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Head to head · for music listening
Sennheiser HD 650 vs Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO
More people recommend the Sennheiser HD 650 overall (152 vs 75). None of the 34 comments that name both says outright which one to buy, so read the loves and complaints and decide by taste.
- Comments naming both
- 34
- Say they own both
- 2
- Choose the HD 650
- 0
- Choose the DT 990 PRO
- 0
Preference evidence:Limited0 explicit choices among 34 comments naming both.What the levels mean
Counted across 23 review videos, harvested Sep 2026. A comment counts as a choice only when it says so in plain words (prefer X over Y, upgraded from Y to X); questions never count. Quotes are whole sentences of 12 words or fewer, linked to where they were said. How we count.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical price | $345 | $200cheaper |
| Overall rank | #1higher | #8 |
| People who recommend it | 152more | 75 |
| Say they own it | 213more | 109 |
| Mentions | 1,403more | 775 |
| Type | open-back wired | open-back wired |
| Known for | VocalsJazzRelaxed | Open-backBass and trebleBuilt to last |
| Best for | The one headphone almost everyone in the hobby has owned; recommended as the safe buy for long, relaxed music sessions. | Recommended for big, spacious sound on a budget by people who like sparkle and do not mind an amp. |
| Buy | Amazon · $345 | Amazon · $200Direct |
#1 overall
Sennheiser HD 650 (also sold as Drop HD 6XX)
3 of the 34 comments naming both come from people who say they own this one.
What owners love
- 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
The complaints
- 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
In their words
“Been using HD6XX for years and I love them for gaming”
A commenter under What GAMING Headphones AUDIOPHILES Use: 2024 Update! (BadSeed Tech) · Jun 2024
“I have both 600 and 6xx and i love them both”
A commenter under The NEW HD600!! (Joshua Valour) · Feb 2020
“I have the HD-6XX and love them”
A commenter under Why You SHOULDN'T Buy HD 600... & What To Get Instead (The Headphone Show) · Sep 2025
#8 overall
Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250 ohm)
3 of the 34 comments naming both come from people who say they own this one.
What owners love
- Wide, open soundstage with sharp imaging; owners who came from gaming headsets call it a revelation
- Very comfortable velour pads; owners keep them for 5-7 years
- Built like the DT 770 and repairable: pads, headband and cable are replaceable
The complaints
- The treble: bright to sharp, the most repeated complaint of any Beyer; some EQ it down
- Bass is present but not deep
- 250 ohm version wants an amp; the Pro X or 80 ohm editions are easier to drive
- US service and repair experiences are poor
In their words
“I have had the dt990 for like 10 years and love them”
A commenter under Watch this BEFORE buying DT990 Pro! (The Headphone Show) · Aug 2022
“I love my pair of beyerdynamic DT 990”
A commenter under Best Headphones for Music Production, Mixing, Tracking (Sanjay C) · Oct 2023
“The DT990 pro is my favorite headphone for acoustic music like bluegrass”
A commenter under DT990 Pro vs DT770 Pro - Which one should you get? (Andrew Dandrew) · May 2021
Questions people ask about this pair
Every answer is built from the counts on this page, not from our own listening.
- Is the Sennheiser HD 650 better than the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO?
- None of the 34 comments naming both says outright which one to buy. Overall, 152 people recommend the Sennheiser HD 650 and 75 the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO. Read what owners love and complain about below and decide by taste.
- Which is cheaper, the Sennheiser HD 650 or the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO?
- The Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO is cheaper: $200 against $345 when we last checked. Prices move, so the buy buttons show the live price.
- Which do more people recommend, the Sennheiser HD 650 or the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO?
- The Sennheiser HD 650: 152 people recommend it against 75. On the site-wide leaderboard the Sennheiser HD 650 is #1 and the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO is #8.
- Do people own both the Sennheiser HD 650 and the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO?
- Yes. 2 of the 34 comments that name both come from people who say they own both pairs. 3 say they own the Sennheiser HD 650 and 3 the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO.
- What do owners complain about on the Sennheiser HD 650 and the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO?
- The most repeated complaint about the Sennheiser HD 650: needs an amp; from a phone it sounds flat. About the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO: the treble: bright to sharp, the most repeated complaint of any Beyer; some EQ it down. The full lists are on each side below.