[Timmyw]

Hi there,
 
I have a conundrum. It's something that has been bothering me for quite a while now.
 
The problem is with my Sennheiser HD650. They are late model ones. The problem is this: Some days I love it, I can't imagine anything sounding better. Then the next day I will don my wonderous headphones and they will sound muffled and dare I say it... veiled. In fact this phenomenon doesn't need days in between to manifest,
 
Just now I noticed it with Isis - Holy Tears. Right at the start of the song some rather heavy guitar assaults you. Earlier in the day I tried listening to the same song and it was muffled, like perhaps listening to the guitar through a wall or something although not perhaps to that extent and I end up taking the headphones off in frustration and annoyance. Then I try it again right this moment, and BANG it's all there in crispy hard in your face crunchiness hence me creating this thread out of vexed frustration.
 
This has been happening with these phones for a while now. I have tried different sources, different amps. I always keep the volume at the same level.  I keep my ears clean. I have been considering the Beyerdynamic T1 for months now, but every time I am about to pull the trigger this happens with the 650s again and I fall in love with them all over again. Also 1200 dollars is hard to swallow. To be honest it's driving me a bit batty.
 
I don't get this problem with my Fischer FA-002w either, they are consistent.
 
I guess I am a bit confused about it all and was wondering if anyone else has experienced this, and I suppose wondering if I should stick with them, if it's just me and open ear phones or maybe I would be better off with the Beyers.  I am perplexed.
 
-Tim

 

[BotByte]

It sounds to me you have a faulty wire
 
Or you just can't put the headphone on your head correctly half the time. HD580/600/650 are very picky about how the driver sits close you your ear and the direction it points towards it.
 
There was a discussion about it somewhere. But try to play a song with a very constant sound to it. Then move the headphone around your ears to hear the muffled sound.
 
I think the best position was back and centered to the driver. Being this, putting the driver too close causes that muffled sound.

 

[Timmyw]

Hmm I didn't even think of that. I have big ears and usually try and get the right feel but I will give it a go,
 
Thanks very much for the reply! 

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

Hmm I didn't even think of that. I have big ears and usually try and get the right feel but I will give it a go,
 
Thanks very much for the reply! 

Sorry I can't find the guide. But I have noticed this when comparing the HD598 to the HD600.
 
It's not a big deal in the end though.

 

[tdockweiler]

One idea is to remove the foam over the driver (it's replaceable) with speaker fabric. I got a huge roll at Parts Express for cheap. I also built myself a new cable and it really does help. Cost me $20 for the connectors and $6 in wire and plugs. It's fairly easy if you're good with a soldering iron. Even if you don't believe in cables, it's worth a try.
 
The slightly muffled sound of the HD-600/650 drove my bonkers. These things above helped a bit. I used cheap Mogami Starquad wire. If you have someone make you one it would cost $100+, so it's then not worth it just as a test.
 
BTW you haven't had allergies have you? Believe it or not it has really changed how my headphones sound! Sometimes even if i'm stressed out.

 

[jasonb]

Quote:

One idea is to remove the foam over the driver (it's replaceable) with speaker fabric. I got a huge roll at Parts Express for cheap. I also built myself a new cable and it really does help. Cost me $20 for the connectors and $6 in wire and plugs. It's fairly easy if you're good with a soldering iron. Even if you don't believe in cables, it's worth a try.
 
The slightly muffled sound of the HD-600/650 drove my bonkers. These things above helped a bit. I used cheap Mogami Starquad wire. If you have someone make you one it would cost $100+, so it's then not worth it just as a test.
 
BTW you haven't had allergies have you? Believe it or not it has really changed how my headphones sound! Sometimes even if i'm stressed out.

yup, allergies can do this. 

 

[Timmyw]

Yes I do have allergies.
 
And yes they were playing up this morning and had subsided in the afternoon. That's very interesting. Also really really horrible.
 
Well, not much I can do about that, especially in Spring in Australia.  
 
I have already modded my Headphones(long time ago), so definitely wasn't that. Also I tried for a good amount of time different positions on my head, but the position I usually have them in seemed optimal.
 
I actually think it was my allergies playing up. 
 
I might move to Antarctica, surely no allergies there.
 
I guess I could try a re-cable but personally I have never noticed a difference with aftermarket cables before.
 
Thanks again guys, much appreciated.
 
 

 

[leng jai]

This happens to me quite a bit on all phones. Always thought it was psychological and dependent on your mood.

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

This happens to me quite a bit on all phones. Always thought it was psychological and dependent on your mood.

Don't know about mood, but for me I often find the best listening experiences occur late at night when my eyes and mind are starting to fatigue - because you are still coherent enough to enjoy the music but  the mind is switched off to the point where it stops looking for the 'whole' of the song as it's playing and just allows all this detail to filter through and acknowledges it all. Amazing!
 
I never get quite the same experience during the day or evening when I'm completely alert. 

 

[titaniumx3]

I get this but I've come to the conclusion that it's completely psychological. Sometimes the music will sound rich, deep and vibrant with wide sound stage, other times it can sound dull, lifeless and congested, with a noticeably narrow sound stage. This change can happen within the timespan of a single listening session, without me adjusting the headphones at all. When things start to sound bad, the best solution I've found so far is to listen at very low volumes for a short while, then go back to normal volumes - it's seems to reset my brain, lol.
 
This is something not exclusive to the HD650, but the effect does seem slightly more exaggerated with it.
 
Quote:

Don't know about mood, but for me I often find the best listening experiences occur late at night when my eyes and mind are starting to fatigue - because you are still coherent enough to enjoy the music but  the mind is switched off to the point where it stops looking for the 'whole' of the song as it's playing and just allows all this detail to filter through and acknowledges it all. Amazing!
 
I never get quite the same experience during the day or evening when I'm completely alert. 

 
I get exact same thing! In fact, dry dozing off whilst listening to your headphones, when you enter the transition period between being awake and asleep, everything you hear seems to become magnified, as if you're listening to giant speakers rather than headphones. It's awesome!
 

 

[Cliff-Samuels]

It could be a simple case of high expectations, like when we read reviews of headphones, when we finally buy a pair its like "is that it?" you may be enjoying the headphones one night, then during the day without realizing you may be thinking to yourself "that sounded GREAT last night" then when you listen again its impossible for it to live up to your elevated expectations.
 
Or something like that

 

[Cliff-Samuels]

Quote:

I get this but I've come to the conclusion that it's completely psychological. Sometimes the music will sound rich, deep and vibrant with wide sound stage, other times it can sound dull, lifeless and congested, with a noticeably narrow sound stage. This change can happen within the timespan of a single listening session, without me adjusting the headphones at all. When things start to sound bad, the best solution I've found so far is to listen at very low volumes for a short while, then go back to normal volumes - it's seems to reset my brain, lol.
 
This is something not exclusive to the HD650, but the effect does seem slightly more exaggerated with it.
 
I get exact same thing! In fact, dry dozing off whilst listening to your headphones, when you enter the transition period between being awake and asleep, everything you hear seems to become magnified, as if you're listening to giant speakers rather than headphones. It's awesome!

I know that feeling! its like your half in this world & half in the next! lol

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

I know that feeling! its like your half in this world & half in the next! lol

Well technically, at that point you kinda are!
 
I've never tried sleeping with headphone, pardon, lol....I wouldn't wanna roll over in my sleep and break something. Hell I wake up with enough bruises haha.
 

 

[sphinxvc]

Try different headphones.  The 6X0 can sound like that on some tracks, add in moods and allergies and what-have-you and things exasperate.

 

[Cliff-Samuels]

Quote:

Well technically, at that point you kinda are!
 
I've never tried sleeping with headphone, pardon, lol....I wouldn't wanna roll over in my sleep and break something. Hell I wake up with enough bruises haha.
 

 
lol