Sennheiser HD650 Appreciation Thread!! - Page 676

Quote:

Originally Posted by muxamed 

Hi! This is my first post in this thread. I have had HD650 for a couple of years now and I really like them. I have the old version with black drivers. Would it be worth it to upgrade drivers to the new ones. I can get new drivers for €100. Anyone here who really heard that difference in sound between the two?

The difference is the damping material used on the baffles as MLE confirmed, so if you do get new ones make certain it's the whole baffle/driver and not just the capsules. From what I've been reading this morning some say there's a definitive, large difference, the new material un-veils them, makes them brighter and more controlled, with more consistent sound between batches of HD650s. Some say there's no difference, very mixed opinions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by matti620 

Do any of the HD650 owners regularly equalize their set? If yes, then what are your settings?

I don't equalize but I should think it would be to sharpen the bass a little, and brighten the upper-mids and treble. I wouldn't want to interfere with the already well presented mids.

After about 3 months of issues, the used Darkvoice 337se is up and running and powering my HD-650s... Wow!  It is the perfect blend of energy and warm tube goodness.  I can't believe how good my HD-650s sound.  It blows my Asgard out of the water.  I got some LCD-2s and a Mjolnir a couple weeks ago and it has dominated my listening time, but now I am conflicted  I wish I had 2 pairs of ears!  Oh well... first world problems.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pelli 

After about 3 months of issues, the used Darkvoice 337se is up and running and powering my HD-650s... Wow!  It is the perfect blend of energy and warm tube goodness.  I can't believe how good my HD-650s sound.  It blows my Asgard out of the water.  I got some LCD-2s and a Mjolnir a couple weeks ago and it has dominated my listening time, but now I am conflicted  I wish I had 2 pairs of ears!  Oh well... first world problems.

Yes, I love the HD-650 out of my Darkvoice...all smiles while listening!

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonball 

what kinda amps are required for HD650? Give me some samples. from cheapest to costliest which *significantly* improves the SQ of 650.  Slight improvements do not count.

Bottlehead Crack has good reputation for good synergy with HD650 and it has a tremendous value if you build it yourself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvin7 

Bottlehead Crack has good reputation for good synergy with HD650 and it has a tremendous value if you build it yourself.

Yeah, the only issue is that its an OTL amp, meaning you can only use it for high impedance headphones.

Thinking of recabling... what would you guys reccommend for ~$150 ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by muxamed 

Hi! This is my first post in this thread. I have had HD650 for a couple of years now and I really like them. I have the old version with black drivers. Would it be worth it to upgrade drivers to the new ones. I can get new drivers for €100. Anyone here who really heard that difference in sound between the two?

It's not a huge differences but definitely noticeable. Worth it or not, it's depending on your personal preferences

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvin7 

Bottlehead Crack has good reputation for good synergy with HD650 and it has a tremendous value if you build it yourself.

I have no doubt that the BC sounds good but I have a heard time understanding the value for a DIY project that cost more than the lyr. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by goatonboat 

Thinking of recabling... what would you guys reccommend for ~$150 ?

There are several good cable makers out there. You can get a custom length, nice looking cable that it much better for flexibility and usability. Don't look for cables to make a day and night difference on the sound quality though. 

Consider:

Moon Audio Silver Dragon-you'd have to go used on your budget. 

BTG Audio

Q Audio

Norse Skuld

gL!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by proton007 

Yeah, the only issue is that its an OTL amp, meaning you can only use it for high impedance headphones.

Another way of looking at this is that the crack was actually built with high impedance headphones (and specifically the HD600/650's) in mind.  Stated simply - the beauty of OTL is that you can achive great tube sound, and ample voltage swing for high impedance phones, without the considerable added expense of having to include a quality output transformer in the amp.  Something like the lyr, by contrast, is a super high powered hybrid intended to drive current hungry low impedance headphones (focusing on orthos).  

Personally, when given the choice, I go with the well reviewed product that was actually designed to complement my other gear...  Also, since pricing was brought up, the crack + speedball is still $45 cheaper than a lyr (even after the price increase).  The education you get piecing it together, and inevitably modding it a bit after the fact, also carries major value.  

As a relatively new HD650 owner i am also interested in building a Crack, however i purchased a Lyr (which i really enjoy) because i (like most people i think) wasn't ready to commit to such a DIY project out the gate.  Also i plan on adding some HE-400/500s into my headphone collection at some point (hopefully soon) so the Lyr is a good choice if you would like one amp to power both types of headphones.  That was my rationale anyway  :)

I am happy with the Lyr so i have no regrets, though i am also very interested in getting into the DIY scene in the future.

edit: spelling

I saw a new old stock of HD-580 (silver cloth driver version) at a local store for $300. Is that a good price? But I already have the HD-650 :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by whoelse 

I saw a new old stock of HD-580 (silver cloth driver version) at a local store for $300. Is that a good price? But I already have the HD-650 :-)

Is it the Jubilee version?

Quote:

Originally Posted by amandarae 

Go for it!  I have the LD MKIV and the Lyr.  You will not regret the purchase.  Those moments when you want to energize yourself at the very instant, plug to the Lyr.  At times when you do not care about "audiophile" thoughts and just listen to feed your soul, plug in to the LD.  Okay, maybe not that drastic of a situation but you know what I mean?  When you dialed in to your content the tubes for both the LD and the Lyr,  browsing this forum becomes less and less frequent  ha,ha!  Good luck!

I think I have to try to find sometime in the coming weeks to head to my local Schiit dealer to listen to the Lyr. And I can start to see how tube rolling can become an expensive exercise.

So, judging by your comments the Lyr is more energetic amp with the HD650s, and the LD MkIV by comparison is a little laid back?

I think the HD650 does love tubes. I've tried 2 solid states (Violectric V100 and Graham Slee Solo SGRII) and though the sound is cleaner, solid states are not as musically absorbing then tube amps with the HD650.