Should I "upgrade" my HD-580s or just get HD-650s?

[Ymer]

By upgrade I mean, better cables, replace parts that are getting old... etc.

I doubt there is much o fan improvement, but still, I'm asking opinions from those who actually tested both.

Oh, btw, I really like these headphones.

Thanks!

[fureshi]

i'm also trying to decide what to do with my hd580. besides recabling them yourself, you can always upgrade to the hd650 cable. they're available from sennheiser for $12.

[YngwieJMalmsteen]

You can also get hd-600 grills for them from senn.

The new grills and a good cable make a nice difference (depending on what cable you get, of course), I suspect opinions would be pretty even between "upgraded" 580 and stock 650.

[luuk]

Just get the hd-650. Haven't heard what any other cable on the hd-650, but have heard the differences between the hd-580 and the hd-650'and I think no cable/grill/new pad can give you such an upgrade as just buying the
hd-650's. Appart from that, you know that you're going to buy it sometime.
The path I followed untill now was to go immediatly to the top of my topsegment.
First that was the ms-1 and the shure e3c, one month later the senn hd-650 and the ha2 mkII se. I don't have the urge to upgrade my sound (my source is to weak, I'm not doing much critical listenings now) and am really pleased with it.
If you go straight to the hd-650's you save a lot of money, I guess.

[nmculbreth]

I've owned the both headphones and to my ears the 650s with the stock cable sounded far superior to the 580s with a Cardas cable. I'd skip the upgrades and just get the 650s.

[marvin]

You probably should find out whether you like the 600 or 650 better before you do anything. A fair amount of people prefer the 600s, even though they're supposed to be lower in the product chain.

[Ymer]

Originally Posted by marvin

You probably should find out whether you like the 600 or 650 better before you do anything. A fair amount of people prefer the 600s, even though they're supposed to be lower in the product chain.

Then I'd need to find out between the tree, because a lot of people seem to prefer ther 580s over the 600s, too. This is kinda complicated

I guess the "just get the 650s" idea is the best. New is new anyway!

[applebook]

Just get the HD650 because you know that you eventually will anyway

I skipped all of the mid-range Senns and went straight for the 600 because that's what I truly desired.

If you've heard both the HD650 and the HD600 and don't really consider the 650 to be superior, you might want to get an HD600 and use the extra cash towards a nice Dragon, Equinox, etc. cable upgrade.

[calgary2800]

I'd say give the 650 a try, if you dont like you will lose hardly any money getting rid of it on ebay. No headphone out there has such good resale value. I only lost 16 bucks on selling mine on ebay.

[FaRKle]

i'm also trying to decide what to do with my hd580. besides recabling them yourself, you can always upgrade to the hd650 cable. they're available from sennheiser for $12.

The cables are backordered till Nov. 25th. I ordered one Monday. $15.43 shipped.

[silence57]

You know you will eventually. Go for it or you'll forever be disssatisifed. Compare the two and then sell the 580s. I advise a good amp.

The 650's improve with each hour of break in.

[fewtch]

If you really like the HD580s (or any piece of audio gear) think twice before upgrading -- it's very easy to be disappointed when your expectations may be at some particular level, and reality doesn't meet those expectations. IMO, the best time to upgrade is when you don't like your gear, not when you're really liking it.

Note that HD580 is already into the 'diminishing returns' category, so price/performance expectations shouldn't be too high if you get HD650.

[Kwisatz]

The 650s will offer more of a change than a cable or otherwise can bring to the 580s. I say change because there is always the chance that you won't like the differences between the 580s and 650s. Personally I can say without hesitation that I think the 650s are a better headphone. This is after using and loving the 580s for years.

Now whether they are worth the price difference between the two, is entirely subjective. While I think the 650s are a better headphone, the price difference is much greater than the sound quality difference ratio wise. As fewtch said, the 580s are in the diminishing returns area. Personally in your place I'd get the 650s from a place that has a good return policy and see if you think its worth it. If you like the 650s, you can then sell off the 580s to recoup some of the loss. However, you might end up being perfectly content with the 580s. In which case you can send the 650s back and only be out shipping. Regardless of the outcome you'll be certain that you made the right choice and wont have a nagging "I wonder if the 650's would have been a better route" in the back of your head every time you go to listen.

[fewtch]

Just wanted to add that I'm very happy with my Beyerdynamic DT880s... I consider them a solid upgrade over the HD-580, and almost as good price/performance-wise at $225 as the HD-580 is at $150. Possibly something to consider, if you're willing to try a departure from the Senn house sound.

[pawlowski6132]

I agree withi Calgary2800 (Go Wings!). If you're careful, you can try so many different variations of cables, phones, amps etc. and, if you don't like them just re-sell! I do it all the time and at LEAST 1/2 the time sell the item for a little more than I paid for it. For example, I just bought a pair of HD650s for $240 and Blue Dragon cable for $80. I'm usre I can sell both right now for what I paid for them or a little less. But, that's the price of admission for this hobby.