Senn HD600/650 fans on the HD800 - owners only! - Page 4

Originally Posted by pabbi1

Phones: hd600, hd650, he60, and hd800
Source: Azur 840c
Amp: Balanced Bijou
Cables: Balanced APS v3 hd6x0 and balanced APS v3 hd800


The difference?

Percussion: Kick drum has lower, clearer response, where the timbre difference between all the drums in the kit (kick drum, mounted toms, floor tom and snare) are all easily distinguishable, not 'just a drum' over either hd6x0. The cymbals have the proper ZZZzzzzzzzzz decay, and other things like rattles, congas, and yes even cowbell sound more distinct. Xylephone has a very nice shimmer as well.

Strings: I have noticed on guitar more depth in the soundboard, and more distinct string noise, both hitting frets and from fingers sliding along before chording. Compressed chords (Soundgarden, Janes Addiction, Tool) all seem do have more depth and better balanced overtones, and not just a shallow nod at overtones as the hd6x0. Oh, and listening to all the overdubbed layers is quite revealing, especially when there are 3 or 4 layers like in jane's Addiction 'Stop', where the PRS (Paul Reed Smith) guitar shows a signature of it's own, unlike a strat or LP. Harpsichord is just cutting, like they do in person - kinda eerie, oh and with it's additional mechanical noises. Piano again has more resonance from the soundboard, not just the strings, and much more pronounced key / pedal noise, like in person up close, but maybe not at the back of the hall, or mic'd.

Reverb: here is a real distinct win for the hd800 - you can get the rolling texture of reverb, not just _some_ ebb and flow, but the roll of the wave. Oh, and you can feel the reverb... actual vibrating of the earpads, not unlike bass you can fee from a subwoofer, albeit just around your ears.

Vocals: More crisp and enunciated, where lyrics are more legible, and presented in a way you can understand the words - in almost all cases. A clear step up from both hd6x0 presentations.

Bass: Ripped, taught, and with impact, at least on my rig. Hd600 is taught, but not ripped, and with lesser impact, but at a detriment to other instruments, depending on the recording, where this is especially true with The Who, almost across the board. The hd800 balanced this out quite well.

Balance: All things in better proportion - not flat (whatever that means), but NOTHING is presented in preference at the expense of others.

Weakness: that is the real story - hd650 has a bass hump, hd600 is a little bass shy, hd600 a little grainy on the high frequencies, and the hd650 silky right in the middle. The hd800 is balanced, and does nothing poorly - it truly strives to do everything well, and leaves no note behind.

Originally Posted by pabbi1

That is an excellent question, but, with the hd800, it is severely sapping my motivation to finish the new Blue Hawaii derivative for the he60. That, I feel, is the real measure of the issue - does it make me give up other things?

To wit: The hd600 & hd650 have been stored in a new case (an aluminum wine carrying case, perfect for 2 pair of hd6x0, and assorted cables), put aside, probably to be relegated to amp-build test phones, or sent to a relative overseas. They are all but dead to me, though having served well over the years.

We will see if the he60 meets a similar fate.

AND, I am building not one but two new amps, to see which is more worthy to serve the hd800.

Originally Posted by DavidMahler

I don't think the HD800 makes the HD600 and HD650s obsolete. There has been more premium headphones than the HD600s/650s for years. I understand the association between the 3 is that they are all Sennheiser. The only way I see the HD600/650 becoming obsolete is if the price were to come down a significant amount on the hd800. Even then,I could honestly see some people still prefer the 650s and 600s to the 800s. It would not be a common choice, but the laid back sound may be preferable for some people and some genres.

Originally Posted by jpelg

I feel that by "talking around" what you all are hearing from the HD800's, without a lot of the hype of recent months, and with real time on your own home systems, we are coming closer to what is really happening with these new cans.Thanks for the impressions Dave. Reading such tempered words describing the HD6xx's, like "nice", "good", "decent", "average", "not much weight", "not much impact", "not much...texture", "a little hard", is refreshing & revealing at the same time.LOL- trudat! Audio designers can develop products from a singular viewpoint, with a reference at the top & less-expensive versions down the line. Or they can address a variety of "truths", in hopes of capturing different markets, customer preferences, etc. One of the things I was hoping to glean from my original post was to see what Sennheiser has done with the HD800. It seems that they have either changed their "reference point" (maybe changed designers?), or feel the need to address difference tastes.Hey, start your own thread. We're all stocked up here!

(actually, I'd be interested in such a thread also. Maybe include the K70x too?)

Originally Posted by pearljam5000

Hehe,sorry,i actualy did start an HD800 vs AKG K1000,but no one posted there

Originally Posted by cafe zeenuts

vcoheda

Thanks for the comparison between the Balanced HD600, HD650 and HD800.

Would it be fair to say the Balanced HD650 is no slouch in its own right and Balanced HD800 is only slightly better running them on the same balanced amp???

Originally Posted by vcoheda

i thought the 650 held up surprisingly well against the 800. the 600 was certainly a notch or two below both in terms of overall performance, but that is also most likely due to the presence of piano in the tracks, which i felt the 600 was quite poor at reproducing.

regarding the 800, i think it definitely improves across the board when running balanced as opposed to single ended.

Originally Posted by bordins

Take a look at the High-end Audio Forum (Summit-Fi)

> Can someone do a Sennheiser HD800 vs AKG K1000 review?

Originally Posted by jpelg

It is impressions like these that are the most perplexing to me. I mean, you are going along blissfully listening to the the HD6xx's, thinking "Of all the headphones I've heard, these sound the best to me. The most like 'music' should sound."

Then, you hear the HD800's - a headphone that by just about all counts sounds quite different, and you now think "Those are the most like music should sound. I can't be bothered to listen to those old HD6xx's any more."

How does one's reference in music reproduction change so drastically, so quickly?

Originally Posted by pabbi1

Percussion: Kick drum has lower, clearer response, where the timbre difference between all the drums in the kit (kick drum, mounted toms, floor tom and snare) are all easily distinguishable, not 'just a drum' over either hd6x0.

Originally Posted by vcoheda

^^ i wrote a comparison of HD800 (single ended) v. HE60/HEV70 in the appreciation thread. look there. the conclusion was HD800 winner hands down. of course i was using the HEV70 and not a BH or something along those lines to drive the HE60, so things could be different.