[Jap]

[size=medium]Inquiring minds would like to know: how does the bass of the HD650 compare to other prominent bass phones (e.g., the Stax Omega II, Beyer 770 (Pro), Sony V6, etc.)?

I have heard the 600's with the Equinox cable and fully expect the 650's to bring sweet mids and clear trebles to my ears. Early reports are that the bass is tight, accurate and deep. I am just trying to get an idea of sonic depth here.

I'm probably going to grab some closed phones (ER4S?) before I go after my high end open phones. I currently have the Grado SR80's, Koss KSC-35's and the Senn PX200's. Hoping to drop some major coin on high end closed/open phones, amp(s), cables and other accessories this year.[/size]

 

[adhoc]

if they can go as deep and as low as the 880s, i would respect them.

 

[ADS]

Quote:

Originally posted by adhoc if they can go as deep and as low as the 880s, i would respect them.

I would agree with that statement. The bass with the 880s is quite amazing.

 

[pbirkett]

The bass on the HD650 seems to extend down to 20 Hz or so, I dont know what the DT880 manages. In terms of bass prescence, its quite a way behind the MDR-CD3000, and a long way behind the DT770, but I'd say it was ahead of the DT880 for slam and impact, by quite a margin too.

 

[adhoc]

pbirkett,

it's strange, the dt880's bass. you can literally drown (in a good way) in the bass of the dt880, yet you never feel completely overwhelmed.

the 880 is the only phone i've heard that can go so low that while i strain to hear the bass, i end up feeling it instead.

EDIT: and oh, technically, the 650 goes down to 10hz right? vibrate a ruler 10 times a second. now try to hear that. heh.

 

[Shang-Ti Chen]

What about Grado's bass? Like RS-1's...

 

[zeplin]

out of all my experience with headphones, my new HD650's bass goes down to about V6 levels, but is far more clear and controled...by a wide margin. i also have the Ety's and the HD650's bass, so far, sounds very similar in terms of actually being able to hear really low tones...but with the HD650, it is more of a visceral experience vs just hearing and feeling your ear drums tingle with the ety's. i just can't wait until these babies both break in a little more, and they become magically paired with my soon to arrive Zu Mobius cables. in other words, what i'm trying to say is, the only other time i've experienced this quality of low bass tones is with my ety's (with the vintage Sony D-350's monster bass boost turned to the max)! and again, the 650 experience is all that much better because of the added visceral part

at the last meet i went to, i heard the DT880's and IMO, the HD650 blows the DT880's out of the water in terms of warmth, quality of bass, and the realistic presentation of that bass! however, they both can go just about as low presenting those extremely low tones.

man i love these phones. i've always had some sort of gripe with my other cans in the begining and at the end of my owning them. the W1000's were always a little bright in some cases. the HD600 were sometimes held back in other cases. but so far, i have nothing to complain about in the least bit with the new HD650's. i know that's saying a lot very fast, but i can honestly say these are by far my favorite cans i've heard on my system. but to those of you wanting to get the HD650's, be careful, take all this hype in stride and give it awhile...and of course, try to audition. the only reason why i bought these without auditioning them, is because i already know i love the Senn type of sound...it is definitely for me and my tastes!

i will give a slightly more detailed review in a couple of days after some non-stop listening. only after my Zu's arrive will i attempt to write a complete thorough review with songs and the like listed

see you guys then

 

[tom hankins]

The bass on the 650's is awesome. Deep,tight, and balanced with the rest of the music. It's not just some sound like the 770's, it's much more musical. Better than the 880's(more impact, more envolving) Grados can't get close. Not loose like the CD3000. With the Cary CDP, and the SDS amp,(two sylvanias & one KenRad) the best bass I've heard through headphones.

 

[Mastergill]

With some top nocht amp and source, bass is simply stunning with HD-650.
You can hear/feel those infra-bass that you've got on rock concert, you know the extremely deep, ribs-shaking bass that must be around 16Hz or lower!.
( check Pink Floyd live album "Pulse" , disc 1, track 9 ).

 

[pbirkett]

Quote:

Originally posted by tom hankins Not loose like the CD3000.

I've gotta say I've come to enjoy the "loose" sounding bass of the CD3000, and the way it can propel the music along. For sure HD650 bass is tighter, and its easier to hear in the mix due to the lack of brightness, but I have to say I love the bass in the CD3000, and it seems a lot more punchy than in the Senn. IMO of course

 

[Jap]

[size=medium]I really appreciate all the responses I have received. I'm really not a bass head per se. I enjoy the entire audible frquency range. However there appears to be only a few phones which handle the entire range very well. When I saw others posting about the 650's low bass, I wondered how deep did the love really go. From the 600's with Equinox and Cardas cables, I had a fair idea of what to expect from the treble extreme and the all important midrange. If the 650's have true deep bass---not bloated midbass!---to go with the rest of the frequency range, it would truly be an exceptional phone. again, I probably won't be getting these just yet. I need a solid amp and aftermarket cables as well. In particular, I want to see detailed impressions of the New Moon Silver Dragon cables. Once more, many thanks for sharing! [/size]

 

[fredpb]

PLEASE stop talking about HD650 bass! I feel my HD600's are a bit lacking there. If you keep talking about them, my credit card will hate you all.

 

[lan]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mastergill With some top nocht amp and source, bass is simply stunning with HD-650.

That is the key here. An amp that drives the Senns sometimes isn't good for lower impedance cans. You have to compared them on equal yet high footings.

I really enjoy the slam of the bass on the HD650s. I used the RKV and 963SA BTW. Maybe a solid state amp and better source would've made things even tighter and clearer.

 

[Geek]

The HD650's bass annihilates the DT770's bass. It's the fastest I've ever heard from a dynamic headphone, and actually goes deeper than the DT770 with no bloat.

Sounds muddy and confused when driven poorly though. If you expect class A performance, remember to choose the right components to match this headphone.

Cheers,
Geek

 

[Guss2]

Sorry fredpb,but for the same reasons as you(the bass issue),I feel the 650's seperate themselves quite easily from the 600's.You just have to hear these beauties to understand what's been lacking in the 600's and it's that magical,musical bass for me.I don't feel I will ever need an upgrade cable with these,but it's nice to know I have that option down the road.Gary.