Are they better than beats?

For all the Beats haters out there, they're not the overworked, bass heavy, poorly made headphones the other snobby answers seem to make them out to be. I own these Sennheiser 650 cans. I also own the Audio Technica 50 that many others seem to drop in the answers to this question. Truly the answer is to each his own. To be fair, it's important to compare Beats and these while hard wired, ideally into a headphone amplifier. Once you listen to Beats hard wired like these or other high quality headphones, you'll quickly realize Beats are no dollar store wannabes. Funny, but if you like listening to Dr. See or Snoop, you may like the Beats more, I know I do on occasion. These are reference quality headphones that really aren't for everyone. They do not hit the bass very hard, the highs are not accentuated, and for those audiophiles reading this, the sound stage is wide open on this Sennheiser 650, while the Beats is tighter, more enclosed, tuned to rap or metal or electronic music. You may find these lacking if you're used to headphones tuned for more emphasis as opposed to replicating audio as recorded in the studio. These are amazing headphones no doubt, but you must have the right equipment, starting with a solid headphone amplifier. Beats simply need a Bluetooth connection. I hope this more balanced answer helps those trying to decide on their next headphones.

how do these compare to the hd 598's

I just did a back-to-back test of these two headphones today (I own the 598's). The 650's sound better. They have an incredibly natural-sounding reproduction. It's.... perfect. The problem with the 598's is an over-emphasized mid-low area which in layman's terms would seem muddy. Also, the high's have a bit of sizzle, which is common among dynamic headphones, especially AKG's (also tested out their whole range today). The 598 holds it's own amongst other headphones in the 200-500 dollar range, but the HD 650 is in a class by itself.

Does it support/ us it on android phone?

The 650-s have 300 ohm impedance. This makes them not the best option for an Android or Iphone handheld. For that application, you are better off with a lower impedance headset, e.g: the HD 585 is 150 ohms, the 280/300 series is 62 ohms. The 280-s are closed back, and excellent for listening using a mobile device. The HD-650 will be rather quiet directly connected to an Android phone. The 650 maybe overkill listening to compressed content, as it is common on mobile devices. The typical use scenario for these is connecting them to a high quality source (often, driven by a hi-resolution player, playing Flac or Dsd or some other high resolution material), using a headphone amp. I own the MassDrop version (the HD6XX), and I also have an older HD-555, and the HD-555 is a better experience plugged into my LG android phone, streaming "high quality" spotify.

Can they be used effecively on an airplane?

The 650's are not noise cancellation headphones and inferior to Bose, for instance, when using on a plane. In addition the 650's can be heard by others because of the open design. They are superior to everything else for solo listening when you are not on a plane.

ASIN	B00018MSNI
Age range (description)	Adult
Best Sellers Rank	#15,723 in Electronics ( See Top 100 in Electronics ) #277 in Over-Ear Headphones
Cable feature	Detachable
Compatible devices	Laptops, Desktops, Tablets, Cellphones, Music Production Equipment, Car Audio Systems
Connectivity technology	Wired
Control method	Touch
Control type	Touch Control
Department	music, instruments, instrument accessories
Frequency response	41000
Headphone jack	3.5 mm Jack
Included components	3.5 MM Jack and 1/4" connector
Item model number	508825
Item weight	9.12 Ounces
Language	English, French, Spanish
Manufacturer	Sennheiser
Material	Plastic Aluminum
Model name	HD 650
Number of Items	1
Package type	Standard Packaging
Product Dimensions	31.5 x 25.4 x 11 cm; 258.55 g
Recommended uses for product	Music
Sensitivity	102 dB
Specific uses for product	Home
Style	HD 650
Unit count	1 Count
Water resistance level	Not Water Resistant
Wireless communication technologies	Bluetooth

Sennheiser Consumer Audio Sennheiser HD 650 - Audiophile Hi-Res Open Back Dynamic Headphone

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