Do I need the HD 600 or HD 650 for jazz, ambient and singer/songwriter stuff?

I haven't heard the 650s, but I can say without a doubt that my 600s are fairly flat and neutral.  They have a hint of smoothness to them.  There isn't a genre that they can't do well for me.

HD650 and Jazz are like Peanut butter and bread

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Originally Posted by hodgjy 

I haven't heard the 650s, but I can say without a doubt that my 600s are fairly flat and neutral.  They have a hint of smoothness to them.  There isn't a genre that they can't do well for me.

i can say the same thing about the 650s, except the 650s have slightly boosted bass and are on the warmer/smoother side.

they will both be good but i'm guessing the hd 600s will be better for vocals.

both are really good headphones and you can't go wrong with either one. its up to you, do you want a more warm deep sounding headphone or do you want a more neutral and open sound?

650s however are what sparked an interest in jazz music to me tho. 650s do jazz really well.

I have heard both the HD600 and HD650 and I listen to a lot of jazz and classical. The HD650 has a dark and laid back sound signature and is coloured while HD600 has a really neutral sound signature. You can now cross HD650 off your list. 

I prefer the HD600 for rock, but I like the HD650 for those artist you mentioned because they get the atmosphere right. They have a euphonic sound that's liquid smooth and perfect for jazzy music.

Why not get the HD598? for me this headphones sounds really nice with jazz. Diana Krall sounds amazing (piano and voice really shines in this headphones) 

This doesn't really answer your question, but I can say that my 600s have very good bass.  The bass of the 600s is pretty misunderstood.  It's incorrectly labeled as bass light.  It is far from bass light.  It is very bass balanced.  Sure, it doesn't have the sub bass like the DT990s or DT770s have, or even some of the Denons, but the bass is there.  It blends very nicely into the midtones, so you don't hear that typical bass hump that gives the allusion of being bass heavy.  Basically, it presents the bass pretty close to what the artist intended.
 

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Originally Posted by Olympus Mons 

BTW, another thing I was wondering is how much more bass does the 650's have over the 600's? I was thinking today one of the first things I do when I get in a car I don't normally drive and am going to listen to the radio is turn the bass pretty much all the way down so I'm anything but a basshead, is the 650's extra bass significant?

X2 They do bass just right for jazz....and vocals are very smooth with a rich tonality... not dry or pale like some AKG's that I won't mention.  I listen to a whole lot of old Sinatra recordings as well as Sarah Vaughan and more modern vocalists. Couldn't be happier with them, though I have the hd580 which uses the 600 driver and is essentially the same. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgjy 

This doesn't really answer your question, but I can say that my 600s have very good bass.  The bass of the 600s is pretty misunderstood.  It's incorrectly labeled as bass light.  It is far from bass light.  It is very bass balanced.  Sure, it doesn't have the sub bass like the DT990s or DT770s have, or even some of the Denons, but the bass is there.  It blends very nicely into the midtones, so you don't hear that typical bass hump that gives the allusion of being bass heavy.  Basically, it presents the bass pretty close to what the artist intended.
 

 

Don't believe those who say HD650's are dark. Its a characteristic often branded to the HD650, but it's completely wrong for new versions.  New versions of HD650's are in fact not dark at all.  If you take the "dark" sound signature comments seriously, you might begin to believe that they sound like you have a pillow between your ears and the headphones. Which is, again, completely wrong.  I have HD650's and HD558's, and HD650's are actually considerably BRIGHTER than HD558's, which are in most reviews considered to be the first Sennheisers without the famous "veil".  HD650's have a very sparkly treble (never peaky or uncomfortable) and a slightly boosted bass, but that boost in bass is so small that most people wont notice it, and in most songs, it makes no difference.  I compared HD600 and HD650 in the store, and honestly, If I did blind tests, with 90% of songs I could not tell the difference whatsoever. It makes difference only in bass heavy song. Its not as if HD650's have boosted bass all the time, they don't.  They are just CAPABLE of producing a lot of bass.  There's a difference between being bassy all the time, and being able to produce a lot of bass when needed. To me, they still sound extremely neutral and just very enjoyable. 

Honestly, the differences between HD600 and HD650 are VERY small. REALLY small. Much much much much smaller than most people make you believe.  If you have the money, go for HD650's, simply because they're better made, more solid, have a thicker cable and are more comfortable.

And at the end, yes, HD650's are VERY good for vocals, especially male vocals. Sinatra or Cash for example sound so realistic it sends shivers down my neck.  HD650's really shine with jazz, classical, blues...any instrumental music in general. I love their sound with saxophones and acoustic guitars.  They aren't slow as some make them sound, they in fact do heavy metal really well. Lots of reviews make you get a wrong perception on headphones.  Some people say that HD650's arent good with fast music. Wrong.  They just wont show 100% potential with that kind of music, they will instead show 95% of potential, which still means they pretty damn good.

While I haven't listened to the 650s, I believe this to be accurate.  From everything I've read and synthesized, I have concluded the 600s and the 650s are more alike than they are different.

And as far as the cord, I upgraded my 600 cord to the stock 650 cord.  They sound the same, to me, but I liked that it was beefier and would most likely last longer under daily/weekly use.
 

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Originally Posted by derbigpr 

 

 

And at the end, honestly, the differences between HD600 and HD650 are VERY small. REALLY small. Much much much much smaller than most people make you believe.  If you have the money, go for HD650's, simply because they're better made, more solid, have a thicker cable and are more comfortable.

 

 

If all you care is listening Jazz, I think that even the hd595 are good (shine on vocals).
Probably lot of open can are good for jazz....