Best Headphones for Music
Sennheiser HD 650 (also sold as Drop HD 6XX)

#1 overall · open-back wired

Sennheiser HD 650 (also sold as Drop HD 6XX)

The one headphone almost everyone in the hobby has owned; the safe buy for long, relaxed music sessions.

VocalsJazzRelaxedUnder $500
Owners on record
33
Threads
12
Say they own it
10
Check price on Amazon · $345
Own these? Vote

Typical price, checked Sep 2026. Drop's HD 6XX page (drop.com) redirected to a Corsair gaming page on the check date, so the cheaper HD 6XX may no longer be available; the price shown is Amazon's HD 650 price.

Why people like it

  • The single most-recommended headphone across every forum read: warm, smooth and easy to listen to for hours
  • Scales with better amps; several owners run it on expensive tube amps and say it keeps up
  • Female vocals and mids that owners describe as amazing
  • The Drop HD 6XX version sold for $199-220 for years, which made it the default first audiophile headphone

What owners complain about

  • Needs an amp; from a phone it sounds flat
  • No real sub-bass
  • Clamp is tight on big heads
  • Some find the slight bass tilt less balanced than the HD 600; soundstage is small

Where opinions split: HD 600 versus HD 650 is a permanent argument; most owners of both prefer whichever they bought first.

The 13 sources

Owner = the person says they use it. Recommendation = passed on without saying so. Dates are when the thread started.

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