Sennheiser HD6XX/HD650 Written/Video Review

SomeMexicanTechyGuy · January 27, 2017

The Sennheiser HD6XX are a pair of open back headphones made in a collaboration by Sennheiser and Massdrop. Massdrop in case you don't know is group buying website. They have different communities and they talk to companies to get a bulk order; the more people buy the lower the price will get. Anyways with that out of the way let’s start.

And I’ll start by saying that I’m not audiophile, I don't consider myself an audiophile, however I do understand audio more than an average person does so this review is from someone that likes good audio and that understands good audio more than the average person. Audio is very subjective, everybody's ears are different and everybody likes different sound signatures. Anyways the HD6XX are based on the HD650 another pair of Sennheiser headphones, I however don't own the 650’s so this review is coming from somebody new to these particular headphones. Also the 6XX are supposed to have the same drivers and acoustics as the 650’s I am not able confirm or deny that, however many credible sources have confirmed this. The 650’s were originally retailed for $499 when they came out over a decade ago, and even today you’re going to find them at over $400 because even today they regarded as one of the best price to performance headphones. However the 6XX were only $199 thanks to Massdrop! This is what the box looks like and inside of the box you get the headphones themselves and ¼ inch adapter. The cable is 4.5 feet long and terminates into a 3.5 mm jack but can also be used with other audio equipment with the ¼ inch adapter. Both the 3.5 and ¼ jacks are gold plated. The cable is removable but is very secure in place. The headphones have a 300 ohm impedance so using a good DAC short for digital-to-analog converter and a good headphone amplifier will get you the best sound out of these headphones however it’s not necessary but HIGHLY recommended.

Now for the sound quality and right off the back I’ll start by saying these headphones sound incredible! There is so much detail that 6XX are able to reproduce everything from string been picked in an acoustic guitar to even a breath been taken by a singer. There is so much instrumental separation as well. Listening to something with multiple instruments like “Hotel California” by Eagles brings out each and every single instrument. None of the instruments are overpowering the others either. It all sounds very natural as well it’s as if though you are right there and not listening out of headphones. For example while listening to the song I was able to tell which drum the drummer was slamming because the sound of drumming would on the left or right ear or on both if it was the central drum and each drum had a distinct sound and distance as well, I know that what I’m saying may not make complete sense but it’s something you have to hear to understand what I’m talking about. All vocals male and female sound great, on other headphones while listening to someone that can reach a really high note will sound kind of “raspy” but the 6XX reproduces them very smoothly. Listening to a violin in something by Lindsey Stirling sounds really good and I didn’t get that “scratchy” sound that some other headphones might produce. While listening to some EDM and rap the headphones had a very nice bass “thump”, something that seriously surprised me considering the fact that the 6XX are open back headphones. Even when plugged directly my cellphone and playing some games I was able to hear so many more details which I hadn’t heard before with other headphones. Speaking of games the soundstage of the 6XX is very wide making them ideal for gaming. While playing a wide variety of games I was able to very easily tell where something was with just the headphones without any of the “virtual surround sound” BS that many gaming headsets market. I could tell when someone coming down a corridor and I could also hear when they were about to turn the corner. It all sounded very natural it feels as if though you are right there.

The 6XX produce a balanced sound but is not neutral. What I mean is the headphones have a very slight emphasis towards the bass, and when I say slight, it’s minuscule. The “balanced” sound comes from the fact that even though it may have a bit of emphasis towards certain frequencies it doesn’t emphasise them to point that it drowns out other frequencies. Other headphones for example may emphasize the low and high end but completely drowns out the mid-range. The 6XX’s “balanced” sound is really good as it makes better for all kinds of music and game genres.

The 6XX are very comfortable, however they are not comfortable right out the box. They have strong clamping force when you first take them out the box and if you have a big head like I do then this is even more noticeable. However after using the headphones for a few days they loosened up and now they’re very comfortable. I have found myself using the headphones for hours at a time while doing some gaming sessions and never felt a need to take them off and rest. I haven’t use the headphones during summer so they may or may not get uncomfortable due to heat but as of right now in the winter I haven’t had any complaints.

Lastly I want to talk about some things to consider, they’re not necessarily bad things about the headphones, to be honest there isn’t a thing I dislike about the headphones but they’re things to consider before you think about purchasing either the 650’s or the 6XX if they are available. First is the biggest strength but also it’s biggest weakness and that is the open back nature of the headphones. The open back nature means that they provide a much better and natural sound compare to closed back headphones but at the same time they let sound in and out which means you’ll be able to hear everything around you and everybody around you will be able to hear everything you are listening to. These headphones are more suitable for a home environment where there will be little to no sound around you and when you don’t have too many people around you. You also need to consider the fact that these headphones have a high impedance at 300 ohms to put that into perspective most headphones and earbuds that are meant to be used with a mobile device like a cellphone or MP3 player only have an impedance of 12-50 ohms so to get the best sound out these headphones you are going to need some kind of DAC and headphone amp. Lastly if you are looking for perfectly neutral sounding headphones then these are not it however it’s neutral enough and since they produce so much detail these headphones can easily be used to do audio editing.

Any feedback will be much appreciated!