Sennheiser HD650 Appreciation Thread!! - Page 586

That last graph is pretty much how I heard the HD650. Very well balanced, with a slight mid bass hump and treble that was smoothed over. It was a very pleasnt, and natural sound. Just a bit more treble, and I'd have called it neutral.

And yes, driver variations are a thing. I had two DT990/600s recently at the same time (along with a 990/32 and 990/250). One was more bassy with warmer/thicker tone, but distant mids. The other was pretty neutral-ish (for a 990), with more air, and closer to neutral mids, and larger soundstage.
Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 11/20/12 at 2:46pm

 

Is that really possible?

Edited by musiclife - 1/12/13 at 4:27pm

Yes it is, but the 600 drivers actually cost more than the 650 drivers for some reason.

You can even put 650 drivers inside a 580 shell if you wanted. I wanted to do this, but I didn't because the 650 drivers are supposed to be matched or something.

I didn't want to risk it. I was tempted for awhile though.

I just ordered some Telefunken tubes for in the Lyr to pair with the HD650. I sure hope they sound as well with the Lyr as they did with the Little Dot. It was my favorite tube brand for in the LD. 

Is there actually a headphone with fuller/thicker mids than the HD-650? If so I can't imagine what that would sound like. I guess maybe an HD-650 with a specific tube amp. I don't really want the HD-650 any warmer.

These are probably just as fun to listen to as the DJ100 for me easily. Nothing laid-back or boring about them. Just really smooth sounding. The mids are addicting and not what i'm used to. Feels like my home theater setup in a way.

 

Right now I must be imagining things, but with the ODAC they sound like they have more detail than the Q701. I'm not going to sit and over-analyze this like I did in the past. I think the ODAC is possibly helping a lot to make them a bit more revealing or detailed. Not really sure. My Q701 didn't really become much more detailed or revealing with the ODAC. A little bit. It actually became more balanced.

 

I do now feel they make some music a little better sounding than it should be, but I don't care. I mean it doesn't dramatically change anything too badly. I think this is the general consensus.

 

This pair has none of that muffled sound and is always crystal clear. This pair has some of most controlled bass i've ever heard. Weird. I guess I can't complain.

 

I think the most impressive thing other than the full mids is the soundstage. Not super huge, but I easily prefer it to the HD-600/580. I don't know why there would even be such a difference. The 600 is said to have a larger soundstage, but it no longer seems that way. I don't really want to compare them. Just would rather listen to my music.

 

Oh yeah..I think the HD-650 and Q701 make a good pair. I'll probably still use the Q701 for gaming, but i'll finally test out the HD-650 for it later tonight.

HE-400 has thicker mids, and I'm sure other planar magnetics as well.

Just to add to this (already length) thread, the HD 650's are changing my life! My first true Audiophone headphones: upgraded from the HD 595's, which I realized after purchasing them wasn't really what I was looking for.

In summary, I will say: This is what everyone is talking about!

Dont agree with this at all. The HD650 has magical mids. The HE400's mids arent anywhere close to be being as rich and meaty. Theyre in line with the rest of the sound, but not special.

 

have to agree. every track i've listened to sounds phenomenal.  better than i've ever heard it before.

HD650 has more upper mids, and cleaner mids, but they're not thick like the HE-400.  This is with both O2 and Little Dot.  I think the high amount of lower-mid distortion on HE-400 goes a ways in reinforcing their thickness as well.   HD650's mids aren't really special either, they're just pronounced compared to the rest of  its sound signature. A frown-shaped headphone.

Edited by TMRaven - 11/21/12 at 3:55pm

We'll just agree to disagree. The HD650 has the best mids I have ever heard. I've heard forward mids before, like on the Q701, HD598, and ESW9, and they don't come close to sounding as lovely as the HD650's. However, I do say the HE400 sounds thicker as a WHOLE, just not in the mids. Also, I don't find them to sound like a frown shape. The bass and mids are on an even plane, both being rich, IMHO. The treble is the only place I'd say it's recessed.
Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 11/21/12 at 4:06pm

Yes, that's fine.  We already disagree on a lot of stuff.  I still can't get over your view on AD700 and M50's comfort levels for one.  

 

And to me, their sub-bass has a mean roll-off, so that's where one half of their frown comes in.  I couldn't listen to a lot of electronic or hip-hop with them-- the majority of which have 40-50hz centered content, which are intended for subwoofers.  HD650 didn't hit those regions very well.  They are fine for most other stuff though, unless it's acoustic with heavy focus on standup bass.

Edited by TMRaven - 11/21/12 at 4:09pm

 

The telefunkin's will rock!! No question...

Just noticed 650s price on the right for Amazon is too low to display. Clicked on it, $490 flat. Too low..HA

I wonder if this is a common sentiment. Does it take time to adjust to the "Reference" sound signature of the HD650? The reason I ask this is I recently acquired a pair of HD650. I had never heard them before, but had a listen to the RS220, which I really liked and read has similar characteristics to the HD650. I also really love my Sennheiser IE80. So I like a warmish, fuller bodied sound with a bit of impactfuly bass.

The HD650 are my first open headphones. And when listening to them via the DragonFly, I find they sound underwhelming. The sound seems flat compared to the IE80. Detail is there, as I am hearing things on familiar records that I didn't hear before, and I do like the sound, as I am reluctant to take them off when listening. Just that sometimes, the sound isn't very impactful.

I know amps are recommended for the HD650, however, the DragonFly drives the HD650 to a level loud enough for me at the volume at about 45 out of the available 65 steps.

So, will and amp improve the sound? Does the HD650 need the amp to provide good current rather then volume to drive it properly? Or is it just about getting "used" to the sound or a reference type headphone?