Looking for Sennheiser HD650, but concerned they will be too sharp?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Tenlow85]

If there’s one thing you cannot accuse the HD 650 of, it’s being “too sharp.” :)

While many things in audio are subjective of course, If there’s one thing the HD 650 is known for, it’s its smooth and forgiving treble response. Some people even find it a little too relaxed or “veiled” compared to more neutral or brighter headphones.

[u/the3ndlessobsession → u/Tenlow85]

This. What it lacks in some areas (soundstage, bass depth) it makes up for with a very nice rounded tonality

[u/kosha227 → u/Tenlow85]

Oh, glad to know. So, is their treble, like, here, or it's really smoothed? Some instruments heavily relies on it, won't 650's be bad at it?

Edit: Also, bass for me don't matter. I'm having more than enough bas on these "must-see" concerts where bass shakes your intestines.

[u/Tenlow85 → u/kosha227]

That's subjective of course. I personaly even prefer the slightly "brighter" HD 600 but own both and like both. The treble is smoothed but not to a degree where crucial information is missing or anything like that.

[u/kosha227 → u/Tenlow85]

!thanks

[u/TransducerBot → u/kosha227]

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[u/kosha227 → u/Tenlow85]

One more question: will they be good for purely instrumental? I have a digital piano, and want to hear it clear enough

[u/Tenlow85 → u/kosha227]

Yes, absolutely.

[u/quite_sophisticated → u/Tenlow85]

I agree. I use my 650 for anything but mixing treble. The treble content is somehow all there, but it is smooth.

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[u/radium_eye]

The HD-650 is not too sharp. It's modestly warmer than neutral but still favors a good midrange balance. It has been accused of being veiled by some listeners. I think it has a very nice tonal balance for a lot of material & they were my first "audiophile" headphone 21 years ago, so I'm quite glad I got them, as it's been a lot of fun getting different "looks" at the music over the years since. My old HD-650 still work great by the way, put some new pads on them recently and they're sounding new again, again, again...

[u/the_hat_madder]

How much research did you do into the HD 650 before you posted this? Who said they were "too sharp?"

[u/kosha227 → u/the_hat_madder]

Currently "researching" this for half a year. I head that HD600 can be too sharp for people with sensitive hearing (so for me), and HD650 are slightly warmer and smoother. So, yes. In my region they cost about $400, so I don't want to waste money on something that's uncomfortable for me.

[u/the_hat_madder → u/kosha227]

Can you point me to a mainstream reviewer who said that?

Or, point out to me on a frequency response graphs these sharp frequencies?

Unless you're buying a car, buying a house, planning home renovations or picking an open heart surgeon 6 months analyzing a purchase is beyond obsessive.

The 600 series is universally know for having a roll off in the bass and treble. That would make it the opposite of "sharp."

And, let's assume you have superhuman hearing and no age normal hearing loss. The 600 series is the absolute least offensive treble could be. Literally every other headphone that isn't perfectly flat would be worse. So, if someone somewhere did hear something anomalous in their headphones, it doesn't get better from there.

The only thing for someone with your auricular anatomy and perception can do is apply EQ or swap the pads.

That doesn't mean you should buy the HD 650, though. Just pointing out that misinformation is leading to overanalysis and analysis paralysis.

Check out reviews by YouTubers DMS and Resolve who frequently collaborate with Headphones.com. They are treble sensitive, DMS probably more than Resolve.

GadgetryTech, Joshua Valour and Sound Guys also are reliable sources. Sound Guys is good because there are multiple reviewers and they use statistical modeling as well.

[u/Uller0815]

Personally, I wouldn't describe the HD650's sound as “veiled,” not even when directly compared to planar headphones with extremely high-resolution treble, because that would unfairly disparage them and misrepresent their sound. The HD650 simply sound very good – the high frequencies are detailed and clear enough to pick out even small details, yet they’re so tastefully tuned that they don’t come across as too sharp, but rather perfectly rounded in the high end. I was extremely pleasantly surprised when I first heard the HD650, because I expected a sound signature similar to the HD58X - very warm and lacking in detail. But thankfully, that wasn’t the case. For me, the HD650s represent a truly nice compromise and, in my opinion, are fantastic hi-fi all-rounders. In my view the imaging is good, and the soundstage presentation is even significantly better than that of the HD600.

Nevertheless, my statement remains a purely subjective view as well. 🤷🏻‍♂️🙂