Sennheiser HD 800

Design

This is kind of a tough comparison, because both headphones look silly in different ways. The HD 650s look like beehives with their honeycomb matrix backs, and the HD 800s look like part of Cerebro. The HD 800s do have more of that ‘oh my, those are fancy’ look, however, so we’ll give them the pageant crown.

Sennheiser HD 800	Sennheiser HD 650

Frequency Response

Both headphones have a very similar frequency response, which isn’t surprising considering Sennheiser made both. The HD 800s didn’t veer outside the limits to the extent the HD 650s did, however, giving them the gold.

Sennheiser HD 800	Sennheiser HD 650

Distortion

Neither set of headphones had any distortion worth discussing.

Sennheiser HD 800	Sennheiser HD 650

Tracking

The HD 800s had near-perfect tracking. The HD 650s were great, but they flipped out towards the high-end.

Sennheiser HD 800	Sennheiser HD 650

Isolation

Neither set of headphones excelled at isolation. This is by design: they’re both open-backed headphones. If you want isolation, you should look at closed-back headphones.

Sennheiser HD 800	Sennheiser HD 650

Comfort

We thought the HD 800s were very, very comfortable. The HD 650s weren’t exactly uncomfortable, but their pads were stiff and scratchy.

Wear
Sennheiser HD 800	Sennheiser HD 650

Verdict

The Sennheiser HD 650s are a good set of headphones, but they just pale in comparison to the HD 800s. If you’re on a budget, do yourself a favor and just don’t listen to the HD 800s. Seriously. Half of our office is considering taking out a loan to afford the dumb things.

Price points aside, the HD 650s offer a much more open soundstage, but they aren’t nearly as clear as the HD 800s. The HD 650s aren’t bad, but they’re definitely a step down.