Sennheiser HD 650

Design

The ATH-ESW9s are a high-class set of headphones. They have wooden backs and lambskin padding. They look quite rich.

The ATH-ESW9s also feature a slightly more sturdy construction, mainly due to their closed backs.

Sennheiser HD 650	Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9

Frequency Response

The ATH-ESW9s have some issues with their high end. After 1kHz, the ATH-ESW9’s response starts dropping and falls below our bottom limit, then becomes erratic.

Sennheiser HD 650	Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9

Distortion

In terms of distortion, both headphones are equally amazing.

Sennheiser HD 650	Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9

Tracking

The HD 650s have better overall tracking, remaining much flatter up until the high end and remains less erratic as it approaches the 10kHz mark.

Sennheiser HD 650	Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9

Isolation

The ATH-ESW9 can isolate much better than the HD 650, but we wouldn’t say either have particularly good isolation.

Sennheiser HD 650	Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9

Comfort

The HD 650s are more comfortable overall. We thought the ATH-ESW9s were too tight and got slightly worse over time. The ATH-ESW9s had far more comfortable padding, however, so be sure to try on both sets of headphones: if you don’t run into the fit issues we did, the ATH-ESW9s would easily be more comfortable.

Verdict

Both the HD 650s and ATH-ESW9s have different strengths and weaknesses. The ATH-ESW9s don’t have the same caliber audio quality that the HD 650s do, but they look significantly nicer. If you’re not much of an audiophile and you want a good sound and better looks, the ATH-ESW9s are a good option.