Priced at just under a cool grand, Sennheiser’s latest pair focuses on audiophiles who love high-res audio and living in a noise-free bubble.
The world of audio pricing may be falling as great sound starts to be democratised for all, but some gear is still quite up there in pricing.
You only need to turn to headphones made for audiophiles, folks who expect high quality sound and for their gear to be used with amps, computers, and high-res audio media players, a different category altogether.
While it’s true that any pair of headphones can be used with a computer or media player, some headphones can get a little more out of the sound, and are made for music files with more bitrate and bandwidth.
Sennheiser is focused on that with its latest pair, revamping its excellent Momentum 4 noise cancelling headphones in a slightly different way: using the design and casing to build a totally new pair almost entirely focused on the high-end listener.
The latest is the Sennheiser HDB 630, a pair that rocks the same style as the Momentum 4, but trades the internals for a custom acoustic system designed for listening with and without a cable.
Inside is a 42mm transducer and system capable of handling 24-bit 96kHz audio, roughly the sweet spot for high-res audio, and doing it with either a USB-C cable or, conversely, a USB-C wireless dongle found in the headphone case the pair comes with.
Sennheiser’s app will also provide control, complete worth a parametric EQ, allowing users to tweak their sound to match what they want to hear. Later on, Sennheiser will even allow people to share their approaches using a QR code, hopefully giving Sennheiser users a way to come together and experience audio in a community.
Noise cancellation is also part of the package, though interestingly, Sennheiser hasn’t talked much of that app. Given the pair is based on the Momentum 4, it’s likely the headphones will use the same approach to ANC as that pair.
What you will get is up to 60 hours of battery life, with a ten minute charge providing 7 hours of battery life easily. USB-C is everywhere these days, and it’s used for charging and listening here, so at least you know you’ll be within reach of a quick burst of power should you need it.
The price is where things become interesting, because the Sennheiser HDB 630 are not inexpensive.
While the Momentum 4 are priced at $549.95 in Australia (or were when we reviewed them, and can now be found closer to the $300 mark), the HDB 630 come with an Australian recommended retail price of $999.
That may seem expensive, but it’s worth remembering similarly high-profile Bluetooth noise cancelling cans focused on audiophiles are also up there, including the $899 AirPods Max and the $1199 Focal Bathys. By comparison, Sennheiser’s $999 HDB 630 is close to the middle.
Meanwhile, it’s been over two years since Sennheiser brought out the Momentum 4, so we’re expecting a new pair next year, maybe bringing that new parametric equaliser sharing functionality and some better ANC, too.
