In 2003, audio engineers within the music business have been calling for one thing new. Six years earlier, Sennheiser had lavished them with the HD 600 headphones, a brand new gold normal in impartial, pure audio. The HD 600s performed music which had been painstakingly blended and mastered precisely because it was meant to be heard; no additional bass, no treble flares, no added color. However individuals – together with a rising contingent of non-pro audio geeks – wished extra (the cheeky monkeys!) So Sennheiser bought their audio boffins to work and shortly delivered what was to turn out to be one other trendy basic: the HD 650s.Now, I’ve solely just lately began my journey into audiophile/studio/reference) headphones. Earlier than that, maybe such as you, I loved years of no matter shopper headphones occurred to finish up on, in and round my head. Dozens of forgotten, cheap fashions, each wired and Bluetooth, that would by no means be thought of probably the most lovely of headphones, got here and went. And the reality is, I loved each single certainly one of them.However my god, I have been lacking out! I’ve had the HD 650s for just a few weeks now, and I do not assume I’ve loved music this a lot. I had beforehand found the HD 550s – my official introduction to professional audio – however they appear just a little chilly in comparison with the HD 650s. These guys are snug, fashionable they usually sound form of excellent… however what does that really imply?Picture 1 of two(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)The objective for impartial perfection?Since 1958, and the discharge of the Koss SP-3s – the primary stereo headphones designed particularly for shopper music listening – music followers have been making an attempt to seize the magic of reside music by way of headphones. And although there’s a complete article to be written in regards to the distinction between what’s turn out to be often known as business headphones (Beats, Cranium Sweet) and audiophile headphones (Beyerdynamic DT 770 Professional, Audio-Technica ATH-M50x), the lengthy and the wanting it’s business cans normally have a V-shaped frequency setting: plenty of base, drowned out mids, excessive trebles. It has been the audiophile’s self-imposed life objective to crap on this sound profile, and discover headphones that supply a impartial, ‘as god (or music engineer) meant’ sound. Type of.
That is the frequency settings of the business Cranium Sweet Hesh ANC headphones. Numerous bass, plenty of treble, plenty of enjoyable (on the expense of plenty of element). (Picture credit score: RTINGS)The factor is, the HD 650s are thought of hotter than the impartial gold normal headphones, the HD 600s. Listening to the Quincy Jones-produced Off the Wall, the bass is punchy all through. For the primary time listening to this album, I can observe the bass from begin to end, clear amongst the opposite devices. It is not so huge that it is on the expense of the main points within the mid frequencies, like many business cans. However there be bass!The mids of the HD 650s are revelatory. Michael Jackson’s voice is crystal clear, as are his secondary and tertiary vocals, all of the piano traces, horns, synths and guitar. The imaging of those headphones is a spotlight too – how they map, or picture every instrument in area (poor imaging makes all of the devices mush collectively, good imaging means you’ll be able to establish particular person devices clearly). With the HD 650s, I really feel I can ‘see’ the precise devices taking part in. The soundstage is not huge, however by no means earlier than when listening to this album have I identified precisely what number of devices have been concerned. Now I do.Picture 1 of three(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)The opposite profit to this frequency profile is that I have been in a position to take heed to music for hours on finish, with out feeling fatigued. That is one thing that finally got here up with the still-excellent HD 550s. These headphones supply implausible mids however much less bass, so the treble feels far more pronounced. The tip end result was every little thing felt louder, and sharper. That is superior, however I might solely take it for a pair hours at a time. With the HD 650s, I simply really feel like I can keep on listening, such is the heat and ‘rolled off’ treble (the place very excessive frequencies, like cymbals, are diminished to sound much less sharp).One factor to contemplate before you purchase the HD 650s – aside from they’re wired, open-back headphones, so they don’t seem to be meant on your morning prepare commute – is their impedance (300 ohms) and their Sensitivity (103 dB at 1V). Principally, the impedance of a headphone determines how a lot energy it will need, whereas its sensitivity determines how loudly it will possibly get as soon as that energy is equipped.The HD 650s are thought of excessive impedance, with reasonable sensitivity. What does that imply? They’ll undoubtedly profit from a devoted amp – they are going to play louder, and it is possible for you to to get extra readability and precision out of them. The humorous factor is, I did not use an amp with them, they usually sounded loud sufficient and amazingly detailed, simply plugged into my MacBook Air.With the addition of an amp, it is comforting to know that I will be persevering with my new discovered appreciation of music with the HD 650s for a very long time to come back.
