Sennheiser HD 650 vs Sennheiser HD 560S Sound Demo featuring Electronic/HipHop/Vocals/Metal/Lofi

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Electronic
1:54 Hip Hop
3:57 Male Vocals
6:13 Female Vocals
8:10 Metal
9:52 Epic
11:30 Lofi
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Headphones used in this review:
HD 650 amzn.to/3PHgqgL
HD 560S amzn.to/3LvunMj
The Sennheiser HD 650 amplifies vocals and rolls of treble while remaining detailed and provides a very easy listening experience. The Sennheiser HD 560S produce more sub bass and soundstage while remaining far more neutral in it's sound.

[@Vaxeri]

This is the cleanest sounding comparison of these headphones that I've come across.

[@StereoBites-zz1ec]

thanks, much appreciated.

[@JTB--]

I've heard all the Senn 6XX lineup. And the 560s is right there with the 600/6XX/650. 560s are the Best Bang for the Buck HP in the 6XX lineup

[@seefeel2043]

Niiice! I'd had a hard time to choose between the two.

[@joseman9230]

Los bajos, la profundidad muy rico del 650, me encantan...

[@minminli6248]

Im listening on my Pixel 3A with Letshouer S12 paired with a simple Moondrop dac. And to me the 650 seems to have a thin veil between the music and my ears. The singer seems to be a bit further compared to the 560. The 560 seems to have a lot emphasis on the "S" but the singer voice sounds a whole lot nicer.

[@AleDJacobo]

HD 650 has all the Sennheiser's veil; 560s more open sound, greater bass presence, thicker and more fun sound, for me the winner 😁

[@makunouchiippo816]

In reality the 560S has almost non existing sub-bass and they are very flat and neutral which could be boring for people who are listening to more aggressive music like rock and metal. It always sounds different in real life. But it's true that the 650's are veiled, even in real life.

[@laowai2000]

Have both. Find it tough going back to the 560s! Feel sort of harsh after using the 650@@makunouchiippo816

[@Pavelkozhin]

I'd prefer to listen pink noise instead these songs. In any case, the difference is clear, but there remains a feeling that the microphone used to record the headphones was not calibrated. My 560S doesn't boost sibilance that much. Thanks for job!

[@laowai2000]

Have the 560s (new) and HD6xx (as new 2nd hand) for just under USD 130. Would recommend the HD6xx. HD560s feels harsh to go back to after the HD6xx.

[@stevesargent8731]

The difference between these two would suggest that this setup is uncalibrated so only reflective of a "straight out of the box" experience. In reality, after calibration, they're much closer but with the HD650s being a bit livelier, which you'd expect. I've got both and when correctly calibrated the HD650s are noticeably the better of the two, but the 560s's are no slouch and make great everyday headphones and are superb bang for the buck.

[@h-dawg6462]

is this the revised 560s with better tuning, shorter cable and different headband material?

[@StereoBites-zz1ec]

This 560S was purchased around June '23 from Germany, assuming it's the newest variant. I don't have an older model to compare it with currently.

[@h-dawg6462]

@@StereoBites-zz1ec nice! i hear people complaining about them being sibilant, but that is an issue with the older releases. i was fortunate enough to purchase the revised edition with greater tuned clarity and lower sub extension than the 6_series! great demo btw 👍

[@dsanj4745]

​@@StereoBites-zz1ec The old model has a 6.3mm plug hardwired and came with 6.3 to 3.5 adapter. The new model has 3.5mm hardwired and comes with 3.5 to 6.3 adapter.

[@c-samleystudios1573]

Is this the HD 560S with the newer cable and non velour headband padding?

[@StereoBites-zz1ec]

2023 version(newest?), I don't know of how many changes there have been. I can confirm that this 560S does have the 3m cable terminating with a 6.3 to 3.5 mm adapter.

[@dsanj4745]

​@@StereoBites-zz1ecThe old model has a 6.3mm plug hardwired and came with 6.3 to 3.5 adapter. The new model has 3.5mm hardwired and comes with 3.5 to 6.3 adapter.

[@Azzam1991]

I just want use for gaming, what better hd560s new or hd600 use

[@formless3791]

get the hd 660s2 or 660s if you have money. AKG k612/ k712 are another good headphones.

[@larrym5606]

I have the hd560s and hd660s2, very different sounds, both are amazing. I do prefer the warmer sound of the 660s2 but on super bass heavy tracks the 560s rock and may have a bit clearer sound. Not more detailed, or cleaner, just clearer due to the brighter nature, the separation and detail is still there just a little harder to pick out the bassier notes\sounds, if that makes sense. For gaming I prefer the 560s for competitive games / for like call of duty footsteps are a bit more pronounced due to the brighter treble, but for story and more immersive games and movies thehd669s2 ALL THE WAY. If you can't get both, or just like a brighter profile the 560s are AWESOME. Either way you won't regret your purchase. I think with the 560s and the 660s2 if you have both you really do not need any other headphones IMHO. I have the hd560s, hd660s2, hifiman he400se, harmonicdyne Athena, audeze Penrose , pc38x, game one, epos h6pro, steel series nova pro. I got rid of hd650 and 600, didn't feel the sundaras were that much better than he400se, I am using a Zen dac, Zen can, sound blaster gc7, and g6, nova pro dac, and aiyima T2 tube pre amp.

[@Azzam1991]

@@larrym5606thank sir , i just want play game apex legends, that’s mean hd560s better for me, thanks for u information. Im interested about zen dac v1 to can save my money, also im not audiophile just want use for gaming and can hear footsteps better

[@hamedori]

​@@formless3791 Blud HD660S2 is more than thrice the price of HD560S. 😂 Not to say any are better/worse, but you're also getting into potent Hifiman etc territory at the HD660S2's price point. Not even a fair comparison by price, even if one were to have money lol.

[@formless3791]

@@hamedori I said "if you have the money". I own the HD 400 pros(560s repaint) and wanted to buy 660s but they were out of my budget. Also Hifiman HE400se exists. But Hifiman QC is garbage.

[@roybrolsbeak]

to me the 560s sounds a little thinner, more sibilant 's'. yes 650 sounds a bit more closed in but is easier to listen to for longer sessions.

[@makunouchiippo816]

Yup, the 560s is in reality really flat and neutral. For more aggressive music they will sound boring. The 650's are veiled and sounding like you are listening to music under water.

[@roybrolsbeak]

@@makunouchiippo816 i actually understand what you mean with the 650 but dont agree with this. These headphone just need a good amp to open up. First time i used them with a cheap usb c amp and now i have a proper desk amp which makes a world of difference. In audio world the more expensive your equipment the more dependent they become on gear used.

[@makunouchiippo816]

@@roybrolsbeak I don't agree with your statement as well. I tested that recently with the Fostex T50RP 50th Anniversary Edition. Relative hard to drive headphones. But even my motherboard soundcard was able to drive them easily without any issues. Only needed 40% volume in windows. If you are now pairing them with an amplifier it doesn't sound different. The only thing that differs is the volume. But tonality wise an amp changes nothing. it sounds exactly the same than without an amp. What you are experiencing is probably a placebo effect because an amp is louder than the normal motherboard soundcard or even the soundchip from a phone for example. Louder = better is what majority of people are thinking but in reality it's just a placebo effect. Also your last sentence is also not true. On the technical side you don't have to really pay more than around 400$/€ for an amplifier and DAC together in order to get endgame gear. Even budget DAC's can compete to endgame DAC's if you are looking at the measurements. JDS Labs stacks or Schiit stacks for example. SMSL is also good but already a bit more expensive. In my experience, even with my high-end sets - HD800, Elex, LCD-2, Andromeda - I find the effect of amps is wildly overstated. All reasonably well-made solid state amps will sound exactly the same should there be no distortion/coloration in the signal. Even tube amps have failed to present me with a "I hated this headphone but with tubes I love them"-type transformation that some people claim to have. However, in the case of Andromeda and some other odd impedance headphones, output impedance on an amp can have pretty glaring effects when paired with the wrong source (impedance mismatch). There is very, very, very little objective measurements for amps for some reason, and to my knowledge there haven't been any statistically significant ABX tests that have suggested that amps have a noticeable increase in sound quality versus the benchmark amps like Magni, O2, etc. If you're looking to upgrade, always start with the headphones. If you want to change the sound of a headphone you have to use an equalizer. But that's a total different thing.

[@roybrolsbeak]

@@makunouchiippo816 im not here to debate taste with you. Im just letting people out there looking for headphones know they are not veiled. Thats a matter of taste and youre probably into the eq that pierces your ears. I like laidback speakers and headphones that are neutral and thats what the hd650 gives me. Changing headphone amps has nothing to do with placebo. I tried 3 different ones on these headphones and the sound changes drastically. One gave a more boxy veiled sound as you call it and the other opened them up.

[@joseman9230]

Para mí, más disfrutable, más profundo y con más cuerpo los 650.

[@portugasanwa]

HD650 is more centred sound but pleasent to hear, HD560S is more extend with better sound stage, deep bass but not so good for music like the HD6X0, beside that I love my HD560S because I love technicalities like sound stage and imaging and 560s makes it better.

[@formless3791]

Very good comparison, thanks. I own the HD 400 Pro which is just 560s repaint with coiled cable and these headphones are quite bassy for open backs. I'm treble lover and the 400 pros sounded muddy to me at first but after some time and with a good dac/amp i came to appreciate the sound of these headphones. The Soundstage is average at best. The vocals are enhanced and feel like "in your face". Very flat sound.

[@fabianarzak1663]

what dac are you using?

[@manuelaj3z116]

its my impresion but i think the 560S sound much better in particular with the male and female voices

[@user-hb9fp4vs2f]

Hd650 spunds like AM radio. HD560s sounds like stereo.

[@osirisblaster]

Hd 560s gang, compared them against my buddies hd650 and the 560s sounded better to me. Have the sundaras and i feel like they sound better than those too. Regret spending the money on the sundaras honestly.

[@SileDevil]

hd560s sounds closer to original recording, hd650 vocals sound veiled and nasal

[@Jagz9]

560s

[@SouthernFryd]

The 650's sound better, deeper and richer overall...but the 560s reproduces the original better. In my music studio, I'm going with the headphone that reproduces what I'm playing more exact and doesn't color it so much. If I was just a listener...the 650's sound better. For me, the 560's is what I'm getting. Thanks for this awesome comparison. I had read a lot on them both and the reviews mentioned exactly what I heard in this video "The 560's are more 'analytical' the 650's are more enjoyable." Yup. Good job.

[@JoeCandidoGuitar]

the 650 is closer to the original, the 560 a bit more stage but more treble both very usable for mixing

[@LienoGenesis]

HD650 is no where near that muffled at least with new pads lol, Doubt this is a real sound demo

[@markovlasic1978]

560s are more closer to original, a bit dryier and clinical sound., 650 are more colored , bit a different tuning.

[@artureff3046]

6xx line sounds much better with a good tube amp....

[@dnd6379]

650 does not sound like that in real life, here it sounds like the sound is inverted. Sounds a lot better irl, it's nothing like this hollow recording of it then again it depends on the amp, if you use an audio interface it won't sound good edit: 560S sounds closer to the original that I hear on my hd650 compared to hd650 recording but both are way off.

[@vladpogorelov9108]

Какую ревизию 650 стоит покупать?

[@Ravenyrr]

560

[@josemiguelcarrizo7373]

I prefer the 560 for metal. The 650 for Lofi.

[@makunouchiippo816]

Sennheiser are focussing their headphones more on the mid-range which is vocals. So they are really good for pop, jazz and classical music. For metal there are way better options.

[@technologicalsingularity1788]

560s sound like beyer😂😂😂

[@igorzovko5854]

Hd 560s is better. I've sold my hd 600.

[@makunouchiippo816]

xD

[@luffygear5362]

really? I just bought the 660s2 and find them to be much better in resolution and detail than the 560s, but are the 600's worse than the 560s?

[@makunouchiippo816]

@@luffygear5362 The 560S is only good for competitive gaming because of it's good imaging. And if you prefer neutral and flat headphones. Sennheisers in general are focussing pretty much on the midrange only which means that vocals sound very good and clear. But other than that the rest like bass and treble are lacking. So for someone who is listening to rock and metal and harder stuff Sennheiser won't be satisfying because they are are too analytical and neutral which results in a boring sound.

[@TheNeilo-Audiosound]

I have the 560s the OG 600 the 650 the 660s and the HD58X Jubilee and The HD600 is overall Still the best Sound hands down especially through a tube amp it’s just musical bliss🤷‍♂️

[@TheNeilo-Audiosound]

You must be Mad as the 600 is Awesome.each to their own of course.

[@PartySpock]

Can we have music please instead of this rubbish?