What cable are you using? Do you think they would still be a good match with MG Head/OTL??

The cable I use is a homegrown design based on 0.028-mm magnet wires.

From what I know -- from others who own it -- the MG Head traditionally is a very good match with the Sennheiser sound. Since the HD 650's sonic balance is not too different from the HD 580/600's, I see no reason why this should not be the case with the HD 650 -- which I rate as less picky than the HD 600 in terms of amp matching anyway.

UPDATE:

I got home today. Listening to Dark Side of the Moon SACD.

Good god, these things are sound monsters.

The midrange has improved, the highs are no longer as hashy as when purchased, and the bass is the greatest I've ever heard on my setup whatsoever.

The HD600 to my ears had great bass, which was tight and deep. However, compared to such phones as the DT770, it lacks extension and slam.

The HD650's bass has changed all that: It couples the natural smooth tight bass of the 600s with the slam and depth of the 770s. My word! These things are really slamming for an open phone!

Remarks my brother about the bass slam: "whoa, it hurts."

The greatest part is the detail for me: it sounds more detailed with the same sonic balance! Good stuff.

The midrange is actually slightly FORWARD now compared to the HD600s! Not ANYWHERE to the degree of, say, 880s or cd3ks, but it's discernably different than the HD600s.

The power went out today so im not sure how much they got broken in, but they were playing floyd at 30% volume on high gain on the MOH, so they got some good loud burn-in (105 db or so). Its really showing.

Once again, associated equipment:

1. Cardas neutral reference
2. Maxed Out Home with Reference Module upgrade and a stepped attenuator
3. Dimazrio M-Path

4. DVP NS-500V for SACD

5. Turtle Beach santa cruz for mp3 and CD

==============

Cheers,
Geek

Also, before I forget, the soundstage is even more threedimensional and out of the head than the previous sennheisers. Bass depth is incredible, treble blend is a hair above that of its predecessor, and the mids are sweet and natural sounding! I cannot emphasize the beauty of the sound to a great enough degree!

Ive got to try them with vinyl and a high end CD deck!

Cheers,
Geek

Ha...I was really scared by the topic...

These things are sounding dark with a lot of recordings right now, but so far they are singing out on piano trio and psychedelic rock music (Bill Evans and Floyd SACDs respectively). Guitar has the bite that it does with HD600, but everything sounds fuller and richer in the midrange, without altering the tonal balance too much. I hear a tonal shift where the fundamental bass punch present in the HD600 kind of disappears, and instead a full bass response is present with the 650s which sounds a bit thick right now.

I can see why some of you guys had some reservations about the bass. It's thick in the mid and low bass but not bumped in the upper bass and lower midrange, thankfully.

Cheers,
Geek

Great, just great. I was just reaching contentment.

BTW, where did you buy them?

Headroom.

Drove on up there to get them when the most recent shipmet arrived. I live about 20 minutes away.

Cheers,
Geek

Geek...

...don't worry about the darkness and the thick bass! It will be alright after 150 hours.

So far so good.
My next question is, how is the midrange compared with the K501?

Quote:



Fuller, smoother, more liquid.

Ugh, with all of these great reviews...

I just might have to buy the HD-580 with Equinox

Is it worth it to get an HD-580 with Equinox?
Would it be better to get an HD-600 with Cardas?
Or, is it better to get HD-650 with stock cable?

I have a Headsave Transit (soon to be Tempo) and an Ipod as my source right now... Would it be a good decision to get one of these high-end Senn's and upgrade cable with my rig? If not, what is around the minimum price that I would have to pay for a rig to get the most out of the Senn's for the money? As in, what should I upgrade my source to? Is the Headsave Transit suitable and capable of driving the Senn's?

BANGPOD

I've got some 650s on the way to me (hopefully today or tomorrow!). These'll be used with an iPod through Dock, and Pioneer SACD/DVD player, potentially also an upgraded CD source in the future (quite like the look of the little Cyrus units).

I've got a PPA on order from JMT (looking forward to that and the 650s _immensely_).

From what I've been reading on this forum, people felt that the 600-650 was quite a substantial jump, commenting that the 650s with stock cable sounded like a pair of 600s with an upped Equinox cable.

My intentions are to stop spending cash (well, perhaps build my own MINT amp, depending on how big the PPA turns out), then a better source like the Rega Jupiter or a Cyrus unit, and ultimately an Equinox cable. But that'll be over the next 12 months.

It does seem that the 600/650s require a decent level of equipment up to the phones, and a decent amp seems particularly worthwhile (the PPA seems to be a large favourite), essential when driving such demanding headphones.

The other key thing is giving equipment a try-out. When it comes round to upgrading my source I'll be sure to drag the 650s and the PPA around with me so I can try out the sources and see what seems to work.

Quote:



I wouldn't want more thickness than is already on offer with the HD580 and HD600.


Quote:



Than the 501's? Not good (for me anyway). The 501 midrange is ideal...detailed, natural, light on it's feet and quick.

From putting together all the comments, I get the impression that the 650 is making things diffuse, spreading them out and thickening/slowing them a bit, compared to the 580 and 600, perhaps a bit larger than life? The AKG K501 has a huge soundscape, but does not enlarge the instruments and voices. Bowl padded Grado's are similar but add some brightness. Flat padded ones can also tend to thicken things up, albeit in a nice way.

So is it possible that the 650 if the ideal Head-Fi headphone, which would sit between the clear analytical Sennheiser sound and the musically detailed, warm Grado (flat pad) sound, with comfort? Or is Sennheiser merely tweaking the HD600 to sound different without resolving any more musical information? Anyway, I am intrigued. I hope I get the opportunity to demo them..