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Please Advise, First Purchase: Neutral Sounding Headphones [Sennheiser HD600/HD650? or Any Other]

post #1 of 6
2/14/12 at 9:30pm
Thread Starter 

Hi all,

This will be my first full size headphone purchase. Previously I have owned the following: Sennheiser PX200, CX550, HD239 (after the PX200 broke down) and Shure SE425.

I use the HD239 primarily with my computer for watching movies and playing games, and for serious music listening with my Ipod Classic, I use the SE425.

 

All of my music is lossless, and 95% falls more or less in the following: Jazz, NuJazz, Electronic, Downtempo, with the remaining being Rock and Pop.

My music is stored in the iPod and my computer, hence a DAC with USB support would be best.

 

I did some basic research into understanding my current listening preferences and the kind of response I like:

 

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=853&graphID[]=573&graphID[]=2741&graphID[]=1673

 

I don't particularly like the HD239/238, as the treble is too high for my taste and the bass is boomy. My preferred sound is neutral, therefore I like the SE425 best.

Since this is my first purchase for basically the entire setup, my headphone budget is 5-700. 

As for the DAC and Amp, I'm mostly interested in getting the best bang for the buck, and will draw the line where the returns start diminishing for the price. (For example, a $2k amp may not be twice as good as the $1k amp (which may or may not be twice as good as a $500 amp) ).

My experience has been mostly with Sennheiser, hence 'HD600/650' in the title. Please feel free to suggest other headphones as well! smile.gif

 

 


Edited by proton007 - 2/15/12 at 1:25am
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post #2 of 6
2/15/12 at 12:13am
Thread Starter 

Ok, maybe I asked too many questions.tongue.gif

As a starting point, which headphones in the $500 to $700 range can be considered as honest and neutral? 

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post #3 of 6
2/15/12 at 12:52am

If you find the treble of the HD238 to be too much, then the HD650 is probably the best choice.

 

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post #4 of 6
2/15/12 at 1:17am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the reply!

Another thing I've noticed though, is that the most Sennheisers tend to taper off in the low frequency regions. The only headphones that I found that are consistent throughout the entire low/mid freq zone are the HD800, Beyerdynamic T1 and Audeze LCD2, which are way beyond my range.

Is there any lack of deep bass in the HD650? For example, when listening to jazz, the double bass provides a very nice background layer when I use the Shures, while in the HD239, it seems to be lost.

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post #5 of 6
2/15/12 at 2:25am
Quote:

Originally Posted by proton007 View Post

 

The only headphones that I found that are consistent throughout the entire low/mid freq zone are the HD800, Beyerdynamic T1 and Audeze LCD2, which are way beyond my range.

 

The Hifiman HE-500 is also similar (extended flat response in the bass/lower midrange), but it is ~$700, and may not meet your requirement of no bright treble. Some closed headphones like the Denon AH-D2000/5000/7000 extend well, too. But the bass with the HD650 might not be a major problem, most people do not find the quality of the bass on the HD650 to be lacking.

 

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post #6 of 6
2/15/12 at 3:52am
Thread Starter 

That sums it up pretty well IMO.

So any particular Amps/DACs that will go well with the HD650 ?

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