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Sennheiser HD 650 Mod Compilation

post #1 of 15
7/4/11 at 12:19pm
Thread Starter 

I've been considering modding my HD650s. It's my first real pair of audiophile headphones and I've been enjoying them very much. I own a SONY amp/audio-video control system (STR-DE925), nothing special or spectacular but it gets the job done for these cans. I have yet to find a decent compilation of mods and their descriptions, so I'm making this thread for that purpose. Here's all the information I've gathered so far on HD650 mods.

 

What I need help with is understanding what the mods do soundwise, and would appreciate any help describing them accurately. I have compiled a list of sound changes I've been able to find for the mods around head-fi and other places.

 

 

Coin Hole Mod: (irreversable) As it sounds, cutting a small hole in the middle of the foam.

 
Sound Changes: Helps 'alleviate' the 3500hz - 5000Hz recession, modifies the Sennheiser veil to be slightly brighter but does not remove it.

 

Images:

 
Foam Mod: (partially reversable) Removing the foam from behind and in front of the drivers, potentially replacing them with either thinner or thicker material.
According to user sources, the foam behind the drivers CANNOT be placed back in, but the ones in front of the drivers are easily restored.
 
Nice walkthrough found here.

Sound Changes: Thinner material creates a brighter sound, no material brightens the sound even more, some complain of 'fatigue' after extended listening with this mod. Blends sound fields together, removes 'creamy' sound. Removing small foam behind drivers noticeably brightens sound as well.
 
Images:
 
Pad Mod: (reversable) Replacing the pads with different material or different pads. 
 
Sound Changes: Thicker padding tightens up the bass and improves bass impact. Darkens veil further.
 
Images:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b397/Pink_Mocha/Gadgets/HD650-1.jpg - CD-R King Leather Pads NOTE: Coin Hole mod also applied.
 
Woody Mod: (reversable) Replacing grille with large wooden cups. One of the more expensive and thorough mods.

Sound Changes: Closed woodies leak less sound, headphones become much more CLOSED, wider soundstage, more direct sound and overall bass improvement. Open/Partially open woodies have a similarly wider soundstage, mids become more smooth and 'real'.
 
Images:

 
Headband Mod: (reversable) Replacing the headband with a different one. No audible difference.

Sound Changes: NONE
 
Images:

Edited by n4ru - 7/4/11 at 5:28pm
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post #2 of 15
7/4/11 at 5:16pm
Thread Starter 

More information added, specifically sound changes, more images and better descriptions.

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post #3 of 15
7/16/11 at 1:36pm
Thread Starter 

Bump. Noone is interested in something like this?

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post #4 of 15
7/16/11 at 1:54pm

what is the headband used? I'm thinking bout replacing mine cause it's flaking more than a man suffering from extreme dandruff.

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post #5 of 15
7/16/11 at 2:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dadong View Post

what is the headband used? I'm thinking bout replacing mine cause it's flaking more than a man suffering from extreme dandruff.



While there aren't any straightforward instructions, you can find a collection of photos of the mod here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodyoga/with/4696417842/

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post #6 of 15
7/16/11 at 3:39pm

cool thanks

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post #7 of 15
7/16/11 at 3:42pm

I've done the coin mod(I wouldn't call it a coin mod since you're just tracing a hole in the foam with a sharp knife/X-acto knife) and the small foam behind driver. 


Edited by FearSC549 - 7/16/11 at 3:44pm
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post #8 of 15
10/16/11 at 7:27pm

What earpads are you using?

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post #9 of 15
11/4/11 at 3:24pm

Can i do the woody mod and coin mod at the same time?

Does the woody mod improve the sound isolation a lot?

is there any other way to improve the sound isolation..?

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post #10 of 15
11/4/11 at 10:37pm

Depending on how new your pair is, you can put the rear foam back in near the drivers.  I've taken the foam out of an older style driver HD580 and that ended up being completely irreversible.  However when I took the rear foam out my newer pair (silver drivers) of HD600's and HD650's, it came out nice and easy.  The older ones were glued in there while the newer ones were just placed in there.  With the older glued in ones, the foam was nearly impossible to take out without most of it getting stuck to the frame.

 

Also just a few interesting notes:

 

-The HD650 had a thicker rear foam than the HD600. 

 

-HD650 pads are different from the HD600.  They are thicker and less stiff than the HD600 pads. I'm not sure if sennheiser sells different earpads for each headphone but I was only able to find the HD600 style pads for sale. 


Edited by Poetik - 11/4/11 at 10:48pm
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post #11 of 15
11/6/11 at 9:13am

What issue/problem are you trying to solve with these mods?  

 

I found these cans to be quite amp dependent sound wise, so if you think there's a veil or that they're too laid back, you may want to try a hybrid or SS amp of sufficient power.  Doing irreverbsible mods on a $300-400 set of cans sounds like a recipe for possible regret.  On a $30 headset, fine, take some chances.  But on HD650's, I'd be careful and check into other options first.

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post #12 of 15
11/6/11 at 2:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by normalwrong View Post

Can i do the woody mod and coin mod at the same time?

Does the woody mod improve the sound isolation a lot?

is there any other way to improve the sound isolation..?


The HD650's are an open headphone so of course a wooden enclosure would improve isolation.  Also instead of doing the coin mod, why not try taking out the foam first? You can replace the foam if you don't like the sound but the "coin" mod is permanent.

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post #13 of 15
5/27/12 at 11:45pm

Is there any other option for the head band??

XD400 is hard to get & costly

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post #14 of 15
10/23/12 at 10:54pm

Just tried out taking out the front pads, and it makes a huge difference. Not sure if it's positive yet... I definitely hear more air and highs that seemed to be veiled... But that improvement came with a boost between 7-10kHz that I don't think it needed, and I'm sure it'll get my ears fatigued after a while. I'll steal my gf panties later and try that mod ;)

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post #15 of 15
11/30/12 at 3:40pm

What is & where do you get that headband?

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