Jan Meier
King Corda
Member of the Trade: Meier Audio
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2001
- Posts
- 854
- Likes
- 192
Dear Headfellows,
Yesterday they finally arrived, those long awaited HD650s! I gave them a thorough 36 hours break-in and wanted to share my impressions with you. It's not an extended review though. I leave that up to people like Jude and all the others that soon will have their new toys at home.
For comparison I used a HD600, DT880, and DT931 (modified and driven at 120 Ohm).
Equipment: SONY SCD XB770 (modified), PREHEAD (LM6171), Meier-Audio interconnects
CDs used:
Christy Baron, "I thought about you", Chesky
Fischer-Dieskau and Brendel performing Schubert's "Winterreise", Philips
José Carreras in Ramirez's "Misa Criolla", Philips
BUILD QUALITY
As you all will know by now the HD650 have the same shape as the HD600. Merely colours and the paddings on the headband are different. It has 2 cushions with the HD650 and 4 smaller cushions with the HD600. I like the grey colours of the HD650 but that shiny black that is used on the ear cups could have been a little bit less shiny for my taste.
The cable of the HD650 is thicker than that of the HD600 but the Sennheiser technician that is responsible for the cables (I met him in Berlin a few weeks ago) told me, that the inner conductors are the same for both cables. According to him there shouldn't be any major differences in cable sound.
The Sennheiser cables are attached by small 2 pins interconnects. I personally don't like them and can't see the need in non-professional applications. They do have a tendency to result in poor electrical contact so I find it a pity Sennheiser hasn't come with a better solution.
Build quality of the DT880 is excellent. I don't like the spiral cable very much but that's personal taste.
Build quality of the DT931 is mediocre. The phone provides a real plastic feeling. The standard version also has a spiral cable (mine has a home-made version).
COMFORT
Comfort of the HD650, like that of the HD600, is medium only. The earpaddings aren't very large and these phones have a tendency to clamp (but I admit, I'm a bighead and I have big ears!).
The Beyerdynamics are much more comfortable. Big paddings and much less pressure.
SONIC BALANCE
As could be expected the HD600 and HD650 showed great similarity. Warm and easy to listen to. A comfortable sound which places you in the middle of a concert hall. The HD600 has a somewhat stronger upper bass and a little bit more treble. The HD650 seems to have more lower bass and a more seamless transition of the various frequency ranges.
The bass and midrange of the DT880 is surprisingly similar to that of the HD650 but treble is a little bit stronger. My initial impressions of the DT880 when it was launched (half a year ago) were, that it sounded darker than the HD600. I now come to the conclusion that the phone has a stronger lower bass then the Sennheiser and thereby attracts your attention to the lower frequencies, especially at bass heavy music. In reality the treble of the DT880 is a little bit stronger.
The DT931 is a very different kind of headphone. More forwardly balanced and with more energy at the upper frequencies it places you in the first row of the concert hall. A more immediate contact with the musicians is the result.
BASS
I've always found the bass of the HD600 to be a little bit muddy and slow. Thankfully this has been greatly improved with the HD650. The latter simply is more tight and less resonant and has a better attack. It's in the same league of that of the DT880 but the latter goes deeper. The DT931 has the fastest attack and the best control of all but bass is less dominant as it is on the other phones.
MIDRANGE
The midrange always has been where the HD600 excelled. I'm happy to report that the HD650 is even better. More micro-detail, lower coloration, .... There's little left to wish for. The midrange of the DT880 is (almost) similarly good. The midrange of the DT931 is a little bit "stiff" in comparison.
TREBLE
My major complaint with the HD650 is, that its treble is even slightly more recessed than that of the HD600. As a result this phone never will get aggressive on you, but female voices simply lack air and percussion lacks that initial fast attack. The phone sounds slow in comparison to the other models. The HD600 are slightly better but for attack and air the DT880 is clearly superior. Surprisingly, although the HD600 has more treble, the HD650 shows more micro detail. This probably is a result of less distortion that this phone is claimed to have.
The treble of the DT931 is somewhat pronounced. The result is a fast attack and every detail of the performance is made audible.
SPACE
Some of the major clues that give us a feeling of space are the low frequency echoes and reflections that are produced by the walls of the recording location. Since the bass of the DT931 is less strong than that of the other phones it presents less space. The HD600 conveys much more environment but is surpasses in this discipline by the HD650. The bass of the latter simply has a better definition. However, the DT880 is even better in this one.
SOUND LEVELS
When comparing headphones it's very important to listen at the same sound level for each phone. This implied that the volume had to be turned up considerably when listening to the DT880. This phone has a rather lower efficiency. However, the other headphones are not very efficient either and each needs a really good amplifier to shine. Potential buyers should be aware of that. These phones will sound rather miserable right out of portable!
The Sennheisers and the DT880 put their emphasis on the bass. This strong bass easily shades the midrange and treble. Less detailed is heard at the same sound level. Thereby these phones create a tendency to hear at higher sound levels. Especially the HD650 and DT880 have this tendency as distortion (and thereby psychological restraint) is very low. The DT931 has more midrange and upper detail and therefore can be more easily listened to at lower sound levels. It's one of the major reasons that I have the DT931 for personal use.
CONCLUSIONS
The HD650 is a very fine headphone and in various areas it's a clear improvement over the HD600. My only complaints are the (slightly) more recessed treble, the medium level of comfort and that cable connector.
And of course there's its price. The MRSP in Germany is EUR 400,- and I personally find that a lot money. The DT880 has a very similar quality (IMHO) but is much more affordable. To me it also doesn't seem to be so much better than the HD600 that it's worth the +80% in price. However, that's something everybody has to decide for himself
Happy listenings,
Jan
Yesterday they finally arrived, those long awaited HD650s! I gave them a thorough 36 hours break-in and wanted to share my impressions with you. It's not an extended review though. I leave that up to people like Jude and all the others that soon will have their new toys at home.
For comparison I used a HD600, DT880, and DT931 (modified and driven at 120 Ohm).
Equipment: SONY SCD XB770 (modified), PREHEAD (LM6171), Meier-Audio interconnects
CDs used:
Christy Baron, "I thought about you", Chesky
Fischer-Dieskau and Brendel performing Schubert's "Winterreise", Philips
José Carreras in Ramirez's "Misa Criolla", Philips
BUILD QUALITY
As you all will know by now the HD650 have the same shape as the HD600. Merely colours and the paddings on the headband are different. It has 2 cushions with the HD650 and 4 smaller cushions with the HD600. I like the grey colours of the HD650 but that shiny black that is used on the ear cups could have been a little bit less shiny for my taste.
The cable of the HD650 is thicker than that of the HD600 but the Sennheiser technician that is responsible for the cables (I met him in Berlin a few weeks ago) told me, that the inner conductors are the same for both cables. According to him there shouldn't be any major differences in cable sound.
The Sennheiser cables are attached by small 2 pins interconnects. I personally don't like them and can't see the need in non-professional applications. They do have a tendency to result in poor electrical contact so I find it a pity Sennheiser hasn't come with a better solution.
Build quality of the DT880 is excellent. I don't like the spiral cable very much but that's personal taste.
Build quality of the DT931 is mediocre. The phone provides a real plastic feeling. The standard version also has a spiral cable (mine has a home-made version).
COMFORT
Comfort of the HD650, like that of the HD600, is medium only. The earpaddings aren't very large and these phones have a tendency to clamp (but I admit, I'm a bighead and I have big ears!).
The Beyerdynamics are much more comfortable. Big paddings and much less pressure.
SONIC BALANCE
As could be expected the HD600 and HD650 showed great similarity. Warm and easy to listen to. A comfortable sound which places you in the middle of a concert hall. The HD600 has a somewhat stronger upper bass and a little bit more treble. The HD650 seems to have more lower bass and a more seamless transition of the various frequency ranges.
The bass and midrange of the DT880 is surprisingly similar to that of the HD650 but treble is a little bit stronger. My initial impressions of the DT880 when it was launched (half a year ago) were, that it sounded darker than the HD600. I now come to the conclusion that the phone has a stronger lower bass then the Sennheiser and thereby attracts your attention to the lower frequencies, especially at bass heavy music. In reality the treble of the DT880 is a little bit stronger.
The DT931 is a very different kind of headphone. More forwardly balanced and with more energy at the upper frequencies it places you in the first row of the concert hall. A more immediate contact with the musicians is the result.
BASS
I've always found the bass of the HD600 to be a little bit muddy and slow. Thankfully this has been greatly improved with the HD650. The latter simply is more tight and less resonant and has a better attack. It's in the same league of that of the DT880 but the latter goes deeper. The DT931 has the fastest attack and the best control of all but bass is less dominant as it is on the other phones.
MIDRANGE
The midrange always has been where the HD600 excelled. I'm happy to report that the HD650 is even better. More micro-detail, lower coloration, .... There's little left to wish for. The midrange of the DT880 is (almost) similarly good. The midrange of the DT931 is a little bit "stiff" in comparison.
TREBLE
My major complaint with the HD650 is, that its treble is even slightly more recessed than that of the HD600. As a result this phone never will get aggressive on you, but female voices simply lack air and percussion lacks that initial fast attack. The phone sounds slow in comparison to the other models. The HD600 are slightly better but for attack and air the DT880 is clearly superior. Surprisingly, although the HD600 has more treble, the HD650 shows more micro detail. This probably is a result of less distortion that this phone is claimed to have.
The treble of the DT931 is somewhat pronounced. The result is a fast attack and every detail of the performance is made audible.
SPACE
Some of the major clues that give us a feeling of space are the low frequency echoes and reflections that are produced by the walls of the recording location. Since the bass of the DT931 is less strong than that of the other phones it presents less space. The HD600 conveys much more environment but is surpasses in this discipline by the HD650. The bass of the latter simply has a better definition. However, the DT880 is even better in this one.
SOUND LEVELS
When comparing headphones it's very important to listen at the same sound level for each phone. This implied that the volume had to be turned up considerably when listening to the DT880. This phone has a rather lower efficiency. However, the other headphones are not very efficient either and each needs a really good amplifier to shine. Potential buyers should be aware of that. These phones will sound rather miserable right out of portable!
The Sennheisers and the DT880 put their emphasis on the bass. This strong bass easily shades the midrange and treble. Less detailed is heard at the same sound level. Thereby these phones create a tendency to hear at higher sound levels. Especially the HD650 and DT880 have this tendency as distortion (and thereby psychological restraint) is very low. The DT931 has more midrange and upper detail and therefore can be more easily listened to at lower sound levels. It's one of the major reasons that I have the DT931 for personal use.
CONCLUSIONS
The HD650 is a very fine headphone and in various areas it's a clear improvement over the HD600. My only complaints are the (slightly) more recessed treble, the medium level of comfort and that cable connector.
And of course there's its price. The MRSP in Germany is EUR 400,- and I personally find that a lot money. The DT880 has a very similar quality (IMHO) but is much more affordable. To me it also doesn't seem to be so much better than the HD600 that it's worth the +80% in price. However, that's something everybody has to decide for himself
Happy listenings,
Jan
