The Beyerdynamic DT880 and Sennheiser HD650 are both old school German dynamic headphones, designed for desktop listening, belong to different price points, they both sell at about USD 300 in Amazon, USA, from time to time. They compete with each other and makes for an interesting comparison.The Irish made Sennheiser HD650 is a clever mix of lots of plastic with minimal metal and the German made Beyerdynamic DT880 uses a lot more metal by comparison. Both are lightweight headphones and yet I find the Sennheiser HD650 more attractive and ergonomic than the DT800. The Beyer DT880 just looks plain ugly on the head. The only other headphone that looks much worse is the Fostex T50RP orthodynamic headphones.The HD650 has oval earpads and the DT880 uses round earpads. Both earpads are soft velour and is ideal for long-term listening comfort. The DT880 comes with a decent carrying pouch and 6.3mm screw-in TRS adaptor over a 6.3mm TRS jack. The HD650 comes in an impractical cardboard box and a 6.3mm TRS to a 3.5mm TRS jack adaptor cable. I also despise the DT880's fixed cable design and appreciate the HD650's detachable cables better.I initially tried the 600 ohms Beyer DT880 and quickly realised that they are very power hungry and deserves nothing less than a good quality headphone amplifier to drive them optimally and so I replaced them with the easy to drive 250 ohms version. The Sennheiser HD650 is only available in 300 ohms version. On my desktop DAC/Amp, when I use the HD650 the volume barely touches the 10 O'clock position, the DT880 on the other hand, reaches the same level of volume at about 01 O'clock position. They offer very different efficiency levels here despite the similar impedance ratings declared. Those seeking to use the DT880 with portable/desktop devices should try the 32 ohms version.Both these old school headphones focus on what is left in any recording. This makes for easy listening even with older 16 bit recordings just as well as modern 24 bit recordings. Compared to the Beyerdynamic DT880, the Sennheiser HD650 has a tad wider/deeper soundstage, greater transparency to recording artefacts, more articulate midrange, a better extended bass response and are easier to drive despite the higher impedance ratings.Compared to the Sennheiser HD650, the Beyerdynamic DT880 appears more neutral, grainier, less dynamic and less engaging. They tend to appear lifeless and boring over extended periods of time. They tend to lull me to sleep more often than any other headphones I own. Maybe, the DT880s are ideal for bedtime listening.I personally enjoy the Sennheiser HD650 more than the Beyerdynamic DT880. The HD650 belongs to a higher price point and is totally worth the asking price.