These are my first pair of cans and straight out of the package they look pretty amazing. When I first put them on I thoroughly enjoyed what i heard. Works well for bluesy songs and there is an...
Overview:
The Beats Pro is the Beats' top-of-the-line model, with a lofty price tag of $400. However, its price, along with Beats' reputation with being a hated-on brand, hides the fact that...
Reposting my original review from Amazon.com - these headphones are just too good to be left in the dustbin of history - for instance, I just bought a pair of Monoprice MEP-933, listed everywhere...
Somehow, the Ballad of Jed Clampett comes to mind, as I start to write this. You know, the Beverly Hillbillies. He was living his life, struck gold, and everything changed. That's kind of what...
And one final time, I'll make a very special post in the HD650 Appreciation thread. While I've been spending most of my head-time with HD800 and HE-6, HD650 is still my long-time home here on Head-Fi, and I'm glad to still be a member of the HD650 club. To that end, this is where I'll make my 1500th post, which, if I'm not mistaken, should be the shift to "Headphonius Supremus"!
And one final time, I'll make a very special post in the HD650 Appreciation thread. While I've been spending most of my head-time with HD800 and HE-6, HD650 is still my long-time home here on Head-Fi, and I'm glad to still be a member of the HD650 club. To that end, this is where I'll make my 1500th post, which, if I'm not mistaken, should be the shift to "Headphonius Supremus"!
And one final time, I'll make a very special post in the HD650 Appreciation thread. While I've been spending most of my head-time with HD800 and HE-6, HD650 is still my long-time home here on Head-Fi, and I'm glad to still be a member of the HD650 club. To that end, this is where I'll make my 1500th post, which, if I'm not mistaken, should be the shift to "Headphonius Supremus"!
Congrats your supremeesness! I'll be joining you this weekend I suspect.
Stupid random weird note. I tried my new HD-650 again with an E9 from an old (full sized) JVC CD player from 93 that sounds really good.
What the heck Sennheiser? All my harsh and fatiguing garbage tracks still sound harsh and fatiguing! How dare they...
Somehow the 650 at the moment doesn't sound as forgiving as I remember. Not a detail monster, but all the detail seems there so far.
This time around the HD-650 doesn't really sound all that colored. No major smoothing over of any of my tracks to make them easier on the ears.
Somehow my 598 does this a bit. Even the HD-600 does, but very slightly.
Some of my Jpop (mostly the boring kind with female vocals) sounded kind of fatiguing in the lower mids for a few seconds. I think my JVC has forward mids a tad or something. The soundstage is really good for a full sized CD player. I always have this bad habit of picking up old CD players and finding some hidden gem. So far I like the JVC and Technics players I found for $20. The Denon I tried was way too bassy. It seems the best ones I've heard are from the early 90's. Not sure why this is. I have an Oppo around too (971 I believe). I think it's the most neutral perhaps, but not sure.
OK now I FINALLY have free time and will try this 650 with my main setup. Should be fine. I know some here hate the E9 (doesn't deserve it!), but I think it's not bad for a budget amp for the HD-650 (or Q701). It's certainly better than using both with a portable amp IMO.
Sorry for all these mini updates, but I feel like talking about the HD-650 I just got in.
From my main (best) setup the sub-bass is MUCH more present and more extended than my 598, 600, 580 and Q701. No doubt. I actually expected it to be the same as the HD-600, but it's not. The sub-bass is as present as my DJ100 (I won't go there!), which makes me very, very happy.
The HD-650 seems "fairly dark" on my Micro Amp. Just kind of how it should sound. Not really, but only compared to the HD-600 and my Q701 (well, duh). Here's what's interesting..I find the Fiio E9 for whatever reason to be kind of a bit treble happy. I mean still fairly neutral, but it seems to give all my headphones what seems like a tad more treble. I just saw some measurements for my amp and it's not rolled off in the treble. I think for those that find the HD-650 to be too dark, the E9 might be just the ticket. I bet the E7+E9 was made and tested with the 650 in mind. Call me crazy if you want!
This song below (crappy youtube quality, I have it in FLAC) was very congested sounding on my old HD-650. Some bass bleed and didn't sound good at all. I think it's a warm recording and you can tell with this song that the HD-650 has a tad less treble than on many of my other headphones. Not that I care! Still good. Anyway, the sound doesn't sound as bad now. Very good. It does add a bit of warmth to the recording, but otherwise accurate.
There is actually low-bass in this recording! Stuff that's barely registering on my Q701, but is there on only my KRK KNS-8400, DJ100 and a tiny bit on the HD-600.
I still get an impression that the HD-650 sounds like it has a better soundstage than the HD-600 (smaller perhaps) and with more of those tiny details. Even how you feel as if you know what type of room the recording is made in! No lack of detail here.
BTW I feel that Canare or Mogami might degrade the sound slightly due to extra warmth from their high capacitance. I got that impression last year. I love Mogami with my 598 and Q701 though. Don't bother lecturing me over a $3 cable.
Not that anyone cares, but the Micro Amp sounds a bit more flat than the E9. Both still measure flat (not 100% sure if the E9 does), but that doesn't mean much. The E9 sounds thinner in the mids. With the Micro there is a touch more warmth. It's not a warm amp to me AT ALL. Like maybe the warmth of a Clip+. Yeah...I never knew the Clip+ had even remotely any warmth
This amp doesn't add much of any coloration to anything I can detect.
Oh yeah.. the lower mids certainly seem forward on the HD-650 (on any setup). Well, some area of the mids. Guessing it's lower mids because the upper mids are supposed to be neutral or recessed right?
Another thing...this HD-650 (at least this pair) has similar bass quantity as my DJ100 (which some say is bass light!).
I also remember that with my last pair the 650 didn't seem too dark until I used them with gaming.
The lower mids of this 650 definitely seem more forward than those of the Q701 and basically all my headphones. I must be ultra sensitive to lower mids. Is that possible?!
edit 500: I thought any more warmth than what the HD-600 has would ruin the sound of a headphone. Boy, was I ever wrong. The really full mids of the HD-650 sure are nice. No bloated bass here yet. When it sounds that way it's due to the recording (so far!). I can verify this on other headphones.
