Sennheiser HD6XX vs HD650: Which Version is better for Audiophiles? 

Whether you want to listen to music in peace without disturbing anyone or just want to watch a movie, a headphone is very much essential for that. Audiophile or not, if you like to listen to music, you have obviously thought of buying a headphone. And today we are going to talk about the comparison Sennheiser HD6XX vs HD650 and provide as much as information we can.

Comparison Charts between Sennheiser HD6XX vs HD650:

After all the above discussions, you have already got to know what both of these models have to offer to you and which one suits your preferences more and which one you should get. But still, for your further convenience, we have put together two comparison charts between the Sennheiser HD6XX and Sennheiser HD650. One is between their specs and the other is between their ratings regarding some stuff.  The charts are mentioned below.

Headphones not only gives great audio experiences, but it also keeps you isolated from the noise of the outside world, and lets you enjoy music peacefully without any interference. So for enjoying music and other things, you must own good headphones.

And there are so many great headphones from different brands currently available in the market, from which you can choose the one perfect for you. And you should be careful about choosing the headphone as different kinds and models of headphones offer different things, and you should choose the one according to your need and spend your money on that.

Among all the audio brands in the market, the Sennheiser is one of the most esteemed brands. They have been producing very nice and quality headphones for quite some time and their headphones have met the needs of audiophiles in a great way. Recently they have released two different models of headphones which are Sennheiser HD6XX and Sennheiser HD650.

They are both open-back headphone models. These models can have some sound leakage, which you can think of as an advantage as completely getting detached from the outside world when you are using the headphone, can be problematic and dangerous.

So these two models help to keep little connection to your surroundings too, and then if your attention is needed somewhere, you can react quickly. Both these headphones have great features and each of them can be of very good service for you and give you the best music listening experience.

But still, you will have to choose one over another, so in this article, we are going to make a comparison between these two headphone models from Sennheiser. So that you can understand the basic differences between the features and specs of these two models. And it will become convenient for you to select one for yourself.

Sennheiser HD6XX

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Pros:

• Provides amazing and lifelike sound quality
• Uses replaceable / removable cable
• Open back system
• Soft velour padding is used for comfort
• Has a lightweight and comfortable design
• Really high value
• Build quality is great
• Reasonable price

Cons:

• Doesn’t provide much isolation
• Not much good for spaces with loud surroundings
• Might need to use amp

Key Info:

The HD6XX model of Sennheiser was released in 2018, which is considered an update of the HD650 model. It has a price of 220 USD, which is actually very reasonable, about which we will talk about later. It weighs 9 ounces approximately, and sadly it doesn’t have waterproofing features.

About HD6XX

The Sennheiser HD6XX can be the perfect headphone for you if you are an audiophile and at the same time looking for a headphone of a modest price. It is a high-end headphone with a fix at less kind of deal and has an impressive design.

As it is an upgraded version of the HD650, they have similarities in their design. And it is also similarly really good in performance; as a result, the HG6XX has taken a grand entry in the world of audio. However, there has been some change too.

And the most change was noted in the color of the HD6XX. A matte black color has been used in its design and a subtle shade of midnight blue color can be seen with the lines along the borders. On the earpieces, the logo of HD6XX is sealed.

Specs

A 3.5 mm jack is used in the headphone for connection, which makes the HD6XX a more versatile headphone as you can pair it up with most of the devices out there. A removable two-pin connector helps the cable to plug into the earcups at the bottom.

And the cable is easily removable and also easily replaceable if you damage it somehow. The length of the cable is 6 feet and weighing 261 grams, these headphones have a good amount of clamping force, which has been tried to be alleviated by using soft padding, which makes it easier to wear the headphone during a long session of music listening.

However, it might not be a good idea to use it with mobile phones as they need too much power to run smoothly and produce the perfect sound. For which you might also need to use an amp and a DAC, and also for the reason that the HD6XX has a sensitivity of 103 dB / 1 Vrms and a resistance rate of 300 ohms.

If you use the HD6XX with mobiles, you may not get the sound you want. So, it’s a better idea if you keep using it with your desktops and laptops only, which can bring in the great audio output.

Sound System and Quality

Now let’s talk about the thing that matters the most in a headphone, the sound system. As we said earlier, the Sennheiser HD6XX provides amazing and lifelike sound quality and for such a reasonable price, which makes the headphone more desire-worthy.

It has a huge frequency response of 10 Hz to 41 kHz, which is phenomenal for a headphone that costs way less than 500 USD.  To help illuminate granular instrumental texture and vivid clarity across the board, a laser tight response helps up the top.

And if we talk about the bass sound, it’s so rigid and warm, and the midrange sounds also dip close to the glowing colors of analog tape saturation.

The HD6XX can easily provide a pleasing audio experience as it offers a nice mixture of an amazing and warm sonic quality and near clinical dedication to the originally rendered recording. And all these have made this signature dynamic-driven headphone the best of both the mentioned worlds.

A vintage Marshall amplifier head can help create the perfect sound in the bass and midrange levels. If you are an audiophile, you might long for good detail and presence which will include all the instrumental textures and timbres, which are provided by this headphone.

Each kind of music, be it 70’s guitar tunes, pop music, or saxophone music, or even beautiful music that comes out of violin strings, all can listen in a perfectly detailed way with this.

When you are listening to something with this headphone, all the sounds coming out from the instruments can stretch out from those plugs and expand into a sonic cloud which will be surrounding your head, as the sound waves are perfectly distributed thanks to the open back design.

So apart from being perfect in sound, it also offers an open stage sound range. You can find amazing details in different music that you weren’t able to find before. So, as a whole, the HD6XX is top-notch regarding the audio system.

Things You Need to Know

However, except for the amazing sound quality, there are some foibles you have to deal with too with the Sennheiser HD6XX. First of all, having an open-back design, you won’t be isolated from the surroundings; as a result, the outside noise can create annoyance.

But that’s just its system, if you don’t want it at all, then this headphone is not for you. Anyway if you choose to use this anyway, you can’t use it everywhere, like outside or while traveling.

And if you try to use them in noisy places, it will ruin the sound quality and also you might use a volume with unsafe hearing levels, which can cause damages to your ears.

And there is another problem. As discussed earlier, it isn’t good enough for mobile phones. But for also portability reasons you might want to use it with computers only. So if you only want to use a headphone in your room to enjoy music with great sound quality, then this is for you.

Otherwise, this headphone doesn’t have good extra features that can help you to use it everywhere or take calls or other stuff as it is completely performance-centric. It doesn’t provide much convenience, only audio quality.

So be careful while choosing this headphone and make sure that you only care about the audio quality and not other features.

Verdict

Anyway, the HD6XX comes with a warranty of two years on workmanship and parts provided directly by Sennheiser. This is surely a headphone of great values with a very considering price. And if you are an audiophile who only cares about audio performances and not other things like convenience in using outside, then this headphone can be perfect for you. And not to mention, the sound quality alone can make it worthy of your highest attention.

Sennheiser HD650

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Pros:  

• Out of the box sound system
• Doesn’t produce harsh high frequency and boosted lows
• Comfortable to wear and use
• Left and right channels are matched
• Reasonable Price
• Impressive levels of clarity and details
• Translates well among users
• Very well in handling correction
• Great value for money
• Not too sensitive to position changes on the ears

Cons:

• Not much durable as a headphone
• Has some coloration in the treble

About HD650

Unlike the HD6XX, the Sennheiser HD650 is not much recent and has been around for a while. And it has achieved a certain amount of popularity among both professional and domestic users. It has very easily fitting oval earpieces and the whole model is really smart and completely no-nonsense.

From the headband, the velvet-lined ear pads distribute the spring force very comfortably and there’s also plenty of depth to the earpieces. The earpieces fit really well on the ears and cope well with sudden head movements. And the lead is immune to friction noises, which is impressive.

But people who wear glasses might find it a bit problematic to wear it.

Specs

For connection purposes, the Sennheiser HD650 features a 3.5 mm stereo jack which helps it to be compatible with many devices. It includes an adapter of 1/8 to 1/4 inches. The resistance rate for the headphone is 297 ohms, which means you will need a suitable amplifier to get the perfect sound out of this headphone.

As a result, it might not give the sound you want if you connect it with your phone. It will be good to use with computers, however, you will still need an app for that so that you can get the exact sound you need.

The headphone weighs 260 grams which is not much to bear, so it is comfortable to wear on your head. Like the HD6XX, it also has a massive frequency response, which is from 12 Hz to 40.5 kHz, which makes it really versatile. The distortion percentage of headphones is less than 0.05%, which is really impressive.

All the parts are of good quality, but if you use the headphone for a long time, you might need to change or replace many parts. As the drivers might start creating distortion and rumbling sound, or the headset might become loose. But the good thing is you can replace those parts without any hassle.

Sound Quality

The Sennheiser HD650 has a very good sound quality as the sound distortion is very low. Though a little high-frequency coloration might occur, it is not that much to care about. The bass sound is really warm and good and the details of the sounds can listen in an exceptional manner.

In this headphone, the little unevenness there is in high-frequency sounds causes mostly by similar sounds and cymbals, with which one will get used to soon. The transients are well defined and crisp, and their decay into ambiance happens naturally.

With a very decent depth, the stereo imaging is very amazing too. So, in conclusion, audio-wise, the HD650 is a particularly attractive headphone that can provide any audiophile with a great audio experience.

Read comparison between HD 58X and HD 6XX

Verdict

However, like the HD6XX, the Sennheiser HD650 also has an open-back design, which means it has exactly the same advantages and disadvantages as the HD6XX. You can listen to music peacefully at your home where surrounding noises are very low, but you will find it really annoying to use them outside as these headphones can’t rule out outside sounds.

So they won’t give you the isolation from the outside world. If you can get along with this, you can get this headphone. But if you prefer isolation over sound quality, this headphone is not for you. Despite the great sound quality, you will face trouble using it in places with noises.

So, if you are okay with these facts, then you should go for this headphone as the sound quality itself is a lot for the headphone.

Final Words

So from all the discussions, you probably have already known which one is better for you and you should get for yourself. Both are great sound quality wise and have some special advantages and disadvantages due to having an open back feature.

As HD6XX is an upgrade from HD650, it might have some upper hand, but both are great in their own ways. So, you can choose any of them for your audio needs. They won’t disappoint for sure if you deeply care for audio quality.

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Nafis Siam Almas

Student of Mass Communication and Journalism and Tech Journalist  Read More