Sennheiser HD 650

The Sennheiser HD-650s are some of the best headphones that the company has to offer, which is saying a lot because they have a great line of consumer and studio headphones.  While I have really only used these headphones a few times for listening back to mixes on, these headphones will work in pretty much any environment.  I'm not sure if they would be ideal for mixing on as I haven't tried, but as far as general listening and monitoring during recording goes, these will work great.  They are sturdy and have a great build to them in addition to the fact that I found them quite comfortable to wear.  While I don't personally own a pair of the HD-650s, a studio that I worked at had a pair of them and I would occasionally check mixes that I had done on them to get a new perspective on the mix.  While they could sometimes be deceiving since they have such a superb sound quality, when compared with a variety of systems they can definitely help you to see where your mix is at.  If you are a consumer looking for a great set of listening headphones to use with your iPod or MP3 player, this is will definitely be more than enough for most listeners.  The price definitely isn't what most people are going to want to pay for consumer headphones, so if you are looking for a cheap pair of headphones these definitely are not it.  I would recommend the Sennheiser HD-650s to anyone looking for a very high quality set of headphones to be used in just about any application.  After having said that, I would say to definitely try these out before you buy them to see if they will work for what you are trying to use them for!

The Sennheiser HD 650 are by far one of the better headphones that Sennheiser has come out with over the last 5 years. They are also more expensive, but worth every penny. These headphones are Hi-Fi quality and very well built. You can most definitely do your mixes in these headphones and maybe even masters depending on your set up. I feel fully comfortable doing mastering in these headphones. The HD 650 give me that “true” sound that I need to complete my projects, and by “true” I mean whatever it sounds like in these headphones is how it is going to sound coming out of high quality studio monitors. So if you can mix and master right with these then you don’t need to spend a ton of money getting high quality studio monitors.

They cost 500 USD and are very comfortable, I have had these on for over 6 hours straight before and didn’t feel the slightest bit of discomfort when wearing them. The low end frequencies come through very clean and flat, not over done. The highs are very clean and sharp without being too much on your ear drums. The mids are just right.

The Sennheiser HD 650 are created for quality and comfort, they have excelled in both of those areas and if you are looking to spend around 400 to 600 dollars for some good headphones, then the HD 650 by Sennheiser are your best bet. They can even compete with headphones that cost around 700 dollars. It comes in a carry case that is foam lines for maximum protection and the cord is detachable so you can easily store them or take them with you. These are top of the line studio headphones that anyone who is serious about getting good masters and mixes must have. I highly suggest investing in these, your music will thank you!

I use them for everything (mixing, listening, etc.)
They fit nicely and are very comfortable, although maybe a bit heavy after a couple of hours.
The ear cushions have a tendency to get squashed a bit with time (2-3 years)

Very solid, I've dropped them a couple of times by accident and nothing has happened to them.
The cable can be unplugged and, if needed, it can easily be found as a spare part.
I haven't noticed any sound degradation with time.

Great sound, the best I've heard up to now.

I've used them for several years and I love their neutral and deep sound. Their price (around $400) is justified. I would buy them again without hesitation. Great sound, the best I've heard so far.

I make soundtracks for videogames, and wanted a headphone good enough to mix my projects with when I'm not at home and to use as a second reference for my monitors when I am. A friend of mine gave me the best recommendations about the Sennheiser HD 650, let me borrow it for a couple days and I was totally convinced after that.

It comes in a big and nice box with foam enough to keep it safe in case of falling or being hit by anything (you never know). The headphone's grey color is discrete and good looking, it is easy to adjust to your head and is very, very comfortable to use, even for long periods of work: that's because the phone's headband padding quite cleverly has a space in the middle, so it never presses the top your head. Also, its earpads are pretty big and stay around your ears, not agaisnt them. It's and open-back model, so the sound isolation is not so great, but good enough anyway.

The sound quality of this headphone is outstanding. The bass is full and round, mids and highs are very clear, transient response is excellent. You can totally trust it if you want your mixes to translate well to other systems: stereo, tv, car, etc.

It might be only my impression, but to me it sounds like the stereo image is a little bit narrower than some other ones I've used. Nothing that will make your work any worse - I don't even think that this is bad, to be honest - but it might be something you'll notice in an A/B comparison.

The only thing I don't really like about it is that the cable is way too long... it might be a good thing maybe for a studio, but in my case I just don't need it.

So, lastly, I can say that the HD650 is definitely not cheap, but absolutely worth it. I would buy another one without thinking twice.