Sennheiser HDB 630

[IngMishael]

I pre-ordered mine. Listening now via included dongle streaming via qobuz. First impression is certainly a neutral tuning. Software is great. Controls are a bit sensitive and annoying if you want to reposition your cups. Not too much more to say on this forum, but I'm not super impressed. Just blah IMO. I'll probably return them. DMS had to get paid for that review.

Neutral headphones first always sound blah because they don't make a certain band of frequency sound hyped or exciting. So if you're not looking for that, then yes return. But I have listened to them and they sounded pretty terrific. They're not gonna win any contrast of tone awards and they don't want to but they allowed music to shine on them. Got it for my uncle who needed an ANC headphone but didn't want to let go of tonal coherency and he couldn't be happier

 

[JonK]

Neutral headphones first always sound blah because they don't make a certain band of frequency sound hyped or exciting. So if you're not looking for that, then yes return. But I have listened to them and they sounded pretty terrific. They're not gonna win any contrast of tone awards and they don't want to but they allowed music to shine on them. Got it for my uncle who needed an ANC headphone but didn't want to let go of tonal coherency and he couldn't be happier

Agree 100%, if you look at some of my other posts you'll see the sweeps from one of my rooms - I like neutral. I was hoping for some more micro detail, but that's subjective and not for this forum

 

[LuckyNat]

One has to remember it has general DSP on board which can potentially be used for anything in the future. It has crossfeed options too, as well as the PEQ onboard.

Carrying around a personalised HRTF onboard would be great for immersive content for example.

Currently these DSP functions (PEQ, crossfeed, hrtfs) are stuck on the playback device .. meaning you loose all of that, all of the EQ settings etc when connecting to *anything else* .

Onboard, allocatable DSP is the direction that will change quite a lot IMO. When will it appear on a planar (I guess the amplification side is the issue there )?

EDIT: That said, it would appear the Sony XM5 and even the older XM4, save their EQ settings onboard the headphones too - I hadn't realised that.. maybe the difference here, just in terms of DSP, are just interface design and options, perhaps coupled with greater DSP power ?

 

[mihaifpopa]

Do you have the newer revision maxwell with the strap? I remember the original didn't have the flexible strap and was sort of uncomfortable over longer sessions. I'd say the HDB 630 is a tad more comfy compared to the 1st rev maxwell but equal to or worse than the latest.

I really don't think it's worth getting the HDB 630 in your case, the Maxwell is a very good set of headphones with great sound quality at their price.

I have the original Audeze Maxwell revision with the leather (I think) strap. I guess that's the original one. I find it to be very comfortable as it distributes the weight of the headphones really well on my head.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Since the Maxwell's have planar magnetic drivers, I thought that'd be a plus. The low-end is great on these. I don't intend on using them outside, so don't really need ANC. I also work from home, so it's usually quiet. I just wear a pair of earbuds (AirPods Pro 3) when I'm away from my PC/Mac.

Thanks a bunch for sharing your opinion!

 

[JonK]

One has to remember it has general DSP on board which can potentially be used for anything in the future. It has crossfeed options too, as well as the PEQ onboard.

Carrying around a personalised HRTF onboard would be great for immersive content for example.

Currently these DSP functions (PEQ, crossfeed, hrtfs) are stuck on the playback device .. meaning you loose all of that, all of the EQ settings etc when connecting to *anything else* .

Onboard, allocatable DSP is the direction that will change quite a lot IMO. When will it appear on a planar (I guess the amplification side is the issue there )?

EDIT: That said, it would appear the Sony XM5 and even the older XM4, save their EQ settings onboard the headphones too - I hadn't realised that.. maybe the difference here, just in terms of DSP, are just interface design and options, perhaps coupled with greater DSP power ?

I have the FIIO UTWS5 which has similar DSP functions and can be backed up. I use it with Planar IEMs.

 

[Steakhouse]

Right here:

I asked them to clarify but didn't receive a response, although it's not the first time they've made claims like this. They did something similar with the FIIO FT1.

He said "vast majority". I dont see anything wrong with that.

 

[AetherDrive]

I don’t know about the DMS comment, while I wouldn’t die on that hill, I feel confident in saying that he probably didn’t get payed. That being said the HE-1 comparison is quite silly and probably should only be relevant to the discussion surrounding the crossfeed function which is supposedly modeled after the HE-1’s implementation of it.

I’ve had it for a day myself, initial thoughts on it are quite positive. Comparing to other ANC headphones I’ve had, there’s no boxy voices or bloom in the mid-bass and it doesn’t aggravate my tinnitus which most closed backs do. Tonality is best I’ve heard in a closed back or ANC and while it doesn’t outdo my other closed back, Horizon Closed Carbon, in perceived technicalities, it’s also not in the same price bracket, use case or driver type so it’s not a fair comparison. Also, the crossfeed on low is a very welcome feature, rarely do I use bundled features like this for long as they ultimately come across as just a gimmick but I highly doubt I’ll ever change the setting back outside of making comparisons. It takes it from being a clear Left and Right image on the side of my head to a still pretty closed in, in my head presentation that is frankly better than the default imo.

Edit for grammar…

 

[Mike_Trueman]

Which would sound best for desktop use for music?

HDB 630
or
HD 620S + Topping DX5II

 

[Yasuo]

Shouldn't the focus be on comfort/features/ANC as it is a portable headphone?

 

[Soria Moria]

Which would sound best for desktop use for music?

HDB 630
or
HD 620S + Topping DX5II

If you want to use it alongside things like playing games it might be better to go for the 620S and just EQ it. 630 will probably have significant (100ms+) latency

 

[Mike_Trueman]

If you want to use it alongside things like playing games it might be better to go for the 620S and just EQ it. 630 will probably have significant (100ms+) latency

Yeah i forgot the latency part

 

[kemmler3D]

I didn't realize it has crossfeed too, that's very appealing IMO. but we're still talking about the HDB630 and not the cloud X, right?

The Sony headphones have EQ but only graphic which I find not super useful.

To me crossfeed makes the stereo image seem more continuous and realistic rather than hard panned or straight in the middle. Very small trade-off in tonality. I use it in my desktop setup, too.

I think latency is overrated as a problem for BT headphones unless you know you're really sensitive to it, or you intend to record with them. Lip sync problems don't always become obvious until 200ms+ ... If you're just on a plane or train watching a movie, it should be fine.

 

[Mike_Trueman]

Shouldn't the focus be on comfort/features/ANC as it is a portable headphone?

You can use this as a lossless USB cabled headphone for a desktop setup. Much less clutter on your desk then with a dac and amp setup. That is my focus.

 

[Steakhouse]

I just got mine today. Overall impression ist mixed. The sound is good.

The usability on iOS devices is crappy. It is way too quiet. My Airpods Pro are much louder at max volume. Big fail.
The connection with the BT700 only worked once. Now I cant reconnect it. It shows "Error" in the app.
I already regret selling my iPods Max. Yes SQ was not as good but there was I reason why I bought these a few years ago. it seems that non Apple devices with iOS are still hassle. What a dissapointment.

 

[Mike_Trueman]

I just got mine today. Overall impression ist mixed. The sound is good.

The usability on iOS devices is crappy. It is way too quiet. My Airpods Pro are much louder at max volume. Big fail.
The connection with the BT700 only worked once. Now I cant reconnect it. It shows "Error" in the app.
I already regret selling my iPods Max. Yes SQ was not as good but there was I reason why I bought these a few years ago. it seems that non Apple devices with iOS are still hassle. What a dissapointment.

Can you test it with a PC connected with a usb cable? Is it to quiet?

 

[Steakhouse]

The one time it worked it was still too quiet. Right now I am not in the mood to bother with it anymore. The BT700 does not work anymore and the manual is not helpful in the regard.

Edit:

The dongle works in PC. Still too quiet. I even dont know how I got it working. The manual says it will automatically reconnect once it is paired too the dongle. That is not remotely true.

Edit 2:

It now worked with the dongle on my iPad and iPhone. Point is: once I connect the dongle the handover between iPad and iPhone is broken. When the dongle is connected to the ipad I have to pair it again with my iPhone. And when I dont use the dongle on my iPad anymore I have to pair the headphones again wit it. With the Airpods it just works. I dont have to give one thought. Once connected => always connected to all my devices.
I dont recommend to use the dongle. It is simply not usable right now when you have to pair the Headphones again. The issues seems to be that once the headphones is connected to the dongle the pairings with other devices are void. You have to decide if you will always use the dongle or not.


I too the survey and wrote they are too quiet. That is another dealbreaker.

My bad I found out why it was so quiet. On my ipad somehow "normalize loudness" in the music app settings was active. On my iphone it was disabled an much louder, that's how I found out. So the volume issue is resolved.

 

[JonK]

Can you test it with a PC connected with a usb cable? Is it to quiet?

sounds good via usbc via PC

 

[BrooklynNick]

My Airpods Pro are much louder at max volume. Big fail.

You listen to your Airpods Pro at max volume? 108 dB+ ?!?

 

[Curupira]

Which would sound best for desktop use for music?

HDB 630
or
HD 620S + Topping DX5II

HD 620S needs to be tried on a individual basis to see if you like their treble, as it varies greatly from head to head. Also, for its price and lack of ANC/wireless, I'd be inclined towards the 630. HOWEVER, I'd would for the hype to settle down so you don't be surprised with latent issues.

 

[Steakhouse]

You listen to your Airpods Pro at max volume? 108 dB+ ?!?

I resolved the issue. Loudness normalisation was active in the music app. There is no problem with the max volume anymore. It was my mistake.