[skeptic]

Quote:

 
Very true IMO. The HD800 sounds distant and uninvolving with a setup that's not matched for them (even if it's relatively high-end). The HD650, OTOH, sounds good from a much wider range of equipment. In fact, I prefer the HD650s from low to mid-fi gear. The HD800 has significantly more potential and technical ability, so with a good setup built around them, they do clearly overtake the 650s. But as expected, that requires a lot of time, money and effort to produce.

 
I definitely agree with your first bolded sentence but disagree with part of the latter.  There are modestly priced amps out there that get the job done in my experience.  They are just few and far between.
 
Have you heard the 800's plugged into a bottlehead crack?  It may not provide you with quite the same all enveloping sound as a Woo 5, but it does the 800's real justice on a budget and sounds better, imo, than many of the "high end" amps I heard with them at CanJam.  Synergy is key, but you don't necessarily have to break the bank to find it.  Ears certainly vary, but based on the crack thread, I know I'm not alone in this opinion.

 

[Twinster]

Wow! That is a major change going from ATH-W1000 (Top Heavy) to HD-650 (Bottom Heavy). I have owned the W1000 for about a month and really tried to liked them. They had very clear and detail high and the mid were very good too.They were good at rendering vocals but it was too thin sounding.  As much as I though I preferred my music with top clarity and details as soon as I took some times with the HD-650 I got hooked to the smooth and full body experience that they can render.
 
Edit:  I have to say that I didn't go directly to from W1000 to HD-650 like you. I've tried DT990/880 and had the K701 before (and getting again)
Quote:

After auditioning a ton of different cans, the HD650 just hits the exact spot. For me, it's the perfect compromise of details, bass, midrange and comfort - both physical and sonical. Now my ATH-W1000's are up for sale so I can grab my own pair of HD650 and return the ones I borrowed from a friend. Can't wait to get my own set of 650's 

 

 

[Sorensiim]

Well I tried some cans on my current amp...
 

 
The HE-4 and HD650 are loaners from the same (very nice!) guy, the HD25-1 II & W1000 are my own, the AKG K701 was a loaner as well. Had them hooked up to my Maverick Audio Tubemagic A1 w. a matched pair of Mullard M8091. A Superpro 707 DAC is feeding the bit-perfect flac files spit out from the Xonar DS card in my computer. Sounds phenomenal but I've got a feeling the A1 is gonna be replaced with a Matrix M-stage in the not-too-distant future

 

[Twinster]

How do you compare the HE-4 to the HD-650?

 
Quote:

Well I tried some cans on my current amp...
 

 
The HE-4 and HD650 are loaners from the same (very nice!) guy, the HD25-1 II & W1000 are my own, the AKG K701 was a loaner as well. Had them hooked up to my Maverick Audio Tubemagic A1 w. a matched pair of Mullard M8091. A Superpro 707 DAC is feeding the bit-perfect flac files spit out from the Xonar DS card in my computer. Sounds phenomenal but I've got a feeling the A1 is gonna be replaced with a Matrix M-stage in the not-too-distant future

 

 

[Sorensiim]

Quote:

Wow! That is a major change going from ATH-W1000 (Top Heavy) to HD-650 (Bottom Heavy). I have owned the W1000 for about a month and really tried to liked them. They had very clear and detail high and the mid were very good too.They were good at rendering vocals but it was too thin sounding.  As much as I though I preferred my music with top clarity and details as soon as I took some times with the HD-650 I got hooked to the smooth and full body experience that they can render.

Ahem: 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/564516/audio-technica-ath-w1000

I'd love to keep the W1000 around for female vocals and classical music, but those HD650 don't pay for themselves and I simply love listening to the 650 so the W1000 would be nothing but a (very beautiful!) paperweight if I kept it. I find that I'm constantly nodding my head and tapping my feet when listening to the 650's whereas with the W1000's I was always analysing the music instead of just enjoying it.
 
 

 

[Sorensiim]

Quote:

How do you compare the HE-4 to the HD-650?

 
The HE-4 sounds great, no doubt about it. But something is just... off. Can't quite put my finger on it, but the sound just wasn't right. There was bass, but not enough body to it. The midrange was just a tad too recessed and the details sounded like they were being forced out of the music. The best description I can come up with is that the HE-4 sounds like it's trying too hard. It does good, no doubt about it, but the HD650 just gets it right. (for my tastes, on my gear, ymmv and all that) With the 650 I'm listening to the songs. I'm not analyzing the treble, the bass rolloff or the sparkle of the midrange. Try all I want, after a few tracks I'm just back to bopping my head and tapping my feet, enjoying the hell out of songs I've listened to for 15 years. (Aerosmith - Walk on Water just came on this second 

)

 

[caracara08]

Quote:

Quote:
 
The HE-4 sounds great, no doubt about it. But something is just... off. Can't quite put my finger on it, but the sound just wasn't right. There was bass, but not enough body to it. The midrange was just a tad too recessed and the details sounded like they were being forced out of the music. The best description I can come up with is that the HE-4 sounds like it's trying too hard. It does good, no doubt about it, but the HD650 just gets it right. (for my tastes, on my gear, ymmv and all that) With the 650 I'm listening to the songs. I'm not analyzing the treble, the bass rolloff or the sparkle of the midrange. Try all I want, after a few tracks I'm just back to bopping my head and tapping my feet, enjoying the hell out of songs I've listened to for 15 years. (Aerosmith - Walk on Water just came on this second 

)

wow... that description was spot on for me too.  the HE4 sounded great... but just wasnt to my liking.  there was something thatwas just .... off lol.
 

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

Quote:
 
The HE-4 sounds great, no doubt about it. But something is just... off. Can't quite put my finger on it, but the sound just wasn't right. There was bass, but not enough body to it. The midrange was just a tad too recessed and the details sounded like they were being forced out of the music. The best description I can come up with is that the HE-4 sounds like it's trying too hard. It does good, no doubt about it, but the HD650 just gets it right. (for my tastes, on my gear, ymmv and all that) With the 650 I'm listening to the songs. I'm not analyzing the treble, the bass rolloff or the sparkle of the midrange. Try all I want, after a few tracks I'm just back to bopping my head and tapping my feet, enjoying the hell out of songs I've listened to for 15 years. (Aerosmith - Walk on Water just came on this second 

)

It's pretty much a waste of time comparing V-shaped FQ response phones to reference FQ response phones.  When one prefers one signature over the other, it's next to impossible to evaluate the other signature seriously.  

 

[Sorensiim]

Agreed. Which is why I did my best to communicate that the HD650 is what sounds the best to me. The K701 is probably the most "correct" and analytical can in the picture I posted. I just prefer listening to my music from the HD650. There is no such thing as "the best headphone", just find the cans that you like best and be happy. And let others be happy about their favorite cans.

 

[olor1n]

Through my current setup, I prefer the HD650 to the LCD-2.

 

[skeptic]

     Quote:

Through my current setup, I prefer the HD650 to the LCD-2.

You're not alone.  The LCD-2's do a lot of things right, but after a lengthy audition (with intent to buy), what ultimately stopped me from handling my credit card over was my clear conviction that I actually preferred my 650's.  I suppose there's no accounting for taste 

 

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

Through my current setup, I prefer the HD650 to the LCD-2.

That is expected, no?  You spent months tweaking this setup for the 650's abilities and sound signature.  Tweak on dude.  

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

 
I definitely agree with your first bolded sentence but disagree with part of the latter.  There are modestly priced amps out there that get the job done in my experience.  They are just few and far between.
 
Have you heard the 800's plugged into a bottlehead crack?  It may not provide you with quite the same all enveloping sound as a Woo 5, but it does the 800's real justice on a budget and sounds better, imo, than many of the "high end" amps I heard with them at CanJam.  Synergy is key, but you don't necessarily have to break the bank to find it.  Ears certainly vary, but based on the crack thread, I know I'm not alone in this opinion.

I'll defer to you in this regard. You, having been to CanJam, surely got to audition setups that I've never. From the setups I've owned, I found the HD800 to be very picky, but synergy is key as you said. I bet it's possible to make them sound good on a relatively tight budget, but it atleast requires time and effort, if not the money.
 
I haven't heard the Bottlehead amps.
 
The HD800s are my favourite cans, but I'd like to convey to everyone just how amazing a bargain the HD650s are. Not only for their meager initial cost, but also for the price of building a synergistic setup around them.
 

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

I'll defer to you in this regard. You, having been to CanJam, surely got to audition setups that I've never. From the setups I've owned, I found the HD800 to be very picky, but synergy is key as you said. I bet it's possible to make them sound good on a relatively tight budget, but it atleast requires time and effort, if not the money.
 
I haven't heard the Bottlehead amps.
 
The HD800s are my favourite cans, but I'd like to convey to everyone just how amazing a bargain the HD650s are. Not only for their meager initial cost, but also for the price of building a synergistic setup around them.
 

I'm surprised to hear you say that given how much you like the HD650s, I thought you would gravitate toward the LCD-2s or O2 in an upgrade.  

 

[Shahrose]

The O2mk1s are my all-time favourite headphones. They're just too hard to find (and the BHSE even moreso....not to mention expensive). The LCD-2 are excellent as well, just as good as the HD800s but different. I much prefer the comfort and ergonomics of the 800s and 650s though, which is why I stick with them (and the Beyer T1).