Sennheiser Consumer Audio HD 650 - Audiophile Hi-Res Open Back Dynamic Headphone, Titan

These are the first step. Like anyone looking to make this kind of investment for headphones I did a lot of reading before buying. That is only going to get you so far. You need to hear these. Ten years ago I listened to a pair of HD600 straight off a disc-man with NO amp. I was completely blown away, I set out to find the perfect headphones for one hundred dollars, that was a mistake. I kept buying headphones in that range over the years and nothing came close. I was torn between these and the 600's, but decided that I loved the look of these and a few reviews pushed me to get the 650's. I highly suggest going to Guitar Center or some place that you can compare them, I believe the 600's maybe the superior sounding ones (it's always the ugly ones). It's been said that a good set up is the Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear amp/HD600 using a 650 headphone cable. But there is no way I'm paying that kind of money for an amp...I'm not an expert and I don't plan to collect anymore headphones (unless I end up with a pile of extra money). If you are just getting into quality sound, these will destroy what you thought was possible for home listening. Even without burn-in, and an expensive amp and listening to a 128kbps file in itunes, you will want to throw out your old headphones, you will look at them with disgust and you will start ripping everything you own at lossless. These only get better with everything you bring to them, they are hungry for better. More than likely I'll be getting a Schiit amp as my first amp. Currently running these from an Apogee One for digtial or a Technics SA-5170 for vinyl and happy with this setup. I'd love to understand why people think these should have a dedicated amp.Things that you will notice when you listen. The sound stage will be expanded, the clarity and richness will be improved, the separation: you will hear things you never noticed (one voice will clearly become 3 layered voices, one piano will become 4, fingers will slide on strings) everything will become a personal concert. If you are on the fence about these don't hesitate, it's like going from and old TV to a HUGE HD one with bluray. If you are an audio pro, you probably already own these. If you didn't like something about these and you think they need to be amped, you have more money than brains (or very good hearing). If you want to significantly improve your daily enjoyment of music, buy these now. Like everyone else says there are cons: The band is tight, they are open so you can hear everything in the room (ie keyboard clicks and talking) and people can hear the headphones. These are most likely for home use only. Good thing they look more comfortable than most of the furniture in my house. You should know by now what you are getting into with these.These come in a huge foam lined box, there was nothing to cut, no way to tell if it had ever been opened or not. The cord is kevlar (think bulletproof vests) and replaceable, one time I sucked them into the vacuum roller (not this pair), seemed bad but survived (HD 495). They are light and comfortable to wear for me (not as comfy as my HD 428). They look amazing, much better than the HD600's. I think there is a lot that could be improved about how they are built (comfort and usability), but I'm insane when it comes to small details.You will want a multi-disc player or good quality digital music (big hard drive). What I listened to so far: NIN, Tool, The Cinematic Orchestra, Sam Prekop, Zoe Keating, Underworld, Aphex Twin, Miles Davis, Amadeus Soundtrack, Kodo, Led Zeppelin, Billy McLaughlin, Doomtree, Yo-Yo Ma, Alice in Chains (unplugged), Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Nirvana and Jimi. And I'll go to bed after I listen to everything that exists...These shine with live and acoustic tracks.Don't wait 10 years like I did. Get them now and start hearing your music for the first time. So worth it.On a side note, I'd consider getting a second pair of these rather than spending the money for a nice surround sound system. I figure the audio is as good but much cheaper. If Schiit is reading consider making an amp for movie buffs and their girlfriends to share. Update: I'd suggest the wireless HDR 120 for TV and Movies.Update: I recently found the Monolith Liquid Platinum amp for a great price as an open box almost half price from their own site. I also found XLR cables to swap for the headphones and for my CD player to the amp. I am extremely happy with this upgrade and was skeptical that it would make any difference but I am glad I invested. No regrets. A friend had recommended the Monolith Liquid Spark (probably a good option if you aren’t changing out the cables or have a lower budget), but once I found the deal on the Platinum I was determined to get that as my end game amp. I admit I should have made the investment sooner but it took me a few years too save up the money. Don’t waste these headphones maximize their potential with an amp.

Simply amazing. I have been a headphone guy for years. I almost always exclusively use open back headphones. I have had some closed back headphones in the past that cost multiple times as much as these do and there has always been a sense of claustrophobia in the music making it unrealistically difficult to get a grasp on the spacial qualities of the songs. Out of the box these changed my perception on closed back headphones and the more I use them the better they get. Also, there's nothing wring with that claustrophobic right-next-to-your-head sound, its what I get and expect from Bluetooth wireless headphones, even the nicer ones. The way those create spacial qualities in music is usually with DSP, digital signal processing. That makes the fun happen for sure but its not realistic. The wireless headphones spend much more time on tech in the digital realm than good old sound quality.What the Sennheiser HD620s do, to my ears, is a revelation in the closed back headphone market. Are there others that sound better, I'm sure there are, the HIFI world is vast and insane. What these do is give me everything I want in a closed back headphone at a price anyone can either afford or save up to. I mean that across the board, it's everything I want. Clarity is nice, mids are Sennheiser's specialty so they are realistic and nice, bass is there when needed but not too deep. The highs are not to pingy and insane and the bass is not so deep that it distracts from the music.The Sennheiser HD600, as many people know, is possibly the best all around headphone on the market. This is why they have bene unchanged for decades and continue to sell super well. Again, there are many that are better but at the price point the HD600 does everything so well that it is often one of the price point benchmarks that other headphone manufacturers try to beat. Nothing sounds bad on it. It's my go to swiss army knife ol reliable and it scales incredibly well sounding better and better the more the listener invests in their chain. I reach to it often and I have many headphones that are MUCH more expensive. Tons of people feel the same.The Sennheiser HD620s does not sound like the HD600 so don't expect that. What the HD620s represents to me is the same idea as the HD600, the headphone that will sound great all the time no matter what it connect it to, just this time as a closed back. It's wonderful. It is easier to drive than the HD600, I would assume you could use it from the iphone dongle or the headphone out on a laptop, I have not tried this, but I would HIGHLY recommend using an external dac, amp, or dac/amp. The HD620s, much like the HD600, scales very well and sound better and better higher quality the chain is.