Sennheiser - Sennheiser HD 630VB

Sennheiser

Sennheiser HD 630VB headphones, with bass booster

Aprox. 269€ - see price -

The HD 630VB headphones were designed for audiophiles who want to leave the house "while keeping their headphones high fidelity". Its special feature is its ability to adjust the bass using an integrated dial. As usual, Sennheiser announces a headphone with a worked and very faithful audio rendering. We will therefore see how he manages his dual identity as a nomad and a domestic audiophile.

Our review

Ergonomics

With its 400 grams and its over-ear 9 cm diameter earphones, the Sennheiser HD 630VB does not do in minimalism. Fortunately, the helmet is foldable thanks to a priori ultra-robust aluminum hinges, just like the slides, the headband and the earcups - appreciable for outdoor use. Even when folded, the HD 630VB takes up a lot of space in its huge hard case.

The helmet has removable thick memory foam ear pads. Comfortable, of course, they tend to keep your ears warm. However, the foam under the arch is not very comfortable. Indeed, we feel a very strong support on the top of the skull, a real negative point for domestic use ...

Another downside, its 1.2 m cable (standard length for mobile use) is too short for traditional hi-fi use. Not removable, it is also often subject to the risk of rupture. Details that seem to us to be obvious ...

The settings (volume, change of audio track, pause / play or bass adjustment) are directly available via the buttons on the right headset. Failing to change the cable, a button (see photo above) allows you to switch from iOS compatibility to that of Android - an innovative system that we had never seen on other products.


Ergonomics

Audio

The manufacturer announces a frequency response ranging from 10 to 42,000 Hz, a sound pressure level of 114 dB SPL at 1 kHz for a distortion less than 0.08%. According to the manufacturer, the Bass Boost system allows you to adjust +/- 5 dB in the bass - more precisely at 50 Hz.

The HD 630VB offers a relatively faithful frequency response across the entire audible spectrum. There is a small bump in the lower mids generating a sound with a fairly warm coloring. The voices are very intelligible and slightly highlighted, which is reflected above by the bump that can be seen between 1 and 2 kHz. Note that no sibilance comes to attack our eardrums; the clicks are soft and the overall result is not very shiny.

As we can see on the curve above, the calibration is pretty well done, with a gradual rise in bass around 50-60 Hz. This trick thus allows to offer more or less present bass (+ / -4 dB on our measurements against the promised 5 dB). The latter are well controlled and rather reactive, accompanied by controlled distortion. A successful bet for the German manufacturer.

The very low harmonic distortion rate is therefore inaudible across the spectrum. The curve above represents the distortion at its maximum in the bass (Bass set to maximum), far below the threshold of 1%. The stereophonic scene is acceptable for a portable headset, but does not deploy as broadly as with a traditional hi-fi headset - a feature difficult to adjust with a closed design.

With 131.5 mV to reach 94 dB, it can be used without any problem with all mobile devices. A result comparable to those of the Meizu HD50, Sony h.ear and Beats Solo 2 Wireless.

The passive sound insulation remains correct for this type of product thanks to the presence of pads which absorb the high mids and highs well. On the other hand, this remains far behind other models which adopt active noise reduction technology.

The hands-free kit provides faithful voice rendering, however the HD 630VB has difficulty removing surrounding noise.


Audio

Conclusion

The Sennheiser HD 630VB is certainly rather versatile, but this is not always to its advantage. Thus, we wear a large helmet, quite heavy, not always comfortable, with a non-removable cable, but too short for home use. On the audio side, fortunately, the performances are very good thanks in particular to the adjustable bass and the faithful rendering.


Conclusion