We purchased the Sennheiser HD 650 so that our expert reviewer could thoroughly test and review them. Read on for our full product review.

The Sennheiser HD 650 headphones are aimed at audiophiles and professional music producers. There’s no getting around it: if you’re looking to buy a pair of HD 650s, you need to consider how specialized they are, and how their performance can be underused or, at worst, completely misguided. At their core, they prioritize sound quality above all else, and put most of their money into the construction of the drivers and the open-back design. They’re certainly no slouch, but if you’re looking for the flashy bells, whistles, and extra features often found on consumer-grade headphones, you may want to look elsewhere.

For these reasons, we give the HD 650 a big thumbs up, but with the caveat that you need to know what you're using them for and when. We'll go into more detail on their various applications below, so read on.

Most of Sennheiser’s high-end headphones look pretty much the same. They have gigantic ear cups that measure nearly 4.5 inches at their longest point and are essentially flattened ovals. Sennheiser tilts them backward on each ear for a more natural look and standard fit. The units we tested were a slightly shiny, dark gray gunmetal plastic. The ear cups are a slightly darker shade of gray, which provides a bit of contrast.