these headphones are just so natural sounding; a sense of purity and accuracy are discernable when listening to these headphones. drywall contractor

None so far.

I was very encouraged to find this site. The reason being that this is such an informative post. Thanks for sharing!

kitchen renovation and joinery

nothing at all

Clearness sound quality. My friends borrow this as they find it comfortable to use and has nice sound compared to the one they've using. - Hardwood Refinishing

Minimal scratch when I received.

I have owned the HD 650 for five years. At the beginning I thought it was a very good headphone as i paid it 359 euros. But after four years of intensive use, it made a harsh noise when the power is increased. I tried to repair it myself and what was my surprise to notice that the driver inside was for the hd 580 as it is written on it.

It does not worth the price they sell it. It is outperformed by cheap chinese brand head phone. Try the bexcellent Q7 and you will see. Do not waste your money for this headphone. I have been an owner of hd580 and hd590 but i will never buy a sennheiser anymore. It is tagged at a very high price compared to its quality

Jus got the hd650's about 2 weeks ago...I've broken them in, and let me tell you, they are the closest thing to being at the recording studio with the band!! I mean, they sound so real, and authentic, that its unbelievable!! i mean, what can I say? They are one of the best headphones out there, and I would truly recommend them! The sound is very natural, and laid back. Want the best? Look no further! They're right here! Sennheiser hd650...the best...

This site is quite funny. A lot of these "reviews" are just plain awful! (Mine could be too, depending on who you are...) The "reviews" on YouTube are even funnier, but entertaining.
I don't claim to be a recording engineer or other professional. I like music a lot and have owned a variety of different systems over the years.
The main reason I got into headphones: LOUSY LISTENING ROOM. I figure most people have one too and don't realize it. I have spent countless hours moving speakers around, trying different formulas and playing with a few acoustic treatments. No sonic bliss for me. A lousy room is a lousy room unless you want to spend muchos bucks and a lot of time. I'm getting too lazy. Enter headphones.
I just got the HD650's. I have put about 30 hrs. or so on them. I'm running them with the Benchmark DAC1 USB.
I also own the Beyerdynamic DT-880 (2003 Version)
The main reason I bought the HD650's : I have found the DT-880 too "bright" and lacking bass. They sound good with a lot of material but they can get on your nerves after a few hours. Add the fact that most cd's are "bright" and you have sonic irritation.
So, my simple observation after just 30 hrs. using varoius material is: The HD650's have more bass than the DT-880's. They also have a fuller midrange and are less fatiguing. These are exactly the sonic characters I was hoping for. I will have to do a follow - up later with more hours on the 'phones.
So that's it. I'm not going to say they are the best, or blow away this or that. Try them for yourself and YOU decide. Get to work!

none

every thing.

This head phone suck compare to my shure scl5($250.in ebay). It look like a cheap head phone. The scl5 is a lot better than hd650 in any frequence. The price is too high for such headphone like this. It should only cost $100.00 at the most. I use my zhaolu d2.5c dac with a upgrade headphone to test them both. The hd650's bass is suck. It sound like only have one kind of bass. The mid and the high is even worst than the bass. I returned it in 2days. I want to give it 0 star but the lease star I can give is 1 so I give it 1 star.

Similar Products Used:

shure scl5

Very comfortable and remains cool
Non-Fatiguing sound
Lush Mids
Lifelike Bass
Great Price
Detachable Cable (easy to upgrade)

At this price these headphones have no major weaknesses.
In absolute terms though, these headphones are lacking the last bit of detail that your 1000$+ headphones can deliver

The Sennheiser HD650 are a great headphones in their price range (300-700$us).
Whereas a Grado HF-1 or RS-1 will be of the same sonic quality, they have completely opposite sonic signatures.
The HD650 excel at presenting a very non fatiguing listening experience in which the high frequencies are nicely rolled off and never sibilant/bright. The bass is also nicely rolled off. The bass does not sound dry and has enough weight behind it to make instruments sound lifelike and not artificial (which I find is one of the hardest things for a headphone to accomplish). Extreme low frequency and high frequency detail is lost as a result of these being rolled off, but that is what gives it the easy to listen to quality.

Soundstage presentation on the HD650 is very impressive! It is able to present the subtle room acoustics with ease.

On top of this, I find the HD650 to be an extremely comfortable headphone. The grip never gives me pain, but is enough to keep these headphones securely in place. The Velour ear pads are very soft. Since this headphone is open, it remains relatively cool on the head. The cable is detachable which is a nice feature. Custom cables are plentiful for this headphone, so there is room to tweak the sound even further.

These have been my main headphones for over a year now, and I no longer have the urge to purchase others. I use the stock cable. These are sourced by a MHDT labs Havana NOS Tube DAC and amped by a HeadAmp GS-1 headphone amplifier.
This combination results in an extremely musical setup with not even a hint of listening fatigue.

If you are looking at headphones around this price range, you owe it to yourself to give the HD650 a try.

Similar Products Used:

Grado HF-1
Grado RS-1
Sennheiser HD580
Sennheiser HD25-1
Beyerdynamic DT770pro
AKG K701
AKG K340

Excellent Transparency
Dynamic Soundstage
Rich, Deep, Controlled Bass
Clarity, Definition
Fast Response, Detailed
Hardly feel like you're wearing them...

Sometimes a bit too transparent, if rarely ever
Open ear design does not withold emitted sound, and allows for exterior interference

Sennheiser HD650
Project Head Box SE II
Cardas Audio Headphone Cables
Alchemist Forseti APD33A CD Transport
Alchemist Forseti APD34A DAC
Blue Circle BC6000

So the open ear design I would have to say is exclusively for home listening, otherwise you can hear external sounds very clearly with these headphones. Admittedly, up to some level of noise even enclosed headphone designs let in external noise, albeit muffled. Interestingly enough, some would argue that noise cancelling headphoens detract from the sound quality... so where does this leave us with the Sennheiser HD650's?

Sennheiser's design is an appropriate paradigm to a great home listening experience. These headphones are just so natural sounding; a sense of purity and accuracy are discernable when listening to these headphones. Any type of music, any style, any form: these lightweight aluminum voice coils deliver gracious and eloquent replications of the original sound. The neutrality, and presence is exquisitely depicted in broad soundstage. Truly engaging.

I have never heard these headphones labour, even at high volumes. The burn in period was fairly long at what I approximate was around 90 hours of listening time, but they really seem to have opened up and demonstrated their full capabilities after break-in. I haven't heard any problems like rattles or buzzes of even the smallest magnitude, even during intense musical moments with the low frequency extension limit being reached in the process. I can't say this for other headphones I've listened to in the Sennheiser line, except for the HD600.

These headphones in no way are considered anything less than a first rate reference audio product, and sound great with solid state headphone amplification. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser: HD570, HD580, HD595, HD600.
Stax: SR-007 Omega II
Grado Labs: RS-1, SR325
Denon: AH-D5000

Headpphones: Musicality!
Cable discussed: Detail and control.

Well, expensive for headphones and a cable - but hten, so much cheaper than and amp and speakers!

If you a) have read the other reviews on this site or b) have ears and have auditioned the 650s, you already know that these are probably the best headphones in the world.

So what do I have to add? How about an upgrade recommendation? Don't get me wrong: I used these headphones for a year without even thinking about upgrades. Didn't know there were any and didn't feel like I needed 'em either.

Then I read about the Cardass cable and since I am nowadays doing almost all my serious listening through my Musical Fidelity X-Can V3 and Sennheiser 650 combo (attached to a Densen 400 XS cd-player connected with a Goertz Triode silver cable), I thought, why not see where this goes.

Well, I wound up buying the Zu Cables Mobius. For 300 euros. If you have never heard of this company before (like I hadn't), here is their site: www.zucable.com. The effect is nothing short of spectacular! I got a 5m cable (long, I know...) and burned it in attaching it to my tuner and letting it play in the background for a couple of days. Then on to the listening!

As is so often the case with fine Hifi, the right cableing let's you know just how good a product actually is. Same thing with the Sennheisers. What I got was an actual soundstage - something I thought was impossible even in the finest headphones, since everything kinda happens "in your head". But here it is now. Clearly structured and amazingly wide, instruments mapped out on, well, a stage.

How is this possible in headphones? I think, the cable mainly increased detail and control. When you have that, the instruments behind the music become visible. Add the natural musicality of the 650s and you have a musical experience which is amazingly like listening to an excellent amp-speaker combo.

There are other upgrade cables around. I'm sure, many of them are good. The Cardass, though, is clearly at the lower end of things. So if you find yu have another 3-400 to spend and you listen seriously with your headphones, give the Zu a shot. It's bring out the best in your Senns!

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser 600, AKG 500 and 501. Cardass upgrade cable.