Price When Reviewed

£399.90

Best Prices Today: Sennheiser HDB 630

Many high-quality Bluetooth headphones use the popular aptX codec for Bluetooth audio – well, it’s popular with Android users, Apple has avoided aptX for years (possibly because of a long-running patent dispute between Apple and Qualcomm, which owns the aptX technology).

Luckily, most of the best Bluetooth headphones and earbuds support Apple’s preferred AAC codec, so you can still use Apple devices with a wide range of Bluetooth headphones, but many people argue that aptX provides superior sound quality, especially for listening to the lossless or hi-res music that is now available on Apple Music and other streaming services. Apple’s refusal to support the aptX codec means that it’s not something AirPods users can enjoy, but non-Apple headphones are starting to add their own means of support, and we are looking at one such pair of headphones here. (The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 also support aptX).

Priced at $499.95/£399.90, Sennheiser’s HDB 630 gets around the problem by providing a versatile set of noise-cancelling over-ear headphones that even gives Apple devices a choice between using AAC or the latest high-quality aptX Adaptive codec.

Aimed at “the high-performance audio enthusiast who wants it all”, the HDB 630 headphones support both aptX Adaptive and AAC for Bluetooth audio, as well as providing a USB-C interface for a wired connection as well. And, if you’re using Apple devices that don’t support aptX, the HDB 630 also includes a small Bluetooth dongle (adaptor) called the BTD 700, which uses a USB-C interface to connect to your computers or mobile devices, and then acts as a Bluetooth transmitter that supports aptX Adaptive.

Sennheiser says that the dongle’s aptX Adaptive can handle hi-res audio formats up to 24-bit/96KHz, so it’s a good option if you want to listen to lossless or hi-res music. 

This means that people using Apple devices have a choice of audio options. You can use a direct Bluetooth connection with AAC to provide a quick and easy connection to the headphones, which will be convenient when you’re out and about or working out at the gym. But, if you’re relaxing indoors or on a long plane flight, then you can plug the dongle into your Mac, iPhone or iPad – as long as they have USB-C, of course – and use its aptX Adaptive support to wallow in your favourite tunes with the best possible sound quality. 

And the sound quality really is excellent. The design of the HDB 630 is very similar to that of Sennheiser’s less expensive Momentum 4 headphones, but Sennheiser says it has fine-tuned the internal design of the earpieces to improve both the mid-range and lower-treble performance.

Some people will argue that aptX doesn’t sound much better than AAC, but I could hear a clear difference when listening to the hi-res version of The Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby on Apple Music. With the BTD 700 dongle plugged into my iPad Air, the sharp, stabbing strings sound more forceful and dramatic, and the deep cellos in particular have a richer, more resonant tone than when listening via the iPad’s standard AAC connection.

The dongle also does a great job with the dense rock sound of Sing Along by Sturgill Simpson, laying down a deep, grinding sound for the fuzzy rock guitars, but also picking out the fine detail of the ticking percussion that holds the track together.

Sennheiser’s Smart Control app also provides a Bass Boost option that lands the bass drop towards the end of the track with a satisfyingly weighty sound.

The headphones also boast up to 60 hours of battery life, so they’ll be a good option for a long flight or train journey.

Using the BTD 700 dongle does reduce the battery life to around 45 hours, but that’ll still see you right around the world with no trouble at all.

Our only complaint is that it wasn’t entirely clear how to switch between using the built-in Bluetooth with AAC on my iPad Air, and the aptX Adaptive option with the separate BTD 700 dongle plugged into the iPad.

It took a few minutes of random button-stabbing before I managed to connect the headphones to the little dongle. Once that’s done the Sennheiser app lists the BTD 700 and the iPad’s standard Bluetooth as separate connection options, making it easy to switch between them, but it would help if the instructions in Sennheiser’s PDF manual were a little clearer.

The Sennheiser app has also been updated for the HDB 630, with a new parametric equaliser that provides more fine control over individual frequency bands, and improved controls for the noise-cancellation features. The noise cancellation works well too, providing quick preset options at the tap of a button, as well as a slider control within the app that lets you manually adjust the level of noise cancellation to suit your surroundings.

With noise-cancellation set to full the HDB 630 was able to stamp right down on the low-frequency rumble of an aircraft engine in our simulated tests (courtesy of mynoise.net). It did let in some higher frequency sounds in our second test, which simulates the noise of a busy airport, so Apple’s AirPods Max and Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra still have a slight edge with the overall effectiveness of their noise-cancellation features.

However, the AirPods Max and Bose QC Ultra are more expensive – and, of course, the HDB 630 has the added bonus of its BTD 700 dongle, which provides improved sound quality for Apple devices when listening to lossless and hi-res music.

Sennheiser throws in some other useful accessories too, including a sturdy carrying case, airline adaptor, USB-C cable and 3.5mm cable for devices that still have an old fashioned 3.5mm headphone socket, providing excellent all-round value for money. 

Should You Buy The Sennheiser HDB 630?

If you’re just looking for an affordable set of Bluetooth headphones then there are certainly less expensive options available. However, the HDB 630 will earn its keep for audiophiles who want the very best audio quality, thanks to its versatile connectivity features that include standard Bluetooth along with the BTD 700 adaptor for aptX Adaptive, and wired connectivity as well. And, with impressive battery life and useful accessories, the HDB 630 really does provide excellent value for money.

Best Prices Today: Sennheiser HDB 630

Author: Cliff Joseph, Contributor, Macworld