Sennheiser HD650: Your gateway audiophile drug

Well, well, new HD650 owners. Welcome to the other side.

Sennheiser’s icon is not just a Head-Fi stalwart. It is not just a reviewer’s choice of CNET and Innerfidelity garnering critical fame. It is not just an historic game-changer. It is not even just an excellent headphone. 

What it is, is a gateway. Your gateway, following footsteps that have been walked since the HD650's introduction in 2003. True audiophilia awaits you. 

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“True audiophilia” sounds loaded at first, but rest assured it’s a term earnestly sought after. True audiophilia doesn’t mean becoming a better listener or hearing more than everyone. True audiophilia only means you actively put in effort to listen to your music better than you had once before.

A HD650 is not just a headphone; it is a facilitator. Access to your music has always laid in front of you with TIDAL, Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube streaming. Now, Sennheiser is your means to claim that.

Gear empowers your ears. Certainly in a different way to a pair of Bluetooth headphones. If you’re newly initiated to a pair of open-back headphones, they’re seemingly counter-intuitive to convenience. 

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They leak sound. They require an amplifier for volume. And yet at the same time these labours of love are an outlet for many hobbyists – the exploring and seriously-afflicted alike – to apply themselves to.

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So stick with open-back headphones, and learn to use them. They’ll quickly develop into an active part of your life, because your engagement with them will be deliberate, no longer casual. Speak to someone from the walk, and they’ll tell you these headphones are indispensable. 

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It’s difficult to tell you why. Easier to show you, once the difference has been heard. And then you, new HD650 owner, will discover the pursuit can be more rewarding than the destination. 

Amplification has become relatively affordable. The differences between a portable music player, a solid-state amplifier and a tube amplifier can be fun to hear. Cable upgrades add the superlative finishing touch.

Now then, it sounds like you've chosen to walk on the wild side. The whacky side. The wired side. Don't run away – run ˆwith us. We'll teach you everything we know, if you ask us. Your gateway to becoming a part of Head-Fi history with your HD650 is waiting for you.