Sennheiser HD 650 (2003) vs beyerdynamic T90 (2012)

The Sennheiser HD 650 (2003) is a great Open-Back Headphone for its $397 asking price.

The beyerdynamic T90 (2012), on the other hand, is not worth its $2022 price tag and should be avoided by most people. We strongly suggest that you take a look at some better alternatives if you're considering spending around $1,300 on a Open-Back Headphone.

The Sennheiser HD 650 (2003) was loved by reviewers at SoundGuys, a highly trusted source that performs reliable in-depth testing. It did great in its "Best headphones for bass" roundup where it was named its "Best Sound", which, in itself, makes it a product worth considering.

Taking a look at the beyerdynamic T90 (2012), it got featured in roundups from two reliable sources that conduct their own testing - Head-fi and CNET - but it fell short of earning a top spot in either.

We conducted an analysis of all of the review data that we could find on these two products. First, we focused on sources that tested and rated both of them, like Head-fi, and learned that they all showed a preference for the beyerdynamic T90 (2012).

Then we took a look at the highest review scores that these two Open-Back Headphones received. We found that the Sennheiser HD 650 (2003) managed to earn a rating of 10 from Techradar, whereas the beyerdynamic T90 (2012) got its highest, 9.2, score from reviewers at Head-fi.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Open-Back Headphones on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Open-Back Headphones being 7.8 out of 10, whereas the Sennheiser HD 650 (2003) and beyerdynamic T90 (2012) managed averages of 8.3 and 8.7 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Sennheiser HD 650 (2003) vs. beyerdynamic T90 (2012) comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.