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Why do my friend's HD600s sound much better than my HD650s (to me)?

post #1 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:21am
Thread Starter 

Hi, I use HD650s (with headphile black cables) for writing / rough mixing. I heard a friend's HD600s the other day and to me, they sounded a lot better, so much so that I thought maybe my HD650s are damaged or worn out. The HD600s had a lot more high detail, making it sound like frequencies were missing from my HD650s. They also sounded clearer than the HD650s, which in comparison sounded muddy/warm. It seemed that I could hear different parts more clearly and so more useful to me for writing/arranging... The HD650s had more bass.

 

I've used my 650s a lot over a few years so is it possible they're worn out and need some technician love? Or are these differences I'm hearing just the differences between these 2 headphones?

 

Cheers

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones
Sennheiser HD-600
post #2 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:24am
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Your amp?

Your source?

DAC?

 

A lot can differ from cans. It's not just buying a headphone that's nice, it's backing it up with a great set up.

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post #3 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:29am

 

HD650 have more bass, but it's a tradeoff for having less treble. Treble reduction is the reason for sounding dark and not having enough sparkle in high frequencies.

 

I had both and kept the HD600 for this reason. It's a much more balanced and neutral headphone.

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post #4 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:30am
Thread Starter 
Sorry I should have added - I was listening through his set up - a 24 bit project in pro tools on PC through a mid range audio interface (can't remember which one but can find out if I need to). I listened to both headphones with my cables through his setup and compared. The differences were stark to my ears.
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post #5 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:33am

^

In that case you probably are just hearing the differences of the headphones.  The HD650 isn't a natural upgrade from the HD600--  as you've noticed, they're very different cans.

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post #6 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:34am
Thread Starter 
That's how it seemed to me. The hd650 sounded much more different to the mix through yamaha ns10 monitors (very neutral) than the hd600s which is why the hd600s seem more suitable for my use. But the difference was so much that it made me think that perhaps there is something wrong with my hd650s. So itrying to figure out which it is before deciding what to do...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TobaccoRoad View Post

 

HD650 have more bass, but it's a tradeoff for having less treble. Treble reduction is the reason for sounding dark and not having enough sparkle in high frequencies.

 

I had both and kept the HD600 for this reason. It's a much more balanced and neutral headphone.

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post #7 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:34am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TobaccoRoad View Post

 

HD650 have more bass, but it's a tradeoff for having less treble. Treble reduction is the reason for sounding dark and not having enough sparkle in high frequencies.

 

I had both and kept the HD600 for this reason. It's a much more balanced and neutral headphone.



 



Quote:
Originally Posted by sach160 View Post

Sorry I should have added - I was listening through his set up - a 24 bit project in pro tools on PC through a mid range audio interface (can't remember which one but can find out if I need to). I listened to both headphones with my cables through his setup and compared. The differences were stark to my ears.


The HD650 are more for treble and like he said, the HD600 have more bass.

 

maybe you just found out that you're a basshead?

 

What's your cabling on your HD650?

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post #8 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:36am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sidel View Post

^

In that case you probably are just hearing the differences of the headphones.  The HD650 isn't a natural upgrade from the HD600--  as you've noticed, they're very different cans.



It might be like changing shampoo. You know your hair feels better but after a while it's the same feeling you had with the old stuff.

 

OP, I think you're just not used to changing up headphones. This happens all the time since people start collecting a lot of different headphones for this purpose. You switched cans and found a difference in the HD600 you liked because your HD650 are so familar to you.

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post #9 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BotByte View Post

The HD650 are more for treble and like he said, the HD600 have more bass.

 

maybe you just found out that you're a basshead?

 

What's your cabling on your HD650?


Not to confuse the OP, you have them switched around. HD600 = leans toward treble. HD650 = more bass heavy. Maybe he found out that he's a treblehead.

 

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post #10 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:52am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Questhate View Post




Not to confuse the OP, you have them switched around. HD600 = leans toward treble. HD650 = more bass heavy. Maybe he found out that he's a treblehead.

 

 

Ooops.....
 

 

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post #11 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:53am

I much prefer my HD600 to my HD 650' that I used to have.

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post #12 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:57am
Thread Starter 
Hey the cabling is from headphile.com the black silver one. I read lots of good things about it and wi stock cabling the hd650 was way too bassy to even consider using for mixing.

My system at home is 24 bit projects in ableton via the rme fire face 800.

Essentially I want the most neutral mixing friendly headphones I can get... Is there anything more neutral than the 600s?
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post #13 of 62
8/8/11 at 7:58am

I think it's a common misperception that the 650 is a 'better' headphone than the 600.  As stated above, they are two different headphones with two different sound signatures.  I found that I preferred the 650 overall, but liked the 600 for some genres/subgenres of music.

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post #14 of 62
8/8/11 at 8:02am

How old are your 650's?

 

What about your friends 600's?

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post #15 of 62
8/8/11 at 11:18am

It should be pretty easy to trade the HD650s for a pair of HD600s in the trading section of this board.

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones
Sennheiser HD-600
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