Sennheiser HD 630VB Announced

The Sennheiser HD 630VB headphones were announced just a few days ago, and while the interwebs are abuzz with calls of GTFO, we’re kind of glad to see this headphone.  Kind of.

HD 630VB:  Beats Down Low

The big selling points of the HD 630VB are as follows:

1.)  Audiophile!

2.)  Foldable!

3.)  Adjustable bass!

Doesn’t look half bad does it?  

Unfortunately, it doesn’t really seem to be stimulating the audiophile community the way that other headphones might (like an even-more-premium-than-wireless-Momentum-3.0).  Instead, most people seem to unnerved by the inclusion of the “select-a-bass” feature, which isn’t something audiophiles seem to want in a pair of headphones.  But that doesn’t mean Sennheiser is necessarily missing it’s mark so much as it might be trying to widen the definition of what an “audiophile headphone” should entail.

What about all those bassheads out there, just itching to buy a quality headphone?  When it comes to bassy headphones, sure, Sennheiser has them.  But not any models that they have deemed “audiophile headphones”.  Meanwhile, just about every other manufacturer has been quick to meet the demands of the bass-lovers with some model or another, usually trailed by descriptors like Hifi or Premium.  Psssh, yeah, right.

And this could help edge some people away from Beats.  I mean, I would love to let a customer compare these headphones with a pair of Beats, and watch as the reality sank in.  (DELICIOUS.)  However, directing anything that could remotely be considered an “Audiophile Headphone” into super-bass territory is kind of worrying for those who prefer a more even sound.

Ugh, Jesus, kill it with fire.

The up side of this possible misstep is that sink or swim, the headphone will only make Sennheiser’s real audiophile headphones better.  If it tanks, Sennheiser will just leave bassy headphones out of its “Audiophile Headphones” lineup.

If it succeeds, these headphone will only bring more money to a company who still churns out some amazing audiophile headphones.  So, you know, win-win.

Plus, let’s not even forget how cool it is to change your bass.  On a freaking dial. Like it’s a stove or a thermostat, or one of those old TV sets from the 1970s.  I mean, how cool is that?  Thanks Sennheiser.  I thought I was done when I listened to the Urbanite, but this really makes me fall in love with you all over again.

Freaking dials, man.  Freaking dials.

OH!  I almost forgot!  They have a frequency range of 10-42000 hz.  This roughly translates into over 9000 audiophile points, regardless of whether you can actually hear anything over 20khz or not.