emphasizing jazz). And you get to stream as much as you want, whatever you buy. See you again soon!