Sennheiser HD 650 vs Sennheiser HD 8XX

Short answer: the Sennheiser HD 650. It ranks #65 of 429 over-ear headphones by sound quality (rated 4.1/5) at $326.70 and is still sold new; the Sennheiser HD 8XX ranks #307 (rated 3.0/5) and is discontinued, so it is only an option used.

The Sennheiser HD 650 is the better-sounding option. A preference score of 84 and a warm tilt of minus 0.27 give a relaxed, smooth sound, with bass from 60 to 200 Hz, mids and presence all within about 0.6 dB of target. The tradeoff: Sub-bass is about 7 dB under target and the 6 to 10 kHz treble is nearly 5 dB low, with a 9 dB dip near 9.3 kHz, so cymbals and air sound dull and rumble is missing.

What the Sennheiser HD 8XX does well: Lower mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural. The tradeoff: Discontinued, so it is mainly found used.

Buy the Sennheiser HD 650. It is rated higher for sound quality, and the Sennheiser HD 8XX is discontinued, so it is only available used.

Still deciding? The full Headphones rankings cover every ranked option.

Specifications Side By Side

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The Two Headphones In Full

Sennheiser HD 650: $326.70 Amazon $326.70 eBay

Pros: A preference score of 84 and a warm tilt of minus 0.27 give a relaxed, smooth sound, with bass from 60 to 200 Hz, mids and presence all within about 0.6 dB of target. The largest peak in the upper range is just 1.1 dB, so it avoids harshness on vocals and guitars. At 260 g it is fairly light, and it is a good match for listeners who like a warm tonality.

Cons: Sub-bass is about 7 dB under target and the 6 to 10 kHz treble is nearly 5 dB low, with a 9 dB dip near 9.3 kHz, so cymbals and air sound dull and rumble is missing. At 300 ohms it wants a dedicated headphone amp to reach its potential, and the open back leaks sound. See headphone amps and DACs with enough power to drive it.

Full Sennheiser HD 650 review and specifications →

Released	2003 (23 years ago)
Back	Open
Connection	Wired
Deviation From Target	2.10 dB standard deviation
Driver Type	Dynamic
Drivers	1 x 42mm dynamic
Form Factor	Over-ear
Frequency Response	10Hz - 41kHz (Manufacturer specified)
Harman Preference Score	84 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ)
Impedance	300 ohms
Sensitivity	103 dB SPL/V
Sub-bass Extension	Falls 6 dB below target at 40 Hz (-7.9 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	-0.27 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)
Weight	0.6 lbs (260 g)

EQ preset to match the Harman target

Set a preamp of -6.1 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by AutoEQ from its measured frequency response.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+6.4 dB	0.70
Peak	8,800 Hz	+5.1 dB	1.42
Peak	118 Hz	-3.1 dB	0.50
Peak	37 Hz	+0.7 dB	3.96
Peak	3,169 Hz	-1.7 dB	3.89
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-2.1 dB	0.70
Peak	1,227 Hz	-1.2 dB	2.53
Peak	2,055 Hz	+1.2 dB	3.23
Peak	587 Hz	+0.4 dB	1.19
Peak	5,332 Hz	-1.1 dB	5.75

• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • AutoEQ results for the Sennheiser HD 650 (oratory1990 measurement)
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Sennheiser HD 8XX Discontinued eBay

Pros: Lower mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural. It uses 2 x 56mm dynamic (ring radiator).

Cons: Discontinued, so it is mainly found used. Presence sits about 3.8 dB low with a 10.6 dB dip near 2.0 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite. Sub-bass is 7.6 dB short at 30 Hz, so deep bass lacks rumble. A Harman score of 59 places it in the lower part of the over-ear rankings.

Full Sennheiser HD 8XX review and specifications →

Released	2021 (5 years ago)
Back	Open
Connection	Wired
Deviation From Target	3.59 dB standard deviation
Driver Type	Dynamic
Drivers	2 x 56mm dynamic (ring radiator)
Form Factor	Over-ear
Frequency Response	4Hz - 51kHz
Harman Preference Score	59 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ)
Impedance	300 ohms
Sub-bass Extension	Falls 6 dB below target at 67 Hz (-7.6 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	-0.64 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)
Weight	0.7 lbs (330 g)

EQ preset to match the Harman target

Set a preamp of -6.2 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by AutoEQ from its measured frequency response.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+5.4 dB	0.70
Peak	227 Hz	-4.1 dB	0.46
Peak	1,511 Hz	+6.6 dB	1.31
Peak	792 Hz	-2.6 dB	0.96
Peak	2,241 Hz	+3.5 dB	2.61
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-1.3 dB	0.70
Peak	5,514 Hz	-1.8 dB	4.64
Peak	57 Hz	+1.4 dB	3.46
Peak	36 Hz	-0.4 dB	2.00
Peak	83 Hz	-0.6 dB	2.52

• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • AutoEQ results for the Sennheiser HD 8XX (oratory1990 measurement)
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
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