Headphones reviews

Reference quality (good enough for me anyway!). Prefer to AKG 701s and Beyer 880s. Well made. Similar to the 600s but slight improvements such as a thicker cord --- which actually does help the sound quality a bit. Accurate. Good bass. Excellent SQ but a bit veiled. It helps if you can try it first. I like punchy but like these, too, and find them worth the money. For 300 ohms, not that hard to drive --- but yes, use a headphone amp for portable devices.

Almost as good and a bit more upfront sound --- try the Senn 595s and save some money. Both are very comfortable.

Just received my HD650's. Picked them up manufacturer refurbished for some decent $$$ savings from an authorized re-seller. My headphone amp (headroom portable micro) is due in next week so my rating is without a headphone amp. I am a Senn fan and own a couple pairs on top of the 650's (HD590 and PCX250 noise reduction). Compared to my 590's these have a much bigger sound stage and as previous posters have said you hear things in high quality recordings I never heard before with the HD590. As far as coloration goes or veiled response, I think that has to be a source material issue or equipment issue. Plugging these into my Marantz 8500 receiver and listening to an SACD or DVD-A is true bliss, just a little taste of heaven. MP3s sound great too, either plugged into the receiver or piped thru my logitec PC system (their top o line with separate headphone amp). Bought the portable amp for my ipod, figured it should increase my satisfaction with both the 650 and 590 while on the go. First time I tried the 650 was on a 256k MP3. The sound difference between the 590s and the 650s literally gave me chills and this is before the recommended "burn in".
I am by no means an expert, but love all kinds of music. Unfortunately (or fortunately) due to small kids and wife can't play my music at levels on my old AR9s like I used to. These HD650s are an awesome substitute. Pull the trigger on these and you will not regret it. They live up to the hype. Just make sure you buy them from an authorized reseller (like Amazon, not a third party seller) or the warranty is no good.

I have listened to my music for the last few years using Paradigm Studios including the Signature sub woofer. I have come to appreciate the effortless sound produced by this system, not only its accuracy, but an exceptional soundstage as well. Headphones weren't generally necessary, but if they were, I did have an older pair of Denons. Well, my friend said she wanted my old Denons for her iPod, so I had a chance to look for something newer. I purchased the 650s. Simply said, get ready to hear what you've never heard previously. Good and bad. You hear the entire recording. Clearly. Incredible subtle nuances. You don't miss anything. Play your favorite SACD and it's like you purchased another recording.

As far as coloration, well to me that's subjective. If I were the engineer mixing the recording, I might believe they warmed up the sound just a small, small bit, but if I were listening just for the enjoyment, I'd say Sennheiser nailed it. Open. Transparent. Natural.

The only weakness, and I hesitate to call it that, is the sound stage. Although very accurate in their placement, the 650's don't match the depth and overall spatial presence of the Studios. But then again, with the 650s, I can turn my head or shift my seat and the soundstage doesn't float.

Folks, I'd say the Sennheiser 650s are a great investment !

The sound is far from muddy or boring.... it is luscious and warm. Colored? I feel so... but nothing is completely transparent. I started hearing so many things I've missed in the tracks I listen to every day on my infinity car audio system.

Don't get me wrong, these are excellent sounding headphones. They have good soundstage, very musical and warm sounding like you're in a concert hall. Only thing is I wish it had a bit tighter bass. I've had them for over a year now (bought these babies over eBay, its cheaper). BUT, they are extremely PICKY. Over the year i've spent big $ upgrading the cable, purchasing a number of amps just to get rid of that nasty veil. All along thinking that my amps weren't giving it enough power, but I was wrong. It was my source all along. These headphones will not sound good when you play mp3s though them. They will sound bloated, muddy, and veiled. I learned that the hard way. Well except for some, they sound decent. Most of my music collection is mp3. Most VBR or at least 192 kbps. But if you want to hear the best from these headphones expect to play only actual CD, vinyl, wav, flac, alac, or other lossless codec. Also I recommend a good DAC and headphone amplifier. So expect to spend at least 1k on your equipment to bring out the best of these headphones. Yeah, they are pretty cheap in comparison and a good value but they come with a price!!!

edit 9/27/08: mp3s actually do sound decent to good through these headphones but that will all depend on your DAC. a high quality DAC is HIGHLY recommended. none of those cheap $200 DACs. those will not cut it. get a good one and you will be rewarded. i recommend getting an Oritek modded zhaolu. those make CDs sound very close to vinyl. it's world class and no more of that digital harshness.

but of course, you can always get some Grados, those make anything sound good. even straight through an ipod. :)

oh yeah, and don't forget to upgrade the stock cable. it's crap. get the zu cable or the cardas. i had the cardas first and then i upgraded to the zu's. and i kept the zu's because they help bring out the highs more.