Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Senn HD 650 vs Sony XB 1000 for EDM
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Senn HD 650 vs Sony XB 1000 for EDM

post #1 of 22
8/17/11 at 1:59pm
Thread Starter 

 

Hey all, first off I'd like to express the immense appreciation that I feel for the Head Fi community, you guys have really helped me out over the last couple of years I've been lurking and sometimes posting.

 

My Beyer DT 990s 600 Ohms are no longer functional, since one of the speakers isn't working and I bought them through ebay (thus no warranty). If anybody has any suggestions for what I should do with this, I'd be glad to hear them, but the point is that I'm buying new headphones. The Beyers were too bright for me, and thus I think I'm gonna have to stay away from the U shaped sound signature for a while.

 

I'm fully aware that I'm comparing apples to oranges, but my decision is still relatively difficult. I'm driving my phones through a E7 E9 combo, I don't have any EQing software and most of my library is 320kbps.

 

Most of the music I listen to is electronic dance music, although i'd also like my headphones to sound good for pop/rock etc. Right now I mostly listen to my Monster TP Copper. They sound amazing, but sometimes I get tired of having something inside of my ears for too long.

 

Clearly, tight bass is paramount, but I'm flirting with the idea of having something that really rocks your head and you can feel. My budget would be around $300. I guess my real question would be, after having the 990's, would the XB 1000s just be a downgrade from audiophile quality to something that resembles Skullcandy? I've never listened to any of the XBs but I heard the 1000s are significantly better than the 700s.I have always been attracted to the HD650s, but I'm afraid it won't be a real change to what I usually hear and thus somewhat boring. I haven't listened to any + $100 Senns either.

 

Thanks all, hope to hear a wide variety of opinions to help me choose. And BTW, if you have any other suggestions, feel free to share them.

Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #2 of 22
8/17/11 at 3:33pm

What about the Ultrasone Pro 900? Bangin' bass and it will go perfectly with E7/E9. Just not sure if it will be much of an upgrade from the DT990.

Reply
post #3 of 22
8/17/11 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 

I've heard that the Ultrasone 900s are a bit too sharp. That bothered me with the DT 990s, I don't want my new cans to have the same problems. Would you agree or do you think that the high end isn't overemphasized?

Reply
post #4 of 22
8/17/11 at 4:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cjkb90 View Post

I've heard that the Ultrasone 900s are a bit too sharp. That bothered me with the DT 990s, I don't want my new cans to have the same problems. Would you agree or do you think that the high end isn't overemphasized?



They are a bit sibilant, but not as much as most people say.

 

 

Why not try a pair either online or in a store?

Reply
post #5 of 22
8/17/11 at 5:32pm

You need a decent amp to get the 650s to sound their best. If the xb1000 sounds a lot better than the xb700 then you definitely should get the xb1000 as that is the clue that they are in fact an upgrade or a no worst kind of deal than the 990. The xb700 sounds pretty good and definitely has quality bass.


Edited by h1a8 - 8/17/11 at 5:33pm
Reply
post #6 of 22
8/17/11 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 

Are you saying that the E7 E9 can't drive the HD 650s?

Reply
post #7 of 22
8/17/11 at 6:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cjkb90 View Post

I've heard that the Ultrasone 900s are a bit too sharp. That bothered me with the DT 990s, I don't want my new cans to have the same problems. Would you agree or do you think that the high end isn't overemphasized?


Their high end is there but not necessarily overemphasized. The only things I have to complain about the Pro 900s' sound quality are the thin and recessed mids and the slightly unnatural treble, which can be annoying sometimes. They do settle down after a bit with more hours used though. They're also easily mod-able if you ever find the bass to be too much.

 

You could also try and recable your DT 990s, it's probably a problem with the wiring somewhere.

 

Reply
post #8 of 22
8/17/11 at 7:09pm

The Pro900 would be like going back to the DT990, only worse, with its u-shape resposne and ultra bright, sharp and harsh treble.'

 

As for the XB1000, you shouldn't be going anywhere near it because you mentioned that you were looking for something with tight bass. The XB1000's bass is wonderful, but tight it is not. 

 

The E9 can drive the HD650 just fine.

 

I'm not sure what to recommend. You're talking dance music cans, and looking for something with tight bass, I'm guessing you are looking for something similar to the Coppers but in headphone form.  The HD650 is close to what you are looking for, it's different from the DT990 and the highs are far smoother and much more pleasant. It's bass is good enough for your needs. 

 

The XB1000 is actually my choice for bassy music, but the way you were talking about bass leads me to believe it's not what you are after. It's no Skullcandy to my ears, but I'm wary about recommending it to someone looking for an "audiophile experience" because the word "audiophile" is a loaded term and means all sorts of trouble.

 

The only other headphone I would recommend without going into the LCD2 is the Shure SRH750 DJ, which I believe is the perfect sound for you. It may be significantly cheaper than the DT990 but don't let that put you off. 

Reply
post #9 of 22
8/18/11 at 2:46pm
Thread Starter 

I'd like to feel like im on a dancefloor, I guess what I meant by tight when describing the type of bass I look for, I mean something that isn't messy, that completely overpowers the mids. You know how theres people who have 3 subs in their cars and you can't hear anything but rumbling when they play music? I don't want that. And I don't want it to be a downgrade in audio quality from my coppers or the DT990s

Reply
post #10 of 22
8/18/11 at 7:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cjkb90 View Post

Are you saying that the E7 E9 can't drive the HD 650s?



Sorry I didn't read your entire post (I skimmed it). Well then the HD 650s is the way to go then.

Reply
post #11 of 22
8/18/11 at 7:23pm

Honestly you should go with the xb500s, i find them to be better then the 700s along with many other people.  My cmoy pushes them VERY well and honestly make me smile every time i press play.  and with the price difference you could get a ~$100 pair of cans.  I do listen to and enjoy rock on on them too.

Also have you emailed beyer about replacement drivers?  If you diy at all you should be able to put them in and wire them if not us head-fiers can help.

Reply
post #12 of 22
8/19/11 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by John In Cali View Post

Honestly you should go with the xb500s, i find them to be better then the 700s along with many other people.  My cmoy pushes them VERY well and honestly make me smile every time i press play.  and with the price difference you could get a ~$100 pair of cans.  I do listen to and enjoy rock on on them too.

Also have you emailed beyer about replacement drivers?  If you diy at all you should be able to put them in and wire them if not us head-fiers can help.


The xb500 only sound better if you eq them well, otherwise the xb700 sounds better to most people right out of the box.

 

Reply
post #13 of 22
8/19/11 at 7:44pm

I don't e.q. mine... and they still sound better to ME than the 700s 

Reply
post #14 of 22
8/22/11 at 6:32am
Thread Starter 

Has anybody listened to both cans for EDM? I'm leaning towards the XB1000 at this point because I'm wary that I might be bored by the HD 650, although I'm afraid that the XB 1000 might not have good enough sound quality aside from the bass. I used to love my ATH M50s, but I listened to them again yesterday and I found the mids to be too recessed for my taste. I'm thinking, maybe the inferior sound quality will be very apparent.

Reply
post #15 of 22
9/18/11 at 10:51pm
Thread Starter 

So I just posted this in another thread when someone asked me what I thought about them, so I figured that I might include it here in case anybody was in a similar situation as I was regarding EDM headphones (I still haven't heard the HD 650s but I'm pretty sure I will get them in about a year.



The bass is unlike anything I've ever heard in headphones, it really goes all the way down in the frequency. I would say its not bloated or overemphasized, its tight and it makes its presence felt. I say its not overemphasized because it doesn't make you tired of listening. They are very comfortable. I cannot compare them to the XB 500/700, so I cannot say if it is worth the extra $$, but if you want to get the best in bass, you probably want this. 

 

What I like most about these headphones is that unlike most bassy headphones the highs aren't too pronounced. My DT 990 600 ohms had great bass, but I could hardly turn the volume up or listen for extended periods of time because the high frequencies would bother my ears (keep in mind I am 21 years old, I think people who don't notice this or aren't bothered by it are usually older). These make you want to turn the volume up. WAY up. They sound great loud (E7 + E9) but as others have mentioned, you have to keep in mind you might be hurting your ears if you keep the volume up for a long time. However, it really does feel like you are in the middle of a professionally tuned dance floor (like DJ amtrax said) when you're "inside" of these headphones. They are so big and sound so good loud that it really feels like you are in there.

 

Amazing for electronica, superb for dubstep. Rock can sound pretty good cause you really feel the drums kick, but obviously if you're considering these headphones this can't be the genre you are most concerned about. It seems to be like the vocals are a bit recessed, but I don't think any headphones focused on bass are different. Besides its not bad enough that it takes away from the music (Regina Spektor still sounds great). It just takes the attention away from the singer and drives it towards the drums and bass guitar.

 

I would say that if you like bass but you don't like headphones that sound too sharp, this choice is perfect for you, especially if electronica is your thing.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphones (full-size)

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Senn HD 650 vs Sony XB 1000 for EDM