Lately, I noticed the availability and pricing of the Sennheiser HD 650 became unstable. Prices are on the rise and I heard a rumour about what could be the cause. So to add this classic headphone to my collection (again), I ordered one very recently and want to put this legendary headphone into perspective of where we are now.
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A Familiar Friend
The Sennheiser HD 650 is not new to me. In fact, I’ve bought and used both the HD 600 and 650 for a while, around 10 years ago. (Eventually, I sold both to invest in new audio gear — this is an expensive hobby after all.)
At the time, I was training my ears to adjust to neutral sound and I preferred the HD 600 over the 650 in every situation. The HD 600 has been my default recommendation on forums for what feels like forever, even — or especially — after the HD 660 S launched.
However, 10 years later, with much more responsibilities (read: stress), I do enjoy some warmth and a laid-back presentation from time to time. Needless to say, to make the HD 600 neutral up to my current requirements, you’d also have to make use of an EQ. So I might as well use the HD 650.
Remember the “Veil”?
Making comparisons from memory is very dangerous, but I always had the impression that the HD 600 was quite stable in its delivery, whereas the HD 650 can sound anything between slightly warm up to veiled. (Yes, remember the term veiled? The word was used as often as there were HD 650 reviews.)
What does that mean? Well, imagine a person speaking to you directly, but you’d put a bit of soft cloth in front of their mouth — a veil — that would take a little bit of crispness in the articulation away. That’s exactly the impression you’d get when listening to the HD 650.
The fun part, however, is building your audio chain around the HD 650 to minimize this effect. And it does become less noticeable with brighter-sounding amps, low-impedance cables, greater soundstage, etc. So the HD 650 can well be the start of an audiophile rabbit hole — and that makes it very special.
A Little EQ, a Big Impact
To bring this into perspective, the midrange veil on the HD 650 is not a deal-breaker — not even a flaw. But just using an EQ and lifting the 3 kHz area gives the headphone more bite and attack. It’s impressive — almost scary — how subtleties can make such a large difference.
Of course, you could also go the other route with a meaty and dark amp to further enhance the warmth and make it a stand-out quality. And that’s the fun in it: personalizing your setup and tuning it to your preference. I can’t imagine a headphone that’s more fun to experiment with than the HD 650.
To many, the HD 650 just sounds natural in the midrange, but users more adapted to studio environments will consider it a bit too soft and warm.
The Bass Story
The bass tuning is very typical of the limitations of drivers of its time. Before Audeze revived orthodynamic (or, as they call it, planarmagnetic) drivers, most headphones were akin to having a rolled-off bass response.
If you wanted a headphone with sub-bass, it meant accepting an elevated mid-bass and also some thicker upper bass. As expected, this characteristic is also apparent in the HD 650 — yet it balances the trade-offs quite nicely. It has some sub-bass, yet no overdone mid-bass. Naturally, the upper bass bleeds into the lower mids and thickens them up, which is exactly what gives the midrange more body and fullness.
The New Meta and Where the HD 650 Fits
The “new meta targets” aim for a sub-bass boosted bass-shelf, as Harman’s research suggests. If you follow measurement-heavy reviews, you’ll notice modern audiophiles prefer a very strong sub-bass with a lean upper bass.
When it’s done nicely, I can appreciate it, but more often than not I think it sounds like a near-field setup in a studio with a badly adjusted subwoofer. If that’s what you want, the HD 650 is not it. But in that case, I can recommend the Auribus Acoustics Sierra to you, which also sounds much snappier and faster.
Other Options? Sure. But…
Auribus Sierra’s tuning is still the exception, mind you. And considering some of the deals on Sennheiser’s headphones, you could buy the complete 6 series (600, 650, 6XX, and 660) for the same amount.
Recommendable alternatives at a similar price tier include the Meze 105, Audeze MM-100, and Hifiman Sundara. Now, if you appreciate the strengths of the Sennheiser HD 650 as I do, neither of the three mentioned would be a definitive superior alternative. Instead, they’d be great collection items for a true headphone aficionado.
A Quiet Exit
Even if you take out the legendary status of the HD 650 — being a solid recommendation in its price tier for over 20 years — it’s still a good recommendation by today’s standards.
So what is with the rumours about Sennheiser discontinuing the HD 600 and 650? HD 660 S(2) is actually not the reason, though I don’t think it’s the worst alternative. However, I’ve been told a while back – but take this with a grain of salt – that the machine they used to produce the drivers was re-programmed and Sennheiser wasn’t able to revert the changes.
I have no idea if this is true, but I did receive this information from one of their business partners on the manufacturing side. If that’s the case, I really feel sorry for Sennheiser — and for them having to take their most iconic product out of production.