[mysticstryk]

So the difference is basically in the forwardness of the mids?
I was expecting you to say that the 650s had more rumble or more punch in the bass.

They are not dark but they are dark next to my dt770 80ohm.....

What about the people that they say that the hd650s are bassier, more laidback, have more soundstage,etc etc....? Exaggeration?
Wich would you recommend for more energetic styles like metal and edm?

Cheers

Edit:

As you guys have stated the hd600 is a headphone that as been going strong for almost 20 years....

In 2017 it gets to its 20s indeed. Ifa 2017 is just around the corner so do you guys think we will see any new or anniversary hd6xx introduced next year?

The 650 may have a tiny amount more mid bass. It's only noticeable when doing direct A/Bing. Neither headphones are laid back when properly amped unless your trying to compare them to an artificially bright and aggressive headphone.

Personally I enjoy metal more on my 650, as the 600 is almost too forward in the upper mids for some guitar work.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

All decent headphones will move the bass around if its in the recording, if you never heard too many better headphones before it might seem like a lot, the HD-598 does not have as much bass as the HD-600 so the movement of the bass might not be as noticeable in comparison.

I already had, sony mdr v6, auvana live, m50, m50x, senhheiser momentum over ear and 2.0 over ear, sony mdr 1a, akg k518, k550, dt770 80ohm, hd598, amperior, hd25.... Does they count as "better headphones"? All of them have a centered bass punch....
But yeah i dont have much experience with open ones besides de hd600 and hd5*8s.....

 

[SpeakerBox]

   
Yeah I will admit I am not any bass freak or anything like that. But the HD 555 and HD 598 have like 0 sub bass.
 

 
Strange - I always though the 555 had too much bass.  That said I am driving all my cans with vintage iron which tends to have copious amounts of power available.

 

[madwolfa]

For me the HD 650 was better since the HD 600 lacked even more sub bass, had a problematic treble (on some recordings the HD 600 could sound harsh while the HD 650 remained to sound good) and had even a smaller soundstage.

 
I'd say it's rather a problematic recording than problematic treble on the headphone. But I agree that HD650 is much more forgiving, almost to the point of being boring (to me). I have a Fidelio X2 for a "sit back and enjoy" function, which is just as forgiving, but with quite a bit higher "fun" factor. 

 

[DavidA]

I already had, sony mdr v6, auvana live, m50, m50x, senhheiser momentum over ear and 2.0 over ear, sony mdr 1a, akg k518, k550, dt770 80ohm, hd598, amperior, hd25.... Does they count as "better headphones"? All of them have a centered bass punch....

But yeah i dont have much experience with open ones besides de hd600 and hd5*8s.....

For me better would be HE-400i, HE-560, LCD-2f, LCD-X, HD-700, HD-800, T1, SR-009, EL8, SRH-1840, TH-600, Ether C, and RS2e.
 
As I said before, if the recording has the bass centered then its centered with all of the above headphones, if its moving around in the recording then its moving around in the headphone.  Since you notice that the bass is moving, not always centered, and off balance at times, does it happen only with the HD-600?  You could try some simple test like switch the cables around to see if the problem still exist, it will also rule out a possible bad cable if the problems still exist.  Do you have access to a different source to try out?  Trying to do some simple trouble shooting to see if there are any simple reasons for your issue of the bass being all over the place.

 

[opis]

Was running my pair of HD600's right out of the mobo on the comp (it has 250 Ohm support) but finally got x-mas money from dad and just placed an order for an O2 amp to pair up with them. Can't wait!

 

[DavidA]

  Was running my pair of HD600's right out of the mobo on the comp (it has 250 Ohm support) but finally got x-mas money from dad and just placed an order for an O2 amp to pair up with them. Can't wait!

You might not get much of an improvement with the O2, for me the O2/ODAC was not a good pairing with the HD-600, HD-650 and HD-800 and really bad with the HD-700, the sound was thin and harsh to me, but I prefer tubes so might not be a good comparison.  The ODAC section is pretty good for the price, I liked it better than a few of the other similar priced DACs that I've tried.

 

[opis]

Ty for the input. I don't really expect a magical transformation of the audio quality, I got it partly because I can't really get enough oomph out of older recordings (say 70's albums at around 89dB) from the mobo amp, it is alright at lower volumes but if you really want to blow your head out for a song or two it is lacking.

 

[olek]

  Was running my pair of HD600's right out of the mobo on the comp (it has 250 Ohm support) but finally got x-mas money from dad and just placed an order for an O2 amp to pair up with them. Can't wait!

O2 was developed with HD650 in mind (those were primary headphones of its designer), and it works pretty well with them. HD600 out of O2 are a little thin, but still very good. Some claim that O2 is all one will ever need, and that is laughable, but it is pretty good amp (for HD650) for the price, and most of harshness you will be hearing out of it is because of distortions in your interconnect cables - O2 is very unforgiving about that. In my case O2 responded very well to upgrades of interconnects, but that gets pretty ridiculous pretty quick. O2 was horrendous with DT880/600 (tubes OTL was MUCH better here), I guess synergy matters and O2 is not most versatile amplifier.

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
I'd say it's rather a problematic recording, rather than problematic treble on the headphone. But I agree that HD650 is much more forgiving, almost to the point of being boring (to me). I have a Fidelio X2 for a "sit back and enjoy" function, which is just as forgiving, but with quite a bit higher "fun" factor. 

You should try the ONKYO A800 mate, designed by the same firm who did the Fidelio drivers. I remain rather impressed with the A800.

 

[Midgetguy]

   
Yeah I will admit I am not any bass freak or anything like that. But the HD 555 and HD 598 have like 0 sub bass. which means its only good for playing instruments or vocals.
 
NOW on the HD 555 if I move the 30hz EQ up by +12 DB I notice there is very very little distortion. And I do get some sub bass its a great sacrifice.
 
I have come to accept that sub bass are a problem for open back headphones because of its very nature. To get that awesome open airy sound. I understand
 
When I had my Phillips 9500 I only needed to up the EQ by +10 for 30hz and it gave me great sub bass it was certainly one of the greater open backs.
 
I am just going to assume the Beyerdynamic open back are the bassiest open backs in the world?
 
I understand now why Loud Speakers are superior to headphones. You can literally have the best mid range monitors made of carbon fiber and best silkdome tweeter and just simply add a 25 hz Subwoofer. And then everything can be controlled separate so nothing will be sacrificed.

You can be pretty happy with EQing an HD600 if that's your thing since I felt the HD600's bass presence (both quantity and quality) are much better than the SHP9500's.
 
As for Beyers being the bassiest openbacks, I'm not sure about that cuz I haven't tried them. As far as bassier/warmer openbacks, the Philips Fidelio X1/X2 are very good. Likewise, Audeze's LCD2 Fazor, but in a different way than the Fidelios. The Fidelios (at least the X1, haven't listened to the X2) have a larger sound stage than the HD600s in my opinion.

 

[pbeg7]

You can be pretty happy with EQing an HD600 if that's your thing since I felt the HD600's bass presence (both quantity and quality) are much better than the SHP9500's.

As for Beyers being the bassiest openbacks, I'm not sure about that cuz I haven't tried them. As far as bassier/warmer openbacks, the Philips Fidelio X1/X2 are very good. Likewise, Audeze's LCD2 Fazor, but in a different way than the Fidelios. The Fidelios (at least the X1, haven't listened to the X2) have a larger sound stage than the HD600s in my opinion.

You can be pretty happy with EQing an HD600 if that's your thing since I felt the HD600's bass presence (both quantity and quality) are much better than the SHP9500's.

As for Beyers being the bassiest openbacks, I'm not sure about that cuz I haven't tried them. As far as bassier/warmer openbacks, the Philips Fidelio X1/X2 are very good. Likewise, Audeze's LCD2 Fazor, but in a different way than the Fidelios. The Fidelios (at least the X1, haven't listened to the X2) have a larger sound stage than the HD600s in my opinion.

Ill tell you -without a doubt- that the DT990's (only open-back Beyers I own) have significantly more SUB-BASS and quite a bit less MID-BASS than the HD600's (which I also own).

 

[Midgetguy]

Ill tell you -without a doubt- that the DT990's (only open-back Beyers I own) have significantly more SUB-BASS and quite a bit less MID-BASS than the HD600's (which I also own).

Can't say I'm surprised about that. The HD600's aren't exactly what you think of when you think subbass.

 

[Arttt]

today hd600 arrived and after being disappointed by hd650 i wasn't even going to compare them side by side, because i already made up my mind about hd650...
but curiosity got the best of me and i made A/B test anyway ...
 
have to admit, a few bottles of fine swedish dark lager to make mids extra warm , so impressions are "colored" a little ...
 
to put it short ...
 
hd650  strong sides
+ wider soundstage with more sense of depth
+ better resolution
+ sound picture is more 3D
+ refine
 
hd650 weakness
-dimmed treble
-image is bold wide and thick but lacks weight to the sound , sound body feels shallow ...
-slow muddy loose bass , sub bass rolled off and mid bass emphasis 
 
overall sound character is colored . its foggy and laid back yet musical and detailed, dynamically dull , that softness comes at price...
 
 
hd600
+ clean sound
+ tonality is beautifully balanced!  Neutrality at its best , hd600 doesn't add or take anything from sound , you will hear recording as it is...
+ smooth sound character, very natural with that analog feeling all over it!
+Mids are full-bodied with great focus , everything is placed where it should be!
+PRAT ( phase rythme and timing ) definatly faster than hd650 and doesn't have that slow loose wooly bass,  instruments like piano or violin , guitar or drums sound as they do in real life, everything is fast tight and dynamically alive !
 
hd 600 weakness
-narrow soundstage
-treble can get hot/agressive and artificial at times but i don't think its a drivers fault and its more about recording mastering..
-sub bass rolled off
 
 
Now here is a surprise , i switched cables and all the dramatic difference are gone .  i couldn't believe my ears...
with hd650 cable hd600 sounds a lot more like hd650 , it gained more body in mids , sound became fuller and warmer , treble don't have that metallic ring to it it sound more natural and more refine.
more rumble in bass area and what surprised me even more is vocals , both female and male vocals , got more fluidity lushness and warmth yet kept that speed tightness and focus, imaging is still sharp but now it sounds as refined as with hd650 without treble roll off sound is very engaging !!!  The edginess is gone , now all flows even more smooth and with extra punch in low end.
 
I am still in shock how much difference a cable switch made and how little difference between hd650 and hd600 if using hd650 cable is
now the only difference between hd600 and 650 is , speed ,  soundstage width and depth (hd650 still superior in that aspect) and treble roll off with hd650 that makes music dull and unnatural (in terms how music instruments sounds in real life)
 
and those difference are not night and day...but still i prefer hd600 with hd650 cable , i could compromise narrow soundstage with less 3D imaging  and get the  tonality of hd600 that is so amazingly good balanced, with its superior speed and stronger dynamics that won't let you fall a sleep..
 
with hd650 cable hd600 do not sound thinner than 650 or less lush and refine,  i am very surprised and don't get why sennheiser choose to sell hd600 with that worthless thin cable ... really ...
 
 
well now i have to admit , hd600 and hd650 drivers share more in comment than differences ....

 

[Quinto]

My experience with both headphones mirrors yours..I might add tha imaging of the HD600 is more pin point precise, HD650 has somewhat diffuse imaging.. I do love the velvet quality of the HD650 when I'm in the mood..also my favorite while reading..