[OldSkool]

Quote:

Yeah I figured it'd have a negative effect on the sound, I don't want to change anything about them. Sadly it could be a deal breaker, we share the same space and she was adamant she could clearly hear everything "as if I was using normal speakers". I didn't want to go closed backs, as the W3000ANV's were the only ones I liked and these were big dollars. The wife rarely listens to music so I guess anything bugs her quite easily especially a genre she's not into.
 
Do you guys just listen when others are not around or do you have closed backs to use at the times you're sharing a space?

Sounds to me like your wife is subconsciously giving you permission to buy some JH-16 IEMs

 

 

[joebobbilly]

Yea, IEMs might be the path for you if sound leakage is a problem.  You will unfortunately lose out on soundstage, but that's a given for anything IEM or closed vs. open cans.
 

 

[Pianist]

For some reason, I am starting to find my HD650's kinda muddy lately, especially in the bass. I am using a humble Asus Essence STX with the built-in amp though - I wonder if that's the issue. The bass is quite soft sounding and lacks tightness and depth, while the mids and highs are a bit plasticy I think. That's compared to HE-500 and my armature IEMs (ER4, HF5, PFE). Out of the STX, I feel that HD650 can barely compete with a PFE or HF5 and loses out noticeably to HE-500 and ER4S.

 

[Spiderman]

From my experience when I did have the 650's I did indeed find them to be veiled. Meaning I felt they didn't have much detail in the treble and to me they lacked sound stage compared to say orthodynamic headphones.The thing about the 650 is that they are the complete opposite of an aggressive headphone, meaning everything just sounds laid back and not as enticing in  my opinion.  I did like the mids of the 650's but I didn't find them as impressive as many here would say, but to be fair I didn't let mine burn in very much I used them for less than an hour and sold them. I want to give the 650's another chance but I will most likely wait until I can hear them at a meet (hopefully a well burned in one with a great amp) before I buy them again, either those or the he-400's/500's.

 

[Pianist]

The thing is, I was really impressed with HD650s that I heard at a local meet and that's the reason why I then decided to buy a pair for myself. I listened to them straight out of my HM-601 and the sound was great to me. Now, this pair that I bought doesn't seem to sound quite as impressive out of the same HM-601. I wonder if this may be due to production variations - maybe the HD650 that I got has somewhat mismatched drivers or something compared to the HD650 I auditioned at the meet. It seems that this pair I have is more trebly and more thin sounding with less bass weight than the one I auditioned. Perhaps the one at the meet had the older, black drivers in it. Mine is the new sliver driver version.

 

[LugBug1]

But pair them with an amp such as the Xcan V3 (or other quality hybrid) and they really come out of themselves. Great soundstage and detail, but with out any hardness. Its a sound that I loved for many years and still miss. Preferable than my experience with the HE500's. Yes the HE500's are (hate this term) 'technically' better but... The air and musicality of the Senns is unbeatable at their current price point when you get that synergy going. 

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

But pair them with an amp such as the Xcan V3 (or other quality hybrid) and they really come out of themselves. Great soundstage and detail, but with out any hardness. Its a sound that I loved for many years and still miss. Preferable than my experience with the HE500's. Yes the HE500's are (hate this term) 'technically' better but... The air and musicality of the Senns is unbeatable at their current price point when you get that synergy going. 

 
I believe you. When I heard an HD650 at a local meet a while ago, I preferred it to almost all other headphones I heard there that day, including LCD2, HD800, Q701 and HE6. The only one I liked as much or more was Beyer T1. Those were just brief impressions though and I did use only my HM-601 with the built-in amp to test almost all the headphones, except the HE6, which was paired with some speaker amp and a different source.

 

[Spiderman]

Quote:

The thing is, I was really impressed with HD650s that I heard at a local meet and that's the reason why I then decided to buy a pair for myself. I listened to them straight out of my HM-601 and the sound was great to me. Now, this pair that I bought doesn't seem to sound quite as impressive out of the same HM-601. I wonder if this may be due to production variations - maybe the HD650 that I got has somewhat mismatched drivers or something compared to the HD650 I auditioned at the meet. It seems that this pair I have is more trebly and more thin sounding with less bass weight than the one I auditioned. Perhaps the one at the meet had the older, black drivers in it. Mine is the new sliver driver version.

What I find odd though is that you tested them and compared them running through the exact same device so there shouldn't be a difference in sound. And the the silver drivers are supposedly better Imao some people here claim that is a difference in sound quality depending on the pair you get.

 

[RubberDuk]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! After some pondering I decided to skip a DAC for now and ordered a V3 from Neco

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

What I find odd though is that you tested them and compared them running through the exact same device so there shouldn't be a difference in sound. And the the silver drivers are supposedly better Imao some people here claim that is a difference in sound quality depending on the pair you get.

 
The differences in pairs has been measured too. Not between the black and silver versions. Then again could be variations in pad use, but is that really enough to alter a measurement?
 
My last two pairs had a mid-bass hump and were dark. Not this one. Weird.
 
Oh and by mid-bass hump I mean that it sticks out like a sore thumb. This one seems really smooth and flat with slightly reduced treble. Not dark. This one also has no majorly recessed upper mids. Pretty clear too, but not crystal clear. It's soundstage is actually larger and more accurate than my HD-600/580.

 

[connieflyer]

Quote:

For some reason, I am starting to find my HD650's kinda muddy lately, especially in the bass. I am using a humble Asus Essence STX with the built-in amp though - I wonder if that's the issue. The bass is quite soft sounding and lacks tightness and depth, while the mids and highs are a bit plasticy I think. That's compared to HE-500 and my armature IEMs (ER4, HF5, PFE). Out of the STX, I feel that HD650 can barely compete with a PFE or HF5 and loses out noticeably to HE-500 and ER4S.

I have been using the Asus STX as well and love it.  You might want to check the settings on the control panel for the driver software and make sure that you have selected the setting for 300 ohm.  Also put it on HiFi setting, it will disable all the effects in case you have set some thing in the effects folder.  I run this card all the time with the Asus and will sometimes run it thru one of my receivers.  I have the Harmon-Kardon avx 510, and avx 2100 and they all sound great with these phones.  Hope this helps.  The 650 do not sound "veiled" to me, and the cans are pretty much broken in now.

 

[fuzzybaffy]

Yea... I definitely think there is something to be said about the HD-650's getting broken in. The bass becomes a little more relaxed, but not necessarily loose. It's still tight. The headphones opened up considerably, and the music seems to be more enjoyable/impactful. 
 
That is, unless I'm imagining things. I definitely like the HD-650 more than when I first had it, though. 

 

[MattTCG]

Quote:

Yea... I definitely think there is something to be said about the HD-650's getting broken in. The bass becomes a little more relaxed, but not necessarily loose. It's still tight. The headphones opened up considerably, and the music seems to be more enjoyable/impactful. 
 
That is, unless I'm imagining things. I definitely like the HD-650 more than when I first had it, though. 

 
I would certainly agree with breaking in on the 650. Last week I noticed this. I honestly have no idea how many hours I have on my pair. I've only had them for about 7 months, but it sounds like I hit some number of hours that allowed them to cross the threshold to another level. I never did a "burn in" with them. 

 

[bracko]

Quote:

 
I would certainly agree with breaking in on the 650. Last week I noticed this. I honestly have no idea how many hours I have on my pair. I've only had them for about 7 months, but it sounds like I hit some number of hours that allowed them to cross the threshold to another level. I never did a "burn in" with them. 

It's probably just your ears adjusting to the sound of HD650.

 

[MattTCG]

Seven months later? Nah. I've had a slight cold lately and I can feel the sinus pressure. My ears are not in the best of shape. The 650 definitely sounds improved.