HD650s broke

Sennheiser would have layed down a stock of old parts just for this kind of situation and they will have a driver to replace the one on your HD650's which failed. It's something most serious audio companies do and I know Sennheiser do so as a matter of course, so don't panic - they can and will fix them and return them to you with the right driver.

If you love them, just send to repair.

Sennheiser knows their stuff, and you dont have to worry about a missmatch. 

we are pretty paranoid about our beloved 'phones, aren't we all?

 

but, think of it this way:  who better to repair them than the company that made them?

as mentioned, it's most likely that sennheiser has stock of the early drivers for repairing and replacing.

 

if you are still concerned, you could include a note with your cans, stating your concerns that the drivers should be of the same design.

 

cheers!

the wuss.

 

Perhaps you can ask Sennheiser to switch out both drivers with the "new" silver colored ones while they're at it? It might be worth it even if it costs a little extra.

That sounds more like an issue with the connection pins and possibly an internal solder joint. Do you have a DMM? You could pop them open and check for continuity across the driver. If it's good, then you have a simple repair. A quick touch of a soldering iron or a little epoxy to nudge a pin back where it should be may be all you need.

Check to see if there are any DIY Head-Fi'ers near you. If not, see if you can find a RSGB member nearby or a tech who works on guitar amps. Any of them should make short work of this and the cost will be very low - I'd do it in exchange for a beer if you were nearby.

I JUST had a pair of HD650s repaired here in Canada. Same initial symptom with the left driver going out. I took a look and the very fine wire from the cable connection to the driver capsule had broken (kind of like two filament wires but even thinner).

 

I  called Sennheiser Canada and happened to get the head guy which was lucky as he was very friendly and informative. The "capsule" (I had never heard the term before) needed to be replaced so I asked about the matched pairs. He told me that the HD650's elements have their own production line in Ireland and the 580/600 elements are on a different line. He said the 650 elements/capsules are all made within the same limited tolerance so there was no need to worry about them not matching.

 

I said I was still nervous and he said he'd take a look at the right side as well. I thanked him and then in a short email asked politely if he would consider replacing both capsules just for my peace of mind. When I got them back they were in fact both changed. The date/day of manufacture is stamped on the capsule and they were made on the exact same day.

 

I only had to pay one way shipping as they were under warranty. I was only without them for 9 days as they were shipped back double boxed via priority mail.

 

All round great service from Sennheiser and my 650s sound (and look) as good as new. They appear to have been treated with great care as there were no visible marks anywhere on the cans or the box.

 

Just FYI, when they replace the capsule they don't have to replace the element as they are separate parts, with the capsule snapping into the element. I assume you can keep your own black silk elements and just have the capsule replaced as that is what appears to have been done with mine. I have the newer model and I doubt you can get the black silk anymore.