In my experience I get no noticable change in bass when heavily amped, or ran through my PMP.
 
Also to be fair, these sound outright better than other open cans in the $200 range.

I used them with the PB2 and Arrow 4G along with vintage receivers and they sound great off vintage stuff.
 
The PB2 had very well textured and good quality bass while the Arrow was alright too.
 

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spiderman said:

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spiderman said:

Can anyone tell me how the mids are on these headphones? I heard they are amazing but are they slightly forward and engaging? I really prefer neutral headphones that have a forward and lively/sweet mid range and these were recommended. Right now I have the Ht-21 and they sound pretty amazing for the price.

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bump.

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http://www.head-fi.org/t/670454/pioneer-se-a1000-appreciation-club-sennheiser-hd-650-for-45/315#post_9597066

crystalt said:

Im not a believer in break in. You may as well return them now. They wont satisfy your bass needs.

Sent from my SPH-L300 using Tapatalk 2

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crystalt said:

Theyre open headphones and the guy wants response on par with dedicated subwoofers.

Seems like his priorities are misplaced.

Sent from my SPH-L300 using Tapatalk 2

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circuitbender said:

I'd agree with that. Just because you came into a purchase with misplaced or unrealistic expectations does not mean the headphones are to blame.

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It's no mystery why so many people choose to hate these cans. Unless you praise them, they get bashed on and simply told to sell their cans.

Just to be fair, I think these are FOTM cans. Are they acceptable straight out of the box? A resounding no. Too many quirks and quips to be considered the best in the 200 range.

Maybe the best in the 75 and under.

These aren't bad headphones at all, but when I saw the Sennheiser 650 comparison, I was expecting much, much more.
 
I agree with Tek, these perform well up to a certain price point, but I myself most likely will not be satisfied with open airs it seems unless I spend $700+ on something like the HE-500 or Audeze LCD-2, which are in a whole different league.
 
IMO, the exceptional imaging and separation comes at a cost. If you don't mind a slightly forward mid/high with a quick bass roll off, or have a tube to add a little warmth, these are an awesome $50 purchase for sure. Even less $ if someone wants mine.

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bhazard said:

 
No, I want as close to flat response from the advertised 

10 - 30,000Hz ​

 range as possible, even just to 30hz, but instead I fell for the Head-Fi flavor of the month hype. The excellent soundstage cannot make up for the missing response from 100hz down that I'm getting in mine. 80-100hz is not a hard task, even for open headphones, and I am entitled to my opinion.

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Man there really must be an issue with your pair. There is no issue with response down to 30Hz. Here's the featured review I wrote on AVS—you are right, I post on AVS a lot—I'm a "Newsbreaker" and yes I did start out in the DIY section. I just published the HToM with Popalock's system as the highlight. so trust me I know the bass you are looking for. That said, I'm totally pleased with the SE-A1000, I can't relate to the experience you describe.

I do think CrystalIT is a bit off the mark in saying that neither break-in nor good amplification makes any difference. There was a short, minor break-in period—I bought 3 pairs so I had a good opportunity to compare—and good amplification/DAC is a must IMO. The sound I've gotten out of them the last few days is nothing less than breathtaking—and is consistent over all three pairs now that they each have over 20-30 hours of break-in each.
 
Also, for me this was no Head-Fi "flavor of the month" purchase. I found this thread after I bought a pair, and that came on the tail-end of a huge headphone hunt—I tried out (as in tested at-home) Monster Inspire, Denon AH-D600, Sennheiser HD-380, CAL!, Pioneer HDJ-2000, Harmon-Kardon CL (great for people who HATE bass), and Logitech UE6000. I also have a pair of AKG 701 that have been around for a while. The CAL! was the only other headphone I kept, for their decent bass response and incredible value. But the SE-A1000 is still preferable for critical listening. I couldn't believe it when I decided to return the Denon AH-D600, I thought those were going to be my "ultimate cans."

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imagic said:

Man there really must be an issue with your pair. There is no issue with response down to 30Hz. Here's the featured review I wrote on AVS—you are right, I post on AVS a lot—I'm a "Newsbreaker" and yes I did start out in the DIY section. I just published the HToM with Popalock's system as the highlight. so trust me I know the bass you are looking for. That said, I'm totally pleased with the SE-A1000.

 

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Ah awesome. I knew you looked familiar.
 
I've been following Popalock's system for awhile, and I'd love to experience it one day. Excellent write-up too. I only have two of those subs and it is more than enough for me at half gain on my amp. You have the DIY bug now too. It seems we all end up there once we learn more and more, and with the value/performance they achieve.
 
Now that you mention it, my plug does cut out audio or die in one channel sometimes when using an adapter, and I have to twist it or pull on the cord. It doesn't happen on my Nexus', but maybe there is an issue.

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circuitbender said:

I'd agree with that. Just because you came into a purchase with misplaced or unrealistic expectations does not mean the headphones are to blame.

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The title of the thread ( Sennheiser HD 650 for $45?) implies that this is a headphone comparable in sound quality and sound signature to the HD650.
Plus the fanboys/defense force have been hyping this headphone up and attacking anyone with a different opinion or experience. This headphone sounds nothing like a HD650.

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dcpoor said:

 This headphone sounds nothing like a HD650.

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+1, it shouldn't even be used in the same breath.  The HD650 sounds nothing like these. Not even in the same ballpark.  I normally wouldn't chime in but this is another one of those FOTM cans I've seen too many time before. And yes I have them on my desk as we speak.  They are in fact a good deal at $45 but even at full retail they are WAY below several sets costing the same. $45= good deal, up to the HD650=not even close...Sorry but it's the truth..Even at $45 there are cans I like better in the $50 range..

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magicman74 said:

+1, it shouldn't even be used in the same breath.  The HD650 sounds nothing like these. Not even in the same ballpark.  I normally wouldn't chime in but this is another one of those FOTM cans I've seen too many time before. And yes I have them on my desk as we speak.  They are in fact a good deal at $45 but even at full retail they are WAY below several sets costing the same. $45= good deal, up to the HD650=not even close...Sorry but it's the truth..Even at $45 there are cans I like better in the $50 range...

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Why? Because one pair of cans in this comparison is grossly overpriced? You'll never match the Pioneers at $50, and Sennheiser wishes they had a product that sounds as good at the full MSRP of the SE-A1000. I would hope the HD650 would demonstrate some performance advantage, with the price disparity being so large. FOTM? Sure, call it that... but a darned tasty one. 

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crystalt said:

In my experience I get no noticable change in bass when heavily amped, or ran through my PMP.
 
Also to be fair, these sound outright better than other open cans in the $200 range.

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My little dot added some weight to these cans when I had them. A good tube amp will go pretty far with these!

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tekerugburn said:

It's no mystery why so many people choose to hate these cans. Unless you praise them, they get bashed on and simply told to sell their cans.

Just to be fair, I think these are FOTM cans. Are they acceptable straight out of the box? A resounding no. Too many quirks and quips to be considered the best in the 200 range.

Maybe the best in the 75 and under.

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I wasn't attacked when I ultimately decided I disliked these cans, HOWEVER I have seen how aggressive some people have become in defending them.
 
They were good phones, just not HD650 good (or anything like them...)

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kvtaco17 said:

 
I wasn't attacked when I ultimately decided I disliked these cans, HOWEVER I have seen how aggressive some people have become in defending them.
 
They were good phones, just not HD650 good (or anything like them...)

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Individual tastes alone will vary and cause some people to love them Pioneers, other will feel quite meh (especially bass lovers). I'm simply finding that as time goes by and I give them an opportunity, they are performing at a level that is very special, and that discussing the price makes it nearly impossible to discuss them objectively as this point. The truth is the Pioneers should be run off the best possible DAC and amp one can afford, regarless of the "price," because they reward the effort—as any good headphones should.

While good, I never got that special feeling from them... only a few cans have done that for me so far...
I am far from a basshead, I'm more of a soundstage and treble junkie...
 
AND... back to tube rolling, UPS just got here!

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imagic said:

Why? Because one pair of cans in this comparison is grossly overpriced? You'll never match the Pioneers at $50, and Sennheiser wishes they had a product that sounds as good at the full MSRP of the SE-A1000. I would hope the HD650 would demonstrate some performance advantage, with the price disparity being so large. FOTM? Sure, call it that... but a darned tasty one. 

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I don't think the $650 is Grossly overpriced, it fits right in it's price bracket.  Personally I prefer the HD558/598 more but thats more of a taste issue. The 650 has been around and well liked for years. If the Pioneers are still talked about in 2 or 3 years, then you could be onto something.  But these will die off, just like the other budget beaters always do.  Don't get me wrong they are decent but saying 650 @$45 is WAY mis leading.  Hell My DJ100's sound better then the Pioneers and they were $50 new, not priced reduced to move overstock. (Lack of Buyers).  It's funny you mention Senn having a can that can match the Pioneers MSRP?  The OP said 650 @ $45, even at full MSRP they are stomped by Senn lower models, 558/598...Maybe not stomped by the 558, they are very close to the same level and the 558 is $105...