Customer Ratings & Reviews

I compared these againt Aipod max usb c lossless, Sennheiser 560s with iFi Zen DAC v2, AirPods Pro2, and I must say the HDB 630 is my fav. The mids are truly amazing and streaming them over Spotify lossless works great. I also tried Tidal but Spotify takes the overall win in terms of experience. The BTD 700 dongle and battery are top of class. I never cared much about battery because I use these at home and work but not having to charge in two weeks of average few hours a day use is pretty stellar.

These are the best headphones I've ever had. The sound quality is excellent, and I especially love their unique dynamic equalizer and connectivity—I can switch devices instantly, and it's intuitive and easy to use.

The HDB 630 by Sennheiser provide the sensation that the first pair of wireless headphones in a long time is being made with the mindset that the customer cares about sound, and still desires to enjoy the perks of Bluetooth and noise cancelling. They do not deal with gimmicks but in getting the fundamentals of comfort, tuning and useful features that are really needed. Design and build The HDB 630 out of the box do not attempt to amaze anybody with flashy styling, this is actually part of the charm. They look clean and understated all black with a smattering of classic Sennheiser serious audio equipment ambiance as opposed to fashion accessory. The plastic and metal components are solid, and they are properly assembled, without the creaks and hollowness on this price range. The ear cups are deep and oval and the pads are not rigid such that they shape around the ears rather than pushing them flat, and this contributes a lot when listening to long music. The forgiveness of the pads will doubtless be a blessing to people who wear glasses specially and you will find they seal up easily, without your having to hold them on to your head with your death grip. The force of clamps is moderate it is tight enough to walk or commute and yet not tight enough to make you want to take off after an hour. The power/pairing and a physical toggle along with a gesture-detecting touch surface are located on all the primary controls, which are on the right ear cup. It is the everything on one side strategy which makes things simple as soon as your muscle memory comes into effect. The cups are further swiveled and can be packed in a bag. Only negative thing is the full swivel occasionally has the effect of you wearing them in a position that is not exactly of center axis and this can alter the sound in a subtle way which you can only notice when you swivel the swivels. Comfort and everyday use The HDB 630 are very easy to live with in the day to day use. The padding of the headband is sufficient so that you do not feel a hot spot just above the head of the head, and the weight between the cups and band is well distributed. They do not feel anything feather-light whatsoever, in an hour or two of hearing, but they neither go beyond that to get these off my head weary. A pure design of isolation is good in itself and to put them on in a silent chamber is to have a pleasant impression of hush anticipation before the power is turned on. The closed-back shell coupled with the soft pads together gives a commute ride or a visit to an office a big reduction of the surrounding back talk and buzz. Another strength is the life of the battery. You may actually consider these as charge em to forget it after a few days. The quick-charge option is really handy on top of an already lengthy run time a quick top-up will literally provide you with enough time to play through a workday or a long flight. Transparency Noise cancelling HDB 630, although not the best in the market, is good when noise cancellation is your highest consideration. They do a good job of low frequency rumbles, air conditioning, bus and train noise, or airplane cabin rumbles. But they are not that close to the level of silence that the even strongest ANC rivals reach. At this price, there are those individuals who might anticipate the best of the best in terms of cancellation and are slightly disappointed. Under real-world conditions, in most cases, commuting, in a cafe, being on an airplane, they filter out enough noise that you start hearing your music or podcast, and you do not even have to blast it. Transparency/ambient modes are useful when one needs to hear announcements or even quick conversations without necessarily removing the headphones. They are rather natural and do not have that over-processing, underwater sound that certain transparency modes do, but then they are not any better than having nothing on your ears. Sound quality Sound is the one area that the HDB 630 really stand out amongst the typical wireless crowd. The total tuning has all been brought to neutral and natural instead of the normal V-shaped lots of bass and treble, scooped mids sound that most consumers are used to. Provided you were fond of the Sennheider traditional concept of HD 600/650 of tuning, this seems to be a modern, closed-back and wireless adaptation to this principle. Bass is focused, swift and tamed. It has actual punch and weight when the song requires it, however it does not blur into the midrange and make everything look like a low-end shimmer. There is sub-bass without being overindulged these are not aiming at shaking your head necessarily. They dwell on definition instead, with kick drums being easily articulated, bass guitars being easy to follow and the electronic bass lines remaining articulate. The vocals are quite realistic and natural: clear and forward without being shouty and nasal. Pianos, acoustic instruments and strings sound natural and well balanced. It is in this midrange-level that most mainstream ANC headphones fail to perform, the HDB 630 are able to maintain that midband clean even with ANC active. The treble is harmonious and moderate. It has lots of detail and air, yet does not have the biting sizzle or piercing peaks that some wireless headphones have that make them tiresome to wear over the years. The use of cymbals, hi-hats and sibilants are not overdone. When you are inured to headphones that emphasize the treble to create a sense of detail, you may find the HDB 630 to be a little more relaxed at the top at first but the more you listen the better they sound. It is a very good closed-back noisy-cancelling wireless imaging and soundstage. You have a consistent feeling of side-by-side placement, as well as a degree of depth, without the elements falling into the heart of your head. It is not an open-back experience and when it comes to this category, they are spacious but not cramped. Features and connectivity The flexibility of the HDB 630 is one of the most remarkable features which is related to connections and tuning. These allow regular Bluetooth audio listening, of course, although they also include a dongle developed by Sennheiser to allow them to support low-latency and high-quality wireless audio. It comes in specially when playing video, watching a game or when using products whose Bluetooth sound quality is not always good. On top of wireless, USB-C audio and a standard 3.5 mm analog input is also present. USB-C especially is exceptional it allows you to get the headphones nearly like an external DAC/Amp combo, with cleaner and more detailed sound than most Bluetooth connections of compatible devices would offer. Wired USB-C is the option that will extract the full extent of quality out of them. The companion app offers an additional aspect of adjustment which is missing in most wireless headphones. It has a true parametric EQ, rather than just a basic 3-band EQ, giving you the ability to make very specific adjustments to frequencies - adjust exact frequencies, bandwidth, and gain. It is a dream feature to enthusiasts, able to give them a touch warmer, or a touch more sparkly, or pursue your favorite target curve. Additional listening capabilities are also included such as crossfeed where left and right channels are slightly combined to simulate how speakers could sound in a room. This can help in making listening more natural, and less tiring, with older stereo recordings which hard-pan instruments. A single notable feature: once you use the microphones, whether placing a call or in a meeting or switching on voice chat, the Headphones mode change to one in which it allocates more mic bandwidth than strict playback quality such as many Bluetooth headsets. That is to say that the quality of music suffers under a telephone call. In casual calls it is okay, but in case you had the hopes of gaming, chatting, and listening to full-quality music at the same time using Bluetooth technology, the latter is something you should know. Microphone and calls In terms of voice calls, the microphones are a fairly sufficient isolator of your voice in relatively noisy settings. Users will typically have no issue with your voice being heard during work or even in a for a minute conversation, wind noise is managed even though you are not in extreme conditions. These are however not attempting to be the best communication headset. There are more aggressive voice focus models, should you use the phone most of the time, as in extremely noisy environments. What stands out in a good way: Exquisite, truly audiophile quality tuning, tight bass, gorgeous mids and smooth treble. Exceptional quality sound including all connection types but with USB-C and its provided wireless dongle as a noticeable improvement. Very comfortable and close deep pads, good distribution of weight and strong passive isolation. Parametric EQ, crossfeed and versatile wired/wireless options are sophisticated and meaningful features. Long durations on the battery and fast charging. Where they fall short: The kind of noise cancelling is good, even over some, which will not be accepted at this price by some. The design is not flashy or fashion forward and a bit of a dull one. Audio fidelity during calls is limited by the performance of the Mic and Bluetooth hands-free mode. All controls upon one ear piece and entire swivel design have not a large learning curve, and sound can be affected by the location when placed unevenly. Sennheiser HDB 630 is like a breath of fresh air in an industry that is littered with list of features that on paper seem impressive but in real life sound like a mediocre companion. In case sound quality, comfort, and actual control over the tuning of your headphones are important, or you can accept only good as opposed to best in the noise cancelling, they are easy to recommend.

I’m a Momentum 4 owner who just got these Sennheiser HDB-630s. The Momentum 4 headphones have performed phenomenally for me over the past few years. The two are mostly similar in appearance with some minor aesthetic differences. I discovered while trying to pair these to my phone that the HDB-630 does not work with the Sennheiser SmartControl app. I was instead prompted to download SmartControl+, which has support for the additional features that the HDB-630 offers. Fortunately, my Momentum 4 and other Sennheiser devices work with the new app as well, so I added them all and deleted the first-gen SmartControl app. The HDB-630 headphones look good to me despite reading some online complaints that they look “cheap” or “plain.” These admittedly aren’t as snazzy-looking as some of the competition, but unless they’re really weird or ugly-looking, I couldn’t care less about looks with headphones. My main concern is sound, and these deliver in spades in that category. They sound much better than many “prettier” headphones.   The headphones ship inside a rigid zippered storage case along with a USB-C charging cable, USB-C Bluetooth receiver, airplane adapter, and 3.5mm audio cable. Unlike the all-black Momentum 4, the HDB-630 has silver metallic-like accents, although both headsets are plastic. Weight isn’t bad, and the HDB-630 feels comfortable on my head for short or lengthy listening sessions. The soft adjustable cups fit my ears comfortably and don’t feel shallow or tight. The cups also do not heat up or feel uncomfortably warm during wear. The headband is soft and mostly unnoticeable on my plus-size head. Overall, the headphones have been comfortable, even when worn nonstop for several hours at a time. Battery life has been impressive. I’ve been listening all week long and have not had to charge them yet. It’s not exactly surprising because the Momentum 4 also had excellent battery life.   Sound is where these headphones excel. They’re billed as hi-res audiophile quality, and they do indeed sound spectacular. Sound is pure, with everything tuned flat and no EQ distortion out of the box. Treble and midrange are clear with no shrillness or overly bright properties. Bass is controlled and clean-sounding while maintaining good impactful resonance. Sound can be tailored in the Sennheiser SmartControl+ app through several different methods. Both a parametric and 5-band graphic EQ are offered. The app also allows crossfeed for blending the right and left channels. It was my first time trying crossfeed enabled headphones and it has been impressive. Numerous presets are offered for different genres, and sound can be assigned to location-based zones that activate preselected presets based on location (home, train, work, gym, etc.).   I don’t know if these will be particularly appealing to bass heads because these aren’t bass-heavy like some of the bass-centric competitors. Even with bass boost enabled, these have a tighter, more controlled sound for listeners who prefer well-balanced music versus overpowering bass that drowns out everything else. I appreciate bass as much as the next person, but bass is one of those things where it’s easy to go overboard and ruin the sound if not careful. I have extra bass-enabled headphones for times when I want to rattle my teeth with an overload of bass. For everyday listening however, these are much more suitable. Like the Momentum, the HDB-630 has several useful operational features. The headphones sense when they are removed from or placed into the case and automatically power on or off accordingly. The ANC is good and robust. I typically have loud PC fans running in the background, and it easily masks that noise along with non-loud ambient sounds around me. Certain sound frequencies and louder volumes sometimes bleed through, but the ANC is more than sufficient for my needs. The ANC also has wind noise reduction for mic use. The mic sounds good for occasional use, but I almost never use headphones for calls unless it’s an emergency. For those who do use the mic, it sounds fine for meetings or phone calls. The one area of disappointment was the cup touch controls. They don’t work on this HDB-630. I loved them on my Momentum 4, and they were handy for advancing tracks and adjusting volume, but they simply don’t work at all on this set. I tap and swipe, but it does nothing. I confirmed the feature was enabled in the app, and it still works fine on my Momentum, but not at all on these. I’m hoping it’s just a firmware issue and not a physical defect. My only other issue with these is the same as the Momentum: non-replaceable cup cushions. I just have to hope neither cushion ever gets worn out or damaged.   Now for the big question: should you get these if you already have the Momentum 4? It really depends on what you’re looking for. If you are happy with the Momentum 4 and only considering these because they’re new, I’d say stick with the Momentum. If specifically seeking a more audiophile neutral quality with more evenly balanced sound and tighter, more controlled bass, these are the ticket. If you own neither and don’t particularly need a more neutral sound, I’d suggest the Momentum 4 based on price alone. I’ve seen it selling for up to 60% cheaper than the HDB-630. Not a small price difference.

📦 UNBOXING: Inside the box, you’ll find the protective case which has everything secured inside. In that case, you’ll find the HDB 630 headphone, the BTD 700 wireless dongle, an airplane adapter, a 2.5mm to 3.5mm analog cable, and a USB Type-C to Type-C cable for both charging and listening over USB. Additionally, there’s a quick start guide including instructions for both the HDB 630 and BTD 700 dongle. 💪 BUILD: My immediate first impression is that the protective case instills confidence that the headphones will be protected in a drop. The case has dedicated compartments and pouches for all the accessories, so everything remains very organized, but you won’t be able to fit additional cables comfortably. The headphone itself weighs 311 grams, so it’s lightweight, but still heavier than some of the other mainstream competition for ANC headphones. It’s a very plasticky build with a no-frills look that makes it pretty unexciting when it comes to aesthetics and feel in the hands. But the focus for the HDB 630 isn’t aesthetic—it’s sound. The ear pads are user-replaceable which is great, and there are already a number of options on the market since the HDB 630 uses the same attachment mechanism as the older Momentum 4. ⚙️ CONTROLS: The right earcup houses all the HDB 630's controls. There is a single button that when long-pressed (3s) is used to power on and off, and if held for longer (5s) will enter pairing mode. Once paired, a single press will spawn your voice assistant, and a double-press will tell you the battery life. All other controls are performed via touch-sensitive controls on the outer ear cup. A single-tap will play/pause, and a double-tap will switch between transparency and ANC modes. Swiping up and down will increment the volume, and swiping left and right will skip tracks. Also pinching inward with two fingers will decrease transparency, while spreading outward will increase transparency. The change is in 40% increments, and phases between ANC and transparency modes. One poor user experience I noticed is that double-tapping doesn’t switch back to ANC mode unless transparency is at 100%. In my opinion, the headphone should have options to dependably switch between ANC, off and transparency and remember the levels set for ANC and transparency modes. While this isn’t a deal breaker for me, I do think that it makes for a less intuitive experience. There are additional gestures for phone calls you can find in the manual or the app, and if you want to completely disable the touch-sensitive controls and rely on playback controls from your source device, you can do that, too. ☁️ COMFORT: The HDB 630 uses a new Japanese Protein Leatherette headband from IDEATEX, and I can confirm that it delivers on comfort. With headphones, I am usually most sensitive at the apex of my scalp, and I had no issues with wearing the HDB 630 for hours at a time. And because the headphone weighs in at only 311g, there shouldn’t be much downward pressure to necessitate more padding. Similarly, the ear pads use a synthetic leatherette which applies a gentle amount of clamping pressure. I never experienced any pain at my jaw or at my temples—especially as someone who wears glasses while wearing headphones. So if you like to wear headphones while working, studying, relaxing, gaming, etc. then the HDB 630 will hold up well for hours at a time. 🎧 SOUND QUALITY: Sound is where the HDB 630 excels. Out of the box, this headphone excels at delivering a neutral sound signature for more analytical listening. However, the smartphone app gives you the ability to use either a 5-band graphic equalizer or a full fledged parametric equalizer to fine-tune the sound signature to your liking. To my ears, they sound much more like a 600-series Sennheiser audiophile headphone than the typical consumer Bluetooth headphone, which audiophiles will definitely appreciate. Compared to the vast majority of ANC headphones, the HDB 630 stands among the top options for audio performance, and it even undercuts many of those options in price. Since this is a closed back headphone, its sound stage won’t reach the width of something like an open back HD 560S. But it does a good job at creating stereo separation so that instruments can be positionally distinguished in the mix. 🔊 ANC / AMBIENT SOUND: The ANC performance is reasonably competitive on the HDB 630, which I’m happy to see. However, to attain the best performance, I found that I needed to make some configuration changes in the app. First, I set “Noise Control” to “Custom”, as the “Adaptive” mode is not nearly as strong with its ANC. Then I set the Anti-wind feature either to “Off” or to “Auto”, as the “Max” mode will incur quite a bit of noise bleed. Before making these adjustments, the ANC performance was fair, but not even close to competitive with the best known ANC headphones on the market. After making these adjustments, I would say the HDB 630’s ANC performance is a step below the best ANC headphones on the market. So if the best ANC is your primary focus, then you might want to look at those options. But if sound quality is more important to you, then I think the HDB 630 is way more impressive. For transparency, I think Sennheiser still has a ways to go to reach the performance we’ve seen out of other brands. With transparency set to 100%, I still feel like there’s a veil over my ears, and things are still quieter than if I had simply removed the headphones from my head. Moreover, there’s an audible noise floor that I can hear when transparency is enabled. While it is lessened when the transparency level is lowered, it’s just not something I experience on some other flagship ANC headphones. To me, it’s still very usable, but it’s not going to be competitive with the best. 🎙️ MICROPHONE QUALITY: The microphone quality is great thanks to the 4 onboard MEMS beamforming microphones. In my testing, my voice had a clear presentation that sounded closer to the microphone, and had a good mid-range focus so my voice never sounded tinny or overly bassy. Without any additional processing, there was some background audio bleed, but my voice always remained clear. Using the microphone while plugged into USB-C yields no real improvements in clarity. In my testing, the sample rate only goes up to 16kHz, and sounded very similar to the performance on Bluetooth. 💿 SOFTWARE: The HDB 630 can be configured with the Sennheiser Sound Control Plus app, and it’s overall an improved app compared to their original Sound Control app. You don’t need an account to use the app, but doing so can allow you to backup your settings. Most importantly, the app allows you to control your ANC and transparency modes, enable the Anti-Wind mode, and use a graphic EQ or parametric EQ. You also have access to a couple crossfeed modes for music where the bass may be imbalanced into one ear. There’s also the connection device list that lets you connect/disconnect the headphones from remembered devices. You can toggle multipoint connectivity here, which I used during my time testing it. One thing I didn’t like is that it appears the Sound Control Plus app does not work over Bluetooth LE mode, which means that you cannot configure the HDB 630 if it’s not connected to your phone. So if the HDB 630 is connected to a laptop and a TV, I cannot change the settings from the app until I first disconnect the headphone from one of those devices, then connect my phone to the HDB 630. This is quite inconvenient; and given that there is no way for me to change which devices I want to be connected to from the headphone itself, this is the only way to “quickly” change the connected devices. And there’s no way to trade the phone’s connection for another device in the list. Sennheiser needs to improve here compared to its competitors, so I hope this is something they’ll consider in an update or future model. I appreciate the parametric EQ, as it gives users the ability to really tune the headphone to their liking. It allows you to do an A/B comparison before you save a change to a preset, and also bypass the EQ so you can hear how it compares to the stock signature of the headphone. If you’re new to EQ’ing, Sennheiser also has a Sound Check feature that lets you listen to your own music and select from 3 options for each band in the 5-band graphic EQ. You can also use the Sound Zone feature to automate your EQ preset and Noise control settings based on your geo location. 🔋 BATTERY: Battery life is great in my experience. Sennheiser claims up to 60 hours of battery life, and even with ANC enabled, I’ve been getting incredibly long battery performance. This is a headphone that will last a full week of heavy use, and for lighter usage, perhaps even two weeks before needing a full charge. The HDB 630 tops up to 100% in 2 hours, and a 10 minute charge can yield up to 7 hours of playback. 🧐 CONCLUSION: Overall, the HDB 630 is a superb sounding headphone that delivers solid ANC performance. It sounds better than every other ANC headphone in its price bracket, and still sounds better than many headphones that are even more expensive. The inclusion of the BTD 700 dongle makes it versatile for a wide variety of circumstances, but its lack of LE Audio means that its microphone won’t be good for wireless gaming since it will use low bitrate mono audio when the microphone is engaged. Moreover, Sennheiser has a way to go with making their connectivity switching a more seamless experience like the competition. If there’s anything to take away from this review, it’s that Sennheiser made sound quality the highest priority for the HDB 630, leaving other features in a decent state, but not as good as the competition.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened the box for these. They looked rather humble and modest despite the elaborate encasing. They began surprising me from the get-go though as the headphones were ready to go as soon as I unboxed them. They immediately turned on and got into pairing mode when I took them out and they connected via Bluetooth immediately. That was a first as someone who has had many headphones. What’s included? The headphones come encased in a well-made, zippered travel case. Within the case the USB-C-to-USB-C cord, an aux cord, a Bluetooth USB dongle, an inflight adapter, and the manual are all snugly tucked into their own compartments. The case is a bit large, but easy for my small hands to grab and carry, nonetheless. It also has a strap to hold it or attach it. Quality of Build Aesthetically, the headphones are plain and simple – understated and inconspicuous save for the logo. I personally prefer the unassuming presentation when I’m out and about. The headphones are made of a hard plastic that is good at not showing fingerprints. The large earcups are deeply padded and soft on the skin, while the headband is also well-cushioned and covered with a velvety material noted as Japanese leatherette by the description. They are quite lightweight and I have had not issues with discomfort whatsoever when wearing them for hours on end. I wear glasses and they do not clamp down hard enough to cause soreness or fatigue either, yet they still provide an excellent seal around my ear to muffle most sounds even when off. Touch Control This is my first time using touch control settings on headphones and I have mixed feelings about it. When they work, they are fantastic! It is much more intuitive for me to scroll the volume up and down and tap to play/pause. It is easier than trying to find buttons, especially when my pointer finger or thumbs are dirty, as I often use headphones while cooking and cleaning – I can use any finger to scroll instead of having to train my pinky to find and use buttons. That said, it stops working sometimes. I am not sure if it happens after prolonged use or after putting them on and taking them off too often in a short period, but they just don’t respond at times. It seems that the headphones as a whole become unresponsive to external stimuli as taking them off also does not automatically pause what I am listening to. Sound Quality The quality of the sound is what we’re all truly looking for in a pair of headphones and the HDB 630 outstandingly delivers. I have a kid in band; I love classical music but don’t normally listen to it because it is just not the same once it has been digitalized. I have been listening to this genre the most with these headphones because I just cannot get over how amazing it sounds. It is like I am in an auditorium. These headphones provide a well-balance and airy soundstage that allows each note to play its part individually. Every instrument, the highs, lows, and mids are crystal clear and crisp. Nothing overpowers the other and vocals are clear and understandable despite all the other sounds playing in tandem. Usually, the vocals are the main sacrifice. These headphones provide a very neutral palette compared to most of its counterparts. While the bass seems tame in these, the added boost along with EQ tweaks are enough for me because of how well Sennheiser designed these. I hear the differences in the lows whereas with most headphones it all melds into one or two low tones. There is so much more depth and substance to the lows and mid-lows than if they were just bass-laden. BTD 700 The BTD 700 dongle provides a low-latency, high-def transmission from device to headphones that truly impressed me. The sound fidelity increases notably when I use this. It was confusing and frustrating to get it working initially though. The manual is just pictures and downright confusing in many aspects. It wasn’t until I found a YouTube video by Sennheiser that I understood how to get it going. I was paring the dongle via Bluetooth to my phone (made no sense as it was already attached to it), but what actually has to be done is to have both the dongle and the headphones in pairing mode and after half a minute they connect to each other. Once this is done, voilà, the dongle can be plugged into any device, and it will automatically transmit sound to the headphones. Another small issue I had with this was that sometimes no sound would play out of the headphones when using the dongle. I found that to solve this I had to go into the app and connect the headphones to the dongle under “Connection Management.” These headphones come with multipoint connection, so they are able to simultaneously connect to two devices. This is how they can still be controlled through the app via Bluetooth while also transmitting to the dongle. ANC and Transparency These feature adjustable or adaptive active noise control and transparency. The ANC works great; it completely drowned out loud music with bass playing on surround sound in my living room. Similarly, it almost completely drowned out my food processor when I was cooking. With the transparency I was able to hear it lightly. The transparency is just okay. It does not amplify voice enough for me to hear them but I can hear my surroundings enough to remain somewhat aware of what is going on. Mic The mic works well but does catch all the noise in the background. I actually had a family member who called me while I was using these complain repeatedly about all the noise they could hear in the background. I don’t plan to use these for the mic much, so this is a nonissue for me, but definitely something to keep in mind for anyone planning to use these for gaming. App: Sennheiser Smart Control Plus This app is amazing. Just like the headphones, it has an unassuming quality at first glance but the more I explore, the more I love it. Beyond the usual presets and custom EQ, the app has additional features such as parametric EQ and a guided Sound Check to create more intricate EQ specific to one’s unique audiophilic tastes. The parametric EQ is just plain fun to play with when listening to different genres and trying to get the sound just right for my liking, I am beyond grateful that Sennheiser included this. The guided Sound Check is very similar to getting glasses prescribed at the optometrist, but with sound options instead of lens options. It offers options while your song plays and you decide which option makes the song sound better, and it continues forth like this. I very much enjoyed the process. Besides the EQ options, it has a headphone finder feature based on last connected location, crossfeed blending options for older songs, and connection management to easily switch which device you want to connect to. Under settings it will also tell you the kHz it is playing at and the codec it is using when not playing wired. Durability/Battery Life The battery life is stated as 60 hours and it seems true based on my usage. I have used it for almost a week, and I still have more that 80% battery life left. Conclusion Overall, these headphones are truly the best I have had thus far. They have showed me just how much I had been missing on a daily basis when listening to music. I know I will be playing with the parametric EQ trying to find the perfect profile for every genre for months to come. The comfort, the dongle, and the most importantly, the sound are all top notch and hard to beat at this price point. Yes, the touch controls are a bit finnicky, but it’s a small inconvenience for an overall worthwhile product. These are truly high fidelity and contain such advanced customization that any audiophile can immensely find joy with them.

More than just performance, these 630s gives you choice. Choice to connect by Bluetooth, USB-C, standard audio cable, or their specialized dongle while also having control (and visibility) over a wide range of modern codecs. Additionally, you’ll find smart controls for head detection, smart pausing, auto-answering calls and more to help streamline going from use to use, or managing distractions gracefully. In order to bring that all together, Sennheiser brought forward a fantastic, modern app to clearly illustrate and allow control over every feature. Touch controls on the ear cups are easily learned (or modified to your liking) and are only slightly easy to mis-tap. Finally, true audiophiles will love the true flagship feature of these: the Parametric EQ option, allowing anyone to get super nerdy and adjust advanced graphical representation of your preferred sound curve. __ Sound __ These headphones are so much of a complete package that they give me a bit of imposter syndrome. My ears are not currently as advanced as these headphones can cater to. That said, Sennheiser has made these just as approachable as any other pair of headphones. They deliver incredible sound over normal bluetooth and for most, that’s all we ask for. I can hear the greater depth and nuance when compared to my Bose 700s - and that’s without tweaking any of the defaults. For those who want the best, these include a special dongle that can compensate when your wireless source /device is not equipped to handle better codecs, like aptX Adaptive. From the app, true audiophiles can control more than your average EQ in a beautifully designed Parametric EQ graph to quickly see and tweak any aspect of the sound curve and save them as presets. Again, it feels like the complete package, all sold together... from the app, to accessories, to top quality sound. __ Design & Tradeoffs __ I really like the design, but it does have a few tradeoffs. Its understated and all-black look, with silver ear cup connections has almost a retro appearance, but also a timeless one. It’s not as svelte as some of my other headphones, but it’s classy. Tradeoffs come as each ear cup is fairly deep, but ear opening are slightly smaller than some other options out there. They’re about identical in shape and size to my Bose, but extend off the head a bit more. This no doubt is due to having to house quality speakers and larger than average batteries. Luckily, provided padding is great and I find them comfortable despite some added weight. That leads to the next tradeoff, which is that the silver elements and hinge points are plastic. Quality, robust plastic - so not bad. If not looking closely, you might even mistake it for painted aluminum, but it’s not. I have no concerns for durability and I have to assume it helps ensure these remain comfortable for longer wearing sessions. Included with these is a simple, but well-organized travel case that houses multiple cables, airplane adaptor and its special dongle. Despite the its deeper cups, it’s only a bit bigger than my existing travel headphones. While I’ll likely appreciate how compact they allow these to travel, I still prefer my smaller headphones in this regard. That leads to the only other nit I have with these. Active noise cancellation is slightly less good at blocking out noise than my other headphones. I’d say they’re very respectable, but it somewhat depends on having optimal seals around your ears. For me, that tends to work as intended, but if you have a lot of hair or wear glasses you might have a little less success. In a desk or office environment, I find them nearly equivalent in ability to block outside noises. __ Summary __ Overall, these are probably the very top of the line when it comes to quality sound in a travel-ready package. Incredible battery life and advanced features make them easy to recommend to just about anyone - from those who just want great sound without thinking, to true audiophiles that want complete control and all the options. They come with all of the accessories you’d want and the fact that they collapse down and store within their protective case makes them more useful than their more rigid competition in the high-end audio landscape. Despite a few gripes for size and weight, they’re comfortable and just sound incredible.

I own Bose ultra 2gen Sony mx6 and bowers the 630 is on a different level.

[Employee of bestbuy] Best headset ever! The sound quality is superb and they sound super neutral.

The HDB630s are Sennheiser’s latest entry into the fast-growing premium consumer noise-canceling headphone category. Overall, the sound quality is excellent, the build quality is very nice, and battery life has been outstanding in my use. The construction is all plastic, and while I would’ve liked to see a few more premium materials or metal accents, the overall build quality is still very, very good. Fit and finish are excellent. The headband is soft, supportive, and finished in a matte silicone that feels great over long listening sessions. The left and right ear cups feature telescoping size adjustments and easily accommodate both narrow and wide head shapes without an aggressive clamp force. The ear cups themselves aren’t overly large—I would’ve liked them to be just a bit bigger—but they still fit over most of my ear and feel soft and comfortable. I’ve worn these for long periods of time without any discomfort or fatigue. The real star of the show here is the sound quality. My usual daily drivers are the Sony XM6 headphones because their noise cancellation is among the best in the category, and the HDB630s come incredibly close in terms of noise reduction performance. The sound profile on the HDB630s is very well balanced and can be extremely flat, which makes them perfect if you want to tailor your sound using an outboard preamp or Sennheiser’s own app. Within the app, you get both a graphic EQ and a parametric EQ. The graphic EQ does a solid job adjusting bass, mids, and treble, but the parametric EQ is where things really get fun. If you know the frequency ranges you want to adjust, you can spend days dialing in the perfect sound. There’s also a really cool feature called “Sound Check” that walks you through a listening process, asking questions as you hear sample audio. Based on your answers, it automatically adjusts bass, mids, and treble to suit your preferences, and I found this to be an excellent tool. On top of that, you get several preset sound profiles like neutral, rock, and podcast modes. There’s also a bass boost enhancement that works surprisingly well, especially in the sub-bass range. It adds impact without making the overall sound overly bass-heavy, boomy, or muddy, and it retains clarity in the low end. Personally, I still wish I could dial in just a bit more bass, but that’s me being greedy—I always want more bass no matter what. Noise cancellation is excellent. You can dial in 100% noise reduction, adjust different levels of transparency mode, or turn noise cancellation off entirely. There’s also a dedicated wind-noise reduction setting that works well when you’re outside or in breezy environments. One thing I really appreciated is that the noise cancellation didn’t create that uncomfortable “ear pressure” feeling I get with many other ANC headphones. The app gives you an impressive level of control over the HDB630s. There are tons of configuration options, both in the app and via the ear cup touch controls. Personally, I turned the touch controls off because they’re very sensitive, and I found myself triggering ghost touches or accidental inputs. You can connect to multiple devices at once, enable crossfeed to widen the stereo image, and turn on head detection, which puts the headphones into standby when not in use and instantly reconnects to your last source when you put them on. You can also customize how incoming calls are handled, and the app even shows you the signal path from your source to the headphones, including what processing is being applied. What really sets the HDB630s apart from other headphones in this category is the included high-definition audio USB-C dongle. If you don’t have dedicated outboard gear to deliver high-resolution audio—especially if you’re using an iPhone or relying on standard Bluetooth streaming—the included HD dongle converts your audio codec into a high-definition signal, and it works extremely well. There’s a noticeable jump in sound quality when using it. I did find the initial setup a bit finicky, since you plug the dongle into your source device and then pair the headphones to it as if it were a separate Bluetooth device. It took me a few tries to get it connected, but once it did, the sound quality was fantastic. You also get a very nice carrying case. The headphones fold flat, and the case has a sturdy, luggage-style exterior with a surprisingly slim profile considering these are full-size over-ear headphones. This tier of headphones has a lot of strong competition right now, and the Sennheiser HD B630s are easily among the best I’ve used in this space.

The Sennheiser HDB 630 is rather deceptive. Out of the box it looks stiff and uninteresting next to its many attention-grabbing peers. Its innate aural demeanor is also more restrained than those tuned for the boom. But like a confident James Bond at the poker table, the 630 is neither boring nor bluffing. With help from its bag of gadgets, it accomplishes what so few Bluetooth headphones can, be not just competent, but masterful with every musical genre thrown its way. PRELUDE: FIT. FEEL. CONTROL. The 630 is no feast for my eyes. It’s plain and chunky. Fortunately, it’s designed for my ears. Like nearly every other headphone in this price range, the case is plastic. One of the few complaints I have with the 630 it feels plasticly too. The flimsy, hollow feel of its lone physical button nags at me each press, not the experience one wants with headphones this expensive. But that’s the worst of it for me. I’m neutral about other things like its weight, which is nearly 1lb. It’s so comfortable with its cushiony, buttery soft imitation leather headband and earpads. Clamping force for my small head is gentle too, though not so much that it affects audio quality or noise cancellation. So, while I know I’m wearing the 630’s, they aren’t tiresome. The head band extends about 1.25” so that should accommodate almost everyone. I did a measurement to find it’s max width fully extending the arms and pulling the ear cups out as far as I was willing to go. The ruler read about 8.5” pad to pad. When it comes to headphone controls people tend to line up behind physical buttons or touch. I’m impartial. If physical button placement is thoughtful, I’m happy. But that’s not the case with my other over the ear headphones. The buttons are tiny with low tactility and minimal separation from each other. It’s awkward for my fingers to quickly find the right button when I need to immediately pause or skip a song I can’t bear to hear again. In that regard, the HDB 630’s gesture controls are an improvement. They are intuitive and stress-free to use. Tap to pause or play, swipe up or down to adjust volume. But their high sensitivity makes them imperfect too. If I brush the side of the ear cup while adjusting the fit things often happen that I don’t want to occur like the volume or track changes. Touch capability can be turned off in the app, but it’s inconvenient to have to pop back into the app to change the volume. Better would to be able to do some kind of press on the 630’s one physical button to toggle touch on and off. About that button, it has multiple functions. Primarily it mutes the mic on phone calls and summons your phone’s voice assistant when playing music. It’s also used for pairing and power. The 630 in normal use wakes when you place it on your head and goes to sleep when you remove them. Having been burned when forgetting to turn off headphone previously this is just another winning feature for these cans. Sennheiser says the 630’s battery can last 60 hours with ANC. That’s a month of listening time for me so I can’t vouch for that claim, but I do trust it based on my usage so far. As expected, the battery depletes faster playing lossless music than 320kbps AAC or lower sources. Pairing is a standard affair. It arrives in pairing mode; just connect to your device’s Bluetooth settings and ready to play. A QR code sends you to the direct download for the app in iOS and Android app stores. Wired connections are also supported via a 2.5mm sub-mini jack and USB-C port. All cables are supplied, even a dual jack airplane adapter. Then there is the secret weapon, BTD700 dongle for devices that don’t support aptX. I’ll discuss that more later. ACT I: Natural Sound The 630 is promoted as audiophile quality. My non-elite ears aren’t official confirmation, but out of the box it’s sound is clean and honest rather than artificially aggressive. Mids offer crisp vocal punch, and bass is a team player rather than hijacker. And treble is bright, though on the shy side. With audiophiles being purists, I think this true sound explains why the 630’s are regarded as such. In the app, this equalization is labeled “neutral,” and while that word can emote indifference, it manifests here as authentic. I sampled many genres of music and this “mode” does an especially enjoyable job with classical and jazz. It had almost a symphony hall ambiance where whispering horns were apparent as the drums were clapping. Rock and rap made a good impression too, but these genres are more about letting go than detailed listening. And for that, the 630’s standard doesn’t shake, rattle, and roll you. It’s there, it can be felt, but it’s a tap not a shove. But Sennheiser has a great fix for that. ACT II: The Equalizer and The App A parametric equalizer in the app transforms the 630’s from a calm colossus to nearly whatever you want it to be. Honestly, if live on 1000% bass all day long you’ll be happier with headphones marketed as such. But for everyone else, Sennheiser has not just made a terrific sounding neutral headphone; the parametric equalizer offers users the opportunity to re-shape the sound in detail that few other headphones offer. So, if you need a little more shake in your Drake, dial it in. If you are not familiar parametric equalizers they essentially expand on the graphic equalizer by allowing changes not only to frequency gain, but also the frequency and range too. It’s complicated to fully explain but it will make sense when you play around with it. There’s a graphic 5-band equalizer option too. Sennheiser designed the parametric equalizer’s controls to encourage experimentation. An A/B button lets you make two versions of your formula and then compare “A” and “B” side-by-side. Additionally, you can test your formula against the 630’s natural unprocessed sound to hear how much tweaking you’ve done. These tools are a huge confidence booster that your changes are improvements over the base sound. The app is loaded with other customizations and controls. I can’t go over them all here, but they are the basics like EQ presets and noise and wind cancellation. One unique-ish feature is Crossfeed which re-balances older recordings that sound lopsided by favoring either the left or right channel. ACT III: Lossless in Apple As an Apple user it’s always bummed me out that aptX isn’t supported. Sennheiser fixes this by including the BTD700 aptX USB-C dongle. This is truly a standout feature, not just for Apple users, but anyone who uses any aptX incompatible device. Supposedly the dongle is plug and play, but I must manually choose BTD700 as my Mac or iPhone speaker output. The 630, however, does usually auto switch to BTD700 connection. If not, this can be done in the app’s connections settings. I first used the BTD700 with my Mac because that’s where my lossless ALAC files live. I sampled the same genres as I did with my initial sound test and I was shook at the difference. Regular Bluetooth audio playing 320kbps AAC sounded excellent but ALAC via the BTD700 on these cans is a higher-level experience for me, no exaggeration. I nearly melted hearing Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach’s Cello Suites. Every tiny detail of his bowing was discernable like I was playing on my loudspeakers but with the 630 it felt more personal. It was as if I was sitting next to him. Next, I transported a few centuries to the latin jazz of Herb Albert. It was truly a 3D musical experience with all its instrumentation and vocal layers. This is musical immersion in its pure form. Every other genre has similar qualities that made the 630 sound even cleaner and nuianced. Most of my sampling was in “natural” EQ but, as with the regular Bluetooth audio, but some rock tracks with pronounced bass did need some help, but then were full of life. Wired hi-def lossless audio is also possible by connecting a USB-C cable (one is included) between the 630 and a device’s USB-C audio output port. ACT IV: Call of the Wind and Other Noise Cancelling The 630’s noise and wind cancellation are inline with other mid to high end headphones I’ve tried. My test of these features for all my headphones is done at a local park literally front of a major airport’s runway. Big loud 737s and A320s. There’s also heavy traffic too. I do this so my impressions have at least a tinge of a scientific comparison. My result with the 630s is, with noise cancellation at 100%, volume at 40% playing Lord Huron’s XXX, I could not hear the jets taking off. Only when they were directly above me did the sound break though. The noise cancellation only became less effective at 20%. My normal listening volume level is around 50% so I’m happy with the 630’s NC ability. The wind gusts were averaging 16 mph during my noise cancellation evaluation. With wind reduction off my ears were almost blown out it was so loud. Switching it back on and gone. Finally, call quality. The 630 easily is the most natural sounding I’ve encountered in a headphone. The person voice on the other in comes is crisp and clean and I’m told they experience the same. Background noise is squelched, but not eliminated entirely. That is unless the background is wind. At that point audio becomes choppy sounding and unusable. Infinitesimal negative for headphones that exceed so well at its chief purpose. FINALE: Top of the Tier It’s rare to find a headphone that is for “everyone,” but the 630 maybe it. Certainly, it merits hard consideration with its lovely, authentic, but still highly adjustable sound thanks to the parametric EQ. And the included BTD700 is more than just a bonus throw-in, it’s a musical opening Apple users and others don’t usually get to enter. Call quality is crisp and clear too. So even if its noise cancellation is only adequate, unless you live on a construction site give the 630 a little slack here. The only reason I really see not putting the 630 at the top of your list is you just can’t get enough bass.

I have been wanting a pair of headphones that I could wear for several hours at a time with better than average sound quality. I travel frequently and I am on airplanes, in hotel rooms, and working at client offices for a long time working by myself. My requirements when selecting new headphones are that they are comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and they sound great whether I am watching a movie, listening to music, or listening to a podcast. I also need to be able to connect to 2 or more devices at a time (i.e., phone and laptop) and have a long battery life. I selected these headphones by Sennheiser mainly because I had prior experience with this brand, the advertised battery life, and they come with a carrying case. I will break my review down in detail below: Sound Quality: On a scale of 1-10, I would rate the sound quality for these at a solid 10, even right out of the box. You can customize the sound by selecting one of the preset Equalizer settings or create a custom one for your specific hearing. I am a little hard of hearing, so I created a custom EQ setting for me. In addition, you can boost the Bass, adjust the cross-feed (Left and Right channel crossover), adjust ANC, or even reduce wind noise. I haven't seen all of these customizations in other headphones I've owned and this is what really puts these over the top for me. Lastly, you can also create unique Sound Zones with the above settings for the different listening environments you might use these in. For example, Noisy Office, Airplane, Quiet Room, etc. Comfort and Media Controls: The ear pads are very thick and soft. I could easily wear these for several hours while I worked without even realizing they were on. The speakers are directed toward your ear for clearer sound and the pads form a near soundproof listening environment. The person sitting beside me on the plane didn't end up listening to my movie too. These have all of the usual media (music, movie, phone) controls. The controls are uniquely performed from the outside of the right earpad like a touch pad, which worked very well, once I got used to them. The only problem I experienced was pairing them initially to my devices. It may have been just me getting used to it their method though. Smart Control Plus App and Connectivity: The Sennheiser App is very nice and works really well. The App is laid out beautifully and you can customize the sequence the tiles are presented. It lets you customize everything possible for the sound and hearing levels. The App is required for updating the Firmware on the Headphones or BTD 700 Dongle. Another big plus for me is the options for connecting these headphones to my devices. You can use Bluetooth from the headphones, the USB-C BTD 700 Bluetooth Dongle, a USB-C to USB-C cable from the headphones to your device (phone, tablet, or laptop/desktop), or a 3.5mm wired connection. All of these cables are included and fit nicely in the carrying case. Battery Life, Construction Quality: The advertised battery life is 60 hours. I didn't actually test to see how long the battery lasted, but I would guesstimate that 60 hours is pretty accurate. The longest period of time that I used these at one time was around 7 hours. At the end of that day, the battery life remaining was still over 80%. Having wireless recharging would be nice, but not really a problem for me. The construction and materials that they used also appear to be high quality. They feel solid and durable. Having a strong hard storage case that holds everything is also a big plus. I have been using these headphones for 5 days now and they have worked absolutely amazingly. I have taken them on a 5 hour flight, watched a movie in-flight, and used them during an impromptu Zoom staff meeting. In each case, these headphones were an absolute joy to use and they worked perfectly. I would have to say the sound quality, long-term comfort, and the ability to customize the sound to my listening environment and my hearing limitations make these the best choice for high-end, around-the-ear headphones today. I would highly recommend these and feel they would make a great gift for someone special. In my estimation on a scale of 1-10, these headphones go up to 11! (Sorry, I will see myself out.)

Music and media are a great escape from the daily conundrums that life throws at you on a daily basis. As I get older, I find that I appreciate even a moment or two to myself to unwind and detox from work or family life. It was time to replace my Momentum 3 headphones the ear cups had started to peel and whatnot. I was searching for something new and had come across the HDB after seeing them on Reddit. I prefer over the ear headphones, and these fit the bill opening the box you will find a premium case packed with goodies such as a Bluetooth dongle that has support for APTX lossless and 24bit audio. A USB C cable for charging and listening depending upon the device you use. And an airplane adapter which is neat and I am glad it is included. I love how versatile the HDB 630 is you can choose however you want to connect and listen in whatever format you prefer. Speaking of control, you can further control audio sound with the Smart Control app for Android & IOS. In the app you can pretty much do as you would expect if you are familiar with the brand. The touch controls are intuitive and register each time I made an attempt to perform my desired action. I find the 630 to have a snugger fit than my Momentum 3 which had a loose fit. While these are snug, they do not have an excessive clamp on your head so for me at least they can be worn for long periods of time. Sound is why you would buy these, and they can be fine-tuned to your listening preferences, and you can connect manually or wirelessly. While this can be subjective because everyone is different and may have specific requirements or preferences, I find that the HDB 630 makes a darn good attempt of doing a little bit of everything and it does it well with hardly anything to dislike. Battery life is phenomenal as expected of a Sennheiser product. These are advertised for 60 hours of battery life, and you will get that along with fast charging to keep you going. ::: Pros & Cons::: Pros: - Multiple connection options - Assortment of accessories included out of the box - Comfortable - Strong Battery life - Excellent build quality - Aesthetically pleasing - Carrying case included Cons: - Would have preferred a braided & coiled USB C Cable Overall, the Sennheiser HDB 630 is an excellent option if you are looking for a pair of headphones that can do it all and not cost a fortune. Pick up a pair and be the judge of that.

I'll front load this review by saying my biggest gripe with these headphones is the size of the cups. They feel like they barely fit around my ears and it sometimes bothers me. But when I'm not thinking about that, they sound good and the noise canceling works really well so I'm enjoying them. Setup was easy enough. They connected to my phone like any other bluetooth headset. The app has an option for logging into an account but doesn't force you to (which is always nice). There's a lot of options to explore in the app as well but I found the sound was pretty good out of the box without a lot of tinkering. Another small things but I noticed immediately and really appreciate was the giant L and R on the inside of the ear cups. I don't know why so many headphones feel like they need to hide the L and R somewhere and barely emboss it so you can't see it. It's on the inside of the cup. No one will see it aside from me when I need to. A small detail that I really like and haven't seen elsewhere. I'm not an audiophile or anything but I've tested enough headphones to know what sounds good to me and these are up there as some of the better sounding headphones I've tried. The bass sounds nice but not overpowering. Everything sounded great. Podcasts. Music. Videos. Comfort is not bad but my only real complaint does exist in this category. The headphones are nice and light and the head band adjusts smoothly and feels good to wear. But the ear cups are just a little too small for me. I don't have this issues very often but it felt more pronounced with this set than others I've used. If I move them around enough, I can probably find a spot where it doesn't feel like every part of the cup is touching my ear, but it's not easy to keep maneuvering them. It's not crazy uncomfortable but I'm just not used to the ear cups touching my ears as much as these do. Other than that one issue, I like these headphones a lot. They sound really good and package up in the carry case for easy moving around. If you're looking for a more premium wireless headset and either have smaller ears or don't mind the ear cups touching your ears, these might be ones to look at.

I'm not going to waste too much of your time here so I'll get to the point. You may not think using the dongle is worth it, until you actually hear 24/96kHz audio lossless sources and your jaw drops. It is the closest I have come to wired connections on a pair of wireless headphones. This isn't an issue with the BT connection that headphone makers like Sennheiser can put on their headphones, the BT limitation is on the audio source, like the phone, PC, streaming device. The cost and average consumer just don't justify this higher quality BT chip. Thankfully, Sennheiser INCLUDES the BTD700 with the HDB630 headsets!!! So as my title says, the BTD700 transforms the HDB630 from Clark Kent into Super Man. Its a massive difference if you have lossless audio sources. I personally subscribe to Apple Music and mostly listen to Apple Music from my iPhone but also to my various speakers throughout the house and this has been good enough for me without having to use lossless CDs. Just do yourself a favor and spend the 10 minutes watching 2 videos on Youtube by the official Sennheiser channel and another one on how to configure your iPhone to maximize audio quality by setting Atmos/Lossless where available. 1. How to stream hi-res audio with the Sennheiser HDB 630 and the BTD 700 dongle 2. How to get the BEST Audio Quality in Apple Music Once you have everything configured correctly, you will see 1. Squiggly Lines below the time line for songs in Apple Music that will say Hi-Res Lossless or Lossless. If you click on that icon, it will tell you the exact bit and sampling rates and also link to Audio Quality Settings where you can again check or choose your streaming quality for each connection type. 2. In the Sennheiser SmartControlPlus app, you can click on Settings and verify you are currently playing back at the expected bitrate. 3. You can easily verify by switching output in your Sound Output/Airplay settings by swapping between BTD700 and HDB630, but really, your ears will tell you all you need to know. You will hear things you never heard in some of these songs, especially with instrumentals and high ranges. I will be honest however, the pairing and integration between the BTD700, HDB630 and your phone/app is not a great experience. If I was grading on this alone it would probably be a 2-3 star experience. Its very clunky and the opposite of seamless, which is opposite of the BT to phone pairing and app experience which is very clean. Putting that BTD700 inbetween really messes with the experience but as I mentioned, save yourself some frustration and just watch the Sennheiser video which worked for me. Thankfully, after the initial setup, this chain survives setup later and just works. Other things I liked about the Sennheiser HDB 630 experience was the auto-on feature once you pick up the headphones and put them on. Also, they turn off and power down if you set them down. The touch controls are well established and the same as most other companies with a series of swipes and taps to control next song/volume/play/pause/answer/hangup etc. The circumaural (around the ear) design is very comfortable and does not pinch or put pressure on my head or ears. The band doesn't squeeze my head and there's nice memory foam on the top which is comfortable for extended use. Earpads are fake leather which is comfortable but does sweat a bit underneath, but also helps with ambient sound even with ANC. They aren't overly heavy either and adjusting the length of the headband is easy. Build quality looks and feels premium with faux leather on top of the band, accented silver metal connecting the earphones and clearly labeled L and R channel which I like while I get used to wearing these more. The case is excellent quality and just folds the headsets flat iwthout having to break them down and jenga them into the case. This does result in a slightly larger profile but not overly so. There's so much included in the case with usb-c to usb-c charging and connecting cable, 3.5mm minijack, splitter, quick reference guide and of course the HDB700. Each device or dongle has its own keeper mesh pocket to secure them from floating around the case. I did try mic for both calls and gaming and its just not that good as you'd expect from a pair of BT wireless rather than PC/gaming headsets. No boom means you're at a disadvantage. While the gap is closing, they still aren't interchangeable or "as good" as the other in all areas. The ANC is also not as good as some of the competitors in this area but it serves its purpose. Sennheiser has been a big name in audiophile circles for a long time and this HDB 630 is another excellent entry into the market. The HDB630 has a ton of versatility with the BT connection, but make sure to try out the HDB700 which kicks it up at least a few notches.

I have spent the last 4-5 days exploring the new Sennheiser HDB 630 headphones and it has become apparent that more time is needed to get familiar with the myriads of options that these headphones have to offer. However, let’s start with how they look and especially how they feel wearing them, as comfort ranks high on the list of things to like on the HDB 630 headphones. Their design is very clean and attractive as well as functional. Everything about their build is solid and not fragile like some headphones…no wires or springy metal to be found anywhere. The soft earcups and headband are well-padded and sit very comfortably, with just enough clamping force to hold them in place, but not so tight as to cause headaches or discomfort, even in marathon listening sessions. A single button acts as a power and pairing button, and there are customizable touch functions to control volume, adjust noise cancellation, play next and previous track, take phone calls, and more. The headphones come with a protective hardshell case that stores everything that comes included in the box, including charging and headphone jack cables, an airplane jack adapter, and last but not least, a small USB-C dongle called a BTD 700, which is used to transmit high quality lossless audio from an audio source. In my case, that source is my Apple iPhone using the Apple Music app. Be aware that the dongle won’t work with earlier iPhones that use the lightning port. How they sound is equally, if not more important than comfort, and the HDB 630’s sound doesn’t disappoint. It may be my imagination, but I did experience a gradual break-in period with the sound improving the longer I wore them. Lately, I have become accustomed to listening to music with some high-end earbuds, so it took a little adjustment to get used to wearing closed ear headphones again and that could be part of my experience. Once I got familiar enough with the app to dial in my own settings, the overall sound was fantastic, with solid bass that doesn’t boom or rattle, clear vocals, and crisp high end. A couple of favorite songs to test earphones include Mark Knopfler’s guitar playing in Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits and the deep bass in the song Havana by Camila Cabello. The HDB 630’s passed the test with flying colors! As I said earlier, it will take some time to customize the sound to perfection, but it’s just a matter of becoming adept at all customization tools and settings found in the SmartControl phone app. Setting up Bluetooth to connect with my iPhone was simple enough, but I did struggle with the help manual when configuring the BTD 700 to work with the headphones, which is required to get the best lossless audio codecs possible. I was able to find some help from online videos that Sennheiser offers that I found on YouTube. Of course, using the included headphone cable can also be another way to take advantage of the highest quality audio from sources like audio receivers. Noise cancellation seemed to do a good job although some sound gets through. Battery life is phenomenal, with Sennheiser stating 60 hours of use between charges. I listened to the headphones daily for several hours over 5 days and the battery reported a 70% charge left. My previously closed ear headphones were only good for about16 hours, so that’s quite an improvement. While I wouldn’t call myself an audiophile, listening to music has been a lifelong hobby and listening with these HDB 630’s takes my enjoyment to a whole new level.

Not for bassheads, but if high fidelity sound is your thing you’ll love the Sennheiser HDB 630 headphones. Vocals sound natural, the highs never get shrill, and the bass is deep and balanced as opposed to boomy. What’s most impressive is how the soundstage manages to sound open, which feels like a rarity with headphones. Andra Day’s voice in “Rise Up” is beautifully recreated with a sense of air space without losing the soul in her voice. In Frank Ocean’s “Lost” the midbass is punchy and sharp as it drives through the song, and I love how melodic the bass guitar is in the leadup to “Vagabond” by the Greenskeepers. It’s a well balanced experience from beginning to end and made especially more practical with up to 60 hours of battery life, a variety of input options, and an attractive hard case to keep it all in. It’s an excellent sounding kit all together and using the app offers both a customizable parametric and graphic EQ, “transparency” ANC tuning, and a neat feature called “crossfeed” which blends both left and right channels to offer a more balanced sound (it works!). I’ll get into some minor details ahead, but all in all, if you’re an audiophile or a fan of good sound quality, the Sennheiser HDB 630 is an excellent choice for high end wireless ANC over the ear headphones. SOUND Natural vocals, open soundstage, strong mids, and melodic bass response. Again, if you want something that’s going to rattle your ears with strong boomy bass, this isn’t it. Think of it more like reference headphones. The bass cuts deep without being boomy and overshadowing other notes. The sound is well balanced, but vocals and melody is where the HDB 630 really shines. Play some Whitney Houston if you have doubts. It’s an incredible experience. How Sennheiser managed to create an open and somewhat airy soundstage with headphones should be noted again. The “space” helps enchant not only the vocals, but instruments as well. The guitar interlude in “Come As You Are” by Nirvana is mesmerizing and the drums introduce themselves with an authoritative crispness- it makes me giddy as a music lover. One important thing to mention that can dramatically change your music experience though is turning spatial audio on or off. I find some songs benefit from it and I like it for movies and general media, but I also think most music sounds better without all the processing. This is all personal preference, but I highly recommend experimenting with the spatial audio setting to find what you like best. FUNCTION There’s only one button which does the usual bluetooth controls of both turning the device on/off and setting it in bluetooth pairing mode. You actually don’t really need to turn it on because it automatically does that and connects when you lift them out of the case. However, I’ve found that while it works great for turning them on, you’ll still need to turn them off when putting them back in the case. Not a big deal, just something to know before you wonder why you didn’t hear your missed calls for the last 15 minutes. Outside of that single physical button, there’s touch controls on the right headset which works well with swipes and taps. I actually really like the control scheme with the swipes for next track, last track, and volume. The only thing I don’t like is how sensitive the controls can be when I’m laying down and wearing them in bed or on the couch. Thankfully, you can also disable the touch controls in the app. DESIGN Good looking, but kind of plain. It’s a classic colorway of silver and black and both the headband and cans are sized well. The ear cushions deserve credit for being soft, supple, and comfortable for long hours of wear. In fact, they do such a good job of blocking ambient noise, I feel like I use the ANC more for the “transparency” setting than actual noise blocking. My only gripe is that it’s a very plain looking pair of headphones and I wish the headband arms and hinges were metal instead of plastic. For something at this level and price range it’s kind of surprising to see, but as long as they hold up I’ll be happy. Plus, I care more about how they sound and that is certainly divine. PROS - Excellent sound quality - Natural vocals and smooth highs - Well balanced overall frequency response - High resolution audio really shines - “Open” soundstage - ANC blocks ambient noise well - Customizable parametric and graphic EQ in app - Supports high resolution bluetooth codecs like aptX HD Adaptive, aptX HD, and AAC - Up to 24bit/96kHz audio over USB-C (dongle or wired) or 3.5mm connection - App easy to use - Comfortable ear cushions - Runs on Bluetooth, USB-C dongle, or wired USB-C/3.5mm - 60 hours of battery life - Comes with all necessary wires and adapters - Nice hardcase CONS - Not for heavy bass lovers - Can connect to 2 devices at same time, but not play both simultaneously - Plain looking - Touch controls can be too sensitive - Audio transparency doesn’t pass much ambient sound when media is playing - Plastic headphone arms and hinges

For the last five days, I've been testing the Sennheiser HDB 630 wireless headphones. Some say these are the "greatest thing since sliced bread", while others say they are "overhyped". My opinion is that they are fantastic. The first thing I noticed is that the HDB 630 is a comprehensive package. Aside from the headphones, it includes a case, a USB-C cable, an Aux cable, a dual airplane connector, and a high-resolution BTD 700 Bluetooth adapter. Seriously, this covers every listening situation you could need. The build quality is impressive. Although constructed mostly of plastic, the headset still manages to feel premium, largely due to its classy aesthetic and excellent fit and finish. Every detail appears meticulously crafted; the seams are tight, the hinges slide smoothly, and even the lettering inside the ear cups looks high-definition. In terms of comfort, the headband is soft and barely noticeable, and the earcups are also soft and smooth. When wearing them, the earpads fit my ears well and felt cool to the skin when I first put them on. After hours of use, they became a little warm, but nothing crazy or uncomfortable. Sound quality is outstanding right out of the box. Without tweaking any settings, the audio was crystal clear. The highs are bright, the mids are warm, and the bass is punchy enough to ensure a balanced soundscape. I was particularly surprised by the vocal clarity; it felt like the artists were enunciating better, making usually ambiguous lyrics easy to understand. I also love that these headphones support high-quality codecs. In situations where a device lacked native high-res support—like my iPad—I used the included BTD 700 Bluetooth adapter, and the improvement in sound fidelity was immediately noticeable. With all that said, the hype is real. If you are in the market for a comprehensive, high-quality headset, you can't go wrong with the Sennheiser HDB 630.

The Sennheiser HDB 630 has great sound quality, is a complete package that includes every accessory needed and provides tons of customization but comfort is only fine and there is a learning curve. My go to headphones are Sennheiser open back wired headphones because they are comfortable, good sound quality and don’t need to be charged or paired. However, there are times where noise cancelling is needed, I can’t have other people hearing what I am hearing and wireless is more convenient than having a huge cable and dongle attached to my phone. Built: The build is mostly plastic which I don’t mind as it helps reduce weight but I do question the use of leatherette on the tops of the headband. I can understand it being used on the earpads for noise cancelling reasons but I question the longevity of using it on the non-replaceable headphones as with sweat and oils that type of fabric often starts to rip and break down. The included case is good quality and designed to hold all the included accessories. You do have to be careful when putting the headphones back in the case because they won’t auto turn off if you switch L and R sides. I do worry about tearing the headphone pads over time due to the snug fit and constant pushing down on them. Comfort: For being around-the ear headphones, I was expecting the ear cups to be larger so my ears would fit within but it's more like a gentle graze over the outer ear. The pads are smaller than that of Sennheiser open back headphones. I do much prefer the comfort of Sennheiser velour fabric ear pads over the Japanese leatherette of the HDB 630. I do find the foam and leatherette to be soft but am scared it will break down very quickly and find them to be somewhat warm. My ears do feel slightly fatigued after an hour and the headband starts to feel heavy. They feel ok fine in terms of comfort compared to other similar designed headphones but not comfortable enough for me to forget they are there or want to wear them all the time. Use: I like that cables are included and can be used as corded headphones when I don’t want to deal with charging the headphones or connecting with Bluetooth. I find that there is a learning curve to using the headphones. There is only one button and you have to use touch gestures. I found it annoying switching between Adaptive Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode using the gestures as there is only a beep indicator that you have changed something but no way to really know what you changed without trying to listen and test it out. I am constantly referring to the little booklet included because it isn’t necessarily intuitive especially with the little 5 lights. I might start using the App as the main way to control the headphones when using ANC for ease. I find that pairing Bluetooth to be really annoying especially when you have multiple devices and switch between them. I ended up using the usb-c cable after failing to re-pair and not having time to figure out how to manually do it. (Again a learning curve issue where after a week I was still having to learn to touch the one button for 5 seconds as opposed to 3 and to watch the lights blink in a certain pattern.) Sound: The sound quality is the best thing about these headphones. You don’t compromise on sound as often is the case with wireless headphones. I am far from the most experienced audiophile but I liked what I heard, especially after I used the app to play around with the settings. The issue though is that I don’t think I can go back to lesser quality headphones. I at first was overwhelmed with the adjustment options as I have no clue how to do that but they have tons of preset options in case customizing is not yet something you are ready for or require. Overall, I think the headphones were well designed in sound quality and a lot of time was put in designing the case and included accessories but I do wish that more was done for the comfort level and user experience. I don’t want to spend that much time learning gestures and how to Bluetooth pair. I appreciate the super long battery life for someone who doesn’t want another item to constantly charge. I do find myself reaching for them often and have gotten used to the controls but just wish the ear pads were a bit more comfortable.

Do you ever watch a TV show or read a book and suddenly realize you just want to stay in that world a little longer? That’s exactly how I feel about these Sennheiser headphones—they create a world of sound I never want to leave. I know that sounds dramatic, but once you hear them for yourself, you’ll understand. Still, let’s start at the beginning. When you first get the box, It’s pretty underwhelming. Sure, it’s labeled with Hi-Res Audio and “audiophile” branding, but nothing about the packaging feels like a premium product. Even once opened, it still doesn’t scream high-end. In fact, at first, they look a lot like Sennheiser’s Momentum 4s. The design is similar, but the resemblance stops there. These headphones take everything Sennheiser has done before and push it to a new level. Comfort is dramatically improved with thicker ear cushions and a more padded headband. But the real star is the sound. These are tuned flat—not in a boring way, but in a highly accurate, But because of that tuning, they’re extremely easy to EQ to your liking. The new app makes it simple to fine-tune and instantly compare settings, giving you full control over your sound. I had high expectations going in, but I was still blown away. The level of detail is stunning it’s like hearing all music for the first time again. Even the ANC has taken a noticeable step forward. Switching it on feels like being transported into a different world entirely. And then there’s the BTD 700 dongle, which is the HD 630’s secret weapon for Apple users. It unlocks high-res audio and expands what these headphones can do. It’s not perfect, but in gaming mode it’s surprisingly decent for light gaming and movie watching. I could keep going, but the bottom line is simple: these headphones are outstanding. I can’t recommend them highly enough