These truly are superb all-rounders that provide the comfort and sound signature that promote long hours of delightful listening. There’s no genre of music for which I wouldn’t recommend the HD650. True, there are other headphones out there that will impress more, whether with sub-bass, top end sparkle, or soundstage, but for sheer listening pleasure, the 650s get out of the way and connect you to the music you love.

There's a sweetness to the HD 650s' open sound that flatters all sorts of music. The detail is all there, but the treble frequencies are more laid back than those of the Grado RS-2 headphones ($500). Hard-rockin' tunes sounded a little tame over the HD 650s, and a switchover to the RS-2s pumped up the excitement factor on Neil Young's Ragged Glory CD--the enriched blasts of raucous energy from Young's guitar sounded more realistic over the RS-2s. But we had the opposite reaction when we played acoustic music, as the HD 650s let us feel more of the weight of Cyrus Chestnut's grand piano on his Revelation CD. The HD 650s' superclean sound encourages listening at a high volume, even at levels that would be painful with other headphones. The HD 650s' bass is bigger than that of the RS-2s, but the RS-2s' definition clarifies details lost to the HD 650s. We heard texture way down in the mix in the RS-2s; details such as the bass player sliding his fingers over the strings are harder to hear on the HD 650s.

They're decently comfortable and have a decently well-balanced sound quality with an open-sounding soundstage. Unfortunately, they lack a bit of bass compared to closed-back neutral listening headphones and also tend to be a bit forward with instruments and vocals but overall they have a good sound quality that's suitable for casual and neutral listening.