Audeze DECKARD + Sennheiser HD 650

Fantastic

This is one of the most easily recognized and well regarded high end headphones in the past 20 years. I've read a lot of reviews on this, but after purchasing it for myself, the sound that came through was very full and warm, with a mid-range soundstage and a substantial but not punchy mid-bass. I think I hear the "veil" that a lot of audiophiles talk about, which comes through as a slightly dark treble and mids. However, this seems to affect vocals very little. Some may be bothered by this, but I'm definitely not.

Anyways, Sonic Electronix offered a great price for these, and I'm quite satisfied with the product, the value, and the service.

Step up to the HD 650

After two years with the HD 598, the HD 650 is a step up headphone for me. The HD 598 is very good but I was curious about taking my listening to the next level. I had been endlessly reading and watching reviews. Finally, after an opportunity to listen to the HD 650 as well as some other contenders, I made my move. This is a terrific headphone: smooth, detailed, non-fatiguing, with deep, warm bass response. The clamping pressure is somewhat tight but by no means uncomfortable. The HD 650 sounds excellent out of my AV receiver and Fiio X3 on high gain setting. It sounds even better with a dedicated headphone amplifier.
I'm very happy with my choice. Sonic Electronix offered a great sale price and fast shipping.

Great audiophile headphone at a reasonable price

I bought the HD 650 while on promotion at Sonic Electronix. Though I expected this to be a quality product, it was still very impressive when I first opened the box. The headphone is well designed and looks high-end.
Compared to my Grado SR 60i and Audio-Technica ATH-M50, the HD 650 has much richer and more precise sound. It is more comfortable to wear than the 60i and comparable to the M50.
At 103 dB, it is a highly efficient headphone. I can hear a lot of details in the music than with the other two headphones. With 300 ohms, it means low distortion but also means it is better to be driven by a dedicated headphone amplifier. I am now using a CEntrance DACport to drive it. The sound is acceptable, though I suspect it would sound more louder and better if I had a more powerful amplifier. But for now, I am satisfied with the performance. Overall, I am happy with this purchase. For new users who don't have a dedicated amplifier, make sure you maximize the volume bar on the music player on your computer; otherwise you might think the HD 650 is too hard to drive. I did not realize this problem when I used the HD 650 for the first night, my heart sunk when the sound from the headphone was so low. Previously, it was not much an issue with my M50 as that one is much easier to drive and it is loud enough even the player on my computer is set at the medium volumes. Not the case for the HD 650.
I am also pleased with the purchase experience with Sonic Electronix.

HD 650

I was very pleased with the Sennheiser hd650 headphones. They are very spacious and present. These cans have some serious output impedance and need to be used with an amplifier to get their full potential. Over all I would say these are an incredible value.

Great Headphones

I'm not an audiophile and I haven't owned many headphones, so I can't really be technical about this. All I know is the HD 650 sounds very good with the built-in amp in my sound card. It is comfortable to wear in long periods and the build quality is pretty good.

Pretty Amazing

Things I like:
Snug fit but comfortable
Sexy looking headphones (like me, lol)
well balanced, crisp clear sound and open sound makes echos from instruments sound amazing.
good for jazz, oldies, and vocals (sounds amazing on Hide & Seek by Imogen Heap)

They don't sound bad but not my favorite when I was listening to hip hop, dubstep or other music with heavy bass. They don't have that impact you would expect when listening to those types of music. I prefer my Beyerdynamic DT990s for that. With that being said I would choose the HD650 for every other type of music. I really went back and forth between the two but really couldn't choose one over the other so I just went ahead and got these as well. That may seem like a lot of money but when you listen to music all day it's definitely worth the investment. It's nice to treat yourself well every now and then.

Great headphones

Bought this pair of headphones on sale. These headphones are generally very well reviewed. To me they are definitely worth the money. The sound of these headphones are more laid back compared to HD600, still very sweet and smooth, but darker in general. The low-end has a pretty big body, yet not excessive. lows can go very deep while being more laid back than its predecessors. Still lacking some of texture but very punchy. Highs are smooth, but not very revealing. Nothing like the DT880. Maybe that's what the famous "veiled" sound of HD650 refers to. I think the mid and mid-high is where it shines on these headphones. Very revealing mid, smooth and alive, yet not too intimidating. One thing I noticed about these headphones is that the sound quality improves with the better source and amp, and the "veiled" feeling is less and less with better equipments. Most significantly improvement is in the sound stage and transparency. The headphone can sound very large and transparent with a good DAC and amp, and more and more revealing in the highs. But they can also sound unimpressive with some low-end sources. Personally I think the amp should be at least in the $200 range to do them justice. OTL such as Crack+speedball is definitely a great pairing for these phones, and speedball is a must have addon. For me, Crack alone cannot produce a sound stage wide enough on these headphones, or completely lift the veil.

Sennheiser HD 650

Great price! Great headphones! I've been wanting these headphones for a very long time and Sonic finally made that possible for me!

Scales with amping.

I've had the HD650 in my possession for approximately a month now. I have used the HD650 with the Oppo HA-1 as well as the Woo Audio WA7.

Overall I find the HD650 to highlight the vocals and mid-bass regions while lacking in quantity in the high ranges as well as the low regions. Some call these headphones veiled and I'm not going to disagree. I found the sound worked best with music like Tame Impala or Best Coast, hazy rock music.

I wouldn't suggest these for those with a large head as I feel the size extension mechanism doesn't extend very well. I do like the feel of these in my hand though, they feel very high quality.

All in all, I'm not sure if I love the HD650. I find that they are rather picky with amplification and the sound signature isn't to my preference. A lot of people love these, so I'm definitely in the minority, but if you love something like the Audio Technica Ad900 then these won't be for you.

By Mark on January 6, 2015 Verified purchase