I recently took the plunge into high-end audio with my own headphone and Amp/DAC set-up: Sennheiser HD 650 headphones with the Schiit Magni and Modi stack. Now, I'll admit this is far from a $1,500 Sennheiser HD 800 S or $4,400 Focal Utopia set-up, two headphones I've only had the brief pleasure of testing, but I love my Sennheiser HD 650s, and this Black Friday deal on their Drop collaboration cousins makes for a cheaper entry into high-end audio than most.
What you're getting is essentially the same headset as the Sennheiser HD 650, which was once upon a time the company's flagship pair. The difference really comes down to colour—the HD 6XX comes in a lovely midnight blue—and price. The Drop x Sennheiser pair is surprisingly cheap for a headset more or less identical to the HD 650.
The important thing is the sound profile of the HD 6XX is kept the same as the HD 650, so you're still going to enjoy the high-end audio that everyone's been raving on about for years now. That means a very balanced mix right the way through the frequencies, though with generally very clear and crisp response on the mids and highs. The bass is a little less than you might expect compared to your standard gaming headset, but there's still a lovely resonance there that doesn't muddy up the audio elsewhere by being too overpowered.
As a pair of open-back headphones, you can expect a light and airy sound that avoids being overly punchy or piercing. That's great, so long as you're in a quiet space. Being open-back, you do lose the noise isolation of a closed-back pair of headphones, but honestly that's a trade-off I'd make every day of the week.
This pair is exceptionally comfortable, too. They're frightfully light, which makes for easy listening over long periods, but also the soft and large ear cups really help spread that weight out around your ear, rather than press on it.
I've also thrown in the Drop x Sennheiser HD 8XX headphones if anyone wishes to take the plunge on the rethink of Sennheiser's current flagship. They're currently under $1,000, which is quite a saving from the generally pricey HD 800 S that they're based on. The actual HD 800 S cans are more well received, but when they're around $500 more expensive, I can see why many choose to opt for the Drop pair and put that money towards a DAC/amp.
Speaking of which, you'll want to pick up a DAC and amp to really get the most out of either headphone. Drop offers one itself, the O2, though I haven't tried it personally. My own setup uses the Schiit Modi and Magni, which works wonders, though it is a bit pricier for both discrete models.
You'll also need a discrete microphone if you hope to communicate in game with these on your head. I use a Blue Yeti X, though there are heaps of great microphones for streaming and gaming out there, and some for pretty cheap, too.
