[Alghazanth]

Quote:

They shine with everything. Except bad recordings. 

And aggressive music.

 

[Poetik]

Try removing the inner and outer foam, using a silver cable, and pairing it with an SS amp. 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

Try removing the inner and outer foam, using a silver cable, and pairing it with an SS amp. 

If that was to me, that's a lot more than I'm willing to do just to see if I like it

 

[Katun]

Well, because some people compare them to other headphones that are more upfront and engaging. Standalone they aren't that boring, especially when playing rock music or anything with a good beat. But, if you are going to compare it to some Grados or even something like the AD900 or D2000, you'll soon find out how smooth, laid back, and easy going the sound is. People will play metal or hard rock expecting them to somehow alter the music to have a slower tempo and less impact and say "Why do people say these are boring?". But it's not that at all. Exciting music is exciting. Boring music is boring. But more aggressive headphones will make the "exciting", "electrifying". And that difference to some (including me) really makes or brakes a headphone. Hence exactly what happened with my D2000 vs HD650 review. No, the HD650 isn't a bad phone, it's just to slow and yes, "boring" for me. And I don't have any plans on making it "exciting" by adding a thousand dollar amp to it. I think I'll just save a ton of dough and buy something that is originally more aggressive...

 

[ACDOAN]

Quote:

And aggressive music.

I'd like to relate HPs to speakers.
 
Frankly, people who own Apogees, Martin Logan or Magnapans do  not appreciate the same kind of music of the people who own Polk Audio, Klipsch or Cerwin Vega just to name a few. 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[Bilavideo]

The HD650, like the HD600, is an excellent headphone, though not the one I ended up with.  I owned the HD650 for a time and found it extremely smooth.  The treble is filtered and the overall sound is very nonfatiguing.  Were they boring?  Yes, when compared to my Grados.  Grados don't filter the treble (except to the extent that some cushions - like the flats - seem to absorb treble).  The treble is actually "percussive" in the sense that you can feel its dynamics, the same you would feel bass, but Grados have their own set of issues, including treble fatigue.  With Grados, I have to change the volume from track to track.  I don't recall having to do that with the Sennheisers.  

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

Well, because some people compare them to other headphones that are more upfront and engaging. Standalone they aren't that boring, especially when playing rock music or anything with a good beat. But, if you are going to compare it to some Grados or even something like the AD900 or D2000, you'll soon find out how smooth, laid back, and easy going the sound is. People will play metal or hard rock expecting them to somehow alter the music to have a slower tempo and less impact and say "Why do people say these are boring?". But it's not that at all. Exciting music is exciting. Boring music is boring. But more aggressive headphones will make the "exciting", "electrifying". And that difference to some (including me) really makes or brakes a headphone. Hence exactly what happened with my D2000 vs HD650 review. No, the HD650 isn't a bad phone, it's just to slow and yes, "boring" for me. And I don't have any plans on making it "exciting" by adding a thousand dollar amp to it. I think I'll just save a ton of dough and buy something that is originally more aggressive...

Absolutely agree my friend. My thoughts exactly, and they pertain to not just the D2K vs HD650 but neutral vs colored in general. In Metal, the difference is just so distinct... it goes from being merely exciting to unbelievably fun, involving, and engaging. The headphone should be like this to begin with, and THEN we "can" expand upon it with expensive amps, DACs, and cables. We shouldn't need to do all of that just to get them where we wish they were in the first place!
 

 

[Poetik]

Quote:

If that was to me, that's a lot more than I'm willing to do just to see if I like it

Ever just try removing the inner foam before? Definitely opens up the treble a bit, not only that but it's easily reversible and takes all but 5 seconds. 
 

 

[kingtz]

Definitely not boring for me. I listen to mostly (female) vocals, which just happen to be the HD650's forte.

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

Ever just try removing the inner foam before? Definitely opens up the treble a bit, not only that but it's easily reversible and takes all but 5 seconds. 
 

Na I returned them pretty quickly. The Sennheiser sound (HD800 not included) just doesn't interest me at all really. I haven't tried the HD600s but the rest that I have sound like they're trying to be neutral but have obvious coloration and don't do too well on either end of the spectrum. On the neutral side, that "veil", "smoothness", and "laid-back" sound signature doesn't sound very neutral to me. And if you really want to get into it, they have bass coloration so they can't be neutral. On the colored side, they're way too laid back for my tastes.

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

Definitely not boring for me. I listen to mostly (female) vocals, which just happen to be the HD650's forte.

Yep Senn is great at that.

 

[ronetna]

From my experience so far, the HD650 can reproduce the pluck in the strings of a well recorded acoustic bass faithfully - that "wood"  sound. It maintains, for the most part , a sense of space around instruments. In terms of "attack", it is very, very good - brass ensembles, jazz with lots of percussion, even a single alto sax. It imparts a lot of body to instruments, partially because of its bass extension.  
I don't know how that could be considered boring. Granted, I have not listened to any Grados, but I'm pretty satisfied  with the HD650 so far.
I do not use any special headphone amplifiers BTW, using only headphone stages of my home gear.
 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

From my experience so far, the HD650 can reproduce the pluck in the strings of a well recorded acoustic bass faithfully - that "wood"  sound. It maintains, for the most part , a sense of space around instruments. In terms of "attack", it is very, very good - brass ensembles, jazz with lots of percussion, even a single alto sax. It imparts a lot of body to instruments, partially because of its bass extension.  
I don't know how that could be considered boring. Granted, I have not listened to any Grados, but I'm pretty satisfied  with the HD650 so far.
I do not use any special headphone amplifiers BTW, using only headphone stages of my home gear.
 

It's considered boring for aggressive and energetic music, not Classical.
 
 

 

[cactus_farmer]

everyone is saying that HD650 is 'laid back', but, again - what does that even mean?
 
A glance at the audiophile glossary will tell you that 'laid back' is usually due to a dished or recessed midrange but that clearly isn't the case with the HD650's very present and lush mids so why exactly is it laid back in sound?
 
And why doesn't it do well with metal - I'd have thought the impactful and thumping bass (as impactful as bassy closed 'phones?) would make that sort of music engaging?

 

[Chris_Himself]

Metal isn't about just bass impact. Grados have that in spades in the right frequency ranges. It's about really bright highs and a forward sound. Basically Grados are all about attack and speed throughout their effective frequency range. It's the speed of those brilliant little drivers plus the relatively vicinity to your eardrums. The headphones have such bright treble, that to inexperienced users who haven't really become adjusted to their signature, this can actually cause discomfort and noticeable fatigue even at lower volumes!
 
Sennheisers are quite good at everything, excel at none. Thats why they're probably the go-to brand for audiophiles looking to play the safe-bet before splurging hundreds of dollars on brands they've never heard before. I remember when I listened to DT880's expecting just extra everything being unfamiliar to what proper audiophile sound was and I was super unimpressed. That being said I completely understand and respect the sound signature now. It's just that the HD650 is easier to appreciate because it pleases all types of listeners.