Sennheiser HD 650 vs AKG Q701

Which Headphones Are Better?

Products

Sennheiser HD 650
AKG Q701

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Jul 18, 2025 05:51 PM

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Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Jul 11, 2025 12:17 AM

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Our Verdict

Sennheiser HD 650

AKG Q701

The AKG Q701 are better critical listening headphones than the Sennheiser HD 650. The Sennheiser have a disappointing soundstage for open-backs, and their treble range depends on the positioning of the headphones and ear shape. The AKG also has an extra 20-foot cable. The Sennheiser are more expensive, making the AKG a better pick.

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Variants

  • HD 650 (Gray)
  • Q701 (Black)
  • Q701 (Green)

Check Price

Gray
HD 650
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Green
Q701
Amazon.com
Gray
HD 650
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B&H
Gray
HD 650
BestBuy.com
 
Gray
HD 650
Sennheiser
 
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Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 
 

N/A
0.0
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Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sennheiser HD 650 Design Picture 2 Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Design Picture 2 Sample

SAMPLE

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Type  

Locked
Locked

Enclosure  

Locked
Locked

Wireless  

Locked
Locked

Transducer  

Locked
Locked
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Comfort 
 

N/A
N/A

Comfort Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Comfort Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Comfort Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Weight  

Lock lbs
Lock lbs

Clamping Force 
 

Lock lbs
Lock lbs
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Controls 
 

N/A
N/A

Controls Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Controls Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Controls Picture Sample

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OS Compatibility 
 

Locked
Locked

Ease Of Use  

Locked
N/A

Feedback  

Locked
N/A

Call/Music Control  

Locked
Locked

Volume Control  

Locked
Locked

Microphone Control  

Locked
N/A

Channel Mixing 
 

Locked
N/A

Noise Cancelling Control  

Locked
N/A

Talk-Through 
 

Locked
N/A

Additional Controls  

Locked
N/A
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Breathability 
 

N/A
N/A

Breathability After Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Breathability After Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Breathability After Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Avg.Temp.Difference  

Lock °C
Lock °C
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Portability 
 

N/A
N/A

Portability Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Portability Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Portability Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock"

 

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock"

 

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock"

Volume  

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)
Lock in³

Transmitter Required  

Locked
N/A
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Case 
 

N/A
N/A

Case Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Case Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Case Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Type  

Locked
Locked

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
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Build Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Build Quality Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Build Quality Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Build Quality Picture Sample

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Stability 
 

N/A
N/A

Stability Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Stability Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Stability Picture Sample

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Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Angled Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Angled Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Side Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Side Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Side Picture Sample

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Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Front Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Front Picture Sample

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Rear Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Rear Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Rear Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Top  

Top Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Top Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Top Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 In The Box Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 In The Box Picture Sample

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Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

Sennheiser HD 650 Frequency Response Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Frequency Response Sample

SAMPLE

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Frequency Response  

Sennheiser HD 650 Frequency Response Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Frequency Response Sample

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Bass Amount 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Treble Amount 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
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Frequency Response Consistency 
 

N/A
N/A

Consistency L  

Sennheiser HD 650 Consistency L Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Consistency L Sample

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Consistency R  

Sennheiser HD 650 Consistency R Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Consistency R Sample

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Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
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Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

Sennheiser HD 650 Raw FR L Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Raw FR L Sample

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Raw FR L  

Sennheiser HD 650 Raw FR L Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Raw FR L Sample

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Raw FR R  

Sennheiser HD 650 Raw FR R Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Raw FR R Sample

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Raw FR R  

Sennheiser HD 650 Raw FR R Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Raw FR R Sample

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Bass Accuracy 
 

N/A
N/A

Bass  

Sennheiser HD 650 Bass Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Bass Sample

SAMPLE

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Bass  

Sennheiser HD 650 Bass Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Bass Sample

SAMPLE

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Std. Err. 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

Low-Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid-Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High-Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
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Mid Accuracy 
 

N/A
N/A

Mid  

Sennheiser HD 650 Mid Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Mid Sample

SAMPLE

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Mid  

Sennheiser HD 650 Mid Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Mid Sample

SAMPLE

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Std. Err. 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low-Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid-Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High-Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
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Treble Accuracy 
 

N/A
N/A

Treble  

Sennheiser HD 650 Treble Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Treble Sample

SAMPLE

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Treble  

Sennheiser HD 650 Treble Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Treble Sample

SAMPLE

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Std. Err. 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low-Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid-Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High-Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
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Peaks/Dips 
 

N/A
N/A

Peaks/Dips Graph  

Sennheiser HD 650 Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Peaks/Dips Graph  

Sennheiser HD 650 Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Peaks 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Dips 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Imaging 
 

N/A
N/A

Group Delay  

Sennheiser HD 650 Group Delay Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Group Delay Sample

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Phase Response  

Sennheiser HD 650 Phase Response Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Phase Response Sample

SAMPLE

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Phase Response Mismatch  

Sennheiser HD 650 Phase Response Mismatch Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Phase Response Mismatch Sample

SAMPLE

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Weighted Group Delay 
 

Lock
Lock

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

Lock
Lock

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

Lock
Lock

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

Lock
Lock
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Passive Soundstage 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF  

Sennheiser HD 650 PRTF Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 PRTF Sample

SAMPLE

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PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

PRTF Distance 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Openness 
 

0.0
0.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

0.0
0.0
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Virtual Soundstage 
 

N/A
N/A

Virtual Soundstage  

Sennheiser HD 650 Virtual Soundstage Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Virtual Soundstage Sample

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Head Modeling 
 

Locked

Speaker Modeling 
 

Locked

Room Ambience 
 

Locked

Head Tracking 
 

Locked

Virtual Surround 
 

Locked

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

Sennheiser HD 650 Weighted Harmonic Distortion Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Weighted Harmonic Distortion Sample

SAMPLE

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WHD @ 90 
 

Lock
Lock

WHD @ 100 
 

Lock
Lock

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Locked

Power 
 

Locked

Connection 
 

Locked

Codec 
 

Locked

EQ 
 

Locked

ANC 
 

Locked

Tip/Pad 
 

Locked

Microphone 
 

Locked
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Isolation  

Sennheiser HD 650 Noise Isolation Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Noise Isolation Sample

SAMPLE

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Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Noise Cancelling  

Locked
Locked

Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

N/A
N/A

Leakage  

Sennheiser HD 650 Leakage Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Leakage Sample

SAMPLE

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Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
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Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Locked
N/A

In-Line 
 

Locked
N/A

Boom 
 

Locked
N/A

Detachable Boom 
 

Locked
N/A

Mic  

Locked
Locked
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Recording Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Microphone Frequency Response  

Sennheiser HD 650 Microphone Frequency Response Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Microphone Frequency Response Sample

SAMPLE

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Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

N/A
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

N/A
N/A

HFE 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
N/A

Gain 
 

N/A
N/A
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Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

SpNR  

Sennheiser HD 650 SpNR Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 SpNR Sample

SAMPLE

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SpNR 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

Locked

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

N/A
N/A

Battery Type 
 

Locked
N/A

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Locked
N/A

Audio While Charging 
 

Locked
N/A

Passive Playback 
 

Locked
N/A

Charging Port  

Locked
N/A
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App Support 
 

N/A
N/A

App Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 App Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 App Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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App Name  

Locked
N/A

iOS  

Locked
N/A

Android  

Locked
N/A

macOS  

Locked
N/A

Windows  

Locked
N/A

Equalizer 
 

Locked
N/A

ANC Control 
 

Locked
N/A

Mic Control  

Locked
N/A

Room Effects 
 

Locked
N/A

Playback Control 
 

Locked
N/A

Button Mapping  

Locked
N/A

Surround Sound  

N/A

Surround Support 
 

Locked
Show Text 
Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth Version 
 

Locked
N/A

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

Locked
N/A

NFC Pairing 
 

Locked
N/A

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A

Android Latency 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Wired 
 

N/A
N/A

Cable Picture  

Sennheiser HD 650 Cable Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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AKG Q701 Cable Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Analog Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

USB Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

Detachable  

Locked
Locked

Length  

Lock ft (Lock m)
Lock ft

Connection 
 

Locked
Locked

Wired Latency 
 

Lock ms

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

Lock ms
Show Text 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Locked

Wired USB 
 

Locked

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC / PS4 Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

PC / PS4 Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

PS4 Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Analog 
 

Locked

PS5 Wired USB 
 

Locked

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Locked

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

Locked

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked

Base/Dock 
 

N/A
N/A

Type 
 

Locked
N/A

USB Input 
 

Locked
N/A

Line In 
 

Locked
N/A

Line Out 
 

Locked
N/A

Optical Input 
 

Locked
N/A

RCA Input 
 

Locked
N/A

Dock Charging 
 

Locked
N/A

Power Supply 
 

Locked
N/A
Show Text 

Check Price

Gray
HD 650
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Green
Q701
Amazon.com
Gray
HD 650
SEE PRICE
B&H
Gray
HD 650
BestBuy.com
 
Gray
HD 650
Sennheiser
 

Sennheiser HD 650

AKG Q701

Comments

  1. Comparison

Sennheiser HD 650 vs AKG Q701: Main Discussion

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