We were eager to review the Sennheiser HDB 630 headphones, but there was little time between hearing about them and their arrival to build up our expectations. However, the number of reviews by tech influencers, as well as what we had already heard about the headphones, had us biased. When we finally received the package, opened it, and started listening, we were ready to return them and refuse to write this review because we didn't know what to do with ourselves.
After several days of trying to understand and master the equalizer and going back and forth amid concerns about the fate of this post, we finally understood this device. We'll say right away that the headphones are decent, but we discovered several issues that shouldn't be ignored, which were not immediately clear to us. Of course, we could try to pass off our opinion as objective, but this is entirely our personal experience, which is why it is completely subjective, and you may have completely different impressions of each of the points described. But that doesn't make them any less interesting. Now, before moving on to the main sections of our Sennheiser HDB 630 review, let's take a look at the specifications to better understand these headphones.
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Best Price on Sennheiser HDB 630
The Sennheiser HDB 630 is a premium wireless headphone positioned at the high-end of the market with an emphasis on audiophile-level sound quality, extensive connectivity & long battery life. |
Classic Package
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The Sennheiser HDB 630 comes in a decent, compact box containing only a hard case. The case feels high-quality and is closer to B&W than a "Generic-Chinese-Case". It has a rigid frame, a durable-looking fabric exterior, and a fleece-like interior. Inside, you will find sensibly arranged compartments for storing accessories that have been carefully filled by the company. The hard case contains an in-flight adapter, a Sennheiser BTD 700 Bluetooth® USB-C dongle, a 1.20-meter audio cable with a 3.5-millimeter plug, a 1.20-meter USB-C-to-USB-C audio and charging cable, and instructions & warranty.
The headphones themselves are stored in a tightly molded compartment. You must place them with the left earpiece in the left slot. This is important because the ear cups can rotate a full 180 degrees, so you will miss the first few times, trust us. But then you'll get used to it.
After removing the headphones from the case, they may feel loose due to the ear cups' ability to rotate, which means there will be variability in how they fit your head. When the ear pads are made of leatherette, as they are here, and stick quite strongly to the skin, it takes a little time to find the right fit. However, it is important that they are comfortable. With the compression force and weight of these headphones, you can wear them for hours without getting tired. The only drawback is that in the summer, the ear pads and complete seal will make your ears and head hot. Even now, in the cool autumn and winter, this is noticeable.
Overall, the headphones' materials are pleasant but not ultra-premium. The headband is made of leatherette on top and has a soft-touch coating on the contact area. A similar material is used in Neumann headband headphones. The ear cups are made of plastic that looks simple and shows fingerprints slightly. The hinges appear high-quality, and the headband adjustment is smooth. It does not lock with clicks, similar to Bowers & Wilkins headphones. However, unlike those headphones, some of the ear cup mounting elements are plastic. They are painted to match the color of aluminum, so it's hard to tell which parts are plastic. Ultimately, though, it doesn't matter. The build quality is obviously very good. Heavier materials would have compromised comfort, so we give it a solid "ten out of ten"!
Now, let's jump straight to the most important thing of our Sennheiser HDB 630 review: the sound. As we mentioned earlier, achieving the desired sound was quite challenging. Initially, the sound was rather oversaturated at low frequencies, leaving no "room" for other frequencies. Most of the time, we tried to add frequencies, but we actually needed to subtract them. By reducing the richness and freeing up space, we could hear more details, and we took the overload off the driver. In some places, the driver simply couldn't cope with the high expectations. We listened and tested at high volume, where such moments are audible. For those who listen at medium volume or lower, the volume and frequency curve will differ.
We will add our equalizer settings below, but we hope you understand that everyone's ears and preferences are different. Therefore, we are only showing what suited our hearing and taste.
The last picture with Master Gain requires an explanation. If you adjust the equalizer too much, the overall gain and amplification will decrease, as will the volume level. The equalizer does not exactly follow the set parameters, but we cannot verify this without a measuring stand. To us, the numerical values you set are less than the actual sound changes. In other words, the equalizer's response is very noticeable, so you should adjust it gradually and carefully. This is the first time we are writing about equalized sound. We did not like the sound provided at the default preset (Neutral) at all. We performed the equalization in such a way that the gain level would not be reduced.
Let's start with an explanation of our settings. As mentioned above, start by reducing the low frequencies, specifically by suppressing 80 Hz by 1 dB. Type: Peak, Width: 0.70 (Ratio). This gives you the best clarity. However, we know that everyone's ear canals are physiologically different. For example, one ear canal may be larger than the other. Many people should compensate for this range rather than remove or add anything. For all such "opposites," however, we recommend avoiding high volume levels.
We wanted more presence from the guitars, vocals, and all midrange instruments, so we added two peaks at 1.5 and 2.7 kHz, with widths (Ratio) of 1.00 and 1.50 at 0.5 and 1 dB, respectively. This made the sound more natural without affecting other frequencies.
Of course, we suspect that some of the peaks could be refined further, but the equalizer has its limitations. Since we only have the headphones for review and testing purposes and do not own them, we decided not to bother. For those interested, here's where to start: Use an equalizer that can isolate frequencies to identify the ones that hurt your ears. Then, just press them down. However, we still urge you not to overload the built-in digital signal processor (DSP) or your hearing.
Thanks to the Aptx Lossless codec, you are almost guaranteed to get a channel width in the BT stream that will accommodate all the information without loss. Many people nowadays are transferring their libraries to 24/44-96, and BT bandwidth is unlikely to significantly limit your listening experience. For this reason, the focus is more on the frequency settings, which we have addressed, and the ergonomics of the ear cups.
Sennheiser proudly displays the frequency response graphs of another one of its wired models, the legendary HD 650. There is indeed something to it. However, just as other manufacturers have failed, Sennheiser itself has only managed to produce something derivative. First, closed-back headphones can never achieve the same stage settings, detail, or clarity. Second, adding bass completely changes the balance and sound of the midrange, affecting the perception of the treble. Therefore, this attempt to show similarity to the HD 650 model is just marketing; the two models have almost nothing in common. However, that doesn't make the HDB 630s worse. After all, there is plenty of textured, fast bass here. Nothing like this existed in the legendary audiophile 650s, nor could it. The HDB 630 also has physical depth, with monstrous low-end performance that goes far beyond the limits of human hearing. Its well-executed 42 mm driver creates elastic waves that press on your eardrums and shape the soundstage. Thanks to the good bass, the sound has a foundation. However, as mentioned above, it's important not to overdo it!
The midrange is less noticeable here than in the wired Sennheiser HD 650 model, to which the new product is often compared. However, it is still a sound that can safely be called "natural." Until recently, this balance did not exist in the world of wireless headphones, and only a few top models could achieve it. Of course, closed headphones will not have the same clarity as open ones, but it has become possible for another model to faithfully reproduce the body of instruments and voices. If you want to emphasize this range, use your equalizer and experiment within the manufacturer's specified limits (specifically, the 6 dB limit for equalizer settings).
As for the high frequencies, we have no complaints compared to many competitors. The range extends far beyond human hearing capabilities; the only question is what and how you want to hear. Many competitors have obvious problems with the high-frequency settings on their digital signal processors (DSPs), so we would call the default setting fairly neutral. Everything in moderation – sibilants don't jump around, panning is clear, and spatial effects control the mood while you listen.
If you were expecting a negative review of this sound, sorry, but not this time. Yes, we had to make some minor tweaks and corrections, but they were all minor. Within the framework of your existing setup, this sound works perfectly!
We still don't understand this trick with the tilted drivers. No matter what angle we choose, the soundstage does not feel brought forward as it should. We suspect the ear cups should be redesigned to be larger, like the Sennheiser HD 800S or the Neumann NDH-30. However, this design would contradict the idea of a compact, mobile device. However, compared to the Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2, the soundstage doesn't jump up to the top of our heads, which is an improvement.
The app description will be brief because it's more fun to explore it yourself. The most interesting feature is the equalizer we described above. The app is called Smart Control Plus and is available for both Android and iPhone. We previously used a similar app with the Sennheiser Momentum Sport. The two apps look similar and have similar functionality. We don't know if one replaced the other or what has changed, but the previous version did not have the “Plus” suffix.
This app is a hub for your Sennheiser devices, helping you to connect, update, and combine them. First and foremost are the updates. We recommend updating as soon as updates become available. There was an update waiting for us when we opened the app.
After updating, the first block we see is the equalizer. There are ready-made presets here. The "Neutral" preset has a switch for bass boost, which we generally do not recommend using. Use equalization correctly. You can try an equalizer designed for beginners, which offers several simplified sounds to help you choose the best one. After a few steps like this, you should achieve the best possible sound for you, but this didn't work for us before with Momentum Sport, and it still doesn't work now. Still, give it a try to understand how it works.
Next, you can adjust the Crossfeed setting, which allows you to add mutual penetration of channels L into R and vice versa, thus emulating listening on speakers. In our opinion, this feature negates all the work the sound engineer put into creating the album or track you're listening to.
Next, you can manage all the connections on the headphones. You can forget devices, turn multipoint on and off, and so on. The Noise Control block manages permeability, wind protection, and ANC modes. The settings are quite flexible with lots of features.
In our opinion, the most controversial section is Controls. We would like to turn off the touch controls, but some functions become unavailable, so we struggled immensely with all these touch-and-drag features. It's frustrating and infuriating, but you can eventually come to terms with it. Until the next accidental press! Or the accidental activation of the sensors, which pauses the track. You also have dirty hands while cleaning… If it were up to us, we would remove all these sensors.
There is also a cool feature similar to Find My on the iPhone, so check it out. But Soundzones is both interesting and pointless. You give the app access to your location, and then the phone – consuming a lot of energy, in addition to the already extensive list of services – will start switching ANC and permeability modes depending on your geographical location. Isn't that great? You arrive, and it turns on. However, it doesn't match your current mood or priorities, so you still have to reach into your pocket to adjust the sound mode.
We were amazed to find the current headphone connection scheme, Signal Path, in the settings. It provides a clear understanding of the sound processing scheme on the device and beyond.
The app allows you to follow the latest news and announcements from Sennheiser. This could otherwise be ignored, but Sennheiser is a company whose new products are of great interest to enthusiasts, so being the first to know about everything can be quite interesting.
Finally, you can add or remove all the control blocks on the main screen so that you only keep the ones you need and don't have to scroll up and down the page. However, after setting up the equalizer, we stopped using the app altogether, so we can't assess the necessity of this setting. It's better to have more than you need than to need it and not have it.
One of the first things we did with the headphones was connect them to the FiiO BT11 instead of the native dongle, which we will discuss later. You know what? We were pleasantly surprised! It turns out that the native Sennheiser BTD 700 dongle is just an accessory, while the headphones are a universal tool. The third-party dongle works with all the headphones' supported codecs (AAC, SBC, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Lossless), except LDAC, which is unavailable on the headphones but available on the FiiO BT11. It also does not limit connection flexibility and is fully compatible with PS5, Mac, iPhone, Windows, and Android. Therefore, if you lose your native dongle or want a dongle for every device in your home, you can use alternative solutions.
When connecting your headphones directly to a smartphone, the codecs work from the best supported to the least supported. Of course, iPhones and Macs connect exclusively via AAC; Android devices connect via Qualcomm aptX (if available), then AAC, and finally SBC. Windows uses SBC by default. To work with other codec types, you need the capabilities of your PC's Bluetooth (BT) module and third-party drivers, which can be found online for a small fee.
However, we are most interested in the interaction with the proprietary Sennheiser BTD 700 dongle. Here, of course, we have the best compatibility. It establishes connections and controls faster and more efficiently. Although the dongle lacks control software, it has a button on its small body that can be used to switch modes and connect to other devices. With the native dongle, the headphones connect fastest. The sound quality and channel width are also more compatible with the headphones. In fact, this is the only platform focused on working with each other. The only difference is that the dongle can work with other devices that have common aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive codecs.
We tested the dongle with headphones on the PS5 for some time. Everything worked well for us: excellent sound quality and instant compatibility. However, it's important to remember to press the dongle button each time you connect to enter the lowest latency mode, where the priority is speed of sound transmission rather than quality. The manufacturer claims "ultra-low latency of only 30 ms," but this latency is not unique to this product; even inexpensive Chinese brands can achieve it. Additionally, the sound quality in games is usually not very high, so prioritizing speed will not degrade it. The fact that you are playing with high-quality, balanced sound is noteworthy.
Against the backdrop of everything described above, we almost forgot about such insignificant things, namely that these headphones rival any other headset incorporating ANC technology. ANC is here, and it works very well. Although passive isolation is slightly above average, possibly due to the materials used in the construction of the headphones, which transmit some vibrations from external sound, we can still give a positive evaluation of the capabilities of ANC. We would therefore characterise the Sennheiser HDB 630 headphones as a very capable companion for travellers, office workers and anyone who wants to shut out the outside world in order to focus on work or relax. At the same time, they do not create a noticeable vacuum, which many people find very unpleasant.
As always with Sennheiser, the transparency mode is excellent. It is one of the best on the market and users will appreciate the absence of constant background noise transmitted to the microphone. Sound is transmitted as naturally as possible, making it pleasant to use.
And, of course, there's the microphone. During conversations, colleagues noted several times that the sound quality was much better than usual. We won't mention any specific brands here – let's keep that a secret. During testing, we never had to raise our voices to be heard. Even when it was very windy outside, we were able to speak comfortably without having to shout over those around us.
We won't say that it's difficult to compare these headphones with their direct competitors because there may be better ones out there, but none of them can match the sound quality of these headphones. There are better ones in terms of ANC (Bose and Sony), and there is a 'luxury' segment with exquisite materials where tactility is paramount (Dali and B&W). Then there are those where sound quality is the main priority. The question is therefore what you are looking for, as all decent models have slightly different characteristics.
Among the truly audiophile companies, the remarkable Beyerdynamic Aventho 300s stand out. We had the opportunity to try them out not long ago and were delighted with them. Initially, we thought the Aventho would dash Sennheiser's hopes of gaining a share of the portable audio market, but after adjusting the equaliser, we would definitely put them on the same level. The attention to detail, the ergonomics and the sound – we can't even imagine how to choose a winner here. The best approach is to have both models and enjoy whichever you prefer depending on your mood.
And this is despite the fact that we only considered replacing our Audeze Maxwell headphones with the Aventho 300. We use the Maxwells for everyday multimedia tasks at our SoundGale studio, not professional ones. The Maxwell headphones are now ghost headphones. They exist, but they are not on the shelves. No matter how many pairs on store shelves, they all sell out. They have a planar driver, a dongle for high-resolution music playback, gaming capability, a monster battery and an equally monstrous weight. The soundstage width of the Sennheiser HDB 630 and the Audeze Maxwell are quite similar. However, the Audeze Maxwell has an ultra-fast magneto-planar driver, is heavy and does not have ANC. If you need noise cancellation and the ability to move around the city, the Sennheiser HDB 630 is the obvious choice. Otherwise, you should first consider whether you want to carry that much weight on your head, as even the thickest neck will start to ache over time. Secondly, due to different types of drivers, the sound of the models is very different, and you shouldn't assume that a certain similarity in the midrange frequency response makes these models even remotely similar.
In our opinion, the Focal Bathys still have the best frequency response on paper, as well as more detailed high frequencies. This is not due to the amount of information, but rather the interesting implementation of peaks at high frequencies. Still, we would like to hear the successor to the Bathys someday, which will have newer technology, because time spares no one, and these headphones may become irrelevant for some when Aptx Lossless already exists and the lack of a codec in a smartphone can be compensated for with a compact dongle.
And a few words about Sennheiser's attempt to compare their new model HDB 630 with the previous Momentum 4. They have nothing in common except for the base, the platform on which they began to build and unify production. The sound of the Sennheiser HDB 630 significantly surpasses the previous model in both tone and detail.The previous Sennheiser Momentum 4 model is worth buying, especially during the discount season and store sales, due to its lower cost.
We realize the text is very long, but we wanted to ensure that we included all the necessary information and emphasized all the important points in our Sennheiser HDB 630 review so that you could understand the product. In our opinion, the product is successful. However, there are a few things we would like to know before buying these rather expensive headphones. Especially since we don't have the opportunity to listen to them beforehand.
So, can you buy them blindly? If you've considered all the points mentioned in the text and they don't concern you, then yes. However, there is still something else. What about competitors that are worthy of attention? How can you live with your choice without being able to compare? It's simple here – this level of headphones is so high and all competitors have such great audio solutions that there's no wrong choice. Therefore, you should just choose a pair, buy them, and enjoy your music without feeling anxious.
We hope you enjoyed our review of the Sennheiser HDB 630 headphones. Please feel free to leave your comments, questions, and suggestions in the section below. We will be happy to answer them all as soon as possible. If you already own HDB 630's and have used it for a while, don't forget to share your impressions and tell us what you liked or disliked about these headphones.
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Nice review! I had these headphones but ended up returning them and sticking with the PX8 S2. I mostly agree with your review - I never managed to make them sound good for me. Too "neutral" and unengaging. I did find the ANC and Transparency so-so, however. Definitely less capable than the PX8 S2 - especially the transparency. ONE MISTAKE I saw here though - and I've confirmed this with a Sennheiser representative over on head-fi forums. While the included BTD 700 dongle is Aptx Lossless capable - the HDB 630 are NOT capable of receiving an Aptx Lossless signal. Yes, I was also shocked - shipping non aptx lossless capable headphones (Sennheiser has other aptx lossless capable headphones) with an aptx lossless capable dongle.