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Head to head · for music listening
Sennheiser HD 650 vs Focal Clear MG
More people recommend the Sennheiser HD 650 overall (152 vs 22). None of the 11 comments that name both says outright which one to buy, so read the loves and complaints and decide by taste.
- Comments naming both
- 11
- Say they own both
- 0
- Choose the HD 650
- 0
- Choose the Clear MG
- 0
Preference evidence:Limited0 explicit choices among 11 comments naming both.What the levels mean
Counted across 7 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 | $345cheaper | $1499 |
| Overall rank | #1higher | #24 |
| People who recommend it | 152more | 22 |
| Say they own it | 213more | 30 |
| Mentions | 1,403more | 255 |
| Type | open-back wired | open-back wired |
| Known for | VocalsJazzRelaxed | DetailPunchNeeds amp |
| Best for | The one headphone almost everyone in the hobby has owned; recommended as the safe buy for long, relaxed music sessions. | The money-no-object pick people recommend for punch and warmth instead of analytical detail. |
| Buy | Amazon · $345 | Amazon · $1499 |
#1 overall
Sennheiser HD 650 (also sold as Drop HD 6XX)
1 of the 11 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
#24 overall
Focal Clear MG
0 of the 11 comments naming both come from people who say they own this one.
What owners love
- Punch and dynamics owners rate above any planar; several call it their daily driver over the Arya
- Warm, even tuning that makes every recording sound good, without fatiguing treble
- Built and finished like a luxury object
The complaints
- Price, and Focal's steep discounting means owners who paid full price feel burned
- Focal drivers can clip on very bass-heavy music at high volume
- Pads and headband discolour; cables wear
- The original Clear was cheaper and some prefer it
In their words
“I also love my Stellias, and focal Clear MG's”
A commenter under the GIANT headphone tier list (end of 2023) (The Headphone Show) · Dec 2023
“I love my Focal Clear MG Pro's”
A commenter under The Best Headphones for Mixing and Mastering (ALL Models Compared) (SonicScoop) · Aug 2023
“You could get a focal clear for under 500, in decent shape”
A commenter under The Best Value in Audiophile Headphones (The Headphone Show) · Aug 2025
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 Focal Clear MG?
- None of the 11 comments naming both says outright which one to buy. Overall, 152 people recommend the Sennheiser HD 650 and 22 the Focal Clear MG. Read what owners love and complain about below and decide by taste.
- Which is cheaper, the Sennheiser HD 650 or the Focal Clear MG?
- The Sennheiser HD 650 is cheaper: $345 against $1499 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 Focal Clear MG?
- The Sennheiser HD 650: 152 people recommend it against 22. On the site-wide leaderboard the Sennheiser HD 650 is #1 and the Focal Clear MG is #24.
- Do people own both the Sennheiser HD 650 and the Focal Clear MG?
- Not that we found. Of the 11 comments naming both, 1 come from owners of the Sennheiser HD 650 and 0 from owners of the Focal Clear MG, and none says they own both.
- What do owners complain about on the Sennheiser HD 650 and the Focal Clear MG?
- The most repeated complaint about the Sennheiser HD 650: needs an amp; from a phone it sounds flat. About the Focal Clear MG: price, and Focal's steep discounting means owners who paid full price feel burned. The full lists are on each side below.