Hd 650?

tangoseal said:
How do you guys like the Senn HD 650s ?
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(First question would be, are you interested in purchasing them, or just curious with owner's impressions?)

-What kind of headphones have you owned in the past?

-For music I assume? If so, what kinds do you enjoy most.

-I'm assuming open backed is ok?

-Also, take into consideration the need for an amp (preferably dac too) if you have not picked up a discrete one yet.
 
Neapolitan6th said:
(First question would be, are you interested in purchasing them, or just curious with owner's impressions?)

-What kind of headphones have you owned in the past?

-For music I assume? If so, what kinds do you enjoy most.

-I'm assuming open backed is ok?

-Also, take into consideration the need for an amp (preferably dac too) if you have not picked up a discrete one yet.
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Most people won't need a dac and can't tell the difference between a dedicated dac or their onboard sound.

Why so many questions? It's a simple question - How do you like the 650s.


@OP: As being a glasses wearer, I find the 650 uncomfortable. I can't wear them for extended times. It sounds good enough though.
 
I have owned a few over the years. Bose, Other Sennheisers, currently using HD 559's as we speak on a creative labs G5 which is a pretty good amp and can handle 600 ohms. It really can push the 559s with ease. I do not need or want an expensive tube amplifier or even a mosfet based one.

I primarily use my headphones to listen to Classic masterpieces while studying Biology and Medicine but I also use them for spatially aware gaming. I also have an GSX1000 amplifier from Sennheiser as well.

I am not what you would consider an Audiophile by any means but I do certainly appreciate cans that replicate music more in the direction of how it was intended.

I absolutely PREFER open cans as opposed to closed back. The sound stage is too hidden. I like the wider and more realistic sound stage and the higher quality THD as well as appropriate SPL, not too weak and not to repulsive like closed cans.

When I need to go somewhere noisy I always have my trusty Bose QC 25s.

Any ways thanks for any inputs. I would like to know how the 650s compare with the following:

Any thing lower end Sennheiser

and the higher end HD 700's

I am not opposed to other brands but i do not want to have to go on an epic level 100 quest to find headphones. I am aware of and trust Sennheisers engineering.

I am listening to Pink Floyd right now and I like the 559's but they feel lacking in many areas to me. The treble rolls off way to quick and the bass seems a little too narrow with some distortion at the lower frequencies.
 
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RogueTadhg said:
Most people won't need a dac and can't tell the difference between a dedicated dac or their onboard sound.

Why so many questions? It's a simple question - How do you like the 650s.


@OP: As being a glasses wearer, I find the 650 uncomfortable. I can't wear them for extended times. It sounds good enough though.
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I would agree about the dac. I asked those questions to help frame the recommendations of what I assumed to be a headphone reccomendation thread (similar to how we ask questions at [H] for those looking for PC build advice). It was a thread which hadn't been responded to so my response was basicly my effort to spur on further conversation from others who may have more input than I.
tangoseal said:
I have owned a few over the years. Bose, Other Sennheisers, currently using HD 559's as we speak on a creative labs G5 which is a pretty good amp and can handle 600 ohms. It really can push the 559s with ease. I do not need or want an expensive tube amplifier or even a mosfet based one.

I primarily use my headphones to listen to Classic masterpieces while studying Biology and Medicine but I also use them for spatially aware gaming. I also have an GSX1000 amplifier from Sennheiser as well.

I am not what you would consider an Audiophile by any means but I do certainly appreciate cans that replicate music more in the direction of how it was intended.

I absolutely PREFER open cans as opposed to closed back. The sound stage is too hidden. I like the wider and more realistic sound stage and the higher quality THD as well as appropriate SPL, not too weak and not to repulsive like closed cans.

When I need to go somewhere noisy I always have my trusty Bose QC 25s.

Any ways thanks for any inputs. I would like to know how the 650s compare with the following:

Any thing lower end Sennheiser

and the higher end HD 700's

I am not opposed to other brands but i do not want to have to go on an epic level 100 quest to find headphones. I am aware of and trust Sennheisers engineering.

I am listening to Pink Floyd right now and I like the 559's but they feel lacking in many areas to me. The treble rolls off way to quick and the bass seems a little too narrow with some distortion at the lower frequencies.
Click to expand...

I too went the sennheiser route, for similar reasons. In my case I choose the HD800 mainly for their soundstage and level of detail from an analytical listeners perspective (not necessarily for the most listening enjoyment). I wish I could have tried their other models to give further impressions.

I will say people have long stood behind the HD600 and HD650s for a long time. If you are looking at Sennheiser cans, those would certainly fit the bill. I would personally look at the 6XXs on massdrop (HD600s for $200).

Sennheiser is a great place to start. Certainly for someone looking to find something and not be disappointed. If I am right in assuming you are a med student with a fair bit of school left, I would reccomend choosing what is a good value now. Once you have started working a bit, then you can set your sights on whichever headphone you may dream about. At which point, you can more easily justify the cost.

From my college years, I would always set my sights to the heavens of tech nirvana. Quite unrealistic aspirations really. It would end up with me buying what I thought was best, realizing I could have made do with much less, and then me being stuck with an expensive purchase I couldn't easily get my money out of. The perfect headphone doesn't exist, so get what will give you the most performance for the lowest price. So I would be leary of big ticket items such as the HD700s. You can get so much for $200 these days, its hard to justify much more than that. If you choose to spend more that is great, just know that your perf/$ diminishes fast.
 
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B00nie said:
I'd take any 'Z review' with a grain of salt. I haven't yet figured out if it's a comedy site or is he serious.
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I think he reviews so many things that anything that is different is what he praises. Whether that is different good or different bad isn't always clear. Lol when he gets into talking about distortion.. When he says "oh this is doing weird things to the sound, and I like it" Science!
 
Love my HD-650, though I had to tinker with headphone amps until I found one that made me happy (custom built PPAv2 from Tangent's design work). Sound is maybe laid back compared to some other options out there, but in a good way. If you want a pair be sure to hit up HD-6XX on Massdrop.
 
The 660s makes no sense at its asking price.

I can get HD 700s on amazon for $470'ish depending. Maybe I will just go that route.
 
HammerSandwich said:
A lot of folks would say the same about the 700 in comparison to the 600 & 650. If you can find a way to audition all of them, you might save some cash.
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There in lies the impossible. Other than buy try return there is no other way. I might order 650s on Amazon for 369 or whatever and give them a try. Theybwill return anything without question if I don't like it.
 
See an audiologist, get silicon molds, an audiogram and some IEMs.
Why use a design meant as a one size fits all solution.
Shoes, sure, but your hearing is not the same as they guy next door.

By the time you get a good soundcard, some headphones and speakers to handcuff yourself to, you could have got a solution designed for your ears, and even use them with your iPhone, etc.

Otherwise you won’t hear a 400 hundred dollar difference from Yamaha 40 dollar phones or Sennheisers “new and improved” drivers.
Marketing is the only thing that has changed with headphones over the years.
 
Many find the HD700's to be painfully peaky in the highs. I wouldn't want them.

The HD 600, 650/6XX = no such problem. I assume they've tuned that issue out of the 660 as well.

The bass on these Sennheisers is a bit weak, even for an open-back.

I really think the Koss Porta-Pro has a great sound signature, but the wiring wasn't very durable and the headband kept grabbing my hair. I use headphones every day, so I started collecting them:

My collection: I got each of these on sale = total cost below $660 shipped.

Koss Porta-Pro: Still my favorite budget headphone... surprisingly good, but I hate the headband. Warm, silky smooth midrange. The KSC75 is brighter and less bassy, and were a steal when they were $10.

Sennheiser HD6XX: great midrange detail retrieval. The resolution is there, but the bass and soundstage are lacking for an end-game headphone. I think the frequency response tuning of the Senn 600 series really is great.

Philips Fidelio X2: Better bass and impact, but still a lack of subbass. Midrange detail is ok, but midrange is sucked out a bit. I got used to it...and these are comfy and durable, so I use these the most. Sound Stage is bigger and wider than the Senns, but not huge. Decent for gaming, but lower fidelity than the Senn.


AudioQuest Nighthawk: Finally real bass... still not basshead levels, but I'm not going to buy a headphone (even the best bass headphones are disappointing to me) just for that. Subbass is there. Distortion is supposedly very low on these, and the detail retrieval is definitely good if I turn it up (without EQ, the bass overpowers the mids). The frequency response is so damned off that these REQUIRE something like equalizerAPO to even sound half-right. Some say that these become end-game level once corrected... but I haven't had enough of a chance to play with it yet. These are surprisingly lightweight, but prefer the single cable of the X2 for everyday use. Gaming sounds are off due to the messed up frequency response... everything is bass-tilted. I gotta try to create a corrected curve for these because I suspect they're actually great.

Of those 4, only the Senn 600 series seems to require a good amount of power from a headphone amp. The impedance is just higher.

I also dislike IEMs due to discomfort. I hate sticking things into my ear canal. That said, the higher end IEMs I've heard from Ultimate Ears (I'm an IEM noob) have been pretty damned good (except for sound stage), and that's just with comply foam and/or shure olive tips.
 
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rezerekted said:
How about beyerdynamic Amiron? They are on my to buy list and not Senn. Maybe overpriced though.

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic...521200224&sr=8-3&keywords=beyerdynamic+Amiron
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For that price, I'd just pony up for Audeze. Check out their new LCD-2 Classic. $799, but I think I heard for some reason there was a sale of them for $600. I doubt that price will go back down though.

The Beyerdynamic 1990 for $600 is said to be a great headphone as well. All things to look into, and all good brands as well.

You are are getting into the territory where you get close to so many other high end headphones. You have to be careful with the question of "why stop here?"
 
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I just got some HIfiman HE-400 i and they are extremely nice for the price. Crisp and warm, and then cool at the times they need to be. I don't have to time do a big write up response but I am really digging these Planar Magnetic headphones.
 
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Eh, I have the HE4XX and HD600 side-by-side here, and they're different.

With upgraded pads on the Senns (the Hifimans from Massdrop already have great pads), comfort is outstanding. They disappear. Hard to complain.
 
Have anyone compared HD600/HD650 and HD660s to HD545 'reference' and/or other headphones which use the same older 150 ohm drivers?

I had HD600 and replaced its driver for those from HD545. They use the same housing so it was very easy.
I bought HD545 for the original cable which looked thick and of superior quality to that c%*p I got with HD600 (original cable). Cable from HD545 is way way better, it is very thick (I would say ridiculously heavy and thick) and have good shielding . Tested by connecting it to input of my sound card - cable from HD600 pick up electromagnetic noise like hell, from HD545 does not. I won't even mention impedance difference... you could probably drive 4ohm speakers with this cable and it wouldn't sweat :ROFLMAO:

These older drivers way more 'musical' and nicer sounding, have less irritating highs, more bass, more natural sound stage, not as distant sounding.
I can listen to them all day long and my ears will never get tired while HD600 are kinda irritating, especially in direct comparison.
Older drivers have very pleasant sound and in the end that is what really matter in headphones.

New HD660S have... 150ohm driver.
Coincidence? :pompous:
 
HD650 is a dark headphone with the clamp of death. For pure comfort reasons I would prefer Hifiman or Audio Technica products at its price range.
 
rezerekted said:
How about beyerdynamic Amiron? They are on my to buy list and not Senn. Maybe overpriced though.

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic...521200224&sr=8-3&keywords=beyerdynamic+Amiron
Click to expand...

Neapolitan6th said:
For that price, I'd just pony up for Audeze. Check out their new LCD-2 Classic. $799, but I think I heard for some reason there was a sale of them for $600. I doubt that price will go back down though.

The Beyerdynamic 1990 for $600 is said to be a great headphone as well. All things to look into, and all good brands as well.

You are are getting into the territory where you get close to so many other high end headphones. You have to be careful with the question of "why stop here?"
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There was a sale on the Audeze LCD-2 Classic during the holiday season for $599 (that's when I got mine). Sale has been over for about 2 months, and isn't likely to come back any time soon.

The Beyerdynamic Amiron Home is a really nice all-around headphone.

I own both headphones, and did a brief, non-scientific comparison between the Beyerdynamic Amiron Home and the Audeze LCD-2 Classic here:

 
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