From AirPods Max to Sennheiser HDB 630 — a journey worth sharing
A bit of context first. I previously owned the Soundcore Liberty 4NC (loved it with the piano EQ preset) and still use the AirPods Pro 2 daily — an outstanding in-ear for everything it offers. But I kept feeling the urge to have a proper headphone for a specific ritual: coming home from work, sitting on the couch, pouring a glass of wine or cracking open a beer, and just listening to some of my favorite albums. Simple as that.
To fill that gap, I bought the first-gen AirPods Max (USB-C) last week. The build is undeniably premium and robust, ANC is excellent, and for anyone inside the Apple ecosystem the convenience factor is real. The sound is very good — but it didn't impress me. The negatives piled up: the weight, the complete lack of EQ options, the ridiculous case, battery life, and long-term discomfort. After weighing the pros and cons, I returned it this morning.
Enter the HDB 630.
I'll be honest — I was nervous. Comments like "boring and lifeless sound" and "low volume" weren't encouraging, especially looking at a headphone that, visually, seems fragile and, let's say, aesthetically... unconventional. I was mentally preparing to return it before it even arrived.
But no review replaces the actual listening experience, and that's what I want to talk about.
The moment I connected it and started playing my favorite tracks, I found myself increasingly captivated. Everything sits exactly where it should in the default tuning — to the point where, after testing several user-shared EQ presets and presets online, nothing beat the stock neutral tuning for me. On certain tracks I'd activate Crossfeed or a gentle Bass Boost, but that was it.
A lot of people say this headphone lacks color or fun. Honestly? I think they're confusing neutral with boring. Think of a Margherita pizza: few ingredients, simple, but when done right, everything is in perfect harmony. That's exactly what the HDB 630 sounds like to my ears — simple, natural, and cohesive. There's something quietly enchanting about something straightforward done well.
The not-so-great parts:
- The aesthetics won't win any awards. I feel like a Cyberman from Doctor Who wearing it.
- It looks fragile. I genuinely hope it isn't.
- Transparency mode is basically nonexistent.
The pleasant surprises:
- ANC works perfectly well for my needs. Yes, it's not Apple or Sony — but frankly, if you're buying a Sennheiser, ANC isn't the reason.
- The carry case is excellent, even if it's quite large.
- The BTD 700 dongle deserves a special mention: that little thing integrates seamlessly with the HDB 630 and genuinely elevates the listening experience.
- Comfort is ok. Sessions never feel fatiguing.
- The volume? Yes, it's not the loudest headphone out there — but it's sufficient.
- The parametric EQ is a fantastic addition — something the audiophile community had been asking for and genuinely deserved. In skilled hands, I have no doubt it’s an incredibly powerful tool. I’ll be honest about my own limitations here: I keep my adjustments minimal and build on top of presets shared by the community. But here’s the thing — 95% of the time I end up going straight back to the default tuning anyway. Yes, the default tuning is that good.
- I also really appreciate the overall Sennheiser experience as a package. You buy the headphone and everything you need to get the most out of it comes in the box: the headphone itself, the dongle, the cables, the case. The full experience, right out of the gate. Some companies — cough Apple cough — could really learn a thing or two from that philosophy.
Bottom line:
I'm very satisfied, even though it wasn't cheap — and in my country (Brazil), this headphone is quite expensive. At that price point, I do think some aspects could have been more refined. But what brought me here was sound quality, and on that front I have zero complaints.
Coming home from work, sitting on the couch, opening a beer, and listening to Moving Pictures has never felt this good.
---
As a side note, I'm still curious to expand my small collection with something that offers a different character. Right now I have my eye on the PX8 S2, but I can't find it for sale in Brazil yet — only the original PX8 (absurdly expensive here) and the PX7 S2E (roughly half the price). Maybe someday. For now, I'm absolutely happy.
Your experience may have been completely different from mine — you might agree with a lot of what I said, or disagree with most of it, and that's perfectly fine. I'll be the first to admit that my exposure to high-quality headphones is more limited than I'd like it to be. At the end of the day, audio is deeply subjective, and these are simply my impressions of these two headphones. I hope they're useful to someone out there who is considering picking up either one of them.