[62ohm]

 
The gear used for comparison was the Sennheiser HDVD800 DAC + AMP with various full sized headphones (HD600, HD650, HD700, HD800, Denon 7X00, and so on .... ) The aim was to buy a new full sized headphone for home use that beats the Shure SE846 + Chord Hugo. The HD600 didn't make it to the final selection despite it's attractive price point. I bought the HD800 in the end which was an easy decision from all those headphones. 
 
A full sized headphone doesn't need to have a soundstage as big like a HD800, but it should have a soundstage that is much wider than an IEM still.  Else i don't see the point of having an open back design. That's just my opinion. 

 
Did you use the XLR-out of the Senn amp when auditioning those cans? Believe it or not, I actually find the HD600 and HD650 to benefit more going from the SE-out to the XLR-out of the Senn amp than the HD800.

 

[grokit]

@mikek200, I have only tried the older-style cardas, thought it brought more to the hd650 than the 600.
 
Also the HDVD800 DAC + AMP was made for the HD800 in particular,
so it's no surprise that's what you chose @ubs28

 

[turbo87]

Does anyone here have the hd600 and the hugo? Lot of synergy? I am assuming hugo should be more than powerful to drive the hd600 to full potential? Any thoughts?

 

[mikek200]

  I'm looking for a cheap portable amp/dac (or just an amp) for these headphones.  Any suggestions?  I know they are a harder headphone to drive.
 
Source would be either my laptop or my cell phone (Galaxy S2) so it's connectivity is either mini-USB or 1/8th" phono out. 
 
I was eyeballing the Filo E7...good call?  Maybe the Filo E11 (and forget the DAC just go for a good AMP).
 
Primary use would be on an airplane or the like.  On occasion, I may hook up my ear buds into this thing so size is important it would have to fit into my pocket in a pair of gym shorts.  Buds are in my sig the Denon 560s.

NOsferatu,
Might want to try the PA2V2-that's what I using ,and it sounds pretty damn good,{ran me $60.00 2 years ago},rated #1 in head-fi
Bought the HD600 a few days ao,while my KGST is being built-haven,t  listened to any music,since October ,so,on a whim,bought he HD600's,and I,m in heaven,best GD headphone I've listened to in a long time,and I only spent $250.00
Now,I,m wondering why I spent $8000.00 on a stax rig-this HD600 is really outstanding

 

[grokit]

I thought my matrix mini-i's built-in headamp had exceptional synergy with my hd600s.

 

[mikek200]

  So for a person who has had crappy headphone/earbuds my entire life, is it ok to get the HD600 rather than the 650s or should I wait until the 650 is cheaper again?  The price on 650 just jumped up on amazon and I dont wanna pay for that price when I coudl've gotten it for cheaper.  I was too late in ordering the 650s when I had a chance but the 600 are still $314.  Is that a good price? Also would I notice a difference in quality between the two?  Planning on using it with the e17/e9 combo btw.

The 650 has a warmer soundstage.
IMO,the HD 600 has better SQ,good bass,better overall sound quality

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  The gear used for comparison was the Sennheiser HDVD800 DAC + AMP with various full sized headphones (HD600, HD650, HD700, HD800, Denon 7X00, and so on .... ) The aim was to buy a new full sized headphone for home use that beats the Shure SE846 + Chord Hugo. The HD600 didn't make it to the final selection despite it's attractive price point. I bought the HD800 in the end which was an easy decision from all those headphones. 

 

On my Meier Cantate.2 the HD600 never seemed any slower than the competition, and on brand new earpads is very close to the HD800 tonally. I'm surprised it's that easy to hear a difference on the HDVD800 though, but I'd still say the main problem are the earpads considering the other similarities. The graphs of both are similar enough in response, and more importantly the impedance spike. An amp that cannot adequately keep up with the 600ohm spike in the upper bass will likely sound "slow" with both. However, the thing with the HD800 is that the chassis is a heck of a lot better in positioning the drivers, and I've found it's a lot less sensitive to having earpad wear affecting the sound. I've listened to many HD600, HD650, and HD580 and they all had some variancs; but the HD800s I get to listen to at meets never sounded different from each other, or from how many people got to use them before I did.

 

On that count alone I'd definitely say the HD800 is the technically better headphone, but for one who can't come up with the money easily, I'm sticking with the HD600 for now (and alternating two sets of earpads every few weeks).
 

  A full sized headphone doesn't need to have a soundstage as big like a HD800, but it should have a soundstage that is much wider than an IEM still.  Else i don't see the point of having an open back design. That's just my opinion. 

 

It has a wider soundstage than every IEM I've used but of course it's nothing like the K701 and HD800 - like I said the chassis design is pretty much ancient compared to those two. By now it's much closer to Grados' chassis design (in terms of where the driver will usually be relative to the ear canal) when you compare it to newer headphones with the toe-in simulation on the chassis (or at least on the earpads, as on the AKGs).

 

[N0sferatu]

  NOsferatu,
Might want to try the PA2V2-that's what I using ,and it sounds pretty damn good,{ran me $60.00 2 years ago},rated #1 in head-fi
Bought the HD600 a few days ao,while my KGST is being built-haven,t  listened to any music,since October ,so,on a whim,bought he HD600's,and I,m in heaven,best GD headphone I've listened to in a long time,and I only spent $250.00
Now,I,m wondering why I spent $8000.00 on a stax rig-this HD600 is really outstanding

 
Whoa I posted this about 2 years ago.  I was wondering why I got a random e-mail from head-fi.org 

 
Glad you like the HD600.  I'm more of a "bang for your buck" guy.  I'll pay for nice equipment but I'm not laying out a fortune for the extra 10% in performance.  This goes for all my hobbies, including this.  I'm happy with how I've had my headphone setup for years and haven't changed it since.  

 

[Eee Pee]

  The 650 has a warmer soundstage.
 

 

 
That's a new one for me.  Blending tonal characteristics with spacial cues?

 

[Head1]

In other words, it has a more 3 dimensional warmth.

 

[Midgetguy]

  Midgetguy,
 
Do you mind if I ask where you got the replacement cable,and how much did it run you
As I,m a newbie with the 600,and this thread,I'm reading way too much about Cardas,but I don't want to spend so much money ,that I'll have to mortgage my house.-Is it that good?
Actually,I'm very very happy with the stock 600 cable,it is a bit long though ,as stated

 

Which aftermarket cable did you get? I assume from your post that you purchased a shorter one, which I am currently in the market for as well. Not looking to spend an awful lot, though (say, $50).

Sorry it took so long to get back to you guys, I haven't checked into Head-Fi in the past few days. Anyway, I got a Chinese-made cable haha. Yeah, I know, might seem a bit sketchy, but not any SQ degradation that I can hear (take that with a grain of salt, my hearing ain't the best). It's a nicely built cable for around $30; it's got metal bits on it!

Haha, it's about 3 feet long so it's perfect for my use. Might be good for anyone else that isn't too picky about the SQ through the cable. Hurts a bit less than the $50-100+ Cardas and other branded upgrade cables.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281238052332?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&var=580281546660&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

[moriez]

 

 I've listened to many HD600, HD650, and HD580 and they all had some variancs; 

 
I'm listening to 580's and 600's now and have a hard time telling a difference apart from the 600 being a little smoother. What's your experience?
 
Edit: 580's seem more prone to some harshness up top and also a liiiiittle thinner sounding. Not sure if it's mid bass isn't as pronounced as the 600's.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

   
I'm listening to 580's and 600's now and have a hard time telling a difference apart from the 600 being a little smoother. What's your experience?
 
Edit: 580's seem more prone to some harshness up top and also a liiiiittle thinner sounding. Not sure if it's mid bass isn't as pronounced as the 600's.

 

Sorry, omitted a part there. The differences are sometimes not what we normally associate with them, for example the HD600 and HD580 can sound "warmer" in terms of lower range bloom, but have sharper treble. That's why at some point I wised up and brought a spare set of earpads - reasonably used but at least they weren't used by several people right before I compared those three. On the same earpads, I can barely tell the difference between the HD600 and HD650, although the HD580 noticeably lacked a bit in the midrange down to the bass; treble should be perceived to be louder, relatively, but wasn't necessarily the case.

 

On absolutely brand new earpads though the HD650 and HD600 (as in from the demo unit HD650 brought by a dealer along with some Burson stuff) seem to have a little bit of difference, but it wasn't so much that the HD650 was "darker" or "smoothed over." It had less grain, like listening to a cleaner recording. If the treble was really sharp it was still noticeably sharp, just somewhat more refined when it went about it. Not that much better for me to recommend to anyone to ditch an HD600 to get the HD650 though, but for anyone buying new and there isn't any deal on the HD600, I wouldn't go against spending the extra $100.

 

[sinnottj]

   

Sorry, omitted a part there. The differences are sometimes not what we normally associate with them, for example the HD600 and HD580 can sound "warmer" in terms of lower range bloom, but have sharper treble. That's why at some point I wised up and brought a spare set of earpads - reasonably used but at least they weren't used by several people right before I compared those three. On the same earpads, I can barely tell the difference between the HD600 and HD650, although the HD580 noticeably lacked a bit in the midrange down to the bass; treble should be perceived to be louder, relatively, but wasn't necessarily the case.

 
I can relate a similar experience.
 
I originally bought a used HD580, which was sold with new earpads. I also replaced the stock plastic grills with metal HD600 grills. A couple of months later, I picked up a brand new HD600. Both headphones sounded more or less identical to me when using the same metal outer grills. If I put the stock grills back on the HD580, it sounded a touch thicker & less airier.

 

[OJNeg]

I could only see someone calling the HD600 "slow" or "not hi-fi" if they're coming from something like an HD800 or SR009. Those descriptors are best applied in a relative sense of course
 
But even when going back and forth between my HD800/HD600 it's not what I would call a massacre. Sure the HD800 wins in most technical aspects. You could call it more "hi-fi". The HD600 has a certain bloominess/fatness/muddiness in the bass that is readily apparent when you compare it to something cleaner in the bass. And yes soundstage isn't as wide/deep, imaging isn't as realistic. But the HD600 holds its own. You can compare the HD600 to more than a few "high-end" headphones and it'll utterly destroy them.