Sennheiser HD 650, HD 600, and HD 580 Review - Time-tested Reference Standards 

Another wonderful review/comparison, Metal!

Only thing I forgot is to talk about the sound change due to the pads. The pads tend to wear out in about a year if you are using these daily, and as I said they cost around $50 which is on the pricey side. You'll want to replace them when they go flat because this softens the highs to a noticeable degree and it sounds like they lose some detail. I recently replaced the pads on my 600 and the treble opened up and became noticeably more detailed. Also I know someone is going to ask about the monitors I'm wearing. That's the DT770 Pro 80 ohm.

"Am I Zeos today? All I care about right now is the wires, apparently." - I LMAO'ed at that comment.

This is the only no nonsense review I'v been able to find. New sub for sure

Great great review. Im using the HD650s with PS Audio DLiii DAC/ Burson Soloist MK1. For the money -hard to beat imo!

Mate your videos are a joy to watch!

"Am I Zeos today?" Hahaha that was good. Great review!

I like your non biased reviews, never change that.

Thank you, I was so torn before slightly leaning to the 600, your video made that decision so easy, 600 it is! About to buy. Thank you

Awesome as always man

Another excellent review

Nice video. I love the 650 but havent tried the others.

well done! Looking forward to my HD6xx now!

I own both the 600's and the 650's. I've spent considerable time working and listening to both models. In summary, I think they are best described as a headphone coming in two flavours - neutral (600's) and w/ mid bass emphasis (650's). However, two other notable characteristics stand out for me. The first notable difference is soundstage - the 650 is more diffuse. Presentation is somewhat airier and wider sounding. The 600 seems offers more precision in its placement, albeit is more closed-in sounding. Also, the sum whole of listening to the 650 is a more sonorous, warm, euphonic experience. Ultimately, it comes down to matter of personal taste and perhaps usage intentions. Personally, the 650 fits the bill better for me - less fatiguing over long periods, still reference quality enough if one is mindful of its slightly warm presentation. Also, for pure listening enjoyment, it takes itself out of the equation more readily - which is what really great speakers/headphones should do. In many ways, the best praise one can afford a reference speaker or headphone is that it's unremarkable. Also, when one reads enough reviews and testimonies of headphones/ speakers, one quickly finds out that any given headphone or speaker can run the gamut of superlatives. One person's warm is another's dark and veiled. The K701 is etched for one and detailed for another. The 600 is neutral for one and utterly boring for another. Many come to this tier of headphone quality without really knowing their preferred signature/presentation. Get out and listen if you can. There's no right or wrong ultimately - only what suits your ears.

Excellent comparison. I have these three headphones and pretty much agree with your assessment. If you like the 650, you'll like the Momentum 2.0 over ear, it sounds just like a portable 650 would if the 650 was portable. It is a bit more forward in the mid range than the 650, so you'll have to pull it back a couple of dB more than the 650 EQ, but otherwise, very similar

Just love this show :)

Good 😊 job as usual.

I bought the HD600 10 years ago. One suggestion I read on a forum back then, was to buy the headband cushion made for the beyer's. The 770, 880, etc use the same headband cushion. Just pop the clips, take off the HD600 headband, pop the clips back on, then wrap the Beyer headband pad over the HD600's and button it. It fits pretty tight.. perfect honestly. I've used these headphones every day for a decade, and I just now decided to refresh my beyer headband pad on my HD600's. They held up so well, i'm not sure I even need too. They are still comfortable. I also notice it preserved the finish on the top of the hd600's over these years.

THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO

Love your unbiased review.. quick question could you give any recommendations for dac/ amp combos for these? What about dap/portable amp combos?

Hey man, just wanted to compliment you for including EQ settings in the description of all your reviews. They're a great help to those of us who love to use EQ! I wanted to ask: how much can you increase the bass on the HD650 before the total harmonic distortion starts to become a problem? Do you feel it starts to get out of control with the settings you provided? Or to your ears, is the distortion not that bad using +6.5 dB Q 0.8 @ 20Hz and +1.5dB Q 0.8 @ 40Hz? Thanks again for making these awesome reviews!

Hey man! Sup! Don’t know if u remember me but I definitely do! I was thinking to buy the 650s & who knows I might have even ordered one, but I really wanted to hear what you had to say about them, and since I managed to grab them for 290, I think i won’t lose much! Thanks for your videos, I wish you continued reviewing more stuff! Cheers!

Another great video. Thanks, 571. I have the 580's, and a producer friend had the 580's & 595's back around 10 years ago. I was gifted the 580's, but wish I had the 595's. The 580's were/are too slow for me, and the strong mid emphasis isn't my thing. I loved the 595's, and wish I had those. I picked up the 598's thinking that they would be an upgrade or similar to the 595's for music monitoring, but I found them unsatisfactory for music, and better for general multimedia (movies etc.). I always thought about getting the 600 or 650, but from what Ive always understood, the 580's are VERY close to the 600's. So, they'd all basically have a sound that I wouldn't prefer. Man, I wish I had a pair of 595's these days. I remember them being fast, and having more treble presense/clarity. Very good and plesant for rock/metal music (for Senmnheiser anyway!).

Great review!!! I’m just getting into hi-fi headphones and this video gave a great deal of info that will help guide me to my first headphones!!! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!! Just subscribed!!! ☮️🖖🏽

The HD 600 are very nice and the mids are FANTASTIC! My issue was the slight bass hump fallowed be the complete lack of extension. I really like my sub bass and didn't enjoy that aspect. One day I get a new pair and pare it with a tube AMP and see what all the talk is about.

When I first received my 600's it wasn't but two weeks after using the stock cable that I said to he'll with it and ordered the 650 cable. Best $24 I ever spent.

Hey man, thanks for the great review! Your reviews are always very analytical and definitely one of my favorites. What do you consider to be a worthy upgrade option to replace HD 650 within 500k USD price range and with more or less similar sound signature?

I use the HD650 running through a little dot mk3 tube amp and a topping dac and they sound wonderful for Jazz and music that doesn't need to focus heavy on bass.

Hey metal571. Found your channel recently, and you are a brilliant reviewer, with a style i enjoy and to the point. I wanted to ask about the 650's if you reccomended to have an amp with them, or directly to audio interface, or directly to a device? I dont own an amp, but i saw a good deal for 650's, thanks!

Can you make a review of the new HD660S? Great review btw!

My HD6xx's sound amazing with your 650 EQ. Fuck. Edit: Just like my DT1990s do with your EQ, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Favorite audio reviewer on youtube, keep it up man.

Good to see you back at reviewing quality headphones dude :) I see that you've changed your EQ settings for the HD 600 Would it be good for the HD 598 as well?

For this clear review and comparison. What would you say about the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (compared to the Sennheiser HD650) ??

Found one for 125! That is a HD 580 :-) It sounds great and it is really 1:1 with my 2031a's Really glad I bought these cans. Thank you for making this video, it definitely helped with deciding this purchase. :-)

I own HD 6xx since last 3 years and it got damaged due to heavy usage, considering some many great reviews available online I ordered both HD 600 and HD 660s from Amazon to try. I thought whichever I like I'll keep. After trying over the last 2-3 weeks on daily basis on a varities of songs (English - my collection, Indian- Bollywood music, RU-vid videos, movies etc.) that I listen - it was very clear none of these are as good as HD 6xx for my liking and I returned both HD 650 and HD 660s. My honest take is that HD 600 very crisp, clear and snappy as so many RU-vidrs mention but bass is clearly missing and not immersive across most tracks as the HD 6xx. 600 is fatiguing as well, I got ear pain when used for more than 1 hr with some volume while HD 6xx I have slept entire night over so many days with 6xx on my head, it is that comfortable and got damaged due to that :) HD 660s I did not understand what was that (worst amongst these 3 while costing highest) - did not like sound signature, neither crisp as 600 nor immersive as 6xx. I am neither an audiophile nor some speciliast to recommend others - just a listener who enjoys varities of songs and HD 6xx's sound signature is mesmerising and outstanding product. I will re-order when the current one fails completely.

Hey man, love your videos and you’ve helped me in my search a ton. Ive narrowed down to a few but I’m torn between hd600, hd650 and dt1990 pro but can’t find your dt 1990 pro review. Which would you suggest? I mainly will use them for producing hip hop/r&b/trap and some EDM. Thanks

Hi metal571. Is it worth it to own them all 3 hd600, hd650 and hd660's. I have the hd600 but thinking about buying the rest of the 6 line, greetz from holland !

I had an endorsement deal with Sennheiser, and they gave me a lot of equipment for free. The HD-580, and HD-25 headphones were part of that equipment, along with some great microphones. I was told that they brought out the HD-600´s mainly for cosmetic reasons to have a more modern look. I still think the HD-580´s sound more true than the 600´s, or 650´s.

Great Review! I have the 600&598 they're such a great duo for listening. I find myself grabbing the 598 for amped music and the 600 for my tube amp @6db

Hi...please make a review about Monoprice Monolith M560, I really want to know your opinion...

link to "conclusion" or what not welcome in description. (for followers it's 14:00). Also a "winner"? Couldn't find a 580 on ebay anymore, and other prices a bit out of date. Also you can get the hd 6xx for $200 :)

have you thought about reviewing bookshelf speakers? and other audio components

Thank you for your very thoughtful review. I'm a longtime user and fan of my HD 580s, but they're getting on about 20 years old. I'm wondering if anyone here has a preference--600, 650 or 660--for analytical listening. I'm looking to use them for tracking, mixing and mastering. If the cost differences between them isn't an issue...

Great review. I listened again to Tyll's review of the same three headphones to compare, and your review is better, although the conclusions are remarkably similar. That was of course before he discovered "the world best headphones" .. yeah. I bought HD600 three years ago, loved them. After a couple of months of listening to HD600 I auditioned HD650 in a store and I felt like having hot flashes, which would not be unusual at my age. But after buying HD800S I did not see any reason to keep HD600, exchanged them for HE500. But for anyone starting in the hobby HD600 is just must have.

What do you think of the HD58X? And in comparison to these?

Thanks for your videos! I play guitar on Line 6 Helix LT Guitar Multi-effects Processor with headphones. The output has 12 Ohm impedance and as manual says: "provides plenty of gain for high impedance headphones". Do you think it will run HD 600 with 300 Ohm properly?

Thank you for your reply. OK, based on your review (and Josh Valour's) then it looks like i'll have to stretch a little and get the BeyerDynamic DT1990. Can I use my Apollo Twin interface to power them? As far as the other reviews for the other headphones mentioned, they were from DMS, The Nitpicker, Mitch Michele and 1 Review A Day just so you know.

Ordered a magni+modi stack and the 6XX, which I've been told is a reskinned 650. Looking forward to it, but there's been tons of threads of folks who don't like the 6XX for some reason. Perhaps if I don't like them I might return and try the 600? We'll see

i have sound blaster z sound card and i have q701 so what is the better extra amp or dac to connect it with sound blaster z to have the larg and big power ?

HD650's retain their tone better when plugging into different headphone amplifiers, whereas the HD600's are more sensitive to variances in amplifier topology. Hope this helps!

Hello there metal571! would you recommend the hd580 for around 160-180$ if you could find one? the HD58x and 6xx would be around 230 or more (total cost after Shipping/Tax) what would you say? Cheers!

Another question if I may: should I go the extra distance to purchase the BeyerDynamic DT 1990 Pros over something like the Monolith M1060s? Thank you.

Not sure if you still view comments on old videos, How would you compare the HD 650 to the headset you were wearing in the video? The DT 770, correct?

Just bought my first 650 pair, havnt splurged in a decade. Going to pair with SonarWorks and see if that sub bass ends up being a mess or using them as is.

Did you get a new camera or you adjusted the lightning somehow (I don't see any yellow tinge) ?

Got hd580 for 120$, waiting for them now :3

So, if I was to get the DT770 for rock/metal and the 650's for everything else as my music taste goes from Enya to Strapping Young Lad, I would be covered? I have the 558's but they don't do it for me besides singer song writer stuff.

Hi. Could you help me? I´m trying to find good over-ear headphones. I listen mostly metal music pretty loud. I´ve tried Sennheiser hd 600 and 660s and don´t like the mids either (too forward and shouty). Also tried Audio technicas ath- m40x and m50x (I prefer open back) and the cups was too small for my ears. Also tried beyerdynamics dt 770 880 990, they were too bright and harsh on the treble. i have and old amp sony str-d515 Tone controls BASS; ±8 dB at 100 Hz TREBLE; ±8 dB at 10 kHz and LOW BOOST+10 dB at 70 Hz. Could you suggest any headphones let´s say under 600€? I currently have Philips fidelio x2´s, I like the bass and the mids (not forward), but the treble is too sibilance and not very detailed. I used to have cheap Philips SHP-895 which i liked the most so far.

is the rode ai-1 audio interface enough to powered the sennheiser hd 650 ?

Mids seem to be amp specific, just saw a review were the guy said he felt the mids (on the 650) are more recessed compared the the 600..did you hear it that way as well?

Great review! I want to find the best headphone for vocals, mids. What do you think? Which is the best? Hd650, Lcd2/3 fazor, prefazor, Monolith 1060c open mod, Argon mk3? Do you have any suggestion? Please?🙂

@metal571 can you eq a 6xx to sound just like the 600?

listening to this review in my sennheiser hd 650

are you gonna review the DT 1990 to complete the beyer-trio?

I have been a fan of you youtube channel since I watched your AKG K240 DF review. Do you still own the HD 580 in the review and if so, would you be willing to sell it?

HD 650 treble is a bit too dark for me but I want to give it another try, some more time to get used to it.

Hi, I'm new to this so bare with me please. I listen to rock most of the time. Ozzie (no more tears), Led Zepplin, Aqualung, ect. I have pretty much narrowed my choice down to Senns 6oo, 650 or the BeyerDynamics 880pro. Have not heard any of them. What would be your recommendation? #1 pick, #2, pick as well. Thankyou in advance.

Metal571 I went with your recommendation and got the hd650 and i absolutely love them! But as you know this hobby can get someone addicting and I really wanted to hear the sound signature of the HD600 cause mostly everyone prefers them to the hd650. And have to say this is too close to call for my ears. They are both excellent, I guess it may depend on what music your listening to. Do you think its worth it to keep both or do you think if I EQ the 650 I will be able to replicate the sound of the 600? What are your thoughts? And also what do you use to EQ? Do you have a program or an actual physical setup?

what kinda eq do you use mate?

Do you, or have you, use the Sonarworks Headphone plugin to make the headphones flat? If you do, how well do you like using it?

Thank you for your videos. I just picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD650s and I'm not happy about the high mids and the high end. I appreciate the soundstaging very much but I find them to be a bit "veiled." The high end of the gtr picks across steel strings ain't coming through for some reason. I'm a composer/songwriter and I just need a fairly neutral pair of open-backs for my demos and was wondering if you could steer me in the right direction. My budget is currently up to $450 (closer to $400 preferably). Seems as though the Senn HD 700 is getting mixed to favorable reviews, and I like what I'm hearing about the Shure SRH 1840s and the Grado PS 1000es. Would you or someone reading this with some experience with some of the cans I just mentioned be able to make any recommendations? Thanks so much.

+metal571 thanks for the review. HD 600 is $286 and 650 is $306 on Amazon. Is this a fair price point for these headphones?

great perspective on the HD650. If I could improve on thing it would be the way it resolves detail in upper mid (>3K), not make it brighter, just more transparent and quicker.

Jesus christ do we have the same ears? That upper mids EQ worked wonders for the 650, was wondering why some songs have a "harsh" and "screechy" quality because their treble is so relaxed.

What headphones would you recommend for listening to mostly piano and jazz?

HD650 or Meze 99 Classic if you had to choose? I'm really struggling to decide.

"Am I Zeos today?" Hahaha!

How does the 650 compare to a DT770 pro you're wearing?

Is the 30 dollar difference found nowadays between the 600 and 650 worth it? (HD600 goes for $290 and the HD650 for $320)

how do Pioneer se-a1000s compare with hd650. I see more than one comparison between the two on the internet. I was thinking of getting th e mass drop hd6xx but don't know if it's worth it. love your headphone reviews, thanks

Question about EQ, I'm a newbie in this area (hifi headphones, dac/amps etc). What's the reason lowering preamp so much in your HD650 presets? Is it to increase headroom, prevent peaking and avoiding distortion while boosting? Your presets sound great by the way, I have been trying this setting and the one from your github section. Installing Equalizer APO & Peace today, working fine. I find Peace more user friendly comparing to REW. One issue though: When setting up Tidal in exclusive mode and forced volume for rending MQA/master files then my Equalizer APO & Peace settings won't work (because of exclusive mode). ;-) It works through Roon but I assume they have a different implementation (EQ integrated in their software).

I found a HD580 for 50eur, and ordered HD650 earcup pads, HD600 headband pad and HD650 cable for them. The new stuff cost a fair bit more than the headphones themselves but I have wanted something really good for years so I guess it's worth it.

How do you find the sound stage and sound leakage of the HD650 compares to the Beyer DT880 pro?

Hey Metal If you are still reading youtube comments I’m quite new to the game and Would love to hear your thoughts on HD650 vs Dt1990 Pro which one you like more?

If you had to pick the best all rounder, for music, gaming and movies, which would you pick out of the HD 650, HD 600, hd 660s and the DT 770 Pro? (I am using an amp/dac with suitable power for all models).

I should have paid way more attention to your review. I got the 650's yesterday and Yes the highs are "darker" as you said. I'm really disappointed. The cymbals are missing the clean tick when the stick hits the brass (Leonid and Friends- Chicago cover band) and acoustic guitar is missing the brightness of the pick crossing the strings as can be heard in (Seal's- Crazy (acoustic). In my cheepo JVC's it sounds like the guitar is actually being played live in front of me. In the 650's that live presents is lacking. According to your review it sounds like I should of went with the 600's. Are they quite a bit brighter? That's definitely what I'm missing. I'm going to try to return these 650's. Thanks Rob

I need a pair of headphones Closed type Budget-200dollars Sound signature-Warm sound with punchy bass . Don't like bright highs and treble that nearly have me headache. What should i try with ?

Wonder how hes going to feel about the 560S...

Trying to understand EQ tweaking: I tried your latest hd650 setting from github today together with my iFi Zen Dac (running through balanced cables). For me your settings have slightly more emphasized bass, less mids together with more rounded treble, given a very smooth pleasant listening experience. I am not sure which one I like most yet though, without eq or your setting, running without giving me slighty more detail but also tiny bit more harsh. Only keeper Filter 1 and Filter 2 settings works for me too (only adding some bass). HD650 already have slightly rounded treble then I'm not sure if I want to lower it even more?

I own a pair of the Sennheiser PC360 Game, really curious what a sensitive set of ears thinks of these.

@metal571 do tou think it is stupid to keep both the 600 and 650?

Hi metal. I hate to admit I don't know a lot about headphones. I have a vintage Koss Pro 4aaa set and I just purchased some Sony 7506s but as "clean " sounding as they both appear, neither give me the soundstage or imaging I'd hope to hear especially when compared to good speakers. Am I expecting too much from them...or from any phone? And as much as I looked for it, I didn't hear you say much about the imaging and soundstage of the Senn 650 in this review, though your other review focusing only on the Senn 600 made it sound like you preferred the 600 over the 650. And how would you compare the Beyer DT770s to either of the Senns? Thanks for any help you can provide.

Ok so let's throw in the easier to drive Fidelio X2's, consider the Mass Drop HD 6XX ($199) would you still prefer the HD 600? Would EQ or a more powerful digital Shiit Jotunheim or Dark Voice tube amp matter to your pic?

Curious your EQ shows the like 5 Hz settings. But in the EQ video there are like 13 Hz settings. And i see you do fill out the others? I am confused is the EQ in every video description wrong??? Its lacking 8 Hz settings

I own HD600,650.700. for my taste,i still value 600 the most. 600s has the best mid of all three. the warmth, not as dark as 650, just right.

I love your slapp at you mic whit your fingers,and my super deep sub get my whole apartment to rumbel like it is a earthquake,now is all my fine glass shattered and many of my fine art objects destroyed....But Wow that bass in that mic.....

I think 650 has a tad wider soundstage, but very close to 600. 580 slightly smaller. And I think you should change your amps for those albeit Schitt basic not bad...

Are there any headphones around 400 dollars that you can reccomend that are non fatiguing, low distortion, and warm?

Hey im getting a pair of hd6xx apparently they are the same as hd650s but im not sure? Also im lost on what dac or amp i should get. Thanks

What mic are you using?